Day 40: 1200 mile walk from Cornwall to Caithness, UK (West Highland Way!)
Sunday 20th June 2017
The weather is beautiful today and so is the scenery but its made for a much slower pace than yesterday. Quite early in the morning we made it to Inversnaid where there is a nice loch side hotel and had a break for a drink. Paul took a morning swim in the loch to substitute the morning shower much to the amusement of the hotel residents we'd been chatting to. I had a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich while waiting. The cold water wasn't really appealing to me!
We pressed on after about half an hour at the hotel. The West Highland Way is a well signed and well trodden path so navigation is easy even if sometimes the terrain is not. There were a few blisters and sore muscles among my companions from yesterday's efforts and they really began to struggle later in the day. I was trying to offer moral support and help where I could but I started to think that having me around and being now so conditioned to the walking would start to irritate my companions and also the slow pace would delay me on my own adventure.
As we made camp that night Tommy and Paul were so tired that they just wanted to get into their tents and sleeping bags and didn't have the energy to cook a meal. Experience told me they would need something to refuel for the next day so I made a noodle and sausage soup over a small campfire for everyone which went down well.
We were camped in an open grassy area running between the west highland way and a forest, it was a strip about 100m wide running for some distance. This is the first time I made a camp fire on the trip. Cooking was usually done on my trusty trangia aluminium stove with methylated spirits for fuel. Our little group had decided a fire would be good for the adventure and might even keep the midge at bay! Although as it turns out not so easy to get started as all the wood resting on the ground in Scotland tends to be pretty damp even in the summer.
In Scotland you can camp pretty much anywhere that is not fully enclosed and I was appreciating taking advantage of this, this is the spirit of the adventure I want to have. In England you are pretty much constrained to camping in campsites by law although I did manage a few camps in secluded spots.
Tommy and Paul on the shores of Loch Lomond. In their Trek they are raising money for army veterans
Daily stats:
Start - Shores of Loch Lomond
Finish - A few miles south of Tyndrum
Mileage - 22 miles/ 35km
Feeling - Loving the West Highland Way!
Sleeping - Wild camp along the route
That's all folks ;-)
This trek took place in 2010 before the wonderfulness of STEEM existed. I was trekking in aid of Naomi House Children's Hospice in Hampshire, England, and writing and posting the blog from my iPhone 3gs (so if you're wondering why the photo's aren't that good...) if you want to see the original blog it is here but I rather hope you choose to follow me instead. Thanks Steemians!
Great opportunity to bring your adventure back into the light and to a new audience. 1200 miles is one hell of a stroll.
Yes, I hope people are enjoying at least some of the tale and seeing the beautiful scenery UK has on offer, and I'm enjoying retelling the tale and adding bits that I didn't have time write on my little phone as I was going along. Cheers for stopping by :)