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| Loch Lomond's oak-fringed shores - Ben Vane in cloud |
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 Distance Time Ascent Descent
Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm 10km 2:15 215m 220m
Beinglas Farm to Crianlarich 20km 4:02 315m 70m
Crianlarich to Tyndrum 30km 5:51 235m 260m
Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy 41km 7:51 145m 180m
Bridge of Orchy to Victoria Bridge 46km 9:06 195m 195m
Victoria Bridge to Kingshouse 60km 11:35 300m 180m
When I completed my first day of an attempted three-day walk of the West Highland Way: Milngavie-Inversnaid. I realised that the next leg from Inversnaid to Kingshouse would be a difficult day and would require at least 11 hours and far more daylight than available in February. Late March was glorious but I spent quite a lot of time away, April was wet and I had work projects to complete and early May was mainly hill walking time. So when I saw a good day in prospect I decided to get on with it. The forecast was cool with sunny periods and maybe an odd shower late in the day. It seemed promising when I got up but by 8 a.m. when Aileen drove me to Inversnaid there were dark skies over Ben Lomond. It took a lot longer than expected on the short drive to Inversnaid as we were confronted by oncoming commuter traffic on the single-track road adopting a 'thou shalt not pass' attitude. Arriving at Inversnaid the place was hoaching with coaches of tourists and squads of Scottish Hydro workers.
The 60-kilometre route for the day splits into six lengths of approximately 10km each, although the last two legs are split into 5km and 14km sections. As a rough guide, I allowed 2 hours for each section which would mean brisk walking. On this occasion, I ran a few kilometres between Crianlarich and Tyndrum when I was keen to make up some time to cover my ten-minute lunch stop.
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| Bluebell Glade |
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| Rob Roy's cave |
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| Primroses abound |
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| Cheese |
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| The real Lomond Shores |
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| Head of Loch Lomond looking back |
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| Glen Falloch Falls |
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| Keilator above Crianlarich |
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| Ben More and Cruach Ardrain above Crianlarich |
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| Crianlarich hills from St Fillan's priory |
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| Beinn Dorain framed in gorse |
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| Loch Tulla from Mam Garraigh |
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| Deer at Forest Lodge, Victoria Bridge |
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| Rannoch Moor |
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| Ba Bridge looking over Rannoch |
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| Buchaille Etive Mor at the end of the day |
The distant calling of the cuckoos reminded me that time was tight. Just before I arrived at Beinglas, the campsite with a large cafe, there was the first heavy shower and I was pleased that I had packed at the last minute a pair of waterproof trousers. It was still quite cold and despite moving at a reasonable pace I was glad of the extra layer until the sun emerged on the other side of Beinglas. I was now catching larger groups who had set out from Beinglas or Inverarnan including six happy French walkers, presumably taking a President Sarkozy austerity holiday (now there's an oxymoron we will not miss: Mr Sarkosy and austerity) on the day after President Hollande's election. On the first stretch, there had only been three couples from Europe who were camping and loaded with rucksacks so large that they would have been skint had they flown with Ryanair.
The section from Beinglas runs up the beautiful Glen Falloch which I remember seeing for the first time as a teenager and assuming that it was the location for an advert for Consulate cigarettes - 'cool as a mountain stream' was the caption. Today the Glen buzzed with the sound of traffic and a freight train clattered through pulling a rolling stock of 24 empty oil tankers. The West Highland Way is wide and easy on this section but it is not the most inspiring part of the walk.
The climb to Keilator farm after using the underpass to cross the A82 road was an attractive interlude with wide open views of the Crianlarich hills and lots of groups to chase down. I continued round to the high point where I had my only real rest of the day on a rocky promontory. It was a chance to change socks and take some food and drink whilst I gazed across at the hills and soaked up the sun which had chosen to make an appearance for an hour or so. There is a long descent through the forest from here and the dappled light in the forest made it a serene and enjoyable section before crossing the road and doubling back through the flat farmlands of Kirkton Farm and St Fillan's Priory. At Auchtertyre I filled up with water and then jogged through the curiously attractive sand and gravel scrublands of Dalrigh during the approach to Tyndrum.
I was back on schedule and lost no time as I charged up the steady climb out of Tyndrum. I watched a couple of men panning for gold in the river and passed a teepee which reminds you that this is an area which attracts those seeking alternative lifestyles. It is a wide track here and as you reach the high point the conical peak of Beinn Dorain pops into view. By the time I dropped down to Auch the next heavy shower had arrived and completely soaked me before I could rescue the waterproofs. But this is an easy section as far as Bridge of Orchy. I walked for a while with a German couple who asked whether I was stopping at Bridge of Orchy so I explained that I was going on to Kingshouse. They retorted that they had scheduled two more days to get there so they could appreciate Rannoch Moor.
Crossing the A82 again at Bridge of Orchy leads you across the river and then there is a steady climb through the forest that zigs and zags up to the summit of Mam Garraigh. This is a splendid viewpoint looking over Loch Tullah and into the Black Mount. By now the tops were in cloud and it looked like steady rain was imminent. As I descended to the Inveroran Hotel I phoned Aileen to arrange a rendezvous time for a lift home from Kingshouse as it was unlikely that I could catch the last bus back to Crianlarich from where I had arranged to be collected. There are a couple of kilometres on the minor road between here and Forest Lodge and a young Spanish couple ahead of me suddenly performed a U-turn. They had decided to give up for the day and make camp after feeling the onset of rain and seeing the rain clouds gathering over Rannoch Moor.
At Victoria Bridge, the deer were grazing on the grounds of the house like domestic animals. This is the threshold of civilisation before you tackle the isolated 14-kilometres over desolate moorland wilderness to Kingshouse. I was walking well but my feet were not enjoying it any longer. I had passed 71 walkers going my way so far but there would be no more walkers going in either direction, it was 6 p.m. The route follows the old road built by Thomas Telford so the gradients were comparatively gentle and it was a bit monotonous if I am being honest.
The day was late, my feet were sore, the weather was dull and threatening and the views were poor. Only the prospect of seeing Ba Bridge lifted my hopes and the river flowed strongly here from the massive hill catchments of Coire Ba into the heart of Rannoch Moor. I plodded on for two and half hours wishing I had brought the iPod and for once at a blank about what to think about apart from a good plate of food and a long soak in the bath when I got home. The last hour was accompanied by steady rain with the magnificent surrounding hills lost in clouds; I was walking on auto step and remembered some apposite lyrics from Led Zeppelin's 'Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams, telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems.' but I was not 'Going to California' I was just going home.
Aileen arrived miraculously just as I reached the road end before the King's House Hotel and the journey home was uninterrupted by traffic on a dreich, bleak May evening. But I had cracked the difficult second stage of the West Highland Way and the next stage, Kingshouse to Fort William, was a far less daunting prospect at just 39km.
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