West Highland Way Day 2 – Electric Boogaloo

Monday, May 26

AND … ..

The alarm begins to vibrate at 6 am. . But I have been awake from 4 am. Despite falling asleep very quickly last night to the sound of the rain, I frequently woke up struggling to find a comfortable sleep position and 4 in the morning I am awake. It seems that I never sleep the first night on the road, it seems to be a kind of tradition at this time, but it is generally just the novelty of being under canvas. This time it was something different, I have a lateral dream and I found a dead arm on the side I slept last night. Annoying!

Cashel Campsite has an area assigned to Whw Walkers and I can listen to other people stirring. I open my store to put my stove and a coffee on the fly. My neighbors say good morning …

They look like a friendly couple and are very interested in my breakfast, (* Chefs’ note of frozen dried porridge. It is not bad, a bit heavy but many calories 7/10). I drained a cup of coffee wanting to start early, this section of the path is notoriously slow in some places. While pacing my tent, the most populated natives of the Scots want to greet in their hundreds, so I adorn my traditional outfit of the highlands and remain square.

After a quick water recharged on a site, I am on my way along the side of Loch Lomond. The road begins next to the small road that serves the camps, hotels and homes on this side of the lake and I see a luggage service trucks on its way to its next destination. However, after a few hundred meters, the road revolves to the left and to the forest and the beginning of the theme of today’s path, Sharp Up and Down’s. After several miles, the road emerges in Rowardennan and the Rowardennan and Clansman Bar hotel are popular during the night and food places, however, this morning its power is low, so everything seems closed.

However, they have a small refueling store in the back of the hotel, right on the road that performs sandwiches, sandwiches and other replenishment options. It is only effective, so I achieve my emergency stash in cash and take some things for today. This section of the walk has a couple of long sections between the room, so it is worth having large snacks! Just along the way is the youth shelter and a touch of Scottish water. I use this as an opportunity to camber a liter of water and recharge my bottles before heading (and use the loo!). A point of interest is the beginning of the road to Ben Lomond, one of the «Munro» Scottish peaks (a mountain of more than 3,000 feet high at the summit) and one of the most popular. I have walked it before and the view from the summit on a clear day is spectacular, but not today, I go beyond the Whw road.

Just Up The Trail is Ben’s Bakes Honesty Box. My favorite along the path and well timed before moving on to the most isolated section of the Lake Lomond road. I am abasting in a pair of full rolls, some very welcome fruits and a drink can before heading. Little ahead there is a decision to make, since the road has two options here. There is a low road that continues next to the coast of the Lake and a high road that follows a registration access path through the hills. I chose the high road with the hope of obtaining some sweep views on the lake, there are some where the trees are thinned and several wild camping spots next to the track.

Let me break the immersion of this blog with a PSA

Whw Camping Note: The South section of Loch Lomond has a seasonal camp management restriction between March and September to help preserve the area and avoid excessive use. This exceeds the Scottish camp subsidy under the right to wander! You can find more information here -> https://www.lochlomond-rossachs.org/things-to-do/camping/campingbylaws/
I bring this since at this point the sign that means the end of those restrictions has passed.

The path in this section in High Road is basically a long and constant escalation and a long and constant descent. It is not especially demanding and offers some lovely views. The lower path, as I understand, is somewhat harder to go with more short cuts along the coast. If I took the lowest path at the expense of a little extra time in the leg.

Several miles on the two paths merge again and continue for several miles to Inverse Hotel. This section has several fords in the currents that can flow quite quickly after heavy rains and bridges on some of the most torrent flows. Walking posts really help maintain the balance of equilibrium here. My rhythm begins to slowly passing these obstacles before the road finally reaches and crosses a bridge with a lovely waterfall and the hotel appears in sight.

The hotel has a walker lounge attached to the side with a lobby area where the walks must throw packages and shoes before continuing. It is a breath of the torrential rain that has been in flow of most of the morning. I go to the bar and ask for a sandwich, some fried potatoes and a guinness (are you already feeling a topic in these blogs?) And take the opportunity to dry and jump to the wifi and send an update to Dodgehomebase.

The livelihood managed to get on my backpack and address me to the flood (which fills in the water tap on the outskirts of the door) and go to the north. This section with which I have given right (and I am in secret in the hope that I realize), in tribute to the famous section of Virginia de At, «The Lock Lomond Rollercoaster» and is generally considered among the most difficult sections of West Highland Way. It is a 5 -mile stretch at the north end of the lake full of small scrabbles up and down the roots of rocky trees or embankments, squeezes through rocks and in another way broken sections of path. I should add that there is nothing particularly technical there, it is not necessary that it be an consummated scrack to complete this section and exaggeration, I think it is worse than reality. However, it must be treated with respect, especially in the torrential rain that I am going through and a careful base is needed in several places. I do not take many photos, since I am concentrating so much in the placement of my foot.

The path finally begins at level and open and invite me to some wonderful views in the lake as the weather begins to decrease.

The road begins to advance in some smaller hills and is absolutely soaked by rain during the previous days. I am used to wearing trail shoes and simply splashing everything avoiding the dance to find the dry points. Shortly after there is one of the few molds on the path, public access shelters who have a chimney, an area to sleep and for us, readers, are probably very familiar for what I imagine that rocky shelters in the north of AT are like (I suppose that … only those are seen in the YouTube vlogs! But maybe one day in person …)

After a few more miles, I arrive at my destination at night, being the camp of the. I have stayed here before and is one of my favorite camps in Scotland. The staff is always very friendly, the Pub in situ «The Stagger Inn» (well played with the name!) Makes good food and beer. My store sets me very quickly, since Scottish wildlife is known once more!

I take this pub for a quite good chicken hamburger and a pint of itself … you guessed it … Guinness (*Chefs Note: the chicken has a good crunchy layer. French fries are good and I’m hungry. There is not much to complain. 9/10). Charlizo with a couple of other solo walkers with whom I am sharing a table before returning to my store at night. Strava says that I have done just under 20 miles and my legs agree with this evaluation. I use a roller ball in my sore muscles, let a message fall to my family and try to sleep a little. Day 2 – Fact.

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