The Best Bed and Breakfast place I've ever been to...

Leaving Inverannan we walked through Glen Falloch towards Crianlarich. Todays walk was only 12 miles and now we were definitely getting fitter. We could easily have made it to Bridge of Orchy but we had booked at Tyndrum so we strolled along the beautiful glen and Strath Fillan. The area is decorated with a backdrop of Munros. The warmth made them hazy but no less spectacular and I wish my camera and photography skills did them justice.
We came across another campsite (Auchtertyre) which was away from roads and any noise. It looked blissful and I think I could easily spend a week there. This was a farm and had a small shop and cabins like the one we'd left and smaller. A noticeboard here informed me that we were looking at 3 Munros from here, Ben Lui at 3708' being the highest.

We stopped for a paddle before walking nearly to Tyndrum.
The Glengarry B&B is located 200 yards off the WHW and it is signposted with white sticks. I was rather alarmed to see it was right on the main road but I need not have worried. It was blissful.
We were there at 2.35pm...!! We were so fit by this time, that our 12 miles seemed like a stroll in the park. Also this stretch is easy on the eye and underfoot so that makes the going easier.

We were greeted with tea and homemade cake, a beautiful sopacious, quiet and clean room with roomy shower and to Sandra's delight, a hairdrier! The little luxuries included "Skin So Soft". We sat in their conservatory reading a great selection of magazines before setting off to the village centre for a meal. We were even offered a lift, it's only 4oo yards!
The evening was so hot that we sat outside (for a lager) before heading to the cafe for our salads. The menu was extensive, cheap, well prepared and imaginative. No wonder the place was packed.
A lovely night's sleep.
Glengarry House (glengarryhouse@supanet.com) and on the WHW accommodation list. I'm not getting paid for this plug and in fact although I tried to put a report on Trip Adviser, I couldn't be bothered doing all the registration.

Along the North Side of Loch Lomond.

We had a good breakfast at the hostel and set off in good time for our 14 mile walk to Inverarnan. It was another hot day and we enjoyed the shelter of the trees. This part of the lochside walk is quite hard with lots of scrambling over rocks and trees but for the first part this section of lochside path was closed due to erosion from all the rain. Instead we made good progress over the first 4 miles walking on a forest track.
The rest of the path follows the loch closely until the end of the loch just opposite Ardlui, where we were booked in for a night at a B&B.

The above picture was taken at Inversnaid which is half way along the route. The hotel allows passers-by to use their toilet facilities! How pleasant to have this attitude rather than signs stating "FOR RESIDENTS ONLY". Needed as well.
Across the loch from Ardlui, the path continued up the side of Cnap Mor and down into a campsite at Beinglas Farm. Here there was a welcome sight of a bar, cold lager and some little wooden huts which used to be wigwams apparently. The option of travelling on the busy A82 back to Ardlui seemed a very uninviting prospect.
When I booked this B&B I wan't aware that it was so far off the WHW as it was listed on the website as accommodation. I assumed we could catch a bus easily enough but we succumbed to a cold lager and booked a cabin at the campsite instead. I called the B&B of course and gave the heat as a reason for not making it that far!
We did go the Hotel (name?) and had a beer there later but decided to eat at the campsite bar intsead. We had excellent food (curry for S and burger for me) and breakfast was good too so were very pleased we made that decision.
Sandra had a harder night than me after a fall during the walk when she landed heavily on her right side, left her a bit sore on the hard bench beds.

There were midges here because we could see people in tents swathed in their nets looking like zombies and slightly unnerving, but we weren't bothered by them. After all we had our little hut. (above)

Drymen to Rowardennan

This stretch of the walk is familiar to me as I have walked this way a few times. Jo has lived in Drymen for at least 15 years because I remember the first Munro her son completed at the age of 3! It was Ben Lomond of course. which is just above Rowardennan.

Jo walked with us to Balmaha which is at the south end of Loch Lomond and the route takes you near to the top of Conic Hill (1175') and we did go the top for the photos. It is a spectacular view and was being enjoyed by all and sundry on this hot summers day. This is Sandra and I and Jo's  dog, Buffy.

Balmaha was HEAVING! We found a bench and ate the sandwiches Jo had prepared for us then she ran home while Sandra and I continued along the lochside.

Most of the lochside is now restricted to picnic areas rather than camping due to the amount of litter being left by folk. Even the residue of the picnics made it look a untidy because people just don't take their rubbish home and leave burnt out fire sites on the sandy shores.

Despite this, it is a beautiful walk with lovely stretches of woodland that are quiet and glimpses of views along the length of the southern loch.

It is an easy 14 miles but because of the heat we were happy to reach the hotel and carpark with toilets to wash off some of the sweat and sun lotion. 

The YHA is another 5 minutes walk away from the hotel and it is beautiful old hunting lodge, which sadly I didn't take a photograph of. I had booked a twin bed room which I had forgotten about so felt estatic on being given a key to our peaceful home for the night.

