Day 84 - Kinlochleven to Fort William

A very late coffee this morning; The Walker couldn’t get out of bed owing to knee problems! We eventually sent him off on the last part of the West Highland Way, while I visited the Kinlochleven Information Centre.This has changed and improved since I was there last. The library part of it has moved and there is a fascinating exhibition about the aluminium smelting works, the building of the dam, the hydro-electric plant and the growth and demise of the town. It still looks quite run down, despite the money from Alcan to help the town after the works closed

Fort William is not one of my favourite places and I am not really sure why. I do seem to have spent a lot of time, whenever I have been here, walking around the place. It usually rains (and, yes, it did today, when I finally met The Walker) and is always full of people; mainly lots of foreign tourists, walkers and climbers galore and holiday-makers just wandering about. I counted 3 sets of buskers along the short stretch of the High Street and they all looked about 14 or 15 years old.

It does, however, cater for motor homes in the car parks and the Morrisons is pretty big!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  15.4 miles     :     Cumulative  1057.0 miles

Section 8 completed, all the paperwork signed, The West Highland Way finished for the second time.... & all in cracking weather! A good day!
I've met many walkers who tell horror stories about weather encountered on the Way but, in the 17 days I've spent on the trail (we took a day out to climb Ben Lomond last time), I've had barely a shower - plenty of rain at night, though, & the rivers are still running wild.

Paps of Glencoe & Loch Leven

The route climbs steeply out of Kinlochleven, as tough as the Devil's Staircase, but then the walk is a gently undulating high-level path with mountains rising all around - first time I'd seen this properly as, in 2004, we were bumping our heads against low-cloud all the way along these glens!

Abandoned croft at Tigh-na-sleubhaich

Just over half-way & the pass swings to the north; it used to go through dense, oppressive plantations but much of this area has been harvested &, suddenly, Ben Nevis appears massively above the closer summits - magnificent in today's sunshine. I remembered the American gents from Inveroran who had joined 2 of the stretches together in the hope of being able to climb Ben Nevis before they had to fly home - they'd been lucky!

Ben Nevis

Except for one large group of walkers, who I think were doing a 'circular', & a couple, every other person I passed today I'd stopped & chatted to at some point during the week - it seemed strange to be saying 'Hi!' for the last time.... certainly is 'the friendly Way'.

Allt na Lairige Moire & the Mamores

Highlight of the Day: wandering the rather dull last mile along the road into Fort William I began thinking about today's highlight. What was it to be? The people? Views of Ben Nevis? Finishing The West Highland Way? None of them really seemed quite right.....
At this point a red squirrel popped out of the woods, stood looking at me from the far side of the road & almost seemed to ask, 'Will I do as a highlight?!' Certainly would! I hadn't seen a red squirrel for several years, despite looking very carefully in & around the Borders & Kielder Forest. He appeared quite happy to pose but, as I reached for my camera, a car came around the corner & he popped back into the woods. Special moment!

Blarmachfoldach

The West Highland Way used to finish beside a busy roundabout at the northern end of Fort William; it now finishes at the opposite side of the town, in a shabby square outside the boarded-up 'Royal Hotel'. I suppose the Council have achieved their aim in that all walkers now have to visit the town centre but it seems to me that they've simply exchanged a daft location for one that is totally inappropriate - at least the finishing point is now marked by an amusing sculpure.

New finish of The West Highland Way

Beer of the Day: called in at 'The Ben Nevis' pub in Fort William, as I have on many previous visits, & enjoyed a pint of 'Dark Island' from the Orkney Brewery. Had this lots of times before & I do like it: dark & rich, smooth with a slightly burnt flavour - excellent on draught but good in a bottle, too!

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'I Have Seen The Highlands' by Matt McGinn - 'nuff said!

Pam: glad you liked the deer - it might be living wild but it looked quite tame to me!

Everybody at Alec Hunter: hope you all have a brilliant Summer break - however strange it might sound, you're never far from my thoughts! Hope to see you on Results Day.

Day 83 - Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Plans changed at the last minute today as it wasn't possible to park the van near to the Devil's Staircase to enable me to accompany The Walker. So I abandoned him at Kingshouse and decided to find my own walk for a couple of hours before I had to meet him in Kinlochleven. We have been through the Glencoe Pass quite a few times, so I knew there were walks from a lot of the parking places and, as I had been expecting a climb, I looked for an upward path - didn't fancy forest, midges and low level walking.

