12 May 2013: 23km. Started 08:30. Arrived 16:30.
Sadly the length of time that I was snug and dry in my tent was short. it rained overnight and of course my tent leaked where the flysheet was touching the inner. Everything was in a mess and lots of my equipment was wet. Sadly water had dripped onto my sleeping bag and sleeping mat in the night. In addition my left lower back and hip were painful.
At least I had survived a solo wild camp so that was some grounds for celebration! I started to get up at 06:30 and sorted out what I could with my rucksack still in my tent. When I poked my nose out of the tent half an hour later it wasn’t raining so I heated my water for porridge and coffee.
The problem with carrying so much and having such a full rucksack was that it wasn’t possible to pack everything and then put the tent in last. I learnt the hard way and nowadays make sure I pack less. Hence I had lots of things outside strewn around in various piles by my rucksack as I took my tent down. At least the spare clothes were in dry bags.
The tent was very wet. I tried to shake the water off as much as possible. I realised that it looked as though it was going to rain again. Somehow I stuffed the wet tent into its bag. However everything was in the rucksack and I was ready to walk at 08:30.
I was definitely limping, but I could walk and I knew it wasn’t a trapped nerve as it was a local pain rather than a searing shooting agony down my leg.
The rain became worse. I was relieved to reach a large campsite just before Tyndrum and enjoyed a second breakfast of hot bacon roll and coffee. I swapped my purified stream water for tap water and made a phone call home, in which I think I probably sounded more positive than my reality.
At the end of the village I reached a small shop with café and had coffee and more food. Somehow I didn’t realise that the large “Green Welly” store was only a few yards up the road. I must be one of the few people ever to have missed it – however the staff at the small village shop were very kind and welcoming.
I trudged on. The path beyond Tyndrum is an open track (Old Military Road) with views of the main A82 to the left and mountain to the right. The weather was awful – driving rain and wind. I met the four from the previous day who had helped me get past the cattle – one offered to take a photo of me with my camera – amazingly I am smiling but I do look drenched. I saw a train go by and thought how tempting it would be to catch the train to Fort William.
From Bridge of Orchy, there was a path over a hill for 2-3 miles to reach the Inveroran Hotel. I had no booking but with wet equipment I couldn’t face another night in a tent. Moreover everything would get even more wet while I was putting up the tent.
However there was no room at the hotel. Maggie the receptionist explained that it was necessary to book in September to get a room in May. She could see I was soaked to the skin and the weather outside was awful. She had a think and told me she would try to phone a local couple who might have a room. My luck was in! She explained that it was a few miles away but that Phil would come and fetch me in his car. A price was agreed and very soon I was being driven there by Phil. His wife Zita, Rosie the dog and two cats gave me a warm welcome, Zita telling me to make myself at home, hang up all my wet stuff and have a bath. I’m sure they didn’t realise how much wet equipment was arranged in the room that evening.
Not only that, but Phil then took me to Bridge of Orchy Hotel so I could have dinner. At the hotel, I met a man with a blind sheep dog. He had just walked across the North West Highlands from John O’Groats before starting the West Highland Way and his destination was Lands End. Even with his dog he was camping and only staying at B+B every two weeks or so! In addition to his own equipment and supplies, he was carrying dog food – a dried weight of 500g per day. He reported that NW Highlands very boggy and wet – and there had been a lot more rain since he went through. I take my hat off to him – well actually when I got home I looked up his Just Giving page and made a donation to “Hounds for Heroes”.
Phil collected me and we spent the evening chatting. Zeta and Phil were amazing and resilient people with really interesting life stories. We also discussed my plans – and they made the suggestion that I stay there for two nights with transport to the start and finish the next day with a shorter walk around 16km and then the next day they would drop me at my previous day’s finish and I would have about 14km to walk. They both had multiple tasks to accomplish already but were incredibly flexible to swap things around and help me. We also discussed my planned route and they were concerned about me taking on the North West Highlands in light of the high rainfall for May which would mean I would encounter some difficult / impossible river crossings. The alternative would be to walk most of The Great Glen Way and then head north near the east coast of Scotland.
I was absolutely bowled over by their kindness and generosity and readily agreed. It would put me a day behind the schedule I had planned but this was the first slip in my planned timetable and I had reckoned on more slippage than this when booking work for my return. That was why I hadn’t booked accommodation for the entire trip in advance.
I went to bed warm and dry, with my equipment gradually drying around me. I had plenty of possibilities to consider about my best chance of completing my primary aim to walk end to end.
Where's Kathryn? 