Day 46 - Loch Lomond reprise

At present I am unable to upload any photos. I will try again later, but I apologise if there are no photos today. They were mainly even more scenes of the Loch anyway - you have probably seen plenty already.



Today started off very well, again with bright sunny weather, and I was given my wish for a slightly lower temperature. This was assisted by me walking along the east bank of the Loch which meant that the sun was hidden behind the hills for all of the morning. I reached Inversnaid by 11.45 in time for an early lunch, feeling good and having made good progress on smooth paths.



This enjoyment was soon to disappear as most of the path after lunch - from Inversnaid to Inverarnan, was appalling. The path often consisted of rocks, boulders and tree roots and often required more clambering than walking. I do not know how I would have managed it had the path been wet. The host at tonight's B&B confirmed that he has heard many tales of woe from this part of the WHW, as people do not appreciate the difficulty of the path before setting off. He does however promise me that the path is a lot better from now on.



The nature of today's walk also made it difficult to fully appreciate the fabulous scenery. Firstly the path was often through trees with the Loch barely visible. Secondly The poor state of the path meant that I had to walk with my eyes down on the path to avoid tripping over rocks etc. Luckily I managed to avoid any damage although I did stumble several times.

Because of the nature of the WHW, being off road to a large extent, it makes it difficult to divide into stages. Jean has come up with a plan which involves having 2 half days rather than a full rest day. Tomorrow I am therefore walking only 7 miles from Inverarnan to Crianlarich (where we are staying for 2 nights) with the afternoon being free for sightseeing.



Still no sign of the dreaded midges. I have been told today that they are not too prevalent at present because of the dry, hot and windy weather in recent weeks. I will keep you updated.

The highlight of today was seeing a pine marten. It was on the path only about 10 yards ahead of me having just caught something to eat. Jean also had a wildlife experience when she saw an osprey whilst driving.

KBW's today for Des and Margaret, and Graham for services to communications.

" Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake" - Wallace Stevens (or should it be loch?)

Cheers
Keith

Day 45 - The bonnie bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond

A view over Loch Lomond from the West Highland Way.

And another.

The view from our accommodation at Balmaha (pronounced Balmaha!) showing a helicopter about to land.

When I took this photo I thought that I was capturing a Highland Cattle bull - however Jean doesn't think that it is a Highland Cattle, any ideas?

Today I walked the 14 miles from Drymen to Rowardennan. I can know officially announce that this is pronounced Row ar denn un (with "row" being pronounced as in an argument rather than as in rowing a boat). The early part of the walk - the 6 miles to Balmaha was very easy walking with very good even, well marked paths on relatively flat terrain. I did however opt for the easier "lower" route which misses out Conic Hill - I am not here to climb mountains! The second section to Rowardennan was however very tough with lots of up and downhill sections and the paths in many places were of more dubious quality. Towards the end I resorted to the road to avoid further punishment. This means that I will not be able to claim that I have walked the WHW but this is not my objective - getting to JOG is!

The weather is still bright and sunny - a few degrees lower would be ideal for walking.

I am pleased to sat that my various leg problems are holding up well. I have worn boots rather than trainers for the last 2 days and this gives my ankles more support over the uneven ground. There were a few times today when my left ankle had an opportunity to be painful as I stumbled on loose rocks etc but it did not take them - let's hope that this continues.

Tomorrow I walk to Inverarnan which is again about 14 miles. My guide book says that this section is generally recognised as one of the toughest of the Way. So although 14 miles is less than I normally achieve in a day it may still be a good challenge. I had a good reminder today that all miles are not equal. In any event I will have to make it to Inverarnan as the road does not go past Rowardennan. After dropping me of Jean will have to retrace her route south down the east side of the loch and then travel north on the west side to meet me to the north of the loch (are you still following this?).

Martin told me in an email that the BBC had a feature on the trouble that the midges were causing this year, and he asked me to recount my experiences so far. I think that he was probably looking for some tales of woe - if so he will be disappointed to learn that we have not yet encountered any midges. My insect repellent spray and wipes are still waiting to be used. I expect that they will be soon.

I would like to thank Eddie (who I met on the Way yesterday) for already making a donation on justgiving.com. Really appreciated, thanks Eddie.

Today's KBW's are :-

Martin - for his continued communications via email,

Eddie - for proving that there are still some good guys out there.

