The West Highland Way

Well I have to say that this time I did the Way was the best weather and least midge ridden of them all, and as we took longer to do it, it was also the most enjoyable for me.

We had the time to take it easy and take in the splendour of the scenery for a change.

It's given me the bug again, I need to keep it up now.

One thing did happen that shook me a little, that was the fall on the third day. We were not at a particularly hard stretch but, it was very uneven and rocky. I could not see where to put my feet and concentration slipped, then away I went on my arse so to speak.

I grazed my right arm and skint right my right shin. Though it wasn't till a few days later that I realised the wound on the leg was worse than I thought.

I walked for a further 80 miles after that tumble, the first of a few I had along the way, mainly on the Loch Lomond stretch.

The Loch Lomond stretch was pretty hard going, the hardest part in my opinion, always has been, heres a taste of What it looks like in some sections, this is looking back at what we just came down.




Yes that's right your looking up, hard to tell isn't it? and it's even harder with poor depth perception like I have, thank god for the walking poles is all I can say, though I hate using them.

There was some wildlife around, I'm terrible when it comes to spotting it, but my wife spotted this little beggar hopping across the path into the greenery.




There used to be Scottish Wild Cats on The Bonnie Banks 30 odd years ago, I remember camping at Inversnaid while doing the way for my first time at the time it officially opened and being invaded by a wild kitten, gorgeous little thing it was.




I'm glad there are still some free goats still around here, make the place still feel isolated.

Back to the walking, the last time we did the way, my wife had the most terrible time with blisters, I had none. This time we both never suffered from them, but we came across many that suffered badly.

A trick we learned was to take a needle and thread and sterilise it, then pierce the blister right through and leave the thread in. Cut off the needle of course. The thread helps drain the liquid out relieving the pressure and letting the skin settle back protecting the raw blister. Of course this is only good if your blister has not burst yet.

At Inveronan I think i broke a fever in the night, I had the worst sweats I can remember in a while, I know now that it was the wound on my right shin, I said it was worse than I thought, it must have become infected as it was a really angry red colour, I obviously fought off the infection that night.

The wound is quite deep actually, even now after 11 days since it happened its a little red and a little sore, probably should go to the docs to check it out.

My feet never really got sore until the second last day, up till then they were a bit tender but not sore. The walk down to Kinlochleven put paid to that and again the last stretch into Fort William.

I now need to go find a walk I can do in a couple of days just to keep this up.

If not, look out work, I may be taking those last three weeks of holiday soon :-) money permitting of course :-)