Distance: 17.8 miles
Time: 7 hrs
Weather: Cloudy and damp
Cumulative distance: 247.2 miles
A low level valley walk with rain threatening and an extension.
I must have cut a lonely figure sat at my table for one at last night's dinner. Two jolly ladies invited me to join them at their table (which completely confused the waiting staff when the food arrived!). Jill and Trish were walking the West Highland Way in a more relaxed manner, with their luggage transported from one location to the next, leisurely start times and tea shops to be sampled (this is known as "spa walking" apparently!). They were good fun and showed much interest in my walk. Jill told me that her son had recently been diagnosed and treated for a rare melanoma of the iris, but fortunately the treatment appears to have been a success. Fingers crossed.
I checked out of the Inveroran Hotel and the receptionist called me back to make a donation from the owners. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere but is extremely cosy and the staff very friendly. A number of deer come to feed at the hotel, rubbing their noses against the door to attract attention, but I missed this particular performance.
The path climbed up over the hill and dropped into Bridge of Orchy, before following the valley down to Tyndrum, sandwiched between the road and the railway. Tyndrum is a small Highland settlement which boasts two railway stations. Even more bizarrely, you can catch a direct sleeper train from here to London!
I keep seeing unusual birds on my walks and today was no exception. I wish one of my twitcher friends Steve Hughes or Roy Sadler was here to help me identify them. I haven't spotted any golden eagles or even any red squirrels yet, but both are prevalent in the area.
Beyond Tyndrum I came across a group of three people taking a short rest at the side of the path. They were from Cambridge and Birmingham, but originally from South Africa, and were really interested in what I was doing. They kindly made a donation and also insisted on taking my photo.
Throughout the day the air felt damp and, occasionally, a few drops of rain appeared on my waterproof map cover, but nothing merited removing my waterproofs from the rucksack pocket they've been secured in for two weeks now!
Near to the end of my scheduled daily route, I made a momentous decision to extend the day's journey. This was not madness - I had my reasons. Firstly, it was early and I still felt fresh. Secondly, Crianlarich is not directly on the WHW, so heading down would result in the reverse trip uphill to rejoin the path tomorrow. Thirdly, and most significantly, I'd been advised that parts of tomorrow's walk would be quite tricky, involving clambering over slippery rock near to the banks of Loch Lomond. So I figured that walking a few extra miles today would help to make tomorrow easier. I walked three additional miles and left the path close to the A82, so that I could hitch a lift back to Crianlarich. Although I haven't thumbed a ride since I was a student, the magic thumb still worked, as within two minutes a car pulled over. The driver was heading to catch the ferry back home to South Uist, after going to see Bruce Springsteen play in Glasgow. He deposited me right at the front door of the Crianlarich Hotel, my base for the evening.
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