"Walking gets the feet moving, the blood moving ,the mind moving. And movement is life." - Bruce Chatwin

Cheers

Keith

Day 44 - West Highland Way

A taste of things to come - taken from just outside Drymen (pronounced Drimmen) Loch Lomond can just be seen to the centre left of the picture.

One of the many scenic pictures that I took today. The scenery was wonderful and I understand that it gets even better further along the Way.

The Glengoyne Distillery where I took time out to sample their splendid whiskies. Thanks to Yvonne who gave me descriptions of all 4 of the malts that I sampled.

About to embark on the WHW from the official start point in Milngavie (pronounced Mull-Guy).

As I write this sitting on the banks of Loch Lomond in tropical Scotland it is amazing to think that I started walking this morning from Partick in the centre of Glasgow. (We are staying at Balmaha for 2 nights and so we are 4 miles ahead of where I have walked to - so I will need to go back to Drymen tomorrow morning to rejoin the West Highland Way.) It feels like another world.

Tomorrow I will walk to Rowardennan nearly all along the east bank of the Loch. The weather forecast is for more sun - I cannot complain because it is certainly better than the rain that I understand is fairly common in these parts. I have been telling the locals that I am bringing the good weather with me - apparently yesterday Glasgow was the warmest place in Britain!

The visitor centre at Milngavie was very welcoming and, because I am walking for charity, gave me a free Log Book, which when completed will entitle me to a certificate to evidence my efforts. They were very interested in my LEJOG walk and said that they would put details of my blog etc on their website.

I have met many interesting people on my travels. Another one today was Eddie, who was walking south, who had heart problems 3 years ago and said that walking was something that he had since learned to enjoy. I said I would mention him on the blog and he said he would donate to the BHF - there you go Eddie I have kept my side of the bargain!

I had a pleasant diversion of a few hundred yards off the WHW when I visited the Glengoyne Distillery for a free whisky tasting. I sampled four of their malts, which were all very good - and I still managed not to get lost afterwards!

The WHW is certainly proving to be good for tourism - I have already met walkers from Germany, France and the US as well of course plenty of Brits.

In the captions to the photos I refer to the pronunciation of the various place names. Since leaving Glasgow I haven't yet spoken about a place without being corrected on its pronunciation. Some like Milngavie ("Mull-Guy"), where the WHW starts, are impossible to guess, some like Drymen ("Drimmen") are not quite so bad. I still haven't managed to get my destination for tomorrow, Rowardennan, sorted out - it appears to be all in the emphasis on the various syllables.

I noticed a hierarchy of walkers today. At the bottom of the list are those simply out for a gentle walk and doing only a few miles; next are those doing only one of the stages of the WHW; next are those doing the full WHW but using hotels and B&B's. I still haven't worked out whether doing the WHW as part of LEJOG is of a higher rank than those who are carrying full camping gear etc - I think that it is but I think that the backpackers probably think that they are superior!

"My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing." - Aldous Huxley

Cheers

Keith

Day 43 - Two thirds and still walking

Two bridges cross Avon Water,a tributary of the Clyde, near Hamilton.

I appreciated the welcome, but they had miscalculated - I completed two-thirds of the walk today!

Hosts George and Annette in their pretty garden.

There are a series of these adverts - Mexico, because their moustaches remind me of my grandma; Cameroon because it rhymes with Macaroon etc. I haven't yet seen one which says England because they are British - if I do I will let you know.

Whilst it would be untrue to say that I enjoyed my walk through Glasgow it was certainly interesting and was a lot better than I had feared. Jean also found it easier to drive into the city than she had thought may be the case. I did however see several examples of the stereotypical Glaswegians - I will let you fill in the gaps! There was a row of shops where about half were empty, the open shops were a family lawyer. a criminal lawyer, a cheque centre and a charity shop - I expect that a soap could make a plot out of this!

I apologise for continually talking about numbers but I am an accountant. I have now walked 650 miles which is over two-thirds of the way to JOG. The exact two-thirds point was just outside the entrance to Hamilton Golf Club. I now have less than 300 miles to go (295 to be exact) - and whilst I know that it is still a long way and that they will be hard miles, it does feel good to have less than 300 to go. You may remember that when I had done one-third I said that all I had to do was repeat what I had done - twice. Now I can say that all I need to do is half of what I have already done.

A guide to walking LEJOG that I have says that the final third is the hardest as the body starts to fail because of over use. I understand what they are saying - but only time will tell. The slight problem with the walk did not appear again today. The left ankle had only one twinge when I landed on an uneven path.

