free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
The West Highland way - brought to you in association with Compeed (ouch).
Our walk was partly inspired by reading Walkscot's report from last year that he did with his 11 year old son Ciaran. Cameron, who is 12, and I did a lot of hill walks last year but having read Walkscot's report I thought I would offer the same challenge. The challenge was enthusiastically accepted so I spent January doing some research and booking accomodation.
We picked the first week of the easter holidays which meant we would be walking from the 31st March. I thought this was a perhaps taking a bit of risk as the weather, especially as we moved north, could still be quite wintery. However the dates were best for us and we also felt that the week prior to Easter would be quieter than the next week.
I had read quite a lot before we headed off and the message was that the WHW was more a challenge on your feet than a fitness issue. This certainly proved to be the case as we both struggled with blisters and aches for most of the walk.
Cameron especially struggled through day 3 and 4 with blisters on his toes but with the liberal use of compeed he managed to brave on and get through the days (I am sure it has been said before but you cannot take too much compeed - I kept having to top up on supplies on the route).
Day 1 - Milngavie to BalmahaThe weather was really looking good for the first couple of days but was perhaps going to go downhill from there. We got to Milngavie for around 8:30, dropped off the bags with Travel Lite and were off for 8:45.
Start of Walk from Milngavie
First Views of Dumgoyne at Craigallian
View of Conic Hill on walk up from Drymen
View up Loch Lomond
The Cobbler in the distance
Cameron surveying Loch Lomond from top of Conic Hill
We stayed at Balmaha Bunkhouse which was perfect for a first night. It is run by Bob and Debbie and they couldn't have been more helpful. We got them to provide us with a packed lunch which turned out to be the best value lunch that we had all week. After dinner Cameron just stayed in the Bunkhouse reading a book but I made a mug of tea and sat at the bench watching the sun set.
Balmaha Bunkhouse
Is that a duck in the trees? I thought this was an interesting shape.
We were early to bed as we had the infamous walk to Inverarnan to do in the morning.
Day 2 - Balmaha to InverarnanWe were up early and on our way for 7:30 for what ended up being a fairly long day. Although everything I had read had said that the walk along the loch was tough I don't think I really appreciated how hard it would be. We were both struggling along in the last couple of miles before Inversnaid and then, after a break at the hotel, the last few miles to Inverarnan seem to take forever. We had booked one of the wigwams at Beinglass Campsite so were looking forward to the variety.
Cameron at the Bay at Balmaha.
The morning was beautiful, if a wee bit chilly, but the views across the loch were fantastic.
Getting to Rowardennan took a bit longer that we expected but we stopped at the Ben Lomond carpark for a snack before heading off to Inversnaid.
We had heard about the smelly goats but what was this?
Towards the end of the day we climbed up and got a final view of Loch Lomond.
Finally we got to Beinglass and our bed for the night. The wigwam is basically just a floor to sleep on but you do get a basic matress and a heater so it is a bit more confortable that a tent.
Beinglass is a great campsite. The shop is well stocked with food, camping and also first aid equipment. The food in the restaurant was also very good.
Day 3 - Inverarnan to Bridge of OrchyAnother early start for what should be a relatively easy day. However this was a bad foot day which made the trek from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy a bit slow. The climb up from Inverarnan is quite easy and then there is a lovely walk through the forest between Crainlarich and Tyndrum. We stopped for lunch at the end of the forest path and then made for Tyndrum.
The Campsite with the wigwams at Strathfillan
Second lunch at the Real Food Cafe
Beinn Dorain between Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy
This was a great site for sore feet. The bunkhouse is fairly basic but as we were using the hotel for dinner it was a
perfect place to stop fo the night.
The buzz around the hotel was the snow was forecast overnight. This along with the pain Cameron was feeling in his feet meant that there was a real possibility that would have to get a bus along to Kinlochleven in the morning. We would just have to see in the morning.
Day 4 - Bridge of Orchy to KinlochlevenWe woke up to this!
The good news was that Cameron's feet weren't too bad and after breakfast we had heard that others had headed off so we just got ready to set off. The snow was falling hard by this point but the path was clear so we just headed off up through the woods.
It took just under an hour to get to Inverornan. There wwas a lot of people looking cold and wet trying to get their tents down. It was a bit of a miserable scene.
View down to Inverornan
We then moved on to Rannoch Moor - the wind was stiff and cold but the snow was starting to clear so it was actually quite an enjoyable stretch.
Gladly the climbing was done and as we turned the corner we got sight of Buachaille Etive Mor looking quite stunning (as it always does).
We then popped into Kinghouse for a bowl of soup and a hot drink.
After our lunch (well it was actually our second lunch as we had our first lunch at Ba Bridge) we set off to the bottom of the Devils Staircase.
The staircase isn't actually that hard - no more difficult than any other hill path we were up in good time.
Cameron at the highest part of the walk
The views of the Grey Corries were just magnificent.
When we got to the top of the Devil's staircase we mentally switched off. We felt that we just had to get down the hill into Kinlochleven and the day was over. What we weren't prepared for was how long it would take as it was almost 2 hours from the top before we hobbled up, exhausted, to Blackwater Hostel. We had booked a microlodge hobbit for the night so quickly got booked in and warmed up. This really was a hard day but the chip shop was open so the pains were soothed by a couple of fish suppers.
Day 5 - Kinlochleven to Fort WilliamOur feet were really sore in the morning but with only 15 miles to go we just had to get on with it. The climb out of Kinlochleven really gets the blood pumping but the views down towards the Pap are very nice.
From here we just got our head down and trudged along the glen for a few miles until finally Ben Nevis came into view.
When we got onto the forrestry track we were both suffering with our feet, blister under blister and general aches and pains. But it was worth it to get the photo's at the end.
First Finish
Second Finish
We had a meal in the Grog and Gruel and a night at the Cruachan hotel and then travelled back down on Thursday. What a fantastic week, we were lucky with the weather as we avoided the rain and the day of snow added something to the adventure rather than being a negative. I was so proud of Cameron as he soldiered on when his feet were sore and didn't complain the whole way. He has now also seen some of the great hills that we have so wants to make plans to get up some of them this year.
Its also a fantastic experience as the camaraderie you get from the other walkers is really uplifting. After the first day you quickly realise who is on the same schedule as you and the banter begins to flow. There are parts of the walk that are not quite as inspiring but when you take the sum of the parts it adds up to a more than just a long walk.
