Total miles: 16.3
Elevation gain: 2,112 ft
Time walking: 9:30am – 7:30pm
Miles to date: 1,084.9
Wow, today was way harder than the mileage suggests! Or maybe I have just gone soft after a week or two of fairly easy walking and lots of rest days! Either way, despite an early-ish start we arrived tired, wet and footsore just as it was getting dark, very pleased that we have a bed for the night.
We are starting to see familiar faces along this section of the route and many of them were at breakfast at the hostel, hardly surprising as it’s pretty much the only place to stay around here unless you’re camping. The place was buzzing with hikers getting ready to take on the various bits of their walks, with a handful of non-walkers looking on slightly bemusedly. It was forecasted to be rainy all day but although the clouds were down around the hills it was dry as we set off.
The first bit of the day was along an unsealed road and I started to wonder if the whole way was going to be that straightforward (and a little dull) to walk. I began to doubt the stories I’d heard about the Loch Lomond section being tricky! My (admittedly slightly out of date) guidebook had warned against taking the lower of two options early on in the day but when we reached the fork the signpost pointed down so down we went. There were a few slightly scrambly bits down along the loch but nothing like I had imagined given the guidebook’s warning, and I wondered whether it had been written by someone walking in flip flops. At least it was an interesting path, and pretty, making its way between the twisted trees and fallen rocks, finally feeling like a proper hike. It started raining properly after about an hour so it was time to test out whether my re-waterproofing spray had worked! After a few miles we passed Rowchoish bothy and popped in to have a look. It was much bigger than the two I’d stayed in on the Pennine Way, and not as cosy or as well stocked with wood, but it was a nice break out of the rain. Shortly after the bothy we rejoined the “easy” track (not signposted on this side either) and the walk was a little more straightforward for a while. Not having to look at our feet quite so much we could look around a bit more. There wasn’t much to see over the loch – the mist had rolled right down so the far side was barely visible, let alone the mountains beyond! The woods we were walking through were pretty though and we climbed and dropped continuously from hillside to lochside, one moment walking through trees of all types the next scrambling over rocks with the water of the loch lapping just below.
Although pretty, it was fairly samey, and with the clouds obscuring the views it felt like a long way to our lunch stop at Inversnaid! We arrived feeling damp and tired from all the ups and downs and rough terrain and looking forward to our packed lunch that we had bought at the hostel. Crossing the beautiful Inversnaid Falls (not stopping to admire them as much as they deserve because of the rain and our rumbling tummies) we reached the hotel and sat out in the rain on the benches in front. A couple of hikers came out of the hotel and told us that there was a room that the hotel let hikers use to dry off and eat their lunch in. They probably thought we were crazy, sitting out in the rain! We went inside and there was indeed a good sized room full of steaming hikers eating their lunch, drying their gear and drinking cups of tea. It seemed we’d arrived towards the end of lunch as most of them left not long after we arrived (do I smell that bad already?!), although a few more came in as we were there. It was amazing to sit down and strip the wet waterproofs off – they really aren’t doing a very good job of keeping me dry, despite the rewaterproofing! A few cups of tea and some chocolate later we realised that we had been stopped over an hour and really needed to get going, we were only halfway! It was a bit of a struggle, putting my wet clothes back on and persuading my stiffening joints (the knees are particularly bad at the moment) that they could go back out in the rain and walk another 7-8 miles. How tempting were the advertised vacancies at the hotel!!
Nevertheless we set off feeling reenergised by our break, ready (more or less) for whatever the rest of the day would bring. It wasn’t long before we realised that this stretch was even harder than the previous stretch (I have no idea why the guidebook suggested that the earlier route we took should be avoided when it was far easier than this section!). Lots of scrambling over rocks, big boulders, tree roots and wide muddy patches, all made more challenging by the constant rain and the heavy pack. It certainly felt like I was earning my dinner! The tricky terrain was incessant, with only brief stretches of narrow gravelled path breaking it up slightly, making for burning thighs, aching feet and thumping heart. Every hundred metres or so there would be beautiful streams cascading down little gullies and there would be smooth stepping stones, some a small hop, others a large step, others a careful tiptoe across the stream bed itself. After a while I gave up trying to keep my feet dry and just splashed through the wider ones!