The path to Glen Etive goes either along the valley or you can go over 3 small summits. I chose the climb along a steep but well-marked path and was rewarded with  fantastic views. I met a couple of Glaswegians who had just driven up to do the circular walk here - something for us to tackle another time. It must be wonderful to live so close to such fantastic walking areas.

Glencoe from the manager's walk!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  9.1 miles     :     Cumulative  1041.6 miles

Last of the short days on the West Highland Way.... I can't understand why I always feel more tired after the easy days than I do after a tough 15 miles! Probably it's having too much time at the end to relax!

Back on Caulfield's military road for the first stretch & a climb up his famous Devil's Staircase out of Glencoe. Built in 1750, the path zig-zags in painfully extravagant loops to reach a saddle between 2000' peaks. It's difficult to understand why on earth this route was chosen rather than the simpler shoreline track around the hills followed by the modern road; even though it's longer, it must surely have been quicker than trying to move men, animals, supplies & cannon through these mountains

I caught up a gent pushing/carrying his bike up the track - he'd been over half-way up when I started. On reaching the top he clambered aboard, hurtled down the far side, up the next rise & was soon out of sight - I hope the enjoyment was worth the energy expended...... at least he was doing it for fun, unlike the 18th century soldiers!

Glencoe from the Devil's Staircase

Highlight of the Day: reaching the top of the Devil's Staircase & being able to see something! When we did this walk in 2004 we climbed out of Glencoe into cloud & saw nothing at all until we were almost in Kinlochleven! Visibility, today, was far from perfect but last time we couldn't even see the gigantic Blackwater Reservoir: 8 miles long; its dam, built at the beginning of the last century, was the last major engineering project in Britain completed entirely by hand. It's said that each Spring, when the snows melted, the bodies of navvies were found beside the pass & on the staircase - they'd set out for the pub at Kingshouse in Glencoe & never made it back.

Huge pipelines carrying water from the Blackwater Reservoir to Kinlochleven

The reservoir provided power for the huge aluminium works in Kinlochleven & made the homes of this tiny Highlands town some of the first in Britain to be lit & heated by electricity: the works are gone but the turbines continue to generate power.

Mill tail-race in Kinlochleven - scary place to fish!

Short walk but, again, saw lots of familiar faces either en route or later, in the town: several couples, the German girl, the man from Aberdeen in his kilt & we spent quite a while chatting to an American family from Orlando who seemed very happy to escape the heat of home!

Beer of the Day: I'd expected an 'Atlas' ale on draught, not realising that Kinlochleven's brewery relocated to Orkney last year! Back to the bottles & my last 'Wylam' ale - 'Angel', specially commissioned by Gateshead Council to mark the 10th anniversary of 'The Angel of the North' in 2008; a crisp, amber bitter - pleasant but nothing out of the ordinary.

Isles of Glencoe Hotel garden

Just realised why I'm so tired! I forgot all the tourist things we did at the end! Information Centre, shopping, Glencoe Massacre Monument, Glencoe Visitors Centre, a visit to the 'Isles of Glencoe Hotel' & a barbecue! Must avoid these short, easy days!

Stephen: great to hear from you & thanks for your kind & generous donation - there have been some absolutely excellent walks that I'm sure you'd enjoy!

Paps of Glencoe

Day 82 - Inveroran to Kingshouse, Glencoe

A  dull morning; we couldn't see the top of the hills to the south and it was decidedly grey looking north. It kept trying to rain but we were hopeful that it would fair up for the walk  across the moor. Luckily, by late morning when I dropped The Walker off, it was fine walking weather - cloudy with a bit of a breeze. As I drove round to Glencoe I encountered a man in Scottish attire (kilt, long socks, tam o'shanter hat and a staff, but no map), whom we have both seen on the path before. He had obviously strayed from the route - The Walker said that the chap really didn't know where he was heading when he had spoken to him a few days earlier and just seemed to be enjoying people taking photos of him!

I visited the Glencoe Mountain Centre where they have chair-lifts up the mountain but not quite to the top. If visibility is good tomorrow I may take a trip to get a different view of Rannoch Moor!
The Kingshouse Inn is much smarter  than when we were there last. It is white and sparkling now and had 5 or 6 deer walking around it when I arrived! They disappeared before I met The Walker, but when we came out of the Inn after refreshment one deer was by the van. Amazingly, he didn't wander off and I hand-fed him some bread. I've never fed a wild deer before!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  9.7 miles     :     Cumulative  1032.5 miles

Woke to the sound of light rain pattering on the roof & I couldn't quite work out whether the swishing sound was wind in the trees or the nearby river. My first thought was that it was going to be a bit bleak crossing Rannoch Moor but, true to recent weather form, it was dry, calmer & much clearer by mid-morning though the heavy, scowling clouds were never far away!

