Day 65 Inverness to Alness

Got a rude awakening this morning when one of the others in the dorm crashed onto the floor in the early morning - I think she had forgotten she was on the top bunk!

Followed the national cycle route number 1 back to the river (I would actually end up following it all day) and round an incredibly dusty, dirty and smelly industrial estate before climbing the steps onto Kessock Bridge. This was a huge suspension bridge over the Moray Firth and it was a tad on the windy side running over - thank goodness they had a guard rail between me and the traffic. Unfortunately non of the dolphins made an appearance although there were plenty of white horses leaping in the water. The route then followed the shoreline through North Kessock against the wind to then cross under and run initially parallel to the A9 before taking quieter lanes alongside woods.

I'm already missing the peace and quiet of the forest tracks and footpaths as I now have the drone of traffic in my left ear. I think my whole body is going into protest as I am so tired and it's a real struggle to keep putting my left foot then right foot forward and plod along. After arriving in the village of Tore I then changed direction and took the cycle path up the side of the A835. Now not only did I have the traffic noise (although I did get a couple of horn toots acknowledging my efforts being promoted by my shirt hanging off my backpack) but an uphill directly into a headwind. Then just to add to my increasing torture, the sun totally disappeared behind a huge blanket of dark grey cloud! But, once I reached the top and instead had a sidewind I bravely picked up the pace, albeit it feet still thumping the pavement and headed downhill into Conon Bridge.

There were a couple of really cute Shetland pony foals in one of the fields. All I need now was a tea shop for a sugar intake and hey presto found one...albeit it strangely located in the middle of a tropical fish shop! Sill beggars cant be choosers so tucked into soup, roll and a pot of tea for which there would be no charge. Duly refreshed I headed further downhill where into Dingwall where I saw a sign for "The North" - I'm sure they normally only say North so I'm assuming it's because I can't actually go any further!! It was then a long drag up above Cromarty Firth and I could easily see notorious mud and sand flats as the tide was out . I was back in farming country and there were huge fields of barley and oats ; the wind made them move like huge swathes of running animals. I could see the A9 crossing the Firth via a huge bridge below me and I was very glad I'd not taken the option to go that route although it would have been shorter. I was offered water by a passing motorist in a minibus which, although I declined, was a nice gesture. The lane undulated all the way to Evanton where I sheltered from a brief rain shower before running along a sandy track alongside the B817 into Alness.

I am sure I saw a huge bird of prey but my description back to John didn't reveal what it was and I've either discovered a brand new species of found a hybrid! After passing an estate or drab grey pebble dash houses arrived early at my B&B and as I was completely exhausted (can't understand why!) I crashed out on the bed in front of the TV for a few hours before venturing out for something to eat. I'd had a recommendation for Teaninich Castle which I had assumed was a pub but when I walked down the gravel path to the front door I certainly hadn't been expecting an actual castle. I'm now feeling much better after a fabulous three course roast beef and apple crumble dinner!

Remeber the cyclists I just met yeasterday? Well true to their word I'm now on their blog site and I've even made it as their "Inspiration of the Day".....

Inspiration of the day: meeting Carol, who was running from Land's End to John O'Groats. She set off on 26 April, has so far run over 1000 miles and will get to John O'Groats in 10 days time - a really amazing person.


