Outdoor Discoveries

A spot of long distance trail completion

The last few weeks have seen me quiet on the blogging front. Having to restore a PC to working condition after its having gone belly up on me was certainly a contributor to this state of affairs. A trip up to Scotland also took me away from the world of computing and refreshing it was too. While a full report for the trip will remain for a further post, the fact that I finally finished the West Highland Way during the visit up north brings me nicely to the subject of this one. In the same spirit, I have also walked nearly all of the Gritstone Trail with only a tiny section about Bollington to do of an evening.

My progress along both trails typifies my previous approach to walking: decide a location for a walk and use part of a long distance trail for all or part of its length. That is probably more true of the Gritstone Trail than the WHW. The latest instalments along the former, for which trip reports are planned, had me heading south over the sections between Sutton Common and The Cloud and then from the latter all the way to Kidsgrove, the southern terminus of the GT. Its northern end, Disley saw my boots very early on in the story of my attentions when I hiked from Bollington in murk with the remains of January snows on the ground. Walks between Rainow and Sutton Common and from Tegg’s Nose to Kerridge have taken me over the rest of the length while I have followed its course on many other rambles too. Its being local to me has meant that I have been on it a lot but, rather perversely, it has also dissuaded me from completing the thing thanks to the walking attractions (or distractions?) offered by other locations.

My progress along the WHW has been a little more deliberate than the GT though the direction of travel has been something of a movable feast: having to go a good way away does concentrate the mind a bit more. My final section took me between Inverarnan and Crianlarich while the previous day saw me head south from Bridge of Orchy and overnight in Crianlarich. A through-hike at the end of May took me along the shores of Loch Lomond on my way from Inverarnan to Drymen. A February outing took me from Milngavie to Drymen after a three year hiatus which followed a pleasant hike between Glen Coe and Bridge Orchy. The previous summer saw me head over the Lairig Mor between Kinlochleven and Fort William twice: my holiday plans were blighted by the weather the first time and a return set the world to rights. On neither occasion along this part of the WHW was the weather truly nasty but glorious late August weather was a wonderful accompaniment to the second outing and a world away from the cloudy but dry July day of my previous encounter. Largely cloudy skies were in attendance on the trek between Kinlochleven and Glen Coe the previous summer and sun was not particularly successful in its attempts to come and show off the landscape at its best.

While on the subject of long distance trails, my progress along the Pennine Way has stalled but this year’s multi-day treks along the West Highland Way are good practice for its northern reaches. It won’t get completed this year but opportunities may well proffer themselves before 2007 comes to an end; I still have to walk between Gargrave and Haworth. Other long distance trails await as well: the tamer Great Glen Way, the wilder Southern Upland Way… The list goes on.

Long distance trail photo galleries coming…

After my various trips along its length this year, I am now putting together a section in the online photo gallery dedicated to this daddy of British National Trails. Completing it is an ongoing project of mine, though I have to admit that I haven’t been moving things forward that much in recent times. There is a gap between Gargrave and Haworth that remains to be walked and the logistically more challenging northern sections are next. Two or three day outings sound like a good way to deal with these and who knows what I could be doing when I get a window of walking opportunity that extends for more than one day, as it does at the moment. The Pennine Way gallery has led me to consider having galleries dedicated to other long distance trails and the West Highland Way is definitely one that falls into this category. As it stands, I have photos from my excursion from Inverarnan to Drymen to add and creation of the West Highland Way gallery would happen then. On the walking front, I have done most of it and completing the part between Inverarnan and Bridge of Orchy is another idea for a few days of fine weather. We’ll see…

Along the banks of Loch Lomond

Despite the weather outlook, I decided to brave the elements and catch up with the part of the West Highland Way that follows the shores of Loch Lomond. This was going to be a two-day walk from Inverarnan to Drymen with an overnight stay at the hostel at Rowardennan, so I took my chance on the bank holiday weekend and with an extra day off work. As it happened, the weather wasn’t too unkind, with only the odd light shower offering any dampness while I was out on the trail. There was a downpour at one point, but that had the good manners to wait for me to arrive at Rowardennan and savour the scenic delights on display in some fine evening sunshine before it did its thing. Thankfully, I was under cover, but that was no consolation to those campers with flooded tents – I encountered one such refugee who had made his way to the hostel for a night’s stay and to dry out his gear: a very sensible decision. Other than that, it was largely dry if cloudy for a lot of the time; any sun was enjoyed with gratitude.