Black Mount, Rannoch Moor

The West Highland Way crosses the moor on Telford's early 19th century road &, as such, is a solid surface & easy to follow, unlike Caulfield's military road which continues to march straight up & down the hills! Telford's route, an important cattle drovers' road, was the only solid track across the moor until 1933 when the new-fangled motor-car demanded a more comfortable, wider & straighter surface... so that's where the A82 came from!

River Ba & Stob Ghabhar

Unlike any of the varied moorland already encountered en route, Rannoch is not the kind of terrain where you might set off across country & create your own path if the fancy takes you; it is a boggy, waterlogged, treacherous landscape sprinkled with pools & lochans, & only the occasional small rock to rest upon.... but don't stop for too long 'cos the midges & clegs will get you! Sounds horrible but I've walked it a couple of times & it's quite captivating.

Blackrock Cottage & Buchaille Etive Mor

Again, saw several of the couples & groups met over the last few days & spent some time chatting to the German girl we'd bumped into several times yesterday. She's walking the way alone & her route-plan is the same as ours, so no doubt we'll see her again. The American gents weren't at Kingshouse so they must have been away early from Inveroran; I guess they probably started in the wet but should have reached Kinlochleven before the rain returned.
Best news on the walker-front is that we spotted the very first of the groups of lads I'd met leaving Milngavie... the slow ones! We were driving down through Glencoe to our camp-site, they were just about to start climbing the Devil's Staircase.... more on that tomorrow!

Highlight of the Day: the manager's encounter with a deer at Kingshouse! She'd told me about the small group when she walked out on the moor to meet me; this one returned for a photo-call.... & food!

Beer of the Day: the last time we were at Kingshouse it was grubby, run-down & served poor-quality beer. Much smarter now, they stock several Cairngorm ales & I tried 'Stag'; dark, rich & smooth, it has a burnt-chocolate bitter flavour. Good beer.

Tonight's view from the van - Glencoe mountains

Day 81 - Tyndrum to Inveroran

A beautiful morning, which was not quite what the forecasters said. I was looking forward to walking this morning as we could set off straight from the campsite and I remembered it as being a fairly easy walk. It's a lovely valley and The Walker reminded me that when we walked it before, Jamie, Lee and I were busy making up silly songs using the names of the mountains, Beinn Odhar and Beinn Dorain, to sing to Kirstie, when she returned from Italy. This was a much quieter walk and very enjoyable but I do like sociable walks as well - and  I still think those two mountains look like a child has drawn them.

An earlier return to the campsite and a chance to catch up with the washing and sit in the sun - it would be lovely to have more evenings as warm as this. Come on sunshine, there's only three weeks to go. Can't believe that we have only three pages of my map book to go!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  8.8 miles     :     Cumulative  1022.8 miles

Chainsaw Carving at Tyndrum

First of 3 consecutive easy, short days in the middle of the West Highland Way - not short because I'm getting lazy but because of the location of possible stopping places & the terrain between them!  To put 2 of them together is possible but would make for a very tough day & a nightmare in poor weather. Could have continued across Rannoch Moor in this afternoon's beautiful sunshine but decided to save its 9 miles for tomorrow's rain!

Beinn Odhar

Anyone who has driven to or from Oban or Fort William will be familiar with this stretch & would recognize it immediately. It's the bit where road, railway & rivers race across the wide valley floor, giant pointed mountains stick up as if in a cartoon & a constant stream of walkers head off like ants along the old military road which hugs the edge of the flood plain. Tyndrum to the Bridge of Orchy is a really popular walk: only 6 miles, level, spectacular scenery, a pub at each end & a regular bus service along the main road - there, that's my job done for the Scottish Tourist Board!

Bridge of Orchy

The real excitement comes, though, after Major Caulfield's bridge; he took over military road construction in the Highlands from General Wade & chose to head straight up & over the hills & mountains rather than follow the valley - must have been great fun to march along!!! More of military roads later.....
From the summit of Mam Carraigh yet another valley opens up, but this with only a single-track road following an old drovers' route to disturb the silence - an incredible contrast & yet the 2 spots are less than a couple of miles apart.