Mileage 26.47 Time 5.09

Total mileage 1095.39

Day 64 - Drumnadrochit to Inverness
Once again the sun was shining when I set out this morning. First stop was the local supermarket to pick up a sarnie and Mars bar for my lunch and I was amazed when I saw that a whole load of cyclists were stopped outside : they were also doing the LEJOG challenge (their website is http://www.lejogcycle2008.co.uk/) this time for Macmillan Cancer but they had only left home on 22 June and were going to reach John O'Groats tomorrow whilst I've still got 9 days of running left! However, they were very impressed with my solo effort, stocked me up with fruit and nuts (they were being sponsored by Haribo sweets too!) and after a 'team' photo gave me a hero's send off!
I first followed the main road back through Drumnadrochit before hitting the fields again and climbing back up through the trees (there was an excellent view point looking back to Urquart Castle en-route). It was only once I was back in amongst the pine trees that the route really hit the incline button and once again I was zigging and zagging up and up with the weather also getting muggier and muggier until I was a little bit on the wet side!
After emerging from the trees it was then a km or so across open heathland and the sky turned incredibly dark whilst in the loch, what I initially thought was smoke turned out to be a deep mist that covered all the views back towards Fort Augustus - it was amazing how quickly it came in but it didn't progress any further than the loch. Back on forestry trails I suddenly became totally lethargic so walked for quite a while until the track eventually maintained a steady descent and then running became no problem at all and I covered several miles fairly quickly.
I once again met the family who had provided me with food donations last night and this morning : Jim and Mandy and their sons John and Craig (happy 18th birthday Craig!) and we had the most amazing experience at a 'coffee shop' - there were loads of home-made signs along the route and Jim had heard that the guy who ran it, Rory, was quite a character so we couldn't pass by without dropping in. It wasn't exactly a shop as such, more just a table and chairs in his 'garden' which stretched for 8 acres : he lived in a shack and had chickens and a rooster roaming free, a dragonfly pond and the odd red deer dropping in. He has a list of things he'd like to buy...including a house, but it never gets to the top of the list! Anyway, he had fabulous tales to tell like the 'townies' who plan to walk the GGW but only get as far as his shop with expensive and new boots and backpack only to find they are totally exhausted, end up staying two nights and then return home! We had 'real' tea with tea-leaves and scottish shortbread and he even gave me a receipt!
The next few miles were on a very quiet lane and fully refreshed I ran along extremely happily and easily - I saw 3 more deer but this time Roe rather than Red. The track then followed a Drovers Road used originally to 'drive' cattle from the top of Scotland all the way down to England. I left a thank-you message and a smiley face in the sandy trail for Jim and Mandy so hope they saw it. I then went back into trees and once more thoroughly enjoyed the journey along the flat sandy path : the trees are much less crowded than in other woods I've been through but again, the floor was covered in moss and ferns - the company that maintains the footpath is trying to revert the forest back to it's original state which includes careful management of the deer population to ensure the trees grow. They should also be congratulated on the fantastic markings along the trail : the pale blue posts with the Scottish thistle logo are regularly placed and there are numerous information boards all the way along the route - I certainly can't fault them and really didn't need any of my maps to be honest. Some of the woods appeared to be really old as even the stone wall was almost covered with a thick layer of moss and in some places the trees appeared dead with all their lower branches covered with spagnum moss. I did meet someone that I'd met a few days ago and they said that today had been 'boring' with all the trees and not much of a view of anything else - it just goes to show you how drastically different, peoples expectations and experiences can be.
Eventually the trail emerged back out of the trees and presented me with a fantastic view over Inverness below. The way then dropped back down to real civilisation, initially through a housing estate and then back along the Caledonian Canal for a short distance. After crossing the river via two lovely white suspension bridges it was then a shortish run upto the castle and the finish point of the GGW where I used my monkey-pod to take a 'congratulatory' picture next to the huge stone plaque. Less than a mile later I found my YH - I'm back here a week today once I complete my adventure.
I've really really enjoyed the GGW and it's definitely lived up to any hopes and expectations that I had before I'd even left home.
Mileage 21.3 and 4.24

Total mileage 1068.92

Day 63 - Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit
The waif and stray was looked after again this morning with yet more food donations! Another dry but overcast day was in prospect. Back in the forest, the trail had a bit of a sting in the tail first thing in the morning as it was a relentless uphill for the first couple of miles : zigs and zags and steepness thrown in, however the treat was the fantastic views back down the loch towards Fort Augustus which were fabulous and the higher I climbed the more spectacular they were. I could even see the hills beyond the sides of the loch. This is just the moment I was waiting for to impress you all with my gaelic knowledge : Tha seo alainn (Ha sho aa-layne) which means 'this is beautiful' and never a truer word said. But what goes up, must come down (BJs will know this is my 'glass half full' attitude phrase!) and the trail descended gradually through lush green pine trees : a much softer, smaller and lighter green variety (sitka spruce) than the huge trees of the last couple of days (Scots pine).
The track got narrower and the trees changed to birch before I followed the route around the remains of a fort and out onto a lane dotted with the occasional house. The one farm that I passed was a bit run down and the poor cows had to share their field with abandoned tractors, rusty feeders and discarded plastic buckets. I can't understand why farmers allow their land to become such an eyesore and an accident waiting to happen for their own animals : to me it's just downright lazy. Anyway, enough of my ranting! The lane continued across a gorseclad moor dotted with my favourite cottongrass which only means one thing - bog! A mini disaster happened in that my map case decided to self-destruct (one of the strap fasteners had started to pull away from the case itself about a week ago but I'd hoped that it would last until the John O'Groats). I spent several minutes trying different ways of tying it but none worked without bashing my legs so I'll have to get a safety pin to try to fix it in Drumnadrochit.
I'd decided to take a slight detour to see the spectacular ruins of Urquhart Castle which stands right on the edge of craggy rocks jutting into the loch, so instead of following the lane in Drumnadrochit, side-tracked into the woods to follow a well-worn trail through the heath and down through the woods. It emerged overlooking the castle with superb views over the loch. In case you're interested, Loch Ness is the biggest stretch of inland water in Britain holding more H2O that all the other lakes put together. The Post Office Tower in London would be submerged at its' deepest point and apparantely the world's population could be fitted 3x into the area it covers! Pretty impressive stats huh!?
After stopping my GPS at my backpacker lodgings I walked into 'town' for a soup and coffee after which I learnt all my fascinating stat stuff in the Loch Ness Experience. By the way, there is still no proof that anything large exists in the loch but it's nice to have an unsolved mystery. Two nights ago they created a lazer image of 'Nessie' below Urquhart Castle to promote the new 'River Horse' film - the pictures were in the paper today and it looked really good.
Mike Best from Poole Runners sent me a text today : he's in the middle of walking The Cotswold Way and had just seen my entry in the Dyrham Wood comment book. It seem's so long ago and unbelievable that it was on this trip.
To round off a fab day I had dinner in the Loch Ness Inn which had only opened 3 weeks earlier and it was a fab place. I've certainly gained a lot of confidence during this trip as I once again asked the landlord if I could do a collection (I even had my response line ready if he said no ie would his answer have been the same if it had been Ian Botham asking the same question? I think not!!). Anyway, didn't have to use the back-up question as he was all in favour and also 'pre-warned' all the restaurant eaters.....fantastic donations totalling £119.20 - WOW!! In response to Clare's question, I've now received £1,615 in donations since leaving Lands End plus my justgiving site is now up to £2,800 as there's been several people that I've met on my journey who've directly donated. Plus I've got further sponsor promises that I've got to collect when I get back home that bring the total up to around £7,200 I think, which is phenominal. I really want to get at least £7,500 and more if I can so keep it coming!
Mileage today was only 11.19 and time 2.21