Loch Lomond may have a certain genteel reputation, especially with there being a song extant called “The Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond”, but the track followed by the WHW has a reputation not in keeping with this impression. It is that part between Inverarnan and Rowardennan where the main difficulties are found; that was why my two-day walk headed south rather than north. Nevertheless, the track is not all bad, with only the section between Doune and Inversnaid being an unavoidable test of sure-footedness, balance and agility. The only other real difficulty on the WHW occurs just north of Rowardennan and a 4×4 track (a WHW route option) helpfully by-passes this obstacle course littered with fallen trees from one of this past spring’s storms while also being a victim of erosion to boot.

An early morning start from Inverarnan got me on my way under predominantly cloudy skies, and they were to be with me for most of the day. In contrast, if I was heading north towards Crianlarich, blue skies and sunshine would have been my reward, but that was not the plan that I had concocted for this time around. The likes of Ben a’ Chleibh, Ben Lui, Ben Oss and Ben Dubhcraig gave me much cause to gaze northwards and slow me down in the process, even if a pesky power line threatened to place a dampener on the glory of the vistas set out before me. At the very least, I know that there is some appeal to following the WHW north to bridge the gap between Inverarnan and Bridge of Orchy.

Having managed to drag myself away from the sights of such glories, it was not long until I found myself in conversation near Ardleish with a gentleman from Bangor (Wales, not N.I.) who was walking the WHW northbound with his son. We exchanged experiences before continuing our respective journeys. Having negotiated any path difficulties and enjoyed seeing bluebell carpeted woodland, I paused for a food stop at Inversnaid; I didn’t venture into the hotel since I had some food with me. As I passed the hotel, I spotted a lady with a severe expression looking out through one of the front windows (no, she wouldn’t have seen me taking lunch outside). It was almost as if she were on watch for aberrant walkers who might try to enter through the front door; there’s a very separate entrance for us at the back and a place for us to put our rucksacks too. Severe expressions were soon replaced by far more delightful prospects: more bluebell woodland; it might have been the end of May, but they were still in their prime up here. Rowardennan remained far way, but I was at the hostel by 18:00 and, with my booking was confirmed, I found my bed for the night. This was after my adventurous side taking me away from the sensible 4×4 track at Rowchoish to follow the loch-side obstacle course; I must have been out of my senses, but it did avoid some extra ascent. Once, I sorted myself out at the hostel, I went out into the fine evening for some photographic exploits before I headed to the hotel for dinner. After that, I retired for the night.

The next morning began with more photographic activity before breakfast. Knowing how fickle Scottish weather can be, I take any chance of sunshine that I get and there was plenty on offer at this time, but cloud was to dominate skies later on. A light breakfast, which included porridge, was to set me on my way and progress out of Rowardennan was slow, not because of tired muscles but because of the views that were behind me. Beyond Rowardennan, tracks are easier to negotiate, even if the way to Balmaha is still littered with sharp little ascents and descents. Proximity to the road may not be ideal, but delights are still there to be enjoyed. South of Balmaha, there is another route choice: high level via Conic Hill or low level beside the Drymen road. I stuck with the latter, even though the restrictions around Conic Hill were lifted for another year; use of the low-level route is mandatory during the lambing season. After carrying a heavy pack for a second day, I decided to leave Conic Hill for another time (combining it with a section of the Rob Roy Way for a longer hill day, perhaps?) and made my way into Garadhban Forest from Milton of Buchanan in which I negotiated a diversion due to tree harvesting operations. Much to my own surprise, I really got into my stride here, and that continued all the way to Drymen on what became a glorious evening. From there it was onto Balloch by bus for an overnight stay before I headed home again by train.

West Highland Way revisited

Last weekend, I pottered up to Scotland to take in the scenery lining the southernmost section of the West Highland Way. Having followed the esteemed long-distance path all the way from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William, albeit in a piecemeal manner, I have decided to see if I can have a go at completing it. And yes, the piecemeal approach continues.

Before I describe my latest trek, I’ll let you in on my previous exploits. My first real outing on the WHW, apart from being in its vicinity when I was starting to explore Glen Nevis near Fort William, was when I walked the section from Kinlochleven to Glen Coe on a largely cloudy day that tried to brighten up at one point. The second encounter was on another cloudy day but one without any sun; that was when I headed from Kinlochleven to Fort William. The scenery was so outstanding that I returned on a sunny weekend to repeat the walk, and I was not to be disappointed. Following that, I explored the section between Glen Coe and Bridge of Orchy. That day had a lot of cloud about, but the sun made its way through for a good part of the journey.

