After a quiet first three months, 2015 is slowly but surely picking up speed.
I got an email on Friday asking whether I wanted to go on an adventure trip that weekend. How could I possibly say no to that?
As I was quite busy at work on Friday, I only got to head home at 7 pm. Running then into a friend and having a long chat didn’t leave me much time to get provisions and pack.
My ex-colleague Jono knew that I liked walking, and he, his girlfriend Katy, and their mate Viv had space in the car. Thankfully I didn’t have any major weekend plans other than preparing my next job interview, so nothing serious really.
I was picked up the next morning at 8 am, met my travel companions, and off we went to Kinlochard in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
|
|
Starting at the bottom right corner we walked clockwise to Loch Lomond and back, 40 km in total.
|
The weather forecast was mixed, with a cool night and showers on Sunday. The first day, though, was sunny and pleasant. We walked towards Loch Lomond with beautiful views of Ben Lomond on our left.
|
|
Views of Ben Lomond during lunch break.
|
When we finally reached the top of a seemingly neverending hill, we first spotted Loch Long, the sea loch west of Loch Lomond, and then, surprisingly close, Loch Lomond itself. Climbing down the hill I could then retrace and relive the steps I took 3.5 years ago, on the West Highland Way. I remembered how beautiful it was, but I didn’t remember how hard the actual walking along Loch Lomond had been!
|
|
Loch Lomond, with Loch Long in the background.
|
|
|
Loch Lomond, looking north.
|
|
|
Viv, Jono, Katy, my sexy walking company.
|
|
|
A more level bit of the West Highland Way along Loch Lomond.
|
We eventually reached Rowchoish bothy where we had planned to spend the night. A bunch of Weegies had already set up camp there, lighted a fire, and were very friendly and welcoming. Nonetheless, we decided to have a BBQ and a fire by the water, and later put up our tents there as it was such an idyllic spot.
For dinner, we had lamb / beef / halloumi / veggie skewers, fire-roasted pears and dried figs, and a bottle of whisky. It got really cold, but near the fire and with plenty of layers on it was alright.
|
|
Our pretty camping spot.
|
|
|
Getting the fire started and the skewers ready.
|
It was a lovely, lovely evening, and a clear, starry night. The tent was quite chilly, and despite leaving only a tiny opening in my sleeping bag to be able to breathe I was rather cold during the night. But it didn’t entirely keep me from sleeping.
The next morning I made coffee and tea for everyone with Loch Lomond water. I had brought my gas stove along and didn’t regret it. I handed out peanut butter and jam wraps which were much appreciated. We said our goodbyes to the Weegies in the bothy, walked back the way we came along the West Highland Way, and then kept going to Inversnaid where we had more hot beverages and scones while sitting out a shower. We spotted the mountain goats I remembered from the first time I had been there, and I also remembered the smell. And right enough, once we were past them, with the wind in our backs, they did smell.
In Inversnaid we turned right, away from Loch Lomond and back into the hills, along Loch Arklet, towards Loch Katrine. We had a nice lunch break, only interrupted by a hail shower followed by more sun. Originally we had planned to take a ferry across Loch Katrine and then walk over Ben Venue back to the car. This plan turned out to be way too ambitious, as the only ferry that day left at 11.30 am, and it took us 5 hours or so to get near Loch Katrine.
|
|
The weather was a bit more changeable on Sunday.
|
|
|
New snow.
|
Instead, we turned right before the loch, and followed forestry tracks through the hills along Loch Chon back to the car. By then my feet were quite sore and I had one big blister under each of my pinky toes. Driving back we stopped for ice cream and made it to Edinburgh by 6 pm. As I was meeting a friend in town at 8 pm, I didn’t want to go home in-between and run the risk of falling asleep. So Jono invited us kindly to his and Katy’s place for a cup of tea and a very chilled finish of an excellent weekend. Viv drove me to the bar where I was meeting my friend, dirty, sunburnt, and reeking of campfire. She didn’t mind.
