Munros and Other Walks

Otherwise titled as "Are we going to make it to Fort William? During the night at Glencoe the heavens opened and the rain belted down on our tents for most of the night. The cloud base was also really low, and I started to think that we wouldn't make it to the end of the West Highland Way. I thought that trying to get over the Devil's Staircase, in the mist and driving rain with heavy packs and beat up feet would be the end of us. So we decided to do a couple of things to help us to get to Kinlochleven. First we used the baggage transfer, taking the heavy load of our feet. Second, we had a proper breakfast at the café before we left.  Glencoe Car Park The weather did seem to threaten to turn for the worse luckily it stayed dry for the day. Without the hindrance of a heavy pack my foot didn't get any worse and we were able to get to Kinlochleven in decent time, in just over 6 hours. Low cloud around the mountain View from top of Devil's Sta...

Our second day started brightly enough. We had a quick hike to Rowardennan and then a short walk from there to the start of the loch Lomond stretch. We took the lower path when it split, taking us along the shore of the Loch. The path was narrow but dry and I made good progress along its 3 and a bit mile stretch to Inversnaid. There was a tree that had fallen across the track at one point, the only way was to crawl under it. At another point later we had to take our rucksacks off again to squeeze paat a large boulder.  Our journey slowed down conaiconside after Inversnaid, the track continued to be narrow however the undulating nature of the track and the amount of boulders you had to negotiate meant that we lost a lot of time during the six miles it took to get to Bein Glas. The effort involved drained both of us and we were glad to stop at a campsite with daylight to spare and a pub for a bar meal.  Fallen tree over track before Inversnaid Rowchoish ...

Updated May 2019 The Start at Milngavie Where Does It Start?  The West Highland Way begins in the small town of Milngavie, which is a 40 minute train ride from the centre of Glasgow. There is a regular train and  to bus service to Milngavie, however the train is more convenient as it is a direct line.  The Route This Is Easy As expected the first part of the West Highland Way is flat. From Milngavie to Drymen it is easy going and with or without a loaded pack you will be making good progress. After Drymen, the route shifts through a forest section before opening out onto Conic Hill. In the past this forest section can be tricky to pin point exactly where you are on the map, when all you see are trees as a reference point. sections of this woodland has since been cut down making it easier to track your progress, by having Loch Lomond and Conic Hill visible from afar. Tiredness Sets In It gets tougher at the 16 mile mark. After walking for 6 pl...

I first walked the West Highland Way in 2004 and then again the year after. I took 5 days to complete the route the first time and took a more leisurely pace the next year, completing it in 7 days. This year we are attempting to finish the West Highland way in 4 days and taking a further 3 days to walk the 79 miles of the Great Glen Way. I say we as I am walking these two routes with my wife's stepfather. He has always wanted to walk both the West Highland and Great Glen Ways and he has set this summer as his target to complete them. He has also planned out our route, which I have noted below. Day 1: Milngavie to Rowardennan 27 miles Our first day should see a flat section of the route from Milngavie to Drymen before the climb over Conic Hill to Balmaha. The hill is only about 360m but it will test our fitness especially since we will be carrying full packs including camping and cooking equipment. Even at Balmaha we still have another 7 miles or so to Rowardennan. In...