LEJOG
Distance walked – 33.8km (21.1miles)
Total Distance – 1551.5km (969.7miles)
Sitting here on top of everywhere
What do I care
Days never end
I know the voyages end will soon be here
ELO – Eldorado
Hobbits ? Where?
We had a great night in Glascow with John, Fiona and Florence. They looked after us, fed us and even washed our stinky clothes. It was wonderful to spend the evening with them. Louisa also has a new pair of shoes which she had delivered to John and Fiona’s place, so she is feeling happier about the walking ahead. We are both looking forward to the next few days on the West Highland Way and are glad to be off the canal towpath that we followed for the last three days.
One here!
John dropped us off this morning at the exact spot that we left the path yesterday, (important for the rules!) and then walked with us for about half an hour before having to turn around and return to work. He will definitely sadly, be our last guest walker as we don’t know anyone that lives further north. We bade him a fond farewell as we continued our journey alone.
Some Weed smoking ones here!
The path followed a disused railway trackbed for a long period over open countryside. At one point we passed behind some industrial units where a sign enticed us into the `Turnip the Beet’ deli. We purchased some samosa and home made Naan bread for our lunch. We would highly recommend it (great name too). The disused railway line ended in the village of Gartness where we crossed Endrick Water on a pretty stone bridge. Two Scottish teenagers were smoking a large joint on the bridge (at 10 o’clock in the morning – well everyone needs a hobby!). They attempted to strike up a conversation in their heavy Scottish accents. As far as I could tell, they were trying to impart the information that there was a great view from the top of the road. We thanked them and followed the road out of the village.
Great View of Loch Lomond and the Highlands
And indeed, there was a great view from the top of the road. We could just make out Loch Lomond and the start of the mountain ranges which mark the watershed between lowland and highland Scotland. We both felt slightly awed that we have walked all the way from Cornwall, and we are about to enter the Highlands of Scotland. Our sense of awe was short-lived however, as the long road walk into the outskirts of Drymen soon brought us back to the reality of the task at hand.
We can’t go any slower
The weather by now had started to warm up and we were once again in T-shirts/shorts. This presented a problem from the myriad buzzing, biting insects, so we tried to limit stopping too much. We passed the farm campsite where we had planned to camp last night before we were rescued by John and Fiona. (Louisa very happy that we didn’t have to camp!) By now there was a steady stream of walkers on the path, and we felt part of a happy crowd on this sunny day.
View over Loch Lomond
As mentioned previously in the blog, one of the problems of our walk has been that from the earliest planning stage we locked ourselves into a fairly rigid schedule due to our desire to book accommodation and to meet with people along the way. One of the highlights of the walk has been the ability to catch up with so many people, and not having to worry about booking accommodation on the way has made the trip much less stressful. So, there have been significant advantages to our planning ahead, but we still wonder if a looser approach would have been more interesting. The word `vagary` which in modern usage means an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagantly manifested action, or a whimsical, wild or unusual idea, was originally in the 16th century used to refer to the concept of traveling without knowing the destination and without caring, for instance you made a vagary by wandering off the beaten path. (It is derived from the latin verb vagari meaning to wander or to roam, the same root for the derivation of the word vagabond).
Although our journey has been planned, we still feel that we have attained a degree of `vagary’ in our outlook and experience, and that our journey is whimsical and roaming to us. Each day it is the path that seems to take us, and despite our guidebooks and maps, we don’t really know where we are going. Around every corner is something new. Each night we arrive at our destination and feel surprised by where we are. Despite our planning there is still great unpredictability in this form of travelling.
Giving in to vagary seems a refreshing way of travelling. Maybe on our next trip we will aim for even more `vagary’.
Conic Hill
Our roaming on the West Highland Way was certainly turning out to be quite special. We passed through a woodland, steadily climbing, before coming out with great views over the island-studded Loch Lomond. Around the next bend, the bracken clad flanks of Conic Hill came into view rising above the open moorland. Conic Hill at 361m was the major climb for the day, although in Pennine Way style, the path skirted the summit, contouring around the back of the mountain before descending to the Loch.
Descent to the Loch
As we descended, we found the hordes, as myriad people walked up the hill from the village of Balmaha below. Despite the crowds, the walk was spectacular, with the beautiful Loch laid out below us, mountains rising in all directions.
Balmaha (not a stock photo!)
We had lunch in Balmaha, at a picnic table in the lochside park. The sunny, Sunday afternoon weather had drawn a large crowd of people all enjoying the pretty village. We still had about 12km to go, so unfortunately, we had to reluctantly shoulder packs and head off again.
Lochside Walking
For the rest of the afternoon, the path followed the edge of the Loch, which looks easy on paper, but involved numerous ups and downs, as we climbed high above the Loch, before dropping down to pass secluded beaches and hidden bays.
A final section through undulating woodland with occasional glimpses of the Loch delivered us to the road to Rowardennan, after which we soon arrived at the youth hostel. The youth hostel seemed to be another great find with friendly staff and a great view of the Loch from our room. We settled in to relax and prepare ourselves for another day of whimsical roaming tomorrow . . . . . . . .
View from room
View from Common room