Day 62 - South Laggan to Loch Nessie!
Boy oh boy, am I living a dream!! I know that I'd been looking forward to the GGW and it definitely is not disappointing me : after the Scotch Mist weather of yesterday (and yet I was still smiling and enjoying myself), today heralded blue sky and sunshine so back to t-shirt wearing. Received £30 donations before I'd even left my overnight B&B and stocked up on porridge and yet another full Scottish brekkie I set off initially back along the A82 to pick up the GGW where I'd left it yesterday. The first mile was in a small wood alongside the Caledonian Canal before crossing the road and entering Laggan Forest along the dis-used Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway which was built between 1897 and 1903 and designed to be the first stretch of a Fort William to Inverness line. Unfortunately there was stiff competition between the different Highland railway companies and the 2nd stretch to Inverness was never completed and ultimately meant a death sentance for the line. The route ran along the shoreline of Loch Oich and along the way gave a good view over to the ruins of Invergarry Castle.
At the end of the loch I crossed over at the Bridge of Oich to the opposite bank and ran along another stretch of the Caledonian Canal past Cullochy and Kytra Locks. A whole load of cyclists past me going in the same direction and it wasn't until the last rider passed that I saw the 'end to end' message printed on his back - none of them had any sort of panniers carrying their luggage so I can only assume that they have the luxury of a back-up support team doing all the donkey work for them : clearly not doing it properly as I am! For the first time I was 'advertising' what I was doing whilst running as I had tied my long sleeved top to my backpack (another reason was to dry it out from yesterday!) and think I'll do this from now on.
Loads of hikers were out and also lots of boats on the canal - most of them returned my cheery smile and wave but there were a couple of miserable people who couldn't be bothered to give me the time of day...their loss!
Fort Augustus was amazing - after Neptune's Staircase, this is the biggest set of locks lowering boats from the canal into Loch Ness and I spent well over an hour mesmerised by the whole process. One of the last powerboats (#747 Miss Daisy) was making her way down to Inverness : unfortunately she had suffered the loss of one of her engines so the crew were hoping to get to their destination in time to fit a new engine before the next stage of racing tomorrow. I hadn't realised how long it actually takes to get from one end of the canal to another but the locks are only open during certain hours and with a max speed of 5 knots, it takes a minimum of 14 hours over 2 working days.
After my fundraising missed opportunity yesterday, I didn't want a repeat today so publicised my efforts first to the crew of the powerboat and successfully obtained £25! Message repeated at the other 5 boats 'stuck' in the lock and a further £32 banked...easy money. With another couple of donations en-route I've managed to raise £90 today so well pleased with myself!
After Fort Augustus the route took me round the back of the village and back into the forest where once again I was running on fantastic undulating tracks amongst thick pine trees : again the floor of the wood was covered with moss and ferns with the odd stream cutting through them. Apart from the dull noise of cars travelling along the side of the loch beneath me on the A82, the only sound I could hear was bird song and the creaking of trees. At Invermoriston the trail did several loops to descend down into the valley floor and cross the river where there was what looked like a really ancient stone bridge. The road on the other side of the valley went to Skye and there was a sign outside the newsagents advertising 'last shop for 35 miles'. It was then a very, very steep (did I mention it was steep?) lane that zig zagged up the hill back into the forest. My legs started to feel very sleepy at this point which I guess is hardly surprising! However, despite their dull ache I couldn't resist climbing even further up the hillside to a viewpoint overlooking Loch Ness. Fighter planes had been zooming over the Loch all afternoon (plus a Hercules at one point) and whilst I was up there, 2 more came over but this time they were actually below me which was quite a sight to see.
Another couple of miles and I reached the Loch Ness YH which can't be any closer to the Loch : if it was, I'd be swimming! Didn't have any food with me but several people took pity on me and I've ended up with a great banquet....everyone is taking to their heart this poor little waif and stray and admiring me for my efforts!
By the way, Cancer Research have told me that they are nominating me for a 'fundraiser of the year' award!

