Day 6. Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Fighter planes flying overhead.

Info about Kingshouse.

The Devil's Staircase

Today was  the shortest day,  only 9 miles. We started off from Kingshouse where my mum had stayed  the night before and walked on the flat for a bit. Mum passed us but was in a dream and didn't see us. While we were walking two fighter planes passed by and were very loud the got to a point were we had to go up something called a devil staircase (it wasn't a real stair case) it is just a zig zag path up a hill .Then we stopped for lunch at the top of the hill which was my favourite point of the day !!!!. Mum had asked the Kingshouse to make us up some packed lunches. It was a short walk, and the terrain was pretty much the same on the way. When we reached the hotel, the map showed how far we;d come. This cheered me up loads, but I knew the next day would be quite hard.



The map in the McDonald Hotel, telling us how far we'd come

Day 5 - The longest day... and joined by mum ;-)

Today was the longest day from Tyndrum to Kingshouse hotel. However, it seems I went mega fast as we did 20 miles in a faster time than the other days. Saw a lot of tadpoles which dad kept stopping to look at - probably cos mum loves frogs and wants them for the pond at home.
Anyway once we got going we seemed to make good time.. although on the road I met a man who seemed really old speed past us at lightning speed. We stopped in Beidge of Orchy for the traditional packet of crisps and irn bru. Feeling very scottish this week, I wonder why. Bridge of Orchy is the tinies place I have ever seen with just a station that's a bunkhouse and a hotel and about three houses, But here's a link for those of you who are interested....
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/bridgeoforchy/bridgeoforchy/index.html
 It was so small I forgot to take pictures, and it wasnt on SATNAV which is mum's excuse for taking the wrong road ( again ) .
However when mum did finally arrive at Inveronan - another really quiet place too - we had some lunch then got going http://www.inveroran.com/Hotel/Our_hotel.html



Mum decided she'd walk a little while us then go back and take the car and all the bags on to the hotel we were staying at that night. That's what she planned anyway.....

However the roads were actually quite good today, and were so busy belthering that four miles had passed before she decided it was time to go back. So she decided to just keep going with us till we got to Kingshouse, as she always wanted to walk across Rannoch Moor. I liked having her there, as she made me forget about my blisters. What blisters????? she said.Here's some pictures of the first part of the road....

At this point we met a group of English people who commented how hard the West highland Way had been up till that point. They also siad that it was no surpise the English couldn't find Rob Roy ( part we passed on Day 2) cos none of them were fit enough. Mum found that quite funny. Mum asked them to take a picture of all three of us together so Mum could pretend she'd done the whole lot.

So mum got her wish ... she got to walk across Rannoch Moor in the Sunshine, and she kept saying it was beautiful and like being on the moon at times. I wouldnt let her stop to admire the view cos when I did I remembered my feet were sore ( what blisters???????????????)

Eventually arriving at Kingshouse, mum decided that she quite fancied a wee cheeky night away, cos by the time she ate and got back for the car, it'd be midnight before she got home...
So we had a lovely dinner and met all the people we'd met along the road. One man kidded dad on ( who by this time was walking like an old man, ) that he was like Douglas Badder. I didn't get it at the time, but It's quite funny now.

Anyway we all collapsed into bed. Tomorrow's not a bad day, and well mym, the FANTASTIC taxi driver is taking our bags to the next hotel... That's if she doesnt take the scenic route...again....

Day 4 Half Way Point Today!

Today was getting easier. Mum, Lisa, Calum and our next door neighbour Anne came up. Anne's known me forever and was my brownie leader for a while. She got me into swinging from ropes and climbing trees at the outdoor weekends we went to at PGL. We met them for a nice meal about half way ish at the 'Rod and Reel' and obviously totally confused the waitress for some reason. Steak pie and fish...there's no difference really. Afterwards Anne and Lisa walked the remaining 6 1/2 miles with us and it was nice to have some female company.

We honestly had some of the random conversations. We ended up talking about French dogs! There were also some historical sites we passed such as a loch where Robert the Bruce's sword was hidden, although we didnt realise until later in the day. A funny highlight was the sign post saying 'horses please shut gate'. Quite rightly. Calum asked 'how do they manage that?'