And now to my most recent excursion. An overnight National Express coach service got me to Glasgow from where I headed to Milngavie (pronounced mullguy), the southern terminus of the WHW, after getting myself some breakfast at Buchanan Bus Station. Once in Milngavie, I picked up the WHW and followed it through the path-strewn Mugdock Wood on a very crisp morning with frost abounding everywhere, a very memorable experience.

Eventually, my journey took me past both Craigallian Loch and Carbeth Loch and on towards the gloriously appealing Campsie Fells. The outlying knob of Dumgoyne, one of their number, very much played the role of a distinctive landmark for much of my walk and looked much grander than its 428 metres height would suggest. A farmer putting out hay for his cattle and their procession along the WHW track distracted attention for a while, but it was the surrounding scenery that was the real attraction.

Surprisingly for a trail that courts a lot of fine scenery, the WHW keeps out of the Campsie Fells and follows a disused railway, the old Strath Blane Line, from Dumgoyach Farm until it ventures onto a minor road as it nears Drymen before heading off-road again for Balmaha and beyond. I suppose that the one issue is that there is no old right of way through the Campsie Fells that passes near Strath Blane. Naturally, there is also the issue of distance and the effect on a walker of continual ascent and descent in hilly country, but these are considerations for the walker. Given that Conic Hill near Balmaha is a no-go area during the lambing season, another concern would be the potential effect on sheep during the lambing season. While Scotland’s current access legislation could allow things to happen in principle, I see a re-routing of the West Highland Way as being highly unlikely. Nevertheless, the thoughts of proceeding through the Campsie Fells are far more appealing than the reality of shadowing busy roads while walking on a disused railway line, even if this route possibility would require some road walking through Killearn to the old railway line for the rest of the walk.

I was a tired walker when I reached Drymen in pleasant sunshine, but the cloud had rolled in by the time that I got to Balloch by bus; it was from there that I eventually headed home. In fact, there was a good deal of cloud about that day, and at times it blocked the sun and put a dampener on photographic exploits. Another fly in the ointment was the more than ample number of pylons that dotted (and in my view blighted) the landscape in a number of places. Also creating compositional challenges was the quarry that got in the way when I was trying to enjoy the enchanting views of the hills across Loch Lomond while on the final approach to Drymen. Actually, taking a spot of care meant that things didn’t look too bad in the foreground of the photographs taken. Then there was the matter of ensuring that Loch Lomond’s surface was not at an angle; it’s very easy for those horizons to develop a slant…

All in all, the day was enjoyable, and I am planning to plug the gap between Drymen and Bridge of Orchy. A weekend visit could allow me to cover the WHW between Drymen and Inverarnan, with a break in Rowardennan. And a long day could get me from Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy, although a break in Crianlarich might make things more comfortable. Plans are one thing, let’s see how the reality turns out.

Lochaber and me

When setting down the first draft of this post, I soon realised that some may have thought that I was using Lochaber as a euphemism for Fort William. It is the main town in the area and its proximity to Ben Nevis ensures a steady stream of visitors. That has ensured that a plentiful supply of accommodation is available, though the place can get booked out at times, particularly during the summer. The town is also a public transport hub with both train and bus services available. You can find out more from ScotRail and Scottish Citylink.

All of these have ensured that on all but one occasion, Fort William has been my base when exploring Lochaber. The exception was in July 2003 when I had to decamp to Banavie due to accommodation shortages in my preferred base. Even so. Banavie is only a few miles away from Fort William and connected with the latter by a frequent bus service. Other possibilities are available but they require a little more work if you do not possess motorised transport of your own. Kinlochleven is a viable option for exploring the Mamores; Glencoe for Glen Coe and the Aonach Eagach; Spean Bridge or Roy Bridge for the Grey Corries. These are just a few ideas and they can all be accessed without a car.

My first visit to Lochaber was a day trip to from Edinburgh to Fort William on Scottish Cup Final day in 1998. My original plan was to carry my bicycle on the bus like I had seen people do in Eire, but that’s for most intents and purposes a no-no in the UK. The coach journey from Edinburgh went via Stirling, Callander, Crianlarich, Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. Being a sunny day, Glen Coe looked glorious and left a lasting impression on me. After having my lunch, I found my way into Glen Nevis and, while I did not see much of Ben Nevis, the glorious sight of Sgurr a’ Mhaim attracted my attention. The stage was set for the future.

My next visit to Glen Nevis was in August 1999 when my brother came over to see around Scotland. He picked me up in Edinburgh and we headed over to Fort William by way of Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. We walked into the heart of Glen Nevis together, to the car park at the end of the road in fact. The day was dry and cloudy, but rain rolled in that evening. We then went to Oban, Mull and Iona before overnighting in Balloch before making our way to Stranraer and heading to Ireland. I spent a weekend at home in Ireland before returning to Edinburgh.