Cairn on summit of Mam Carraigh

No sign of any of the lads again today, or of the German couple, but finished in the bar of the Inveroran Hotel chatting to 4 American gents who said they'd seen me at the end of each day's walk so far! Not tomorrow, though - they're making an early start & are going to try to reach Kinlochleven; I wished them well! Also chatted to a couple of members of a13 strong group who had come over from Chatham, New Jersey, just to do the walk!

Loch Tulla

Highlight of the Day: popped into the Green Welly Stop on our way back for pork & venison sausages to barbecue & heard a traffic report on their radio - long delays on the M42 with an 8-mile tailback, A6 closed at Chapel-en-le-Frith after an accident, A14 blocked by a broken-down lorry. Momentarily reminded me of the real world as we headed back to the campsite to bask in sunshine!

Inveroran Hotel & the mountains west of Rannoch Moor

Beer of the Day: I've been led astray by several blondes on this trip but decided I'd try another anyway! 'Skinny Blonde' from the Oban Bay Brewery declares itself to be 'lagerish' & I suppose it is but with a rather more-pronounced flavour. Not a favourite but worth trying & very refreshing in today's heat.

Di: I love Wells, one of my favourite spots on the Norfolk coast - we were last there in the freezing cold back in January when we were practising with the van! As for Hunstanton... I think I agree with you!

Ann: glad to hear you had a good Beer Festival - I had another 'Bitter & Twisted' yesterday but it wasn't as good as the one in Linlithgow. I'd be interested to know how many Scottish breweries/beers you had in Chelmsford.... I'm still struggling to find anything much out of the ordinary in the bars & hotels.

Day 80 - Inverarnan to Tyndrum

Raining again this morning, so another later start, which was a good thing as we had to blog anyway! Buses didn't seem to work out so The Walker set off alone and I had plans to sign in at the campsite early, sweep out the van, then walk to meet him. As it was a little too early, I called in at the famous Green Welly Stop - a place where I have often broken journeys with various children in tow and enjoyed a cooked breakfast on our way home from holidays; we always set off very early. I was disappointed that the ice cream counter and bakery at the entrance seemed to have become a gift shop area, but otherwise it was much the same.

The other interesting thing that happened today was that, as we walked into Tyndrum, an old lady with a dog asked us if we knew where some Scottish place was as she was lost. She had no idea where she had walked from  or where to go next. I walked with her to the information centre,  which we were passing on our way, but they were very unhelpful - the place she was asking for, I discovered is on the east coast, so we decided that she didn't walk from there. After about a quarter of an hour I decided that more help was needed, but just as we rang the police a car stopped and her husband got out. Apparently she had wandered off with the dog as they were putting up the awning on their caravan. It was a good job we had stopped her from walking miles away!

From Bernie:
Today's Walk  11.9 miles    :     Cumulative  1014.0 miles

Thanks to Oban for sending us their weather again! Horrendous forecast but it ended up being mostly sunny with just a couple of warm showers... too warm to even bother with waterproofs. Clouds returned with a vengeance at the end of the day, though, & we had to cook the burgers in the van!

Ardlui on Loch Lomond - last night's camp-site

First half of the walk was the steady climb up the beautiful green valley of Glen Falloch, famous for its spectacular Falls which are only really accessible from the car-park on the opposite side; after all the rain the whole river was a raging torrent & its noise drowned out the sound of traffic on the busy A82 & that from the passing trains. One thing I didn't remember is the march of pylons straight up the glen.... tried to avoid those in the photos!

River Falloch

Second half picks up one of the old 18th century military roads that criss-cross the Highlands & winds up through the forestry below the Crianlarich Hills. Didn't see any of the lads again & wonder if they've given up, though I did pass a young English girl I'd seen in Rowardennan who seems to be walking on her own & a German couple, about my age, who are wandering along with nothing more than a shoulder-bag & a map in hand - I've passed them a couple of times so far & they seem to be at quite a lot of my pub stops!

Looking back down Glen Falloch

Highlight of the Day: stopped for cider & chocolate above Bogle Glen, at the top of the track from Crianlarich, & looked out over Strath Fillan to the mighty Grampians... almost within touching distance! A misty shower was scurrying across the face of Ben More but, momentarily, the sun burst through - magical view!

