We can’t be called inveterate hikers, but we have done a bit of it, now and then as it was, and is, a very satisfying way to stay fit as we entered our retirement years. Over the last few years, while enjoying various parts of Europe, whether walking up a to a hilltop village in Croatia, finding stone circles in the Cotswolds, (story to come) or searching out a remote ruimed castle in Scotland, walking is always the essential ingredient and enjoyable in its own right.
Scotland has that grand-daddy of all hiking trails: The West Highland Way. The trail stretches for 152 Km of unforgettable scenery from just outside Glasgow in the south, to Fort William, nestled at the foot of Ben Nevis in the north. If you are quite fit, it can be done in seven days, but it is possible to stretch it to two weeks with excellent accommodations available every 12 or so kilometers. The record for completing The Way in the fastest time is 15 hours and 26 minutes (Dave Wallace 1989). Every year there is a race around June 21st limited to 200 entrants. The weather is always a factor to consider on the west side of Scotland, and rain is plentiful so you must be well prepared, if you decide to go.
What you come for is the scenery - passing from lowland farms and country lanes to the trail hugging the east side of Loch Lomond, with Ben Lomond towering to the right, and the loch to the left, full of little islands, the route, never very flat, climbs and downhills abound, scrambling over frequent burns tumbling down from the right (waterproof footwear is a must), uninhabited except for the lodges and hotels and a scattering of B&Bs strategically placed by the path.
Then passing by Crianlarich and the Bridge of Orchy - on to the 20 kilometers of desolate (some say fascinating, for some reason) Rannoch Moor – make sure to do this leg when rain is not in the forecast, as then it will be most miserable - and then on into Glen Coe. On a day when the clouds are low, looking into this forlorn, but famous, valley is like looking into the land of Mordor from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Then, climbing “The Devil’s Staircase” over Aonach Eagach a 600 foot climb, then down the other side to Loch Leven at sea level and so, the next day, to the long push through the Lairig Mor valley to Fort William with towering mountains on each side. The view from the top of the Devil's Staircase is one of those extra special moments in life.
The hike is not particularly hard, except when climbing the Devil's Staircase. However the route is hardly ever flat, except out on the moorland and some short sections along Loch Lomond. If you start in Balmaha, you can leave out the section from the outskirts of Glasgow, about twelve miles of farmlands. There is an interesting glen on this section: Finnich Glen, a gorge with 70 foot walls with the Carnock Burn running at the bottom.
Along the way, there is a good chance you will see wildlife, but the “wildlife” you will most likely see on the crags are sheep. You will stay at some lovely and memorable places, like The Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha at the foot of Loch Lomond with its enormous oak tree in the front yard, a fine restaurant and pub serving excellent haggis, and a small marina in the bay; the Rowardennan Hotel with the Clansman Pub next door; The Inversnaid Hotel in, where else, Inversnaid, with a roaring falls almost next door, or The Drover’s Inn in Inverarnan, the oldest public house in Scotland, established in 1705. Talk about character, this place has it aplenty; it looks like and was built three hundred years ago, and is rumoured to be the most haunted hotel in the UK (Room 6!!). It used to be a regular stop on the old Drover’s road bringing cattle down from the Highlands to the Lowlands for sale.
There were brigands along the way which could be bought off with a little blackmail. The Scots word ‘mail’ meaning rent joined to ‘black’ referring to a tribute paid to protect the cattle which were black and smaller than today’s brown Highland cattle (See Rob Roy below).
If you have an extra day, take a side-trip into Glen Coe and hike up into the Hidden Valley between two of ‘The Three Sisters’ (three mountain peaks) on the south side of the Glen. This was the place of refuge, such as it was, for the MacDonalds fleeing from the Glen Coe Massacre in 1692. A shallow bowl ringed on three sides by mountains, it is a place of eerie beauty, especially when the clouds are low and the mists swirl in the valley.
If you do, stay at the Clachaig Inn, with a fine restaurant, three bars and great accommodations. A bit pricey, but worth it.
If you’re not thoroughly exhausted by now, a day trip into Glen Nevis, from Fort William, skirting Ben Nevis to the north, to the Steall Waterfall, is worth it, where the daring can cross the wide-ish stream via three wire ropes: two to hang onto, one for your feet…and then, of course you’d have to cross back over again – we decided against it.
Britain is crisscrossed by thousands of walking paths as they are protected by law. Walking through farmers' fields is perfectly fine as long as one follows the track, even meadows with cows - look out for the the pats... and the occasional bull, though. Come well prepared and enjoy British hiking.
By the way, we passed by, so to speak, Rob Roy MacGregor's cave near Inversnaid, but it's only accessible via a steep and dangerous side path. It is reputed to be Rob Roy's hiding place when he was a cattle rustler and was hunted. He was also in the business of extorting money in exchange for offering them 'protection' from thieves, like himself. He was supposed to have been the Scottish Robin Hood -hmmmmmm.
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