walkhighlands

A perfect walk to be alone with nature - part 1

Date walked: 07/08/2023

Time taken: 4 days

Distance: 95km

Spoiler! A lot of photos.

Total walked: 110 km (finished in Arrochar. I hiked the Cobbler instead of walking the last section to Inveruglas).
Duration: 3.5 days (3 nights camping). 6 hours to get to the trailhead.
Starting point: Edinburgh.
Bus to Glasgow (£5.40)
Train to Gourock (£8.50)
Ferry to Dunoon (£5.10)
Bus to Portavadie (£4.50)

Alternatively, I could have taken a direct bus from Glasgow to Tarbert and caught a ferry there, which would make a nice trip without passing the same places I had to walk back, but I was too nervous about making connections and didn’t want to start the day without enough sleep.

When I am being driven by impulses rather than my own choices (procrastination, constant phone checking, food cravings, insecurities, stress for no apparent reason, screen before bed instead of reading a book), I deal with that by getting out to nature, which allows me to disconnect and reset some of the bad habits I started accumulating. Also, summer in Scotland is so short, and, in my book, the only time to spend days and nights outside, which are still relatively cold; however, I’ve camped in May and October, with much discomfort. My desire to see more of Scotland is never-ending. Even though not every part of the walk is beautiful and exciting (exciting = tall mountains), walking provides intimate knowledge about this country.

There’s something about walking for hours and days that offers much-needed peace and rest. Sometimes, I sink deep into my thoughts or quiet them for being old repetitions. Yet I am happy to spend those days in complete quiet: no podcasts, no music, a bit of talking to myself. Despite so much quiet and aloneness, the time melts away, and soon it’s the end of the day and a new set of struggles: finding where to sleep, making sure I feel warm, and even struggling in my 1-person tent with minimal space. However, during these moments, I am grateful to be so short. I cannot carry much weight, but I can sit in my one-person tent.

Because these quiet walks provide me with an opportunity to hear and return to myself, I find that documenting them works like journaling and something that cements them into memory, which starts to fade as soon as the “real life” kicks in.

Day 1 - Arrival and an easy start. Portavadie to the top tip of Loch Ruel.

Clear blue sky, 5 am, walking to the bus station and counting things I forgot while I rushingly squeezed belongings into my backpack. I left the tent and the pad unattached the night before because I was packing food items in the morning. Carrots, cucumbers, hummus, lentils, cheese, bread and one extra I never pack - oat milk. I have some grains at the bottom of the backpack and packed a small breakfast I’ll eat on the way. It’s not the 700-calorie dried meals, but these will do. Although I carefully got everything ready the night before, somehow, I spent too much time drinking coffee in the morning and yet again, I was running late. Despite the very few things I forgot (such as lip balm), I was able to get by without them. It’s only four days. As I walked, I found two small items I thought I needed but didn’t. Many mysterious crevices in my bag contain all my lost hair ties.

Because I ran out of time, I used the time on a bus to carefully attach my sleeping mat and tent to the outside of my backpack. I should consider getting a bigger one, but it is just as easy to fill up more space up to the brim. At least the small backpack controls how much weight I end up carrying on my trips. After all, my eyes are way bigger than my shoulders. So to speak.

I opted to take a train to Gourock from Glasgow because the bus was just 20p cheaper (based on what the driver told me, but I suspect they come up with their own fares) and would cut too close to the ferry, and you just never know with buses. I am an anxious timekeeper, so I’d rather be chill on my day off.

I walked around Dunoon while waiting for a bus and nearly fell asleep on a long journey to Portavadie. That’s where, at 11:40 am, the walk finally began.

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Isn’t this an odd activity: to pack a weighty backpack, take a day off work, eat and sleep outside, and just walk for days? Why does it feel so peaceful?

The small road soon became a narrow path through the tall grass and, in some places, well hidden underneath the sea of ferns. Since this was the first and only impression of the trail, I began to worry that this would be all four days of it. Fighting ferns.

A small climb up the grass opened up a partial view of Portavadie. Time for that cup of coffee I was longing for! Obviously, I only make coffee if the view is fantastic. And on this walk, only in a tent or when I see a table and benches like this. I don’t know why, but I need to have these little rules for myself; otherwise, I’d spend the day thinking about whether it’s time for coffee already.