Mileage 22.8 Time 4.56

Day 61 - Fort William to South Laggan
Woke to rain this morning and the forecast for the whole day wasn't looking too great either. Had to finish the last 2 miles of the WHW with a run down the valley road into Fort William where I had the obligatory photo next to the finish sign. The plan was to get to Neptunes Staircase before 10.20 in order to catch the Jacobite train going past - thought that would make a good photo, but once I started out on the Great Glen Way, it was clear that I wasn't going to make it so instead waited for it to pass underneath Ben Nevis. Initially I was going to take a short-cut along the A830 but decided that as I hadn't officially finished the PW nor started from the beginning of the WHW, I was going to follow the GGW all the way from the start to the finish. My day's mileage was planned at around 22 but the GGW took me all around a housing estate (where garden gnomes and ornaments seemed to out number people by around 50:1) and it was a full hour before I actually got to the start of the Caledonian Canal.
The Round Britain speedboat race was in progress and I only found out this morning that they were all due to travel along the canal to Inverness : unfortunately they'd already gone through the Staircase first thing in the morning which was disappointing as I would have liked to have seen that, but I've since found out that only a handful go via the water - most are hauled overland on trailers.
Neptune's Staircase is yet another piece of engineering by that Telford guy : it's a series of 8 locks that raise or lower boats 19.5 metres over a distance of just 1/4 mile and takes around 1 3/4 hours to get from the lower to top lock.
My route was following the Caledonian Canal for the first 9-10 miles and this time, the canal running wasn't so boring. I met quite a few hikers along the way and there were 4 fishing boats leaving the top lock just as I ran past. Unfortunately they were going at the same pace as me so rather than hear the 'chug chug' of their engines I stopped for a while to let them pass and get out of sight before setting off again. The craggy top of Ben Nevis was under low cloud unfortunately but you could still get a sense of the height.
At Gairlochy I crossed the lock bridge and after initially climbing via a lane, the route then continued through pine woodland and then fell down to the shores of Loch Lochy (really imaginative name! In English this would be Lake Lakey!). After initially running through dense pine forest with great views over to the other side of the loch, the heavens opened and the mist came down which totally obscured all views. Waterproofs went back on and stayed on for the rest of the day. Midges were everywhere so I plastered up with Avon Skin So Soft (everyone swears by it as the #1 repellent). I was merrily running along the track when a fairy directed me into a woodland glen on my right. The whole place was full of fairies,gnomes, teddies and all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures. Apparently a woman had left a present for the fairies on behalf of her daughter a year ago and now people add to the collection and it continues to grow. There were trees covered in baubles, fairies, candles, tinsel, pipe cleaner spiders, bears and even a CD tree with a guitar underneath. How fanstatic that something like this exists without having been trashed and it really was wonderful to walk through. The next couple of miles were on a very quiet lane, still following the edge of the loch and down to Clunes where it diverted back into thick pine forests : first Clunes Forest and then South Laggan Forest. Two more red deer sightings and it was difficult to know who was more interested in watching who. The mozzie stuff really works as my legs were plastered with the little blighters albeit they were stuck to my defense repellent and quickly killed off.
The forest tracks were lovely to run along : undulating but wide and sandy. Occasionally the trees on the right disappeared to give misty views down and over the loch. The pine forests themselves were immense with huge tall trees, I guess at over 75' tall and the steep hillside floor was completely covered with moss and fern - doesn't appear much natural daylight gets through the canopy. There were also loads of waterfalls and streams running down the hillsides.
Eventually I emerged out of the woods at Kilfinnan, site of an old graveyard where the clans used to bury their dead and then crossed the end of the loch at Laggan Lochs. There were 4 motorcruisers in the loch and they 'dared' that I couldn't beat the first boat to where the GGW met the road...a challenge I couldn't turn down! It was only a mile and the first two boats had quite a start on me. The route was slightly uphill but through some lovely woods and on reaching the road I was the victor! They all waved congratulations but I kicked myself afterwards as I'd missed a golden opportunity whilst they were in the loch for some fundraising - I could have charged them an exit fee!
Laggan is famous for being the location where much of 'Monarch of the Glen' was filmed although it was difficult to see any of the places in the driving rain!
Another really long day but I loved it...even in the rain! And to top it all another milestone passed.....I have now run through the 1000 mile point, amazing!
Mileage 27.13 and time 5.23