Clever Horses...

At one point we stopped for a break at the Strathfillan wigwams. Lovely wee farm shop there and now we are stocked up on ostrich pate and kudo sausages. Suprisingly yummy actually!!

We got back to the car to find it broken down!Mum was ...well.....you know.... Perfect end to the day but at least I got to go into the hotel ;) turned out it was only the battery had gone flat but we got to know all about the mechanic's daughter who studies Chinese and speaks Persian! Turns out mum's troubles with the car were not over as she decided to take the 'scenic route' home, wink wink!

Anyway, Calum being suitably dropped off with Granda, as he's going to the gadget show with him and Andrew tomorrow.



Day 3 Rowardenen to Inverannan and the Wild Goats

Woke up, eventually, had my usual cooked breakfast....don't usually get them at home, so the novelty is nice, but no doubt will wear off. Well I need the energy spurt. The road was quite rough but was an adventure. Dad found it especially difficult, not that he complained or anything ;) My feet hurt earlier than usually today but I'll take it one day at a time.

Also saw some wild goats today. Don't reaaly see them much round Livingston funnily enough. Any normal situation (that happened to involve goats) I would be like 'AAAHHHH WILD GOATS!' but I was tired so I was more like 'oh wild goats'. Then Dad stopped to take a picture and I really wished he would keep moving to be honest. He'd wait since I was 20 feet behind but, and no offense Dad, he hums really out of tune!!

I honestly thought I was going mad!! I could swear I saw a giant guinea pig today. Turns out it was a rock
 :-S

good thing the b&b was posh! 

Day 2 Drymen to Rowardenen. 14 miles. And two blisters.

We started off about 9.30 -here's a picture of me outside with my slightly colourful rucksack cover .

 it rained....but typical in Scotland, you get four seasons in one day. It was rainy one minute and sunny the next. Hot then cold. But....would Scotland be such a lovely country if the weather wasnt like that.



Eventually I just gave up on the waterproofs and just walked....mum says this is her favourite picture of me....it wasn't a grimace, honestly...

We stopped at Balmaha, a nice place that mum would like for its boats and craft shops..:-)

Today was a long day. It was the hardest day for me. I was soooo tired. My feet nipped a bit ( well a lot) We did more miles on other days but for some reason this was the most difficult.

But you know, just as I got really tired, I got a text from mum saying that one of her cousins had just dropped in a cheque for the sponsorship and really cheered me up. He hardly knows me really and I was really chuffed. His dad - my granny's brother, died of pancreatic cancer too, just over a year ago.  That got me thinking about all the people who have sponsored me. My aunts and uncles have been fab ( but then they always are!!) . My dads work colleagues have been really generous and they don't even know me.

My English teacher sponsored me  - then suggested I do a journal (harrrrumph! I thought at the time, but it's been good I have to admit, for lots of reasons.  :-) It's been fun too, collecting sponsorship. I cooked for all my 'old'  :-) nursery teachers. They said instead of them going out for a meal , they'd rather I got the money towards my walk. They also said the meal was nicer than a restaurant....I think they meant it! I made sure haggis was in there. Gotta keep to the scottish theme. I haven't seen any haggis running about the hills come to think of it. :-)

Also my 'old' headteacher, and a teacher who helped me amd came to my house when I really struggled at school sponsored me too. I don't think they know how much they helped, when I thought I was rubbish at stuff, to give me the confidence to do things. Like a 96 mile walk for instance !!!

There have been other friends too, and thankyou again. But one sponsor deserves a mention. My little brother. Well he's saved up all his christmas money for spending at the Gadget Show ( he's in Birmingham at it right now ) He LOOOOVES gadgets. He is SOOOOO like my dad. He told me tonight on the phone that he wants to give me ten pounds out of his spending money. He can be annoying, but he's cool, really. AND he enter a junior journalist competition and did an article on me doing this walk. He hates writing, so that's amazing. And brilliant really , cos he could've written about something totally different....like Star Wars, Top Gear, Doctor Who....to name but a few.



Spot the irn bru...:-)



Well despite how tiring it was, Loch Lomond is quite a nice sight....and we headed for the youth hostel at Rowardenen.

