The West Highland Way
I've done a few parts of the Way, but always have to turn back to walk back to the car
. We plan to do the whole lot next year. They say May and September are the best months, although people come from all over the world, all year round.
Yesterday we had booked into The Oak Tree Inn, in the small village of Balmaha, at the edge of Loch Lomond. I've stayed there before and done a part of the Way. We decided to drive on and park at Rowardennan, then walk towards Inversnaid, which I've also done before. The sun shone and it was a beautiful day. There were lots of walkers out and many of them obviously doing the whole of the Way. Disappointingly, the low path that hugs the edge of the Loch was closed for work. Meant I couldn't show my partner Rob Roy's Prison, and also the black goats who apparently laid down outside the cave to protect him. When I saw the goats the last time I panicked as I was terrified. Needless to say, they were more scared of us. The low path is a bit like an obstacle course, but it's great for view of the loch, so we'll definitely go there again. We carried on for a while on the high path. The scenery is breathtaking. Often stopping for pics. Eventually the path split and it meandered down towards the loch, where a rowing boat had berthed. The three men were cooking sausages and burgers on a disposable bbq and it smelt delicious! They offered us something to eat as they said they had plenty, but we were looking for a nice spot to have our picnic. We found a spot at the end of the loch with two rocks which were perfect for seats. After lunch and admiring the view, we made our way back up on to the high path. Walking back we passed the ruins of a bothy and you can't help wondering who, and how many of them, lived in there. Absolutely fascinating. We arrived back at the Rowardennan Hotel, 9 miles later, then drove to the Oak Tree, feet a bit sore and legs aching slightly. Booked in, dropped off our luggage, then sat outside and had a well deserved glass of wine. In the sunshine. What a beautiful day we had and I'm so proud of Scotland.
We're planning our next step of the Way and are looking forward to it already.