Day 41: 1200 mile walk from Cornwall to Caithness, UK (West Highland Way - Day 3)
Monday, 21 June 2010
The west highland way is a fantastic walk through some of Scotlands most beautiful scenery, there's just one problem, midges! The little critters come out of nowhere whenever I stop moving for a minute but are at their worst in the morning and evening. I now have a net to go over my head, a thin pair of gloves and wear clothes that cover everywhere else when I'm in camp.
Having said that there was a stiff breeze last night that kept them away for a while. I am now camped at kings house across the valley from Glen Coe ski lifts just 25 miles from the end of the West Highland Way.
On Sunday I walked and camped with Tommy and Paul again who are finding the going tough and suffering with blistered feet and fatigue. They were great company but the pace walking with them was becoming too slow and I decided to leave them to their own challenge and make some ground and perhaps complete the WHW in 4 days.
I left them at the camp and struck for nearby Tyndrum, a small village which seemed full of hustle and bustle after so long on the trail. There were a couple of tourist coaches in the village which added to the busyness. I managed to score a cooked breakfast in the cafe. A common peculiarity in the Scottish cooked breakfast is the square or round and flat 'sausages', essentially sausage meet cut from a larger block and fried. They usually have a potato cake in there as well which I was enjoying and a piece of black pudding (sausage made from pork blood and fat and oats).
The walking was long and amazingly scenic today. The horizons seemed filled with distant mountains. It was generally quiet with farm buildings few and far between and I saw very little of other people.
Tonight's camping is again free on a nice little spot between a couple of streams with a pub only 50 metres away! This is a little spot called Kingshouse very close to the Glencoe ski resort. I have had a hearty meal of steak pie, potatoes, and veggies in there and am now bedding down for the night in my very familiar small green tent and typing away at my blog on my trusty little phone.
This photo was taken from a small bridge over the burn - Scottish for creek or stream - the scenery from here was awe inspiring just seeming to go on forever into the distant mountains
A long and beautiful valley without much human impact beyond the walking track
Daily stats:
Start - South of Tyndrum
Finish - Kingshouse
Mileage - 20 miles / 32 km
Feeling - Amazed by the scenery
Sleeping - Kingshouse free campsite near Glencoe
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!