Ben More from above Strath Fillan

Moan of LeJog.... so far!: like the manager, I have fond memories of Tyndrum - many a walk has started or finished here & many a journey has been broken. I used to love the 'Inverie Hotel', set back slightly from the road, nestled behind trees & with stone steps climbing to its attractive entrance. It is now the 'Tyndrum Lodge Hotel - Paddy's Bar & Grill', advertising itself as an American-style 'diner' serving milk-shakes, burgers & iced beer! We're spending another night in Tyndrum but Paddy will have to make do without me.....

Lochan nan Arm & the Crianlarich Hills

Beer of the Day: not from Paddy's! My last 'Allendale' bottle was 'Beacon Fire' - 'a real chilli beer'! I've always viewed chilli-flavoured beers, like those that claim to be chocolate-flavoured, a bit suspiciously. This, though, flavoured with Mexican Pasilla chillis, is the genuine article! Fierce stuff & a good job we had chilli burgers for tea! I enjoyed this but, despite its label declaring it to be 'moreish', I'd struggle to drink more than one at once!

Crianlarich Hills - Ben More on the left

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): we're staying at a site called 'Pine Trees' in Tyndrum so how about 'In the Pines', which I think is a traditional American song. I recall versions by Leadbelly, a couple by Dylan &, if I remember correctly, Josh White. More simply, 'Whispering Pines' by The Band.... & I'm certain of that one!

Day 79 - Rowardennan to Inverarnan

It rained heavily all night and continued this morning until about 9am and then the sun struggled out from behind the clouds and it looked as though it was going to be an ok day, weather-wise.I had no fixed plan as to what I was going to do except that I knew I had to drive nearly all the way around the loch, from the middle of the east side, down to the southern tip and up along to the west side to the northern edge to meet The Walker.

As I was driving through Balloch there were signs for the Loch Lomond Highland Games being held today, so I thought I might take a look, though we have been to a few of these gatherings over the years  and some of them have just been like school fetes, so I wasn't too bothered. This, however, was far grander, comparable to a large town fete. It had a really large grass arena, where there was a tug-of-war, hammer throwing, cycle races and bagpipe band competitions (some taking place simultaneously!) and two smaller stages for highland dancing and pipers. In every group of people there were two or three men in full highland dress  - a kilt was definitely the order of the day! It was all very serious stuff; there were some national dancers competing there! It was good that the rain held off  but the ground was sodden and most people were wearing wellies!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  13.5 miles     :     Cumulative  1002.1 miles

Apologies for the late arrival of yet another blog but, in the current weather conditions, blogging has become something of a morning activity! We seem to have settled into a pattern of heavy overnight & early morning rain, clearing by mid-morning but leading to late walk-starting times; as a result I'm finishing later &, after something to eat, it's time for bed!

A watery walk today.... in every respect! There are 2 routes through the 3 miles of forest to Rowchoish &, for reasons best known to myself, I chose the shoreline option rather than the direct forestry track - perhaps because it's the path we walked last time & I know the views are brilliant... or would have been in better weather! Fallen trees, I assume from winter storms, haven't been cleared & the whole stretch is a rock-scrambling, tree-climbing, mud-splashing endurance test.... great fun, though! A couple of bridges were impassable, completely blocked by smashed trees, whilst rivers were in spate after all the rain & even quite small streams presented interesting obstacles! Huge sense of relief at emerging unscathed & still in daylight!

Battered bridge!

Comparing notes with several groups of West Highland Way walkers at the Inversnaid Hotel, only 1 group had come along the shore & they were thinking of pitching tents & going no further today. No sign of any of the groups of young lads I've seen on the last 2 days.

Waterfall where none is indicated on the map!

Highlight of the Day: I'd expected this to be hitting the 1000 mile marker.... until all that rain! The waterfalls today were as spectacular as anything I've ever seen in mainland Scotland; the Inversnaid Falls, in particular, were splendidly terrifying - on our last visit they'd looked a bit like a garden water-feature!

Inversnaid Falls

Ended the day at the 18th century 'Drovers Inn' at Inverarnan where the decor includes an ancient stuffed bear guarding the reception desk. The mighty Ben Glas waterfall crashing down above the path I'd just walked provided a fitting backdrop.....

Ben Glas Waterfall

Beer of the Day: not much on offer today - the best I could do was a pint of 'Old Speckled Hen' which, I suppose, comes into the category I was complaining about last week - an ale now produced by a major brewery. Always liked this, though; if you don't know it, it's dark amber, smooth & very drinkable.... best beer I've had for a good few days!

Looking back down the length of Loch Lomond

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Waterfall' by The Stone Roses - couldn't be anything else really!

