Glenaros Lodge Salen

... vantage point out onto Loch Lomond (left), and a look up to the peak of Conic Hill (right)... Conic Hill was also decidedly wetter and more bog like than Ben A'an, plus there was numerous rabbit holes, particularly adept at tripping you up. This part of the track was part of the West Highland Way - instead of heading to the summit ...

Today, I was planning to go to the youth hostel at the castle, but the Land Rover had other plans!!!

Oh dear, game over! I popped out to start the Land Rover this morning at around 9am and the engine was smoking like a trooper and sounding a lot worse than it normally does. I called the AA at around 10:00 and they turned up at at around 10:45 from a local garage. He told me that the engine is fairly terminal (piston problem ...

... will go out of their way to help a stranger.

Things that made me smile today:

The multitude of frogs and toads enjoying the wet ground
The two couples who gave me sponsorship at Inversnaid
Feral goats at Inversnaid - the book is not wrong about their smell!
All the lovely people I met at the youth hostel
The drying room - it was extremely hot and all my kit is now properly dry!

Today's route is short - only 12 miles through Glen Falloch and past the Falls of Falloch to Inverarnan. It's pouring though and the walk quickly turns into a bit of a trudge!

There are numerous legends concerning Robert the Bruce and Rob Roy attached to sites across this Highland region. Today is no exception - in the local woods just outside Tyndrum is a pool that Robert the Bruce allegedly threw his sword into while fleeing a battle and the battle site, Dal ...

Hereth begins my life in Scotland! For the moment I am staying in a tinsy little place named Blairhoyle (yeah, you might have to Google that one), that maybe isn't worthy of being called a "place", it is just out in the sticks, but its rather ...

Liz & Alec, who gave me a lift last night, turn out to be heading back to Kingshouse this morning so offer me a lift straight back to the start of my walk through the winding valley of Glencoe. The sky is already looking ominously dark so it's on with the waterproofs and I batten down the hatches with my rucksack cover before venturing out across Rannoch Moor.

The rain starts almost as soon as I hit the moor. It's relentless and the headwind ...

... because once I get to Kinlochleven, the mid-point of this stage, I've got a long slog uphill over several miles to get to the Devil's Staircase, which I'll then descend.

With this in mind, I set off early. The WHW starts at a roundabout on the outskirts of Fort William! Where else?! Still, the town is quickly left behind and walkers head onto a drovers' road that leads past Ben Nevis and later views of the Mamores. It's a grey day but the cloud ...

It was a day of rest today. It rained all day long and it was actually a welcomed respite. We have been going every day since we arrived nearly 2 weeks ago. We did attempt to go into Aberfoyle to the local market, however, the roads had a different idea. When we arrived at the edge of town, the road was flooded and we could not go any further. We simply turned around and came back.

... Mull, then the jaunt we did yesterday is definitely the one to do. Get yourself across to Calgary Bay and take the coastal road down the west side of the island, out to Iona, and back across the Ross of Mull - it's an extremely inspiring day and you won't regret it!! Today we head back down the south of the island - there is a narrow gauge steam train that runs a mile or two along the coast to Torosay castle and ever since I told John about it he ...

... through the clouds looks very nice as well as the sun rays strike the land creating a breathtaking view. Glencoe is said to be a very mystical and magical place. It is also one of the most dramatic sites in the Scottish Highlands as it is the scene of the infamous massacre in 1692. Next was a stop to see Scotland's cutest icon, the hairy coos! These creatures are so ...