Borve Guest House Benbecula Island

... 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 ...

... the cave is just a cave!

After Inversnaid, the path divides giving the option of continuing by the Loch or taking a higher route into the forest. Although the morning path was ok, I don't hesitate and take the high path, a wide forest track that eventually drops down to Rowardennan and the youth hostel.

At the youth hostel I manage to meet a group of three women walking the WHW who come from ...

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 ...

... night tonight!

Tyndrum is disappointingly a glorified layby but the hostel is lovely with plenty of space, a great drying room and I'm looking forward to my day off!

Things that made me smile today:

The sun coming out at Loch Tulla
The gate with the "Please Close the Gate" sign. It was stood all alone with no supporting fence, hedge or wall for miles!
Getting to Tyndrum - I was pretty tired after 64 miles in three days!

... by 7pm (6-7 miles away)!

The last two miles follow the road across the bogs and moorland but the traffic is offset by the huge looming presence of Buchaille Etive Mor, an iconic and much-photographed hill that dominates the landscape. I stop to get a couple of shots, sad that the sky isn't clearer and wishing I'd got here earlier!

Kingshouse's only building is an historic droving inn and there is a popular wild camping spot ...

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.

... and higher. I got used to it, so almost didn't think to mention, but many of these roads I'm talking about are very narrow. They're literally only wide enough for one car, so they have lots of 'passing places,' where you can pull to the side to let someone pass. Sometimes these passing places edge right up to drop-offs of varying degrees of steepness. It can be a little nerve-wracking. And because these roads are also more often than not-- far more ...

... have this trip. Sinead and Jon caught up with us fairly soon after we'd left the trees and were on a sort of moor. Francois somewhere in the rear. Sinead and I discovered this cute five pointed star shaped fern/flower, so we named it the `Sinanna Star', as obviously its never been seen before! Rain. Sort of miserable, as feel quite exposed up here as all a bit bare, but ok so far. The valley below, around the loch, all looks very waterlogged with long fingers of water stretching ...