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I had lunch (because I am not unpacking my backpack again in an hour!!), and, fully satisfied, I was ready to walk until 6 pm (my other rule). I checked in with my emotions here, the thoughts I want or do not want to notice or denied feelings. Sometimes being alone, away from distractions and everyday noise, allows me to hear the thoughts I’ve been pushing away. I am alone for the next few days. How does that feel? I noticed I feel happy and grateful, and yesterday’s unpleasant emotions are no longer walking with me.

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More ferns.
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At around 2 pm, Tighnabruaich came into view. The day was gorgeous, and I had nowhere to rush, so I spent a lot of time sitting by the lake at various points. The trail lined the side of the lake, and I enjoyed the view of the water, boats, and hills on the opposite shore.
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I like the old-timey-looking gas stations dotted around Scotland.
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After leaving the towns, the path was enjoyable until it reached the shore of the loch (with diversion for hightide) and turned upwards into the forest. The day was hot, and my backpack - full, so I was already feeling the weight and began negotiating with myself about the time to settle for the night. It was after 5 pm, and I was searching for a good camping spot.

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The trail became wetter in the forest, but I was grateful it’d been a dry day. I squeezed past the rocks, branches, and fallen trees, climbed up the rocks, avoiding the mud, destroyed numerous spiderwebs. I was feeling uneasy about not finding a place to pitch the tent and ending up near the road. Or nowhere at all. Clearly, I was not dealing with the unknown gracefully.

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At around 6 pm, the forest allowed me to escape, and I saw a gorgeous white mansion with the perfect lawn and view of the lake. Unfortunately, I had to keep walking.

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Forty minutes later, according to the map, I would soon reach the road. I was set on sleeping by the lake, but I was near the end of it too! The grass around me was too tall, wet, or lumpy, and I couldn’t spot a single place to camp. I noticed an okay location in the grass as a backup, but I kept walking. Then suddenly, it opened up before my eyes: cut grass, lake view, and away from the road. This was it, this was the spot! I sneakily pitched the tent just behind a little bend, away from the view of the house. Due to midges, I didn’t spend much time enjoying the view, but I could see it through the little mesh window from my tent and felt comfortably warm. I made dinner, read a little, and listened to whether people from the house noticed me (I heard kids running around), but no one came to kick me out.

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I walked 25.26 km (including walking to the bus station, not just the trail)
From 11:40 am to a tent pitched at 6:30 pm (~6.5 hours).

Day 2. Top of Loch Ruel to Glenbranter

I love looking at the map and step counter to track how much I walked, how much was left, and planning the route. I was thinking about finishing the trail in Arrochar and hiking the Cobbler, so I need to have time allocated for that; meaning the trail needs to be done in 3 days overall. Besides my timing on the trail, I felt pressure about my calendar at home. So the theme of the walk became letting go of things. Nothing on my calendar is a must-do, as much as there are no must-dos on this trail. If I am late and can’t hike the hill - that’s completely fine. If it rains and instead I want to sit in a cafe all day and enjoy myself - that's okay too. Letting go of the must-dos relaxed me. No one’s life or well-being is standing on any of those things. The now is what matters. If something other than what I initially planned brings me more joy then the joy it is. I kept these thoughts with me throughout the walk and understood that there’s nothing that important that I can’t just cancel. And with that, I felt more relaxed and free. Funny how much importance we place on things that, in reality, are not that important and can be easily eliminated or brought back into life if I wish so later.

I woke up just before 6 am to see the sun again after a fairly good sleep. I made coffee and had it in my tent because of the big cloud of midges outside and not wanting to invite them in or get into the shoes just yet. I like my slow mornings, even in this tiny space.

I was indeed just a few hundred meters before the main road. For the rest of the day, the trail followed old small roads, not far from the main, but thankfully, not in boggy fields either. After a few hours on these roads, however comfortable they were, I began thinking that those boggy or forest roads add a bit more excitement and make the trail feel interesting.

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The road led past an old church with carved stones, where I completely soaked my shoes in the grass. Apparently, any waterproofness they had has worn off. There’s also an unlocked toilet with running water just before the church.

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I kept walking until I reached the mark for the third section of the walk and just a bit further before I noticed a beautiful forest, with another short trail leading up to the lake, a bench and a small river, where I could fill up my water bottles and take a little rest. I began craving coffee, but I hadn’t walked that far, and the bench alone won’t do it. I promised myself I'd sit down for coffee if I saw a table and seats (like the day before). So I walked. 25 minutes later, I spot such a table! In a spectacular place next to the same river, deeper into the forest. I nearly fell off my feet, thinking that this was a sign from the universe and there was no way I could pass it, even though I had rested just a few minutes ago. I still had a lot to walk (but considering my earlier thoughts, I didn’t have to do anything at all).

