the west highland way
Day 1 – Drymen to Rowardennan
Amazing day. Not sure where to start cos it’s all kind of blended into one lump of enjoyment. I’ll start at the beginning…
It was chucking it down when the alarm went off at 6.30am this morning. It has stopped by the time I’d finished breakfast and, after some dithering, I went with the light trousers and packed the over trousers in case I needed them later on. It turns out I was in for a treat and didn’t need to get them out all day. There was lots of heavy rain, but it never lasted more than around half an hour. I felt it seeping through at times, but the strong winds and plentiful sunshine meant that I dried off in between showers.
My take-away thought from the whole day was to realise how lucky I am to be doing this. 7 days of walking through beautiful scenery with only my own thoughts to distract me. It’s a kind of spiritual experience where I’ve remembered experiences that I’d seemingly forgotten, and had revelations that I’d never previously had the head-space to consider.
The trail out of Drymen was through Forestry Commission land. The views weren’t that impressive, but there were nice autumnal colours in the trees.
Things picked up when Conic Hill appeared on the horizon, and I got my first views of Loch Lomond, which is to be my travelling companion for the rest of the day and tomorrow too. The skies cleared when I got to the top, and there were fantastic views on the way down.
At the halfway point when I got to the loch-side. After that, the trail went through woodland until I reached my lodgings in Rowardennan.
The room is lovely, though a bit of a stale milky smell in the air. I reported it to reception, but they’re fully booked, so I guess I’ll just open the window and put up with it.
Tomorrow is supposed to be the hardest day. 14 miles of undulating trail along the loch. I’ve had a good soak in the bath tonight, so hopefully my legs will heal overnight. I’ll let you know…
