West Highland Way, Day 3: The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond

We waited over breakfast for the rain to clear but by 8 AM we knew we were in for some heavy rain. We geared up - gaiters, ponchos, umbrellas, backpack covers - and met out front under the 500 year old oak tree that gave our inn its name.


Even in the rain and mist, the Loch was mysteriously beautiful and we had only seven miles on foot today to reach our destination, Rowardennan.


We walked an up and down path along the banks of Loch Lomond, through the dense woodland of Arrochymore and Lag an Arnair Wood, coming to a ranger station just before lunch. After answering our questions, the ranger began to play a strange flute like instrument and, encouraged by our attention, he soon donned a wreath of leaves. It's these little intimate moments that make traveling on foot rewarding.


We found a spot for lunch on the shore after our serenade, and what a beautiful spot,


even with the rain and midges that come out in the damp weather. Jan had her own system for staying dry and protected.


After lunch the skies cleared and the lake was a beautiful mirror.




We walked on through the oak and pine Rowardennan Forest and Ross Wood, one of those experiences confirming that God is the master landscape designer.


We had plenty of time today to pick berries, straight off the bush to our mouths as nature intended. Yum.


We reached our inn in mid-afternoon. One of the nice things I enjoy about traveling on foot is never knowing what the guys at MacsAdventure have in store for us in the evening. It could be a B & B, dairy farm, room over a pub - but I always know it will be an experience.

This evening we stayed at the historic Rowardennan Hotel, dating back to 1696, where one of Rob Roy's sons brought a kidnapped heiress and forced her to go through a marriage ceremony - earned him the gallows in Edinburgh - and where drovers stayed on their way to markets in Stirling and Falkirk with their cattle.


The inn sits on the edge of Loch Lomond and at the foot of Ben Lomond, the first of the munros of the Scottish Highlands. (A munro is a mountain over 3000'.) The view from our window is breathtaking.


With the long "white nights", we had lots of time to enjoy the area and Kathleen and I took a walk on the beach, each of us taking some quiet time.


Along shore was another reminder of Scotland's sacrifice, the Ben Lomond Memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in service.


Dinner on the patio on the shores of Loch Lomond, the best fish and chips in the world along with a half pint of Scottish beer...it doesn't get much better, except if Patty was here.


Tomorrow, Rob Roy country.

West Highland Way, Day 2: Clash of the Titans

After a tasty breakfast at The Bramblewood, reviewed on TripAdvisor as "must be very close to the pinnacle of B & B's", we set out for Drymen to catch the trail to Balhama, only an eight mile walk today; OK, what with our mile back into Drymen, side trek up Conic Hill, and walking around Balhama it was over ten but still an easy day. The only other alternative was 14 miles directly to Rowardennan and the second half would have been a little rough. We wanted to stretch out our time along Loch Lomond and enjoy the experience along the way. I think it's an age thing.

We stopped in a little grocery in Drymen and bought some cheese and crackers for lunch. Kathleen volunteered to carry a good size melon I found, and we were off to find the thistle.


We had another overcast, sometimes drizzly, off and on rain, cool day. The first half of the walk was through Garahdhban Forest, part of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.


Still a pretty leisurely stroll,


Then opening up to moorland and our first glimpse of Loch Lomond.


Conic Hill is in the distance, the first of the Highlands. The hill really is a hump compared to some mountains Jan, Sally, and I have been up, but it is uphill and we are excited. The marked trail skirts around the north flank, but we decide to go a bit off track to bag the summit. Kathleen, as usual, was always up for any adventure.


The hill wasn't as conic as mountains farther up the highlands; indeed, it is just a ridge with several humps, and the ridge is the Highland Boundary Fault. From this ridge several islands string across Loch Lomond, all on the spine of the fault line. It was here about 430 million years ago that land masses that formed Scotland and England collided with each other, closing an ocean between them and causing a land buckling that built mountains as high as the Himalaya. These little nubbins and the Highlands are what is left of those huge mountains. A little humbling I would say.


Rain and wind picked up on our way up the heathery climb, a little rough and steep in spots, but once at the top we had an amazing view. From here we could follow the continental smash line across the loch, to the north the old continent of Laurentia and to the south the continents of Avalonia and Baltica. And us, just subatomic specks in the timeline.


The summit was so cold and blustery we stayed just long enough to soak in the significance of the moment and headed back down. Crossing a col we got a better peak at the faultline islands of Inchcailloch, Torrinch, Creinch, and Inchmurrin through the Scottish mist.


The rain wanted to follow us, but we found shelter and a lunch spot in a mysterious forest just above the village of Balhama. Yum, the melon and cheese was delicious.


The Oak Tree Inn was on the shores of Loch Lomond and we were finding it was hard to settle in once we got to our destination at the end of the day, each of us usually finding some way to get out and walk around some more, "exploring", "checking it out", but the truth is walking is what humans are meant to do, not sitting in front of a TV.


After another tasty meal in the downstairs pub we settled in for the night. I noticed my left toenail was beginning to turn bluish. Oh well, I'll think about it tomorrow, said Scarlet. I wakened in the early morning hours to the sounds of heavy rain.

Tomorrow, the beautiful Loch Lomond.