WALKING THE WEST HIGHLAND WAY - 95 MILES OF BEAUTIFUL SCOTTISH LANDSCAPE (Scotland in general)

Member Name: katestuartuk

Product:	Scotland in general
Date:	26/07/06 (937 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: AMAZING SCENERY AND LOTS OF FRIENDLY, LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE TO WALK WITH

Disadvantages: HARD ON YOUR FEET

I have always been a big fan of rain. As long as I know there are clean dry clothes waiting for me at the other end of a rain shower, a hot bath, a nice wee drink, I’m happy. It’s great for my garden, makes all the pretty flowers grow, and saves me lugging great hefty buckets and watering cans about. Fantastic.
Rain is something that comes with the territory of walking the West Highland Way. When I did it, in the middle of June, expecting maybe to come home with a tan that might make me look less like a milk bottle and more like someone who’s been lounging by a pool in Costa Rica, it rained every single day. Yes, that’s Every Single Day. But you know what? I loved every minute of it.

So , what, I hear you cry, is the West Highland Way? Well put simply, it’s a very long walk. Like 95 miles of one-foot-in-front-of-the-other through some of the most amazing scenery Bonny Scotland possesses. The mountains and the sky just take your breath away and stop you caring whether your feet are sore, your hair is wet (and running down inside the collar of your inadequate and rather embarrassingly striped cagoule), or its still another 7 miles to your next meal.
In short, it’s probably one of the most amazing, thrilling, sense-of-achievement-type things I’ve ever done in my life, and I hope to do it some justice writing about it here.

The West Highland Way was the very first long-distance walk to be created in Scotland, and it was only opened in 1980 – it celebrated 25 years last year and to be honest, you forget that the marked path that you follow is only 26 years old because it follows very very old roads – like drovers roads (wide cobbled paths through mountains and wild places that were used to transport cattle to markets), and military roads (good old General Wade gets a look in here) – so you have this real sense of walking in history, because the people who used these roads are long dead, along with the way of life that needed such roads.

The West Highland Way is officially 95 miles, but can work out at around 100 once you do all the walking in between ( like to b&b’s and train stations at either end of the walk).
The WHW starts at Milngavie (pronounced Millguy) which is at the north outskirts of Glasgow and goes all the way to Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis, which is of course the highest mountain in Britain.

The best time to walk the WHW is May/June time, when the midges are not so bloodthirsty and the heat not so strong – its nice to walk with a cooling breeze, and whatever else can be said about rain, it certainly keeps the midges away! Most people also walk the WHW from south to north – so from Glasgow to Fort William – something to do with prevailing winds being at your back, and not in your face. Some people do it the other ay round, but its not recommended. It isn’t nice to try and walk headlong into the wind and driving rain!!!!

People walk the way in different timescales, some people taking as little as 5 days to walk it, others spacing it out over a week to 10 days. When I walked it the first time, I didn’t give enough time in my estimates for the obvious stops like photos – you really must take a camera, a waterproof carrier for it and lots and lots of film because literally every other step you catch a view, across water, through trees, up to the sky cradled between two slopes of mountain, and it just takes your breath away. I got to the middle of Rannoch Moor, which was my favourite part of the whole walk, and discovered I had not film left, and I was devastated because it was so beautiful – I really wanted to capture something of the atmosphere to bring back home with me.
I would say you need to give yourself at least 10 days, have a few light days, or even plan a day off as a rest-day in the middle of the trip.

WHERE TO STAY?

There are loads of B&B’s along the way, all run by lovely people who understand a walker’s needs. A lot of them do pick-up services too, which means you can stay at one place for more than just one night.

Best place we stayed was Bay Cottage, on the shores of Loch Lomond at a place called Balmaha, which is about a quarter of the way into the walk. Very homely, very kind people, really amazing food and very high standards of sleeping quarters – we had a guest suite above an outhouse, with a beautiful bathroom, foot spa (much needed!) TV, drinks etc, and The Most Comfortable Beds Ever!!!

If you’re planning to do the walk, book your accommodation early, and don’t expect to be able to just walk in somewhere and get a bed for the night – B&B’s and Hotels and bunkhouses and youth-hostels and campsites all get booked up so quickly, it can be a bit of a scramble to find somewhere to stay that fits into your walking schedule if you don’t plan well in advance.

WHAT TO TAKE

As little as possible – there are a couple of baggage carriers that will transport your luggage from one B&B to the next : details on the WHW website – but remember whatever you have in your daypack you have to carry ALL DAY!!!!

My essentials would be:

– midge repellent – this is essential : try Avon Skin so soft, the green one – think its called forest green? There are pubs and hotels along the WHW that actually sell this stuff behind the bar because it works so well at keeping midges away from you! A very good investment!

– Water, lots of it – there are places to fill up your bottle along the way if you don’t mind drinking spring water or wandering into hotels to ask, but it’s a good idea not to depend on this and take the water you need for the day. Dehydration is not pretty ( well not on me anyway – my fingers swell up and…well. You don’t need to know!).

– Good boots, sturdy and make sure if you’ve not walked a distance before that you wear your boots in before you set out or you’ll have blisters the size of mangoes on the soles of your feet!!!!

– A camera, film and a tiny wee notebook to make notes when you stop for lunch

– Food. Most B&B’s will make you up a packed lunch of sandwich, crisps, biscuit, fruit and juice, but it’s essential to carry an emergency ration for if you get stuck or just need a bit of extra energy. I carry a Mars Bar, a bag of nuts and raisins, and a couple of cereal bars. Anything that your body can turn quickly into energy is good.

– Waterproof trousers – they roll up really small, are really light to carry and are just the best thing to keep you dry and warm if the weather turns for the worst. Also pack a hat and gloves – even if it’s a sunny day when you set out, the weather can turn very quickly up in the mountains.

– Compass. Know how to use one and carry one. Also carry a fold-up map in a waterproof sleeve. Even though the WHW is clearly marked, if you have an emergency, you need to be able to pinpoint where you are.

– Whistle. Again, for emergencies.

ALWAYS TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING, HOW FAR YOU PLAN TO WALK AND MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHEN YOU GET THERE TO AVOID UNNESSESSARY SEARCH AND RESCUE EXPEDITIONS!

There are loads of books now on the WHW, and a really great website with loads of info on where to stay, what to take all that kind of thing which you can see at:

www.west-highland-way.co.uk

The site also has a map with all the places you walk through or past. Some of the main places that I really liked were Balmaha, Crianlarich, Tynedrum,
Rannoch Moor and the Kings House ( a really old pub in the middle of nowhere!), and Kinlochleven. Of all the walking days we had, my favourite day was the day we walked across Rannoch Moor. It was like being in a different time, another world – one with no roads, no cars, no noise: not even the sound of an aeroplane – just peace, the wind over the moor, the sky just wide and bare above us.

Whenever I think of that place, I just want to go back and submerge myself in the stillness. It’s a beautiful place for reflection and meditation, and I can’t wait to do the walk again and revisit that sense of utter peace.

Would I recommend walking the WHW? Definitely, without a doubt. Over 50, 000 people walk parts of the WHW every year, with respect for the land, and for the other people walking the Way, and I think everyone should experience it at least once in their lives. Its hard work, and you might get the odd blister, but it’s worth it.

Thankyou for reading, hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

P.S. THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY PUT IN THE WRONG CATEGORY - I HOPE I'VE DONE THIS RIGHT NOW!!! KATE X

Summary: ONE OF THOSE LIFE-ALTERING EXPERIENCES