I make coffee.

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The trail continued comfortably through the forest, minor roads, passed the main one and continued on the other side. So far, I’ve been enjoying glorious weather, but after 1 pm (16 km done), I noticed changes in the sky and temperature. I knew today was supposed to be rainy, and I was grateful for the dry morning. I sat for a while, eating lunch and guessing which way the clouds would go. Maybe they got stuck behind the hills. Farther to the west, I saw what seemed like rain. Is it going towards me or away from me?

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While I sat there quietly after just passing a farm, where a kid was curious about my trespassing, a backpack (which looked massive under the rain cover), and where am I walking, I couldn’t help but think about my own paths in life. There are so many I can take, and each one would be wonderful in its own way. I passed a lot of beautiful cottages on the trail and thought it would be so lovely to live in one or have that yard or that view. But would I want to put all the effort living here requires? It’s a beautiful walk, but I would also choose a different place for my cottage. Maybe closer to the mountains.

Another path is travelling more. Working remotely and exploring the world. I imagine that I’ll have a home where I also have my community. On the other hand, I could also have a cottage, live in it part-time, and rent the other.

What about the other path - having a family? Maybe I could be happy there. With a person who values the same, I could continue travelling, sharing adventures, and still have that cottage. Would a dog fit into this picture?

I need adventures, like cycling across South America or travelling around Europe in a van. I could do that with someone or do shorter adventures, still have a job I love, that cottage, and my community.

Or maybe I don't need more adventures, maybe my last one will prove that this is enough, and all I crave is a home with a view and a life with no more searching. No more living with the thought that I'll be leaving, moving or otherwise temporarily everywhere. I could actually get the big things I want and create a home. With a view.

Maybe all those paths in life are not as separate and conflicting as they may seem, even though there’s a lot of conviction that they are, and you can’t have one without giving up the other, and I've been unable to choose any one of them. We love clear rules, definitions, and assurance in life, following the familiar, but what if I stop thinking I know how things must look with my own limited imagination and just let them unfold unexpectedly? Like this path: it’s exciting not to know even though I study the map and the description. Naturally, I want to be prepared. But it is also exciting to discover things and get surprised, just like that table by the river earlier.

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After sitting like this for a while, I finally admit that 95% of my thoughts are repetitive, and I am now boring myself. Being on this trail increases my mindfulness, and I focused more on my body, the trees, sky, sheep and looking for an occasional deer (and I’ve seen one!). Eventually, I sat long enough, dried my shoes and feet, and it was time to get going—still, a lot to cover. Soon after I returned to walking, I felt drops of rain. Small enough not to worry about it yet.

The rain continued for a bit, then stopped and started again. I was worried about getting wet, a little closed in, and moody when it rained, but immediately lighter and happier when it stopped. Without actually being unhappy with the situation, my mental state also changed with the weather. The sequence repeated for a while until, eventually, the rain no longer stopped. Water was seeping through the seams, and I was concerned about things inside my backpack (due to attached items on the outside, the rain cover wasn’t doing a great job on the sides).

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Despite the light but constant rain, the highlight was spotting low clouds around the hills - a view I longed for. Despite the rain and wet surface, I sat down for a few minutes to enjoy it. The trail soon leads into the forest, and I will no longer be able to see the hills.

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The forest was lush, smelled fantastic and was a total pleasure to walk, despite the puddles and wet ground that I had to be careful about, not that it helped to keep my feet dryer. A small section of the route was diverted, but I could see the waterfall and a small bridge the Cowal path continued across.

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A few minutes later, the diverted track rejoined the Cowal Way on a small road and led to the tourist centre. I nearly walked past it but spotted a dry bench under a roof to sit down. I was exhausted! While I sat, I considered my options. I’ve been searching for a camping spot for a while now. It was 6 o’clock, and I hadn’t seen anything suitable. I would soon reach the town (or so I thought), so I had to find something soon. While I rested, the employees and a visitor left. The toilet was open, clean and very warm. No, no, I was not thinking about sleeping there; however, this would have been very comfortable, I am sure. I decided to walk back and camp near the parking lot. It was empty, flat, and finding good camping spots on this trail was difficult. I quickly set up the tent, changed out of my clothes that were wet either from rain or sweat, or both, and relaxed into the sleeping bag while listening to the rain dotting my tent. It intensified, and I was grateful to be inside the tent rather than walking. I made the right call to settle here for the night.