Day 60 - my last holiday.....
Had a great evening yesterday as I did meet up with George who I'd run with for a while whilst he was competing in the WHW race (and he did successfully complete in a fab time of just over 27 hours) and his support team of Simon and Lizzy. All of them are completely into the ultra-marathons / long distance races and Simon and Lizzy have also finished some of the events I've either taken part in (eg The Terminator) or contemplated (eg Tough Guy). It was great to be able to talk to others on my amazing journey who totally understood the running game. We were still in the pub at chucking out time so this was probably the latest I've got to bed during my whole trip! Raised a total of £60 today.
Decided to have a jog up to the summit of Ben Nevis this morning.....only kidding! Gonna take it easy today and planned to take the scenic journey on The Jocobite Steam Train through the Highlands from Fort William to Mallaig. Unfortunately there was only one bus from the YH down to the town and that had already left so had no choice but to walk the 2 miles. But fortunately, I got the very last train ticket....in first class! The journey was spectacular : past lochs and dramatic mountains. As the train only runs once a day, there were quite a few spectators dotted along the route obviously waiting the arrival. I don't think there is anything quite like the sound, smell and sight of a steam train puffing around the corner. This time I'd remembered to bring my sunnies so that I could hang out the window and get the best views - no worries about getting soot in the eyes, just a bit of a blackened face! The 'highlight' of the trip is the Glenfinnan viaduct - those who have seen the Harry Potter films will recognise it instantly! It's a massive 416 yards long with 21 huge arches 100' off the ground. On the return journey the engine driver kindly slowed down to give everyone the opportunity to hang their cameras out of the window for a snap of the train on the bridge. Beneath was Loch Sheil and the Glenfinnan Monument (this marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard) : the views here are brilliant.
Did you know that 'Nessie' has a cousin? She's called Morag and lives in Loch Morar (the village of Morar incidentally was where Highlander was filmed!).
Approaching Mallaig, the islands of Rhum, Eigg and Skye could easily be seen. Unfortunately it started to rain when we pulled into Mallaig and to be honest, there's not much there. Whilst it is the terminal for the ferry to Skye, all the tourism is centered around the fishing industry so virtually all the shops are fish restaurants....you're fine if you like fish! So I had take-away scampi and chips and loads of it!
On the wildlife front, I saw quite a bit....clearly a noisy clanking train journey is the best way to see it rather than running quietly in the open air! There were baby herring gulls at the railway station, a seal sunning itself on the banks of one of the lochs and in total I spotted 8 red deer including 2 fantastic stags with full sets of antlers just watching the train go by!
After walking back the 2 miles to the YH it was a DIY chilli for tea followed by a full tin of rice pudding....carbo loading in earnest!
The school party has just turned up having all but completed the WHW (they're doing the remaining 2 miles tomorrow like me so I'll have to beat them to the finish sign down in the town centre!) - they're a nice bunch and all credit to them for completing it.
Just 11 days to go until I reach my goal - can't believe it's almost over.