Tomorrow I start the West Highland Way and hope to reach Drymen.

Today's KBW's are to George and Annette our hosts for tonight. Thanks to them for hosting us when we are only known through a common acquaintance. As we do not expect to have any more hosts or support drivers or walkers I have decided that future KBW's will be awarded to the best feedback to me via the blog,by email, text or by phone especially to people who reply to the questions that I sometimes ask.

"Walking would teach people the quality that youngsters find so hard to learn - patience." - Pepper Giardino

Cheers

Keith

Day 42 - Bikes and birds

Well - it was a slow photo day! Just to prove that the sun does shine in Scotland.

The shape of things to come. In the middle distance (if you enlarge the image) are the high rise buildings of Glasgow. In the distance are the hills that await me on the West Highland Way.

Some of the 650 riders taking part in the charity ride organised by James Cracknell. Steve regrettably is not in the picture.

After such a good day yesterday it was probably to be assumed that today would not be the same, and so it proved. Steve who walked 2 days with me in the South West is taking part in the James Cracknell bike ride from John O'Groats to lands End in 9 days. I found out yesterday that we would be travelling in opposite directions on the B7078 today. Jean and I therefore made an early start to try to see Steve ride by. However although we saw nearly all 650 go past we didn't see Steve. Our theory is that he took the advice that I gave him last night to use the very good cycle path rather than the threadbare road. The problem caused by this is that the path is to the left of the trees that can be seen in the photo - so we wouldn't have seen him. Jean however was compensated by James Cracknell waving to us as he went past.

The good news today was that I received a text telling me that there is a full page article about my walk in the Coventry Telegraph today. This contains the blog address - so welcome to any new readers.

Waiting to see Steve allowed me to spend an hour or so birdwatching in the Lanarkshire countryside- something that my need to do the miles doesn't normally allow me to do. This allowed me to see a snipe displaying, when they fly somewhat like a bat but also make a noise called "drumming" which makes it sound like a flying vuvuzela. The other bird spotting highlight today was to see the first redshank of the trip.

In terms of walking I did 18 miles along the B7078 to reach Larkhall. Most of the route was on good cycle paths on quite roads. However the few miles after Blackwood was a nightmare as not only did the cycle path disappear there was often no proper verge to retreat to - this was certainly worrying as there was an inordinate number of quarry lorries speeding along the road.

The scenery today was not very interesting,being flatter and more developed as I approach Glasgow.

I have received an email from Martin (who walked 2 days with me in Warks and Staffs) in which he gently reprimands me for not including sufficient details of the problems that I have encountered. He says that with the football not being so good and some of the soaps being cancelled he needs my blog to give him some drama. The best that I can come up with today is that I have an occasional very slight pain in my left calf. My shins and left ankle are perfectly serviceable on flat ground (although I am still taking painkillers as a precaution), but I am a little concerned that I will find the going tougher when these problems are exposed to the tougher terrain of the West Highland Way. There you are Martin - some suspense for you as well.

Tomorrow I walk through Glasgow. My original plan was to walk along the Clyde Way to Partick where we are staying the night. However I am considering changing this plan and to walk along the city streets in order to save a few miles of walking. This will then hopefully put me into a position to start the WHW on Thursday. I will make the final decision later tonight.

As well as seeing James Cracknell, Jean had a good day visiting New Lanark which is a World Heritage Site, just outside Lanark. As well as enjoying an interesting visit she was pleased to find the place having failed to find Wigan Pier and the Ribble Steam Railway on the trip so far.

"As a nation we are dedicated to keeping physically fit - and parking as close to the stadium as possible." - Bill Vaughan

Cheers

Keith

Days 40 and 41 - 600 miles and a coincidence

An attractive view over the Clyde valley from the B7078 this afternoon.

The river Clyde near to the village of Crawford - which was the 600 mile mark of the walk.

The intrepid walker celebrates reaching a total of 600 miles, with Lindsay Tower in the background.

The statue of the Ram at Moffat which signifies the role that the town had in the wool trade in the 1870's.

I had a very good day today. The roads were good, the weather was sunny but not too hot, and the views especially in the afternoon were lovely. Even better the ankle that I twisted on Saturday did not cause me any problem, which was a very pleasant surprise as I had expected some trouble from it. I chalked up a new county as well - Lanarkshire.

