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Carrying on from my previous report, I woke up around 8am feeling OK despite how much I'd walked the day before and a pretty fitful nights sleep. After a breakfast of coffee and apple and cinnamon muesli (from a ration pack and not really tasting of either ingredient, although still tasty enough) I packed up (one of the most miserable parts of camping as I have now discovered!) and got ready to carry on. Having felt pretty stiff when I stopped the night before I felt OK once I got going, but quite quickly realised that I had developed some blisters the day before and they were now making themselves known.
The day began on a long section of wooden boards, much of which had collapsed, before passing through a gate and by one of many Tourist Information signs on the route. The idea is that a piece of wood with a spindle in the middle comes out, and on either side is information, but either it was improperly secured or they've all been removed, as none have anything in them anymore!
Tourist Information Board, minus the informationIt was the same at Clyde Valley Familty park in Crossford, massive benches with boards between them at either end of the park but with nothing on them. Still, the cockerel sounded happy and I just missed getting a picture of a Llama scratching it's back by rolling around on the ground! There's also a cafe (Clyde Walkway Cafe, opens at 10am so I was too early) and a minature railway here.
Clyde Valley Family ParkAfter a brief stop for some blister surgery and the application of some compeed, the path leaves the river for a long climb and a rather dull section next to some fields with heavy tree growth preventing any views of the river far below. This section is obviously also used by horse riders and the buzzes of hundreds of flies being disturbed as you walk by was extremely unpleasant. After around 5km from the day's start point I could start to hear the noise coming from Stonebyres Linn - the first of the Falls of Clyde.
Stonebyres LinnThe path starts to descend here and although still high above the river skirts by Stonebyres Power Station - one of the oldest hydro stations in the UK dating back to the 1920s. Shortly after the station you cross the river at it's accompanying weir.
Stonebyres WeirDownriver from the weirUpriver from the weirThe walkway follows the weir's access road in to Kirkfieldbank, and then heads though the village to rejoin the path at Clydesholm Bridge out to New Lanark and round the remaining Falls. As my bus back to Hamilton was from Kirkfieldbank I knew I had about another 10km to go to complete the loop and get back, but given that the compeed hadn't really helped and some more blisters were saying hello I decided to take it as a sign when I passed the bus stop and saw that the next bus was in 10 minutes.
Once my blisters recover enough I'll go back (either by bus or take the car to the hidden side car park) and complete the loop to also complete the Clyde Walkway, had it not been a local route I'd probably have sucked it up and carried on.
Lessons Learned:
1. Gear performed well, no complaints about anything except the food. Ration packs are heavy, especially if you use ration heaters (came with the pack so wanted to use them) so my pack was on the heavy side.
2. Scout camping areas better in the future. I probably caused much of my blister issues by walking a lot further on day 1 than I intended.
3. Water is an issue on this walk. Not so much for me, I took 4L with me as I expected this and knew I'd be away overnight, but with it being dry recently and the distance that much of the path is from the river it isn't easy to get water from the river or the burns feeding it, even if you'd want to. This is a major low lying river in a valley surrounded by farms and industry, so water quality is unlikely to be high - another reason for doing this route as day hikes. There are shops at Rosebank (1 mile over Mauldslie Bridge), Crossford and Kirkfieldbank but small village shops can't always be relied on to be open when you need them.