Day 59 - Kinlochleven to Fort William
That was the most uncomfortable night's sleep I've had : the mattress felt really hard so as I ended up being the only one in my dorm, I nicked one of the other duvets and slept on that. Then, in the middle of the night I had a huge cramp attack in my right leg....what else is going to happen!? No porridge or full Scottish breakfast this morning unfortunately, just 3/4 of a malt loaf and a banana, washed down with 2 cups of tea without any sugar. After yesterday, a fine day was in prospect (to be honest I've been really lucky with the weather and only had about 6 days of rain so far). There was a waterfall nearby called Gray Mare that had been named by one of the Kings although I forget which one. Only a small detour but it was really pretty albeit you could only see from the side on and there was a tree in the way of the view if I was being really critical!
Once again my right knee gave out just after setting out so unsure if this is going to be the norm from now on. At least it doesn't appear to give me any problems afterwards which is a good thing but parts of me are starting to really show the stresses and strains of this amazing journey.
After following the road out of Kinlochleven, the trail headed up through the woods and once out on the open hillside gave some terrific views back to the village and down the valley and the loch. I then dropped down to run (for once the surface wasn't too bad underfoot) in the valley on an undulating track flanked with massive craggy mountains (most of these are munros which is the name for hills over a certain height). There were quite a few hikers on the trail today and as I pass them I tend to walk and chat with them for a bit as it's a good way of 'publicising' what I'm doing and sometimes ends up with a donation. This exercise again worked today as I accumulated another £20 towards the fundraising.
The trail was eventually supposed to go into a few pine forests but yet again, drastic clearance had and indeed was in the process of happening and there was little of the trees left other than the occasional lonesome pine making a heroic stand! The pass I'd just run though had been famous for being where the Campbells had defeated the MacDonalds (at least I think it was that way round) and then pursued them in their retreat. A cairn marked the spot where the Campbells had given up the chase and in honour of that, every time a MacDonald passes the cairn they add a stone, and a Campbell would remove one.
Ben Nevis suddenly came into view but unfortunately the top was covered in low cloud. The trail then rose and dropped quite steeply through very thick pine forests before a diversion had me literally sliding down a muddy path and suddenly out into glorious sunshine. There was a side path leading to the reamis of a fort but rather than visit that, I wanted to get a really good view of the mountain! It didn't disappoint and just as I reached it, the cloud cover on the top lifted....fantastic!
It was then a lovely drop down to a forest track before reaching the minor road running through Glen Nevis. The YH is actually right at the foot of Ben Nevis and following the view I had of Loch Lomond several days ago, I've now got the view of the mountain straight out of my bedroom window - how cool is that? I had a lovely postcard from Debs waiting for me : it shows views of Bournemouth beach including joggers running along the beach, just to remind me of the BJs back home!
My shoes now pong after the soaking they got yesterday from the rain and the bog water so they've been consigned to the drying room and I've also been wandering round the YH in my pj's as I've taken the opportunity to wash and dry all my other clothes! When I arrived, one of the runners from the WHW race recognised me and hopefully I'll meet up with him and his support crew this evening down the local eating house...ie the pub! Have some good stories to share.

Mileage 14.5 Time 3.41

Day 58 - Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven
Well, I definitely would not have wanted to be camping last night as the wind howled and the rain lashed down for most of it. I really felt for the runners in the WHW race as not only did they have to run in the dark across difficult terrain but now against the horrible elements too. I was going to suggest this as a future BJ challenge but not so sure now! However, by the morning the wind had dropped and it wasn't raining as heavily. After filling up with porridge and full Scottish breakfast I ventured out onto the trail. To be honest a boat would've come in handy as all the paths had now turned to streams and all the proper streams to frothing masses of brown bog rivers, some of which came right over the footpath so it wasn't long before my trainers and socks were drenched.
The route initially went uphill through trees before emerging onto the open hill. Low cloud covered the tops of the higher peaks but I could make out the lochs in the valleys. A cobbled track led down to Inveroran at which point my left knee decided to give me a real scare and completely collapsed : I have no idea how I managed to stay upright. Bit of a weird sensation and I walked for a bit in order to give it a chance to improve. The trail then led gradually uphill on an old drovers road built by Telford (bet you thought he only built bridges?) but it was really difficult to run on the slippery cobble-stones : he'd specifically built the route using small stones so that the sheep and cows didn't hurt their little tootsies! I actually saw 2 or 3 red deer (yahoo!) but they were about 1/4 mile away so not really good viewing. Just as I bridged the top of the ridge the heavens opened so waterproofs were then the order of the day. Carefully watching my steps on the very rough track, I could just about make out the chair lifts of the Glencoe ski resort to my left, before I crossed the A82 and ran down to the Kings House Hotel. This was built in 1750 as a rest stop for the King's troops and is now a popular mountaineering hotel. The 4 people I'd met on the WHW first suddenly turned up, having decided it was too wet and nasty to walk, so they'd caught the bus!
The trail then briefly followed the road before heading up the side of Stob Mhic Mhartuin (have no idea what that is in English but clearly some sort of mountain's name) where I had to negotiate the Devils Staircase : a run of zigzags up to the top. Once over, it was then a case of again watching my feet as I ran back down on the rocky path which was still posing as a stream. A couple of times I turned my ankle on rocks but no damage done luckily - it's just really hard to avoid the stones. The last mile or so was down a sandy road which dropped steeply with sharp switch backs and gave the knees a bit of a beating.
Kinlochleven initially looked like a lovely brightly coloured village. A lot of the houses are wooden and painted in cream and burgandy, but suddenly they're dominated by the huge aluminium smelting factory building (no longer in use), the massive pipes delivering water to the plant and a huge stone building that houses an ice and rock climbing centre.
I was really really tired tonight so after making a DIY pasta meal and watching the first half of the footie match I was tucked up by 8.30!
Mileage 21.21 and time 4.58

