Day 2 - Balmaha to Inverarnan (22.4 miles)

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Inverarnan, Scotland, United Kingdom
I was up nice and early today as I had my longest day of the entire trip, 21 miles! Alarm was set and i was up at 7, dressed and eating breakfast by 07:30. The cost of accommodation was £20 £4.50 for a packed lunch which included cereals and toast for breakfast. There I was eating the muesli while the 2 Scouse lads were cooking bacon. It's just not fair.

The was no packed lunch ready for me :-( this morning and they had promised me that it would be here no later than 08:00 as I told them that I had to leave on time . I waited until 08:15 and then went and knocked on their door and woke them up. The lunch was was ready just after 08:30 ish, not a good start to the day.

I finally got going at around 08:45 and had to pick up the pace a bit as I needed to make up some time. I caught up with the 2 Scouse lads who had started a bit earlier than me. We continued walking along together for a couple of miles than I made my excuses and headed off alone. It was nice to chat with some people for a change but they weren't doing the whole of the WHW just a stretch of it today.

Walking further on I bumped in to a group people walking back with spades in their hand, this looked very strange and I had to stop them and ask what they had been up to. They were a group of volunteers (pensioners) and a national park employee who were out clearing the rain gutters. During this time the 2 Scousers had passed me again.

This time I held back from catching them up and ended up passing them again at Rowardennan while they had stopped for their lunch . This was their turning around point.

Today was already turning in to a long slog and I had now come across the second route diversion mentioned in the Milngavie Information Centre. This time I had to take the high route through the forest rather than taking the lower route along the shoreline. Reading up about the lower route, it's probably best that I didn't do it, but it seemed quite long and boring at the time.

The only benefit of walking through the pine forest is that it was easy to find shelter and stop for lunch. I was only at the 10 mile mark and I know this isn't exactly half way but I needed to get out of the rain and eat something.

After my lunch stop and refuelled with food and painkillers I was raring to go. Not! My feel are killing me and feel like I have broken all the bones in my feet :-(. Hopefully the pain killers will kick in and I'll be OK, I'll have to be as I have another 11 or so miles to go . The high path has now joined the lower path and I am once again walking along the shores of Loch Lomand. There's a song there and I don't know the words, but I did manage to make up my own while I was walking along in the rain. I can't type my version on here ;-)

A further 3 miles in and I get to Inversnaid and the huge Inversnaid Hotel. Why didn't I book in here? It's already 15:30 and I could quite easily give up now. But not me, I have to plan to walk 21 miles and break the norm and challenge myself!

The next 4 miles or so I followed along the loch side and it was remaining me so much of a day I spent in New Zealand with Phil (from Germany) hiking around Nelson Lakes. That day was the same as today, a long hard slog along the side of a lake going up and down over boulders and tree roots all day. At least then I was restricted so much by the time of sunset. If you are reading this, don't do what I did, split this walk over three days and not 2 . I would not wish this on anyone.

It's getting late now and following the shoreline every now and then I come across a sheltering mountain goat and it scares the life out of me as I approach they get startled and dart out in front of you. One bonus of walking at dusk, I come across a badger walking the WHW and as it sees me it scrambles up the mountain side into safety. That's the first live badger I have had a chance to see up close and for so long. My day just got better for a minute.

I turn away from the loch shore and head inland for a little while and then come across a bothy. I see that there is a guy in there reading by candlelight. I resist going in and staying as I can't be too far away from my hotel, a warm meal and a comfy bed.

It's now time for the head torch to come out!

I had been waiting so patiently for my iPhone to announce that I had done 20 miles meaning that I would only have 1 mile to go in the dark . I gave in and looked at it only to find that I was only at 18 miles!!! I wish I hadn't!

So there I was with the last 3 miles in the dark wearing my head torch and checking the map and GPS on my phone trying to follow the track, nearly losing the track a couple of times and having to guess the route a few times.

All I kept thinking was "don't stray from the path!"

My final 3 miles turned in to 4.5 miles and I got to the hotel at around 19:00. Soaking wet and sore the only plus point was that I got room 5 and not the haunted room 6 at the Drovers Inn.

After a soak in the bath and a quick meal in the bar (plus a Magners), I was in bed and probably asleep by 21:00.

The only upside to the long day today was that I had a relatively short 12 miles to do tomorrow. Surly tomorrow can't be any worse.

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