Here is some info about my last two weeks of walking for those of you who are kind enough still to be following the story.
The route went Auldgirth – Thornhill – Kirkconnell – Cumnock – Kilmarnock – Uplawmoor – Clydebank – Balloch – Balmaha - Inversnaid, Crianlarich – Dalmally – Taynuilt – Connell (but stayed in Oban)
This was in many ways the most challenging stage of the walk so far, in that it was cold a lot of the time, wet some of the time and windy some of the time. Thankfully the only times it blew a full storm were two evenings when I was safely indoors. However, I could hardly complain about the rain, given that for the whole of the walk in England I never got wet once! But it was frustrating that I knew there were wonderful Highland views, but could not see them through the mist/drizzle/rain.
Although I had planned somewhat shorter stages, not all days worked out like that and many days I arrived feeling what I felt was disproportionately tired. By halfway through I had a bit of a soar throat and cough, which I suspect my system must have been fighting throughout. I still have the cough, now that I am home. For a couple of days, I also had some back trouble, which necessitated two unscheduled rest days.
So rather more of a struggle than the previous stages.
I now have a continuous line from Land’s End to Inversnaid, which is halfway up the East side of Loch Lomond, then a gap to fill in later, and then the line continues from Dalmally to Connell, which is where I will start north for Fort William and the Great Glen in due course. I covered just over 150 miles in this trip, on my own for the first week, and then for three days each with two old school friends, Owen Goodspeed and Simon Moore (we all started City of London School together in 1967).
This stage included both the best and the worst accommodation of the whole trip. The Orchy Bank Guest House at Dalmally was really beautiful, comfortable and hospitable and wins the top prize so far. https://orchybankhouse.co.uk/
I will not mention which was the worst, but it was really scruffy and run-down – and it was not the cheapest of the places I have stayedin! The hotels at Uplawmoor and Balmaha were also high up in the chart. In one of the other posher hotels I was kept awake from 1.30 - to 3.30 is by nearby guests shouting and banging doors – not endearing behaviour.
As well as exploring the country lanes and footpaths, my route took me through Kilmarnock, Paisley (stopping to visit the Abbey) and Renfrew, whence I took the tiny foot-passenger ferry across the Clyde). The best day’s walking took me along by the Clyde and then the Leven, through Dunbarton – that day (alone) there was a little sunshine.
The most beautiful views (even with the rain) were of course of Loch Lomond, though Owen and I only managed the southern half of its east side. Having walked 9 miles, the last six to Inversnaid were a very slow series of ups and downs over slippery rocks at the sides of gullies. My back gave out and Owen (hero) carried both our rucksacks for the last two or three hours – we did not arrive until 9.30, though thankfully Inversnaid was in sight before it got properly dark. Borderline traumatic, and I was very glad of Owen’s help. I suspect if I had been on my own I would have turned back and returned to the pub where we had lunch – it would have been very risky without help.
We stayed in the Bunkhouse at Inversnaid – interestingly a former church. Then on the unscheduled rest day we took a boat trip and then a very long taxi ride to Crianlarich, which is where Simon joined us, overlapping with Owen only for the evening meal there before Owen’s departure next morning. I might mention here that both Owen and Simon had terrible trouble with the trains – though on both my outward and return journeys my trains were exactly on time!
Simon’s first day was again a rest day because of my back, but also because we could not find a courier for his luggage. The whole of the route on from Crianlarich followed the train line, so we were able to visit Tyndrum on our way to the afore mentioned Dalmally.
Next day we did the full walk to Taynuilt – where Hannah and I had stayed in 2010 – the pub where we ate each night then had recently burnt down. My Airbnb there turned out to be a whole apartment.
On the final day we stopped at Connell, rather than walk the rest of the way into Oban (which is a diversion from the Letjog route anyway). Oban was still a lovely place – though lacking the cloudless skies of my previous two visits. In the evening we were joined for dinner by Margi and James Campbell, respectively Provost and Organist of Oban Cathedral, and previously curate and organist at St John’s Yeovil when I was choirmaster there twenty years ago. It was great to catch up with them.
This was a stage to recover from, and I am not sure how soon I will continue on the route north. I am having an actual holiday (first non-Letjog trip since 2021) in the summer (you would not want to be by the lochs in midge-season in any case), and then I will have to plan when I return for more. Now I know more of the terrain I think the two days I missed on this trip should be done over three days, and then from Conell there are another 16 or 17 days, so it looks like two more trips. I am playing with the idea of a week in the autumn and then possibly a fortnight to finish next Easter.
Anyway over 900 miles done.
Thank you for your continued interest.