It was not until August 2001 that my next encounter with Lochaber occurred and I was only passing through on my way up to Skye and down to Oban. Furthering my knowledge of the area had to wait until August 2002 when Fort William was a two-night stop on a tour of my own making across Scotland, from Edinburgh to Skye. A return to Glen Nevis occupied my first day when I walked all the way into Achriabach and then up the sloping banks of Allt Coire a’ Mhusgain to enjoy the views abounding on a sunny August evening. The next day took me on to Kinlochleven from where I followed the West Highland Way to Glen Coe before returning to Fort William. The extent of cloud around on that day somewhat limited opportunities for photography but it was a good start to my plying that long-distance path in earnest.

2003 saw me in the area twice: the first of these was the one where I stayed in Banavie as my base. It was also an occasion where I ran out of luck with the weather: a fine spell spread across Britain the following week. At least I found out what the area is like in rain, having got a soaking a few times. Being based a few miles outside Fort William is all right in dry weather but it exacerbates any soaking you get when it is wet and even a regular bus service is no answer to the problem. I still got a few walks out of the visit; the first of which was a venture into Glen Nevis in the rain from where I walked over Cow Hill to Fort William to catch a bus back to base. The next day saw me head to Kinlochleven from where I returned to Fort William by way of the West Highland Way. That day was dry and it attempted to brighten up but never quite succeeded, and the evening was wet. My last walk of the lot was in the throat of Glen Nevis. A bus service got me to Achriabhach and I then walked to the road end before following the path beyond that point. On my way, I passed Nevis Gorge before continuing on into the heart of the Aonachs and the Mamores. The path would have continued to Corrour train station but I had got my fill way before then. A few dreadful showers were encountered but I never planned to go all the way anyway. I managed to catch another bus on my return to base.

My bad luck with the weather prompted me to go to the Lake District at weekends to get over it but it was a return on the August Bank Holiday weekend that set the world to rights. This time, I was in the part of Britain where the weather was best and not the other way around. I reprised my ramble from Kinlochleven to base, and was rewarded with weather that really helped me to make the most of the surroundings and I used up more film than perhaps I should. My second outing took me from Spean Bridge to Loch Lochy before I returned to base by way of the Caledonian Canal. More sunny weather (the day turned out better than forecast) allowed me to make the most of this ramble, though it is a candidate for bicycle usage if I return there again. The weather was wonderful again on the Monday and I really had to pull myself away to get home.

2004 was a bit of a wash-out as regards weather, but my annual Scottish break hit on reasonable luck. The break started in Argyll where I encountered some showers before heading to my now customary base in Lochaber. My first day in Fort William was a wash-out but I needed to recover after the previous day’s exertions and there was a promise of better weather on the day after. (It was then when I purchased the Sprayway Commanche jacket that I now use regularly for all-round purposes in wet weather, though I have no plans to use it for hillwalking.) I turned my first attentions to walking from Spean Bridge to Loch Arkaig. I returned to base via the Caledonian Canal and I was readily reminded of the need of a bicycle: the section skirting Banavie Hill is soul-destroying; you really feel that you are making no progress. The next day took me to Kingshouse in Glen Coe for a ramble along the West Highland Way to Bridge of Orchy. The day was cloudy in parts, but the walking was still superb. All in all, the weather I enjoyed was more than could be expected for the summer that was.

2005 saw me pass through Lochaber on my way to and from the Isle of Skye straight after the 22/7 bomb scare, not a good time to be travelling. In contrast, 2006 has seen me return twice: once in January and again on the May Day bank holiday weekend. Thoughts of snow-capped mountains and the photography of Colin Prior inspired me to take the Caledonian Sleeper from Crewe on a cold January night. I awoke to fascinating scenes beyond Tyndrum and enjoyed some good winter walking once I sorted out my accommodation. Travelling up a section of the Great Glen Way and proceeding into Glen Nevis to ascend Dun Deardail allowed to me to experience some fascinating panoramas in the winter sunshine. There wasn’t that much snow around, though. The next day, it was raining as I was departing; a spot of pathetic fallacy perhaps? The second trip is covered in another post and, rather ironically, I witnessed more snow-capped hills on this one. The main event was a walk from Corrour railway station to Spean Bridge, skirting Loch Treig and passing through the Grey Corries along the way.

As regards future trips, I might move away from using Fort William as my base: Kinlochleven, Spean Bridge or Roy Bridge are tempting propositions. One thing is certain though, I have loads more to see and I doubt that it is possible for anyone to see all of it and that’s no bad thing.