West Highland Way Walks: West Highland Way

The West Highland Way 2008

Day Three: 14th May 2008.
Weather: Overcast & dull in the morning, sunshine all afternoon
Rowardennan to Beinglas: 14 miles (18.8 on Pedometer)
Map:
Total Steps: 39749
Acc Steps: 113890

Bloody hell – excuse me for swearing but nobody told me it was going to be such a grind along the loch shoreline. It was only on the drive back down from Fort William that I could appreciate the steepness of the slopes. No wonder the way is up and down, and twisting around. Before I set off from home I packed some snacks for the walk, and included some high fibre bars. I thought this would be a healthy start to the week for me, but it turned into a windy day! I reckon if I had a trumpet with me I could have played Beethoven’s 5th symphony in E flat(ulence) major. So always check if anyone is walking behind you! The day started easily enough, passing by some seabirds sitting three in a row by the loch, ominously like Hitchcocks birds.

The ferry jetty at Rowardennan

A dull day beckoned with overcast skies, and when I found the hotel key in my pocket after ¾ of a mile, I was not best pleased. I pondered posting the key back, but decided to walk back as the path was easy. I regretted that at the end of the day as that extra 1 ½ miles nearly broke the camels back. The forestry track was easy walking for the first couple of miles, then I had a choice to stay on the forestry track or drop down to the shoreline. Unfortunately I chose to go down by the shoreline, and although it was picturesque in places, it was also very wearing.

Hmmmm left or right?

Down to the loch shore – my mistake of the day

There are a lot of bat boxes nailed up to the trees by the loch, and if you go out by the hotels or B&B at twilight you will see them darting around, hopefully eating as many midges as possible. The way twists and turns, you have to scramble over tree roots and boulders, and negotiate fallen trees across the path, so progress was fairly slow today. But despite the problems there were many small bays and rock promontories that provided such lovely spots to sit and ponder the day away.

Synchronised fishing by three men in a boat

Mile after mile of this was not comfortable

..and neither was this..

Looking across still waters to Tarbet

Since most of the day by the shore was spent in woodland it was a little difficult to gauge how far along the route I was, and it wasn’t until I reached Inversnaid and the falls that I realised how far I had to go and I was feeling rather tired at that point. There are lots of small streams to pass by or over on this section, some forded by boulders and others crossed by wooden bridges. Most of them were running fairly dry due to the fine weather in early May.

There was a lot of beauty around even though the route was tough

Ahhhh that’s better, strolling through the woods

A fine lunch break – across the loch to Tarbet and beyond

After about 4 miles and just before a small headland, I took the path up into some plantation woodland and moved away from the loch path to gain some height. Although the views were obscured by the trees it was nice to walk in a straight line for a change. I passed by a deserted hamlet marked by tumbled down walls, and then the woodland thinned and I began to get views across to Tarbet on the far shore of the loch and back towards Rowardennan.

Bluebells everywhere

Across the loch to the Hydro scheme at Inveruglas

But the relief of an easy path was short lived and I once more dropped back and up and down to the loch shore. I had brief intervals of clarity when I could gaze across at the hills beyond, with the Hydro Electric scheme prominent on the hillside. But I had to concentrate on my footing as it would have been so easy to turn an ankle and spoil the rest of the walk. I was accompanied by the usual call of the cuckoo, gently mocking me as I worked my way along, with percussion played by the woodpeckers – heard but not seen.

The falls at Inversnaid – a bit of a dribble today

The Cobbler and his mates

A beautiful setting – Ben Lomond in the distance

Eventually I reached the falls at Inversnaid, but due to the lack of recent rainfall they weren’t too spectacular. But I could scramble over the boulders to try and get a decent picture. The hotel provides a point for topping up the fluids and taking lunch if you fancy it. The going becomes easier for a short spell, but the next 3 or so miles were an unrelenting slog up and over boulders, tree roots, and the occasionally boggy patch. I couldn’t begin to imagine how it must be after rainfall and when the midges are in full spate. Rob Roy’s cave comes into view, after a scramble over some very large boulders, and someone has kindly painted a big white ‘CAVE’ sign on one of them. I’d have called it Rob Roy’s Crevice – but that doesn’t have the same romantic notion as cave. It is little more than a squeeze, and it can’t have been very comfortable.

Can you guess where it is? No wonder they found him..

Find your way over this lot

Working towards the end of the loch, still a long way to go

I met some hairy mountain goats later on the way. So with the goats, midges and boulders, it wouldn’t have been the best buy-to-let location! There are some good stretches where the views open up and I could stride out for a while, and eventually the way became easier. The walk along sparsely wooded slopes was pleasant, with the usual covering of bluebells. I walked up another Hockney style wood and came out onto higher ground with the landscape gradually changing as I reached the end of the loch. The abandoned buildings at Doune provide a sort of bunkhouse if you need it, and shortly after I passed the ferry point for Ardlui. I was very tempted to haul up the flag and call it across. The loch at this point is a lot narrower and I noticed that the road and train noise was a bit more intrusive. The views ahead now were of Ben Lui and Ben Oss away in the distance, providing a quick taster of the more spectacular views to come. There were good views back along the loch, with the feeling that the walking must be more comfortable from now on. It was a challenge met though. I made headway up the valley to reach Glen Falloch, passing by some marshy areas with the sweet smell of gorse, then dropped gently down to Beinglas. I flopped onto a picnic bench and made short work of a pint…aaaagggggghhhhhhhhhh. A good day, but tough going.