Day 57 - Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy
This is definitely the weirdest place I've stayed in - the rooms look as if they've been put together with pieces of mis-matched timber and although I haven't got anything sinister lurking in my room (apparantely there are stuffed animals in some of the rooms including one with a polar bear!) it does feel like I'm staying in somewhere that needs an awful lot of restoration but that's supposed to be the idea! But as a positive, I raised a total of £70 yesterday either whilst on the trail or in the bar in the evening. There was a full-on midge battalion waiting for innocent passer-bys this morning : unfortunately breakfast was over the road from the hotel and the door was locked so I did get a few 'hits' before retreating back to the inn. Must get some midge repellent stuff at Tyndrum today as these little nasties are causing me my first bit of stress! Once again the weather was dry but it would remain overcast today and also get quite muggy.

The West Highland Way race had already been in progress for 10 hours by the time I hit the trail but immediately I was greeted with spontaneous rounds of applause as there was a check-point just around the corner - whilst I did politely tell them that I wasn't actually part of the race, by the end of the day I was lapping up the applause anyway! The race itself is just short of 100 miles and the cut-off for completion is 35 hours which is midday tomorrow. It was really surprising how my attitude to the task ahead suddenly changed (BJs will totally understand!) as there were now other runners on 'my street' and that just meant one thing - I had to catch them up and pass them as this was a race that I'd joined! Many of them were already suffering (they'd already covered around 40 miles and had another 60 to go) and were quite surprised when this fresh 'whippet' suddenly loomed up and wanted to chat to them to see how they were feeling and stuff like that. For once, I was the one in awe of the other runners and congratulating and urging them on.

The route today wasn't that inspiring (which was probably a good thing) as it followed an old military trail alongside a railway line, the river and the main road through the Highlands for the whole day. There were a couple of times where I had to cross under the railway line and this involved being almost bent double through a tiny tunnel - it would definitely have been a struggle for someone with a huge backpack. Everyone that I've met since the start of the WHW was either heading for Crainlarigh or Tyndrum so whilst I passed them all again today, it was to be the last time that we'd meet. Whilst most of the route was out in the open on the hillsides, there was one large section of pine forest which had quite a few steep ascents and descents. The only notable wildlife I saw today was a tiny mouse-like creature whose eyes and legs seemed far too big for his little body. There was more evidence of the elusive red deer : this time huge clumps of hair left on scratching posts but though I was looking very carefully on the hills, didn't see any.

As I'd been 'racing' for the first 10 miles or so, I decided I needed to stop this silly game so when I got to Tyndrum I made sure I stayed there for a couple of hours. Tyndrum is basically on the T junction of the two main roads and has a famous cafe as it's hub : The Green Welly Stop. It did actually serve really nice food and I also picked up some de-bug stuff and got another stamp in my passport (can't actually decipher what the stamp depicts but it does also have the 'Green Welly Stop' on it). Out on the hills I literally bumped into a herd of real Highland Cows and they really did look at home, unlike the ones that I had seen down south in Devon! There's a railway station at Bridge of Orchy and quite ingeniously, they've turned the station into a bunkhouse complete with drying room - I'm not staying there by the way, but thought it was a great idea.

One of the check-points for the race is right outside my bunkhouse so, as I do at home when I'm either not racing or have already finished, I was out there cheering everyone in (some were really really looking very worse for wear!). Word had got out through the competitors what I was doing and they in turn were congratulating me! Now feeling stuffed as I've just eaten a fab posh meal and found out the internet is free so another evening's holiday for John! The weather for tomorrow is not looking good at all and by 8.30 the rain is lashing down and the wind howling. I've got open moorland to cross tomorrow so by the look of it, will be getting a little bit windswept and damp!
Mileage 20.19 and time 4.27

Day 56 Rowardennan to Inverarnan

What better view from your bedroom window than Loch Lomond and pine studded hillsides?

Yet another sunny day greeted me this morning. The school party stayed at the YH but they weren't too rowdy they even had good manners! The trail went right past the YH through pine forests on undulating tracks. A couple of times i could see the rain coming over the hills and then the heavens just opened but they were only showers and quickly passed. Other than these minor blips the weather was fantastic and really warm. Unfortunately the notorious Scottish midges were out in force down by the loch but if you kept moving they weren't too much of a nuisance. Had a £10 donation from a guy walking the WHW with his dog who also had a backpack (the dog had the backpack). He later mentioned that he couldn't see much running in evidence (I was sat on a rock soaking in the sun at the time) but to be honest the terrain later in the day required step by step navigation through a tangle of tree roots and a university degree in rock scrambling with the added problem of raised stone drainage ditched requiring leaping over every 20m or so. But the scenery was absolutely stunning - I know I keep saying this but I don't know how else to describe it.

