Lands End to John O'Groats - 2010

 Diary

Day 47

 

Dave's Website

Home

Overview

Schedule

Pictures

Map

Diary

Friday, 18 June 2010 - Kirkintilloch to Rowardennan

 

 

Weather:

Overcast early, then sunny and warm

Accommodation:

Youth Hostel (£18)

Aches:

Right knee sore (3/10), deep blister on right heel

Kilometres Travelled Today:

53.5km

Total Kilometres Travelled:

1521.7km

Nutrition:

Donut and ham & cheese sandwich for breakfast; ham & cheese sandwich for lunch; steak & ale pie, vegetables and chips, and hot fudge sundae for dinner

Pictures:

Here

GPS Track (.gpx format):

Here

Website:

Home  Overview  Schedule  Pictures  Map  Diary  Email

Journal:
I got up at 5am and, after packing up and having a donut and coffee, left the hotel and a very quiet Kirkintilloch at 5:45am.  I was a man on a mission.  I had managed to book a bed at the Rowardennan Youth Hostel on Loch Lomond for the night, but knew it was probably more than 50km away, which would make it my longest day.  On the plus side, I knew that the first half would be relatively easy walking along a disused railway and then roads.  On the negative side, I knew it was forecast to be sunny and warm.  I calculated that if I could walk five sessions of two and a quarter hours each, I would average about 10km per session.  I carried a drink and snack for each break and would limit them to 15 minutes, except for lunch which would be 30 minutes.

It was overcast and the early miles went fairly easily along the rail trail which passed through farmland backed by increasingly high hills, with the odd village every few kilometres.  There were a couple of people out early with dogs or riding bikes, but I mostly had it to myself.  I wasn't seeking to walk fast, just keep a steady pace.  By the time of my third (lunch) break, my route had joined the West Highland Way and left the rail line and roads for a conifer plantation in the hills.  The West Highland Way is a popular 88-mile walking track from near Glasgow to Fort William, and I had already caught a few walkers, including a man who had left Lands End about a month before me and was following the same guide book.  I had also entered "midge" territory and the tiny biting insect was quite an annoyance while stopped for lunch though not a bother while walking.

As I climbed higher and left the forest for the moors, I got expansive views to the south over Loch Lomond and then, when the path passed over the shoulder of Conic Hill, I also had spectacular views north and west over Loch Lomond and a clear view of Ben Lomond.  It was a perfect summers day for sightseeing and as I descended from Conic Hill, I met quite a few walkers climbing the hill from the small village of Balmaha on the lake side, including a large group of teenagers, most of whom had very inappropriate footwear and clothing for hiking.....but they looked cool.

I reached Balmaha around 3:30pm and took my last break there, enjoying an ice-cream and cold drink and watching all the holiday-makers.  After Balmaha, the West Highland Way followed the eastern shore of Loch Lomond northwards through pretty woods with occasional views and past stony beaches where quite a few people were swimming, sunbathing and camping.  By this time, I knew I was going to reach my goal sometime around 6:30pm, but I was getting quite tired and knew I had developed a deep blister on my right heel which was bothering me.  The fatigue was offset by the great scenery and the knowledge that I had set myself a stretch target which I would achieve comfortably.

I knew the Youth Hostel did not serve evening meals and also that it was about a kilometre past the village of Rowardennan so, when I arrived at the latter, at almost exactly 6:30pm, I stopped in at the pub and had dinner.  The England v Algeria game was scheduled for 7:30pm and I was tempted to stay and watch it, but was very tired and desperately needed a shower and to take my boots off.  I finished dinner and wandered the last kilometre to the Youth Hostel and checked in at 7:30pm.  The first thing I did was about five minutes deep probing with my penknife trying to find the blister deep under the callus on my right heel.  Eventually, I struck pay dirt!  It turned out they had a TV at the hostel and, after I had a shower and rinsed my gear out, I was in time to watch the last half of what had proved to be a poor standard game.

I have about 32km tomorrow to the next Youth Hostel which should be an easier day, but I will try to make sure I don't waste time so that I arrive in sufficient time to do a much-needed load of washing tomorrow night.

Previous Day     Next Day