While resting my bag for a bit on a conveniently placed rock (my shoulder is pretty painful today – need to find an osteopath!) a girl caught up with us and told us that the guy she had been walking with had left her behind as she was walking more slowly. She was angry at him and also nervous and fed up of walking on her own because of the tricky terrain so we invited her to walk with us. Emily is from Israel and she was amazed by the rain – not something she gets much of back at home! It was slower going with three but good to walk together and keep each others’ spirits high, and she was so grateful to us!
From time to time the mists would part slightly and we would get a glimpse of what the day might look like if it were clear. Up above us the hills rose steep and craggy, mists drifting over the ridges and forests, looking almost like the rainforest or like we could be in Jurassic Park! No dinosaurs, thankfully, although we did see several of the feral goats that roam the banks, with their shaggy fur and tall curved horns. Lunch started to feel like a long time ago, but eventually the path flattened out slightly on a patch of open ground near the northern end of the loch, with a great view back down the loch and the steep wooded slopes we had walked along. One clever/mad/brave soul had opted to wild camp there tonight and although I envied the spot, for once I didn’t completely envy the camping!
The second bothy of the trail, Doune Bothy, was just up ahead so we squelched through some more grass and mud terrain and came over a rise before seeing the little stone shelter down below. It was a relief to get inside and sit down, stripping off the wet waterproofs once more and eating some much needed food in the dry. There were several other hikers there, a few just stopping for a break and a few stopping for the night. I was slightly envious of those staying for the night as it meant they were done for the day, although nobody had lit a fire so it wasn’t as cosy as the bothies I’d stayed in. It was big though – easily four times the size of Spithope!
We only had three miles to go now, and we felt refreshed again. We’re also getting used to feeling soaked through (although I’m a bit miffed that Lisa’s £10 Peter Storm poncho appears to be keeping her far drier than my £300 Mountain Equipment jacket!!). It is starting to get a bit late though and it looks like we might be pushing dusk when we reach our accommodation so we hope that the path might be a little easier since we’re leaving the loch edge.
Well, it is a little easier, but only marginally! It does seem wetter though, but given we are already so wet we just squelch through it all. The hills that reveal themselves as the mist drifts around hint at a spectacular view in fine weather and it is stunning even today. Scotland really is a very beautiful place and I think I’m going to enjoy the rest of the West Highland Way! We stop to take it all in atop the small but cheeky hill that has suddenly presented itself, puffing to catch our breaths. Our feet are starting to throb so we try to not pause for too long. We see a baby frog. (A froglet?). Cute! Shortly afterwards a second tiny frog hops somewhat pathetically across the path. Then a third, which is met with much less interest. The fourth, I nearly squash accidentally, and then I lose count. There were a LOT of kamikaze baby frogs up there! We saw lots of big ones too, and toads! All enjoying the rain no doubt!
The last two miles seem to go on forever. The path drops down from the open hill back into the trees, gradually making its slippery way down towards the river (we’ve finally lost the loch). And then we see the lights, happy happy lights, which can only be from the Drovers’ Inn, our stop for the night just off the path on the other side of the river. It still seems to take forever to get there, through Beinglas Farm campsite, past the soggy looking tents and onto the road into Inverarnan. My feet are wet and throbbing, my knees hurt, Lisa has just walked the hardest hike of her life and we are both ready to crash out!
It was such a relief to get to our room and find it warm and cosy, with a radiator and coat hangers to dry out our damp clothes. My hat, top and the upper half of my trousers are soaking wet. Ah well, they’ll dry and the weather is supposed to clear up by mid morning…fingers crossed! It is supposed to be a slightly shorter, easier day tomorrow but I’m not going to hold my breath!