Di: an adventurous 'short-cut' always makes a fine walk even better!

Pam: we've got the weather sorted! We look at the forecasts for Fort William, Oban , Glasgow & then choose the one we like best! Opted for Oban today &, surprisingly, it was quite accurate... looks like the best option for tomorrow, too!

Jamie: I was thinking that as well until I hit the Loch Lomond shoreline!

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Day 78 - Drymen to Rowardennan

I was looking forward to today to see how much I could remember of the 2004 walk and I was not disappointed. It's a smashing path from Drymen through the Queen Elizabeth Forest; there are lots of forestry operations happening here which has meant clearing large areas, so whereas plantation walks can feel very oppresive, this was more open and had some lovely views.

Conic Hill  over Balmaha is worth the climb as the view of Loch Lomond is superb; I remember it was really hot last time and other walkers offered us water as we had run out. I must remember, though, not to follow the Walker down  "short cut" paths, as he thought he could find a quicker way down - a steep and rocky path that no-one else was using and I know why! The kids will remember Dad's own routes!

I caught the bus back to the van and chatted to some lovely ladies who lived near Glasgow and were just up for the day. They were lamenting the days when they had camped on the shores of the loch. I drove to our meeting place and sat looking over Loch Lomond - a good place to end the day.

From Bernie:
Today's walk  13.4 miles     :     Cumulative  988.6 miles

If yesterday's first day on The West Highland Way was much easier than I remembered then today's second day was correspondingly tougher! Brilliant day's walking, though!

Loch Lomond from forestry track

Loch Lomond is a much-maligned tourist hotspot by those who stick to its western shore, the A82 & the route to the Highlands - its eastern shore, with only limited road access to less than half its length, is frequented mainly by walkers &, I think, offers some of the most picturesque scenery in the whole of Scotland

Looking north towards Ben Lomond

Highlight of the Day: has to be Conic Hill though, yes, I did lead the manager over its precipitous southern edge... it's where the views are best! There are tantalizing glimpses of the Loch from the long forestry trek out of Drymen but nothing can prepare the walker for the stunning panorama that suddenly opens out from this comparatively low summit. Loch Lomond lies at your feet, its waters sparkling even beneath today's threatening rain-clouds, its islands looking as if they've been carefully placed by some landscape artist &, to the north, its majestic mountains presided over by the mighty Ben Lomond! OK, I love this spot!

Bumped into a couple of the groups of lads I mentioned yesterday. The first lot had stopped for a rest barely a mile out of Drymen & had only reached Milarrochy, our camp-site, by the time we returned - they still had about 5 miles to go if they were heading for Rowardennan. We caught up the particularly 'overladen' group coming into Balmaha, now with only one pack between them - realising their mistake, they'd sent their bags on ahead - good decision! Hope they all make it - tomorrow's weather could be a real test.

The manager abandoned me in Balmaha with the words, 'If I remember rightly, this next bit's quite easy!' This from a woman who can't even remember the pub stops! The path mostly winds along the shore, climbing over a couple of quarries & ancient forts & twisting through dense woodland - it's a tough 7 miles & took me a tired two-and-a-half hours! 'The Clansman Bar' at the Rowardennan Hotel came close to being Highlight of the Day!
Met the manager, sunning herself in the pub garden, enjoying an iced glass of Crabbie's & reading last Saturday's paper (so she can buy this week's in the morning!); she'd been there for over an hour!

Beer of the Day: Scottish Camra's Beer of the Year 2010 - 'Jarl' from Fyne Brewery, Argyll. One of the more unusual ales that I've tasted. Pale, with a very strong hoppy flavour; my first thought was that the flavour was too strong & overpowering, yet the aftertaste is really good & leaves you wanting more! Still not quite sure what to make of this.... but it's not really a walking beer.

Sallochy - there's a small lochside, unserviced campsite here

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): Good Timin' by Jimmy Jones!
The weather forecast was for persistent heavy rain from lunchtime onwards..... so persistent that it is set to continue through until Saturday evening! The clouds rumbled around us throughout the day, the first drops of rain fell as we were leaving the pub &, by the time we were hooked-up at the camp-site it was lashing down!
The only worrying thing about all of this is that tomorrow's walk, up the length of Loch Lomond's eastern shore, is one of the few on the whole LeJog with no 'escape routes'. Once you're walking that's it until you reach civilization at the other end.... maybe I'll pack an extra can of cider.

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