Drumnadrochit to Inverness- 15.5 miles

After a bit of blister management I set out this morning with a different game plan. The Great Glen Way heads up the A 82 before heading to the hills and taking a " round the houses" approach to getting to Inverness . This adds another three miles to the journey . When your feet are blistered a shorter less hilly  route is desirable . With this in mind I stuck with the A 82 and clung to the narrow strip of grass verge trying to avoid the heavy traffic. It was pretty horrible I have to say but if I pressed on I could make it to Inverness by early afternoon. Half way to Inverness I had to put some tape over my blisters and sat down on a rock by the side of the road. To my dismay as I was doing essential repairs some midges came to bite me. I fanned them away in between a bit of taping. As the miles passed the grass verges got wider and eventually I was able to join the peaceful canal towpath of the Caledonian canal for the final five miles . I followed this right into the city centre. All in all it was a really successful day and I arrived in very good time. During my 11 days of walking I have learnt some interesting lessons about persistence and faith. Some days I wondered if I would ever make it to Inverness. I found reading the Psalms a great help  in keeping me going when there were difficult days. 

Next year I hopefully will tackle the last leg of the journey from Inverness to John O Groats.

Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit- 15 miles

The walk up the road out of Invermoriston was very steep this morning but despite sore feet I never got out of breath at all. I soon passed an American couple I had met over breakfast and headed through the woods following Loch Ness. Apart form the odd person heading in the other direction that was my total encounter with human life. Plenty of wild life however with Hooded crows, Linnets, song thrushes and Jays. The Sitka spruce forests are tall and dark and contain many wind blown trees that hang over pathways  and are only held up by a  reluctant neighbour . On the trail I passed what was signposted as a cave but I think it would only fit a Hobbit. Owing to the high rainfall the forest has a dense carpet of moss covering the woodland floor. On arrival at Drumnadrochit my B and B was not open so I settled  my back against a Wellingtonia tree and listened to some music until my room was available . Only one more day of this leg left to do.

Laggan to Invermoriston - 18 miles

After breakfast I set out along the Caledonian canal, my first target of the day being Fort Augustus. The sunny warmth of yesterday had been replaced with grey cloud and a cool easterly breeze that funnelled down between the mountains. The old dismantled railway track which used to go to Invergary had now been turned into the Great Glen Way and I set out along it on my way to Fort Augustus. At Fort Augustus I took on supplies and followed the way as it now ran beside Loch Ness. There were wonderful views along the length of the Loch before I finally arrived in Invermoriston . This has an amazing bridge built on a giant lump of rock. My B and B did not open til 4 pm so I headed to the pub for some late lunch and to while away a couple of hours.

Fort William to Laggan - 21.8 miles

The change to better weather continued and I set out from Fort Willam a lot later than normal. This came about because I decided it would be best to post some of my rucksacks contents back home to reduce weight and make walking easier. This involved a trip to Morrisons to find a disused box and buy some packing tape. Twenty minutes later I was in the post office  and my package was on its way. 

Next a trip to the chemist was necessary to get some compeed blister plasters as my right foot was particularly sore with several blisters. My journey today was mostly along the Caledonian canal and then a 7 mile trail through the forest before eventually reaching Laggan. It was a hard day  but dispite the blisters I made good time arriving at 5 o'clock . I had my evening meal on a barge moored on the canal, so time to rest the feet before I walk again tomorrow .

Kinlochleven to Fort William - 16 miles

The weather is definitely on the mend so I put on the sun cream and hat this morning after eating a large breakfast . Leaving Kinlochleven involves a long climb out of its steep valleys . It takes me a while to get going each day and into a routine, so hills too  early into the walk are bad news. Reaching the top however the views back over Kinlochleven were wonderful . Our journey continued and it was great to have the inspirational company in a fellow End to End walker. When you hear other people's stories of how they have triumphed over difficulties and kept on going on you learn so much that you can apply to your own journey. The terrain today was very hard on my feet and the final stretch into Fort William seemed to take forever. I dumped my bags at my B and B and wondered down to the town centre to the "new" finish line .After two glasses of wine my sore feet seemed to trouble me less!

The Kingshouse Glencoe to Kinlochleven - 8 miles

After a hard day yesterday today was an altogether more relaxing affair. A walk up Glencoe and then up over the mountains via the pass know as the Devil's Staircase. This old military road was built in the 18th century to help the English army keep the Scots under control but had a short life of use. The "road" is really a rough stone track that climbs a gap in the mountains before zig zagging towards the top. After this there is a gradual decent into Kinlochleven passing the hydro electric  scheme pipes. Kinlochleven must be a tough place to live in winter what with the short day length and the way it is in the deep shadow of the mountains. Tomorrow is my final day on the West Highland Way as I set out for Fort William about 15 miles away.