Normally the YHA do serve meals even if you haven't booked but not this evening as there were so many people staying...young people from Belgium. So we walked back to the hotel and had a really nice meal for £10 ish then fed the residue to their ducks and chickens. (Sandra had Angus Beef Burger and chips and I had fajhitas which were excellent). And cold lager.

We sat out in the sunshine until late without jackets or midge spray. Was this really the WHW?

You've seen the photos...

This is a record for my own diary. I didn't keep a diary as it meant extra paper and pens to carry when I was doing everything to keep down the weight of my rucksack so this a restropective account.
I had booked the accommodation for August 8th - 11th, except for the last night in Fort William (12th Aug) by Feb 5th. I am the sort of person who needs to do things ASAP.
I used the WHW website accommodation list and booked a YHA, 2 B&Bs, and a hotel, plus my friend's place in Drymen.
I have a lot to thank Jo for because it is due to her that we picked the week that we did. I needed to fit in Sandra's English school holidays with Jo and Adie's holiday in France and their visit to London for the Olympics. Perhaps I would have chosen the following week so as not to miss the 2nd week of the Olympics but at that time I didn't think I would become as captivated as the rest of the country did by our home games, so I chose the first week following Jo's return to Drymen.
Sandra bought a bus ticket from Derby to Inverness so she changed at Glascow then continued up the A9 to Aviemore. I had asked her to try and alight at Aviemore because this town is just 14 miles away not 32 miles like Inverness Like her trip past Glascow, she would duplicating an immediate return journey on the same route.
She arrived in Grantown at 10.15pm and by 9am the next day we were on our way back down the A9 to Glascow.
Milngarvie is the starting point of the West Highland Way. Ralph left us to drive on down to York to his mother's, and by the time he reached York, Sandra and I were already sitting in the garden chez Jo, being plied with French cheese and oat cakes and our contribution of cold tins of larger which Sandra and I mostly polished off.
The first day was hot. We walked the 12 miles through the lovely (although not so lovely named) Mugdock Country Park. People were smiling and offering us good wishes for our journey ahead and we were full of life on the nearly flat well made up path.
The tarmac from Gartness into Drymen was the worst part of the whole trip. Although still fairly gentle and undulating, it was too hot and too hard underfoot. Hence the cold lagers!
This 12 miles took us 4 hours.

West Highland Way

Conic Hill, lower Loch Lomond.

Mid way, Loch Lomond.

End Loch Lomond.

Cabin at Inverannan

Cooling off near Tyndrum

Ben Lui.

Rannoch Moor

Kingshouse, Glen Coe

Kinlochleven

Coming into Fort William (phew)

Finishing the West Highland Way.

95 miles. 5 and a half days. Warm, sunny days (except a bit of cloud in Glen Coe which is a must for Glen Coe!) Perfect holiday.
This is Sandra and I sat at the end last Sunday.
I can't load all the photos here as it takes too long but I will let you have a glimpse over the next few days.
The WHW starts in Milngarvie which is on the outskirts of Glascow and winds its way along Loch Lomond, through to Glen Coe and finishing in Fort William. I organised it around the places to stay; my friend's Jo's house in Drymen, the YHA in Rowerdennan, a campsite hut in Inverannan, a wonderful B&B in Tyndrum and the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe.
The scenery was beautiful and all the dire warnings I received about midges and rain were unfounded. Sandra and I got on very well and we met a few pleasant people en-route, including 3 of the many Germans completing the walk. One walker remarked it should be called the West German Way. However the paths were not crowded and for most of the time we walked alone.
I'm back home, having being dropped off and picked up by Ralph who visited his mother in the interim. The sun still shines and I'm busy weeding while I can.
I amy have missed the second week of the Olympics but I would not have missed the perfect weather last week for anything.

Free food!

Mmmm, look at those delicious chantrelles being gently fried in butter! We met a man in the woods who was collecting them and I queried how you can tell false chantrelles from the real thing and he said they just don't grow round here. Well, take a man at his word, we picked a small amount and then tried them a home. No halucinations - the false chantrelles are halucegenic apparently. (think I need to check the spelling on that).
So now our daily walk is turning into a fungus foray. Tonight Ralph is just adding them to his Shephards Pie but yesterday we consumed all of the above as a starter...yum.
Please note; Ralph's Shephard Pie. Yes, he still does turn his hand to the kitchen duties occasionally. The Channel 4 news often gets in the way.
Also there are wild raspberries and blaeberries (blueberries to you lot in England) for picking. These are tine though and we are just eating them as we walk round. The paper said today that soft fruit in England is way behind the usual time for ripening but with all the rain, the fruit is well formed, therefore delicious. Scottish strawberries grown up the road at Nairn and so nice but we do have to buy them, next year I'm planning on my own being abundant enough.
4 days until my walking holiday!