I got alerted a couple of times when I heard passing cars. I thought someone was about to ask to leave, but no one came to my tent. I spent the evening reading, and generally feeling very comfortable, albeit in a slightly damp tent. Water from the wet packed tent in the morning got inside, so I found a few small puddles when I opened it. The roof was still a little wet. This reminded me of a very uncomfortable experience when another tent I had proved to be not waterproof, but despite the rain, the inside was not getting wetter this time.

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I walked 30 km.
From 7:40 am to pitching the tent at 6:00 pm (~12 hours with many rest stops).

Day 3 - Glenbranter to an unnamed location in the forest 40 minutes past the highest point on this trail.

The day began with the usual cup of coffee at 6:30 am. Everything was a little damp, including the inside of the tent, but thankfully the matches and my sleep clothes were fine. Even the feet of the sleeping bag looked suspicious (the side of it touched the uncovered side of the backpack yesterday). Despite feeling a little cold at night, the mood was good because only one more night was left; the coffee was warming me up. The shoes were still awfully wet, but what can you do? I made sure there were no slugs inside and put the boots on. Yuck, cold and wet.

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The hills are still looking gorgeous today! I was already dismantling the tent when someone arrived to walk their dog, then had a little breakfast sitting on the visitor centre’s bench (too early, but I can’t be bothered with the unpacking later) and left around 8 am. The day soon warmed up and dried everything I wore (but shoes, obviously). The most important thing is that my camera was still doing perfectly fine.

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When I reached the main road at Strachur, I decided to look for wifi and take a 10 minute detour towards Strachur Bay. I was determined to stay disconnected on this trip, but I had to check something and convinced myself that I also needed to know the forecast for the next two days. It later turned out that the forecast meant nada, but at least I was happy thinking that the next two days would be dry!

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I enjoyed over an hour of normalcy indoors, and my shoes got into a much better state. I love these tiny conveniences that pose as a post office, cafe, restaurant and grocery store. I wandered around the store, thinking of getting something sweet or possibly even a cake. 10 am is a little too early for sweets. I am sure that in a few hours, I would be much more tempted to give in, but I decided that, first, I didn’t want it that much, and second, I wanted this walk to be junk-food-free. I bought an apple.

I had only two 4.5-5.5 hour sections left until Arrochar, so this was a day with plenty of time. However, I was aware that several sections on this trail would potentially be very boggy, and there’s also a river crossing (and I am properly scared of river crossings, especially when carrying my camera). I considered skipping the trail and remaining on the main road, but what fun would that be? I retraced my walk and rejoined the Cowal way where I left it.

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Around 1:30 pm, I began to get hungry, yet I couldn’t find a good place to sit, which wasn’t the side of the minor road. A little bridge with a gorgeous view into the river seemed like the perfect spot for rest and a sock, shoes and feet drying session.

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No one bothered me on the bridge, no one walked by. I hardly met any people on this walk, even in this weather over the weekend. Past the bridge, I met another small old road that led around the hills (thank god, not over them). The day was hot! Too hot for pleasant walking. But wait! I felt the drops again. The rain was very faint and soon disappeared. The cloud seemed to follow behind me. When it got stronger, I hid under the pine trees, which provided another little break and a moment to enjoy the beautiful forest. The trail started to become smaller and wetter, hills taller and more prominent.

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P.S. Due to the limit on photos (which I wasn't aware of and don't want to redo this), I created part 2 of this post. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=120251

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A perfect walk to be alone with nature - part 2

Attachment(s) Date walked: 07/08/2023
Distance: 95km
Comments: 2
Views: 1168


Alone on WHW: personal growth through walking

Attachment(s) Date walked: 12/05/2021
Distance: 150km
Comments: 9
Views: 2455

moodytillnoon


Interests: Adventures.
Activity: Walker
Place: Glen Coe
Gear: Tea
Ideal day out: Chill walk in the mountains, fully caffeinated.

Munros: 22
Corbetts: 5
Fionas: 1
Wainwrights: 1
Hewitts: 1
Sub 2000: 2
Long Distance routes: West Highland Way    Loch Lomond and Cowal Way   



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Statistics

2023

Trips: 2
Distance: 190 km

2021

Trips: 1
Distance: 150 km


Joined: May 27, 2022
Last visited: Nov 06, 2023
Total posts: 4 | Search posts