Tomorrow we head to Inverannan. Though I don't know if my feet will hold.

Day 1 - Milngavie to Drymen 12 miles, a gentle start and no blisters (yet!)

Okay, I'm going to do this a week behind. So please just pretend it's last Sunday (10th April) !!

Started the day off saying bye to Calum and Lisa. That's him in the background, with the t-shirt that I kid him on that he can't remember his name.

Only mum dropped us off at the train station. Since the opening of the Bathgate - Airdrie line in December, you can now get a train from just up the road right to the start of the West Highland Way. The train opening  was certainly good timing for mum, who hadn't had her typical three cups of coffee that morning. So she dropped us off, with one of her embarrassing hugs. Only joking, I will miss her.

The temperature is 10C. That's amazingly warm for Scotland. Had a bit of a rest on the train - plugged into my ipod.

Arrived at Milngavie, and found the post that tells us where to start. The West Highland Way leaves Milngavie town centre by a path over the stream, then you are in a lane which used to be an old railway line.


Today was one of the easiest days as we were must walking on normal paths and much of it wasn't very rural or exposed. .We walked through Mugdock Country Park which is quite like Almondell. My dad tells me they used to make whisky illegally in Mugdock.


The Road that leads to nowhere.......




windswept...



It was a lovely walk to start off with but not as dramatic as some of the scenery, like the day mum joined us over Rannoch Moor. That's coming up.

Throughout the day, Lisa kept me up to date with texts about the happenings at home. Mum's in a guddle with wedding invitations, Calum has the garden upside down with paddling pools and various projects on the go that he needs her help with. Lucky her.





We were staying at the Ashbank Guest House. Eric Liddel stayed here between 1907 and 1908. Bet he could do the West highland Way quicker than me.  Also there's a pub called the Clachan (not an unusual name in Scotland) next to it that says it's the oldest pub in Scotland, an has connections with Rob Roy - but lots of pubs claim that ! Dinner in the Pottery that mum recommended ( she went while she was on placement, it was work she says, honest).

Tomorrow to Rowardenen, on the banks of Loch Lomond.











D Day -1

Well Hi Everyone, I'm new to this blogging things so bear with me.

I started the day having a ridiculously long lie, even for my standards. Well I will need it for the days to come. I'm walking the West Highland Way, which basically means I will be walking 96 miles over the next 6/7 days. Why???? Good question. Well I like a challenge, and I'm doing it as part of my Duke of Edinburgh Challenge. But I don't really like competitive sports. What's the point. Best just to have fun imo. Mum and dad were talking about doing it, and suggested I do it too , probably not thinking I'd take them up on the challenge. But I did. :-) For those of you who don't know much about the West Highland Way, here's a link
http://www.the-west-highland-way.com/

Our route is this. It's not got all the places we're staying in every night,  but most of them. By tomorrow night I will be in Drymen.

I've also got to say a big Thanks to you all. I decided to ask for sponsors for charity. We all have been affected by cancer; those of you who know us will know the effect it's had on our family. But none of us want to be sad or miserable, we just want to do positive stuff. I decided I was going to do it for MacMillan Cancer Care as they really helped members of my family including my Auntie Maureen. I set a target of £200, and so far it's over £600, which is AMAZING. That means for every mile I walk, £6.25 goes to fund a nurse. I'm gonna work out how many hours of nursing that provides but I'll get back to you. This isn't the first charity thing we've done; a couple of years ago  Lisa and I did the Marie Curie Swimathon so thanks for continuing to support us.

I'm doing the walk with my dad. My mum's mega busy - all he uni stuff and well someone has to stay at home, taxi the sister and look after the brother. ( I WILL miss them, honest) My mum's dead practical tho - ( well she is almost an OT!! ) She suggested getting this water pack that she saw used on placement that fits in my rucksack , and she's coming halfway up on Wednesday to make sure we've got enough clothes etc..( and taking the smelly stuff home ) .and the packed lunch she's made up for me is mega...it has a huge bar of galaxy...She's cool.

Well ... got to be up kinda early tomorrow.... 8.45 train from Uphall...wish me luck.