I reached the 600 mile mark near to the village of Crawford. By an amazing coincidence this village contains the remains of Lindsay Tower.This was inherited by the Lindsay family in 1215 as a result of a marriage. It was occupied by English forces led by Edward 1 until it was relieved when William Wallace led a force which stormed the castle in the winter of 1296/1297. As you can see from the photo it is no longer in very good repair so I won't be looking to stake my claim to a part of it!

You may remember that I reached the 300 mile mark at Norton Lindsey (sic) - lets wait and see where the 900 mile mark is!

I have now walked 610 miles which leaves 335 to go. I have reached a place on the B7078 about 4 miles north of Abington. Tomorrow I continue along the B7078 and hope to reach Hamilton on the outskirts of Glasgow. Steve Twigger (remember him from Cornwall and Devon) is presently cycling from JOG to LE - I met the organiser of their ride today and I learnt that they will be cycling south along the B7078! I will try to speak to Steve tonight to see if our paths will actually cross. It is possible that they will not as they leave East Kilbride at 6.30 and so may have already passed before I have had my breakfast!

Yesterday was a rest day and for the second week running it rained for most of the day. Jean and I therefore did a circular car trip to Peebles visiting several lochs and reservoirs as well as the Grey Mares Tail waterfall. We are staying at a hotel just outside Lanark for the next 2 nights.

Thanks for all of the messages of support - comments on the blog, emails and phone calls. They really do boost my determination to succeed knowing that so many of you are supporting me. I look forward to receiving more comments from you.

To celebrate the fact that I am in Rabbie Burns country the quote today comes from the world famous poet, and will ensure that I do not become complacent about the next 335 miles.. It is amazing how his name gets used in marketing - at the Italian restaurant last night they had a "Rabbie Burns Pizza" which included haggis amongst its ingredients.

"There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing." - Rabbie Burns

Cheers

Keith

Day 39 - KBW's and MBE's

The gentle rolling hills of the border country.

Walking down the B7076 north of Lockerbie. I made sure that I did not break the speed limit!

The mounted riders set off to patrol the Marches of Lockerbie.

The Queen's Birthday Honours list has obviously been paying attention to the KBW awards and has made Mario (he is the one with the Playgirls!) an MBE for his services to the Care sector. Congratulations Mario! I cannot promise that all KBW holders will be similarly honoured - but I am sure that your KBW is reward enough.

Today started with me witnessing the start of the Lockerbie Gala. This consisted of over 100 riders setting of from the town hall at 8.30 to patrol the Marches (boundaries) of Lockerbie to ensure that they are safe. Our waiter at the hotel told me that they were looking for any Englishmen. A Scot at the opening ceremony confirmed this and said that it was a pity that they could no longer shoot them! They were both joking - I think!

Jean and Graham visited the Garden of Remembrance to commemorate the Pan Am crash in 1988. They said that it was was very moving.

Adrian Moore (remember him as my excellent support driver in the South West) rang me today to say that he was back from his holiday in Spain. He had lost touch with my progress and was surprised when he learnt that I was now in Scotland. The last he had heard was that I was suffering with my shins. A belated Happy Birthday to Heather for a few days ago.

The walk today was entirely along the B7076. This road is very good for walking as it has paths or cycle lanes for the whole length. I walked about 19 miles to 5 miles north of Moffat (where we are staying for 2 nights). The 2 photos above show the contrasting views from the road. The first shows the gentle rolling hills of the borders - I am told that these are "trainer" hills in preparation for the mountains that I will face on my stroll through Scotland. The afternoon walk was not as attractive and, as can be seen from the second photo, it was often through a tunnel of trees which restricted the views of the countryside.

After having company for the last few days it seemed strange not to have anyone to talk to. I even resorted to singing to myself at one point - much to the puzzlement of the local cows! I also had a quieter wild life spotting day without Graham's excellent eyesight. I did however spot a shrew.

There were a lot of cyclists on the road today - more than on any previous day. Several of these were endtoenders - and because they were travelling south I could feel superior as I had covered more ground than they had. However the one I spoke to expects to reach Lands End next Saturday, about 3 weeks before I finish.

For some reason I haven't seen any St George flags on cars today. Any ideas why?

Tomorrow is a rest day so that there will not be a blog. Walking north again on Monday!

Today's KBW's are:-

Des - Services as support driver and sandwich buyer for the last 5 days. He returns home tomorrow.

Mario - For bringing even more prestige to the KBW award system.

"All walking is discovery. On foot we take time to see things whole." - Hal Borland

Cheers

Keith