Tyndrum to Kingshouse Glencoe- 19 miles

I was up early this morning to start the journey from Tyndrum which would take me via the Bridge of Orchy into the mountains and across the Uk's largest wilderness Rannoch moor. It had rained heavily most of the night and the sound of a river close to my bedroom made it sound even worse. My first problem of the day was crossing a stream which had risen overnight. I failed miserably and fell off a stepping stone putting one hand in the water and filling my walking shoes with river water. After emptying them out I headed on my way. By now the rain was pouring and when I spoke to an American women she gave me some excellent advice. She said "look at it as an adventure". It certainly was and I was greatful to spend the next six miles talking to a student who was having a gap year. After the Bridge of Orchy you head to the mountains before taking the Drove road across Rannoch moor. The sun broke out and shone across its vastness. I had been reading Psalm 20 

this morning. " May the Lord answer you when you are in distress ; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you".

I think it sums up my experience of the day.

Inverarnan to Tyndrum - 12.5 miles

After a good nights sleep in the honeymoon bedroom I awoke to another grey wet morning. My bedroom was facing the road and every time a lorry went past it shook my bedroom. Breakfast was quite a communal affair and walkers having eaten paid their bills and set out into the wilderness . The walk today was full of bubbling rivers and waterfalls and then forest paths. I meet a elderly American walker who was singing to herself as she travelled through the forest. She said she had run out of songs to sing and was learning some poems! I'm staying in a bunkhouse which is comfortable and clean. I felt sorry for the campers who were trying to put their tents up in the rain last night, now that's dedication after along days walking in the rain!

Balmaha to Inverarnan - 21.8 miles

Today was one of the hardest walks of my life. It rained heavily for 7 hours and the path which ran close to Loch Lomond was a slippery obstacle course of tree roots and rocks. In places you had to scramble up and down with great care otherwise you could have easily have broken something. Making sure you eat and drink regularly and concentrate on the next few steps becomes very important to keep yourself going. Anyhow I made it and am having an early night in an inn that Rob Roy stayed at. Glad to be having an early night.

Milngavie to Balmaha - 19 miles

Walking in the rain may sound romantic but in truth it is to be avoided. That's what I did this morning by having a slow breakfast and lurking in the supermarket until I could hang around no more. It poured most of the day and even those faint appearances of the sun, flattered to deceive . Highlights of today's walk were the Cuckoo who called out at several places on my route and then made an appearance calling from a tall conifer. After what seemed like an age I reached Balmaha and had some soup in the Beech tree pub. My toes are sore but my B and B is excellent located right next to Loch Lomond

Glasgow to Milngavie -10 miles

With breakfast eaten I headed back to my room and picked up my rucksack to stride out along the streets of Glasgow. I was somewhat surprised to note how heavy my rucksack felt and wondered if somebody had slipped a brick inside it without me knowing. I was looking for the river Kelvin that was to become my "friend" for most of the mornings walk. A path/ cycle way called the Kelvin walkway takes you northwards out of the city into the suburbs and eventually looses you at a business park. I eventually found my way and followed the walkway again that had now morphed into a much quieter "cousin ". So quiet in fact I never saw anybody else until I reached Milngavie. Milngavie is an odd place well geared up for the needs of the walker but lacking public toilets. I trecked to the town hall to make use of their facilities. A man playing a cross between a violin and a trumpet seemed to be doing well on the busking front.

I missed the rain however which started long after I arrived. Let's hope it over by the morning.

Early morning walk along the coast

With my walk along the West Highland Way only a week away I thought I had better go out for a 10 mile  training walk along the coast to keep my fitness levels up. Some days things don't work out as you quite expect them to and I had difficulty motivating myself, along with  sore feet at the end of the day. I have come to realise that "bad" days are part of the long distance walkers life but are equally matched by special days where walking seems effortless. On reaching the wood above Branscombe I heard the Rooks  calling to each other from their Rookeries high above my head. Early in the morning, at this time of the year the birdsong is wonderful. A small Wren was defending his territory with beautiful song and the smell of wild garlic wafted through the woodland. May is my favourite month and the trees are just beginning to show a lush greeness and the Bluebells are also  at their best. As I  descended through the woods at Salcombe hill the scent from the Bluebells was wonderful and  smells very similar to Hyacinths . At the end of my journey at Sidmouth I had  a ice cream before I caught the bus back home. A mixed day but valuable experience for what lays ahead over the next few weeks.