Several times the way dropped down to a cove or a beach and you could look back down the loch. I stopped for lunch at a hotel very conveniently placed on the WHW, in fact it was the only house I passed all day. A la-di-da couple were very disappointed at the menu choices (clearly the hotel was catering for the needs of walkers and the occasional runner) and promptly asked if the chef would cook two steaks.....chef said no to which their response was "we've driven all this way and that's all you can offer?" she made do with a G&T.

Eventually the trail left the ups and downs and cragginess of the woodlands and instead dropped down gently through more open hillside covered with lush green ferns and purple foxgloves. It left the loch behind as it shrunk to just a river. A small woodland them emerged into Beinglas at the campsite where I chatted to my roomy from last night ; Penny and her son who were walking the WHW too. Another interested party for my blog!

I'm staying at the Drover's Inn tonight, a strange quirky place were you are met with all sorts of stuffed creatures; everything from birds and mammals, including a bear with it's foot in a trap with a ball and chain on it's other leg to what looks like a small basking shark! The barman is in a kilt - it's really weird seeing blokes in skirts!

Another fantastic day and to be honest, whilst I'm finding my legs simply don't belong to me in the morning and wont work, by the afternoon I am fine and actually could have gone further today.

Mileage 15.08 Time 4.10

Total mileage 930.60

Day 55 Drymen to Rowardennan

After yesterdays great day, today would be a stunning scenery experience.

Once again the weather was mixed; showery and breezy with blue sky and sunshine underneath the white and grey clouds! Rubbly lanes through Buchanan Smithy took me into a forestry plantation to rejoin the WHW along undulating tracks to eventually emerge onto open heather clad moor and then climb up and around Conic Hill. The weather turned a little bit sour with fresh breeze and a shower. A school party gave me a round of applause as I successfully completed the run over the top - they are walking the trail so I'll probably see them on a couple of occasions before Fort William!

The good news is that my leg injury seems to have healed itself as I have no more pain either running on the road or running downhill (hoorah) so I was able to fully enjoy the journey back down and through the woods into Balmaha where I stopped for lunch - another £5.00 donation. The trail then hugged the banks of Loch Lomond which, at 27 square miles is Britain's largest stretch of inland water. The views were absolutely stunning and changed round every corner with the loch being flanked by huge pine covered hills. The trail ran through woodland and along the shores itself so a mix of sand, stones and undulating soil tracks. There were loads of places where "off piste" camping was allowed, evidence by the many fire rings dotted along the way. If this is a signal of things to come then I am in for a very enjoyable journey indeed over the next few days.

Mileage 14.64 time 3.26

Day 54 Kilsyth to Drymen

Happy Birthday to me!

Here was me thinking I would be celebrating when I get home, not a chance as I was greeted at breakfast with not only a couple of cards plus a rendition of "Happy Birthday" and topped with a cake complete with candle - brilliant surprise. So, with cake duly packed in a cotton bud container I set off first along footpath and then for a while along the A803 out of Kilsyth. Weather Gods clearly knew it was a special day as although cloudy, it was breezy so they didn't hang around for long and at times it was quite muggy. At Milton of Campsie (with names like that you really know you are near the Highlands!) I diverted from road to disused railway line which followed the course of the Glazert Water through lovely shady woodlands and villages. Now this is much more like it and although still alongside water and nothing like canal running. Just passed Lennoxtown the trail left the woods and, parallel to the A891 passed through fields and below hillsides festooned with meadow flowers. Handily, I arrived in Straphblane at lunchtime so devoured a delicious sandwich and picked up another £10 whilst I was at it. The railway line continues through yet more woodland awash with rhododendrons, wild roses, fox gloves and huge leafed plants that once again made me look like one of the Borrowers in a strange land. It really was a joy to run along the woodland paths. Back out in the open I passed a whiskey distillery and shortly afterwards picked up my penultimate long distance path : The West Highland Way which starts at Milgabenie near Glasgow and runs all the way to Fort William. I hadn't seen anyone all morning yet within minutes of setting foot on the WHW I had passed six people! I was also faced with my first flagstones since the Pennine Way although I am unsure why they were needed here as there didn't appear to be any sign of boggy water. The logo (Scottish Thistle) was also exactly the same as I had followed on the Southern Uplands Way. More fantastic tracks through woodland and along banks where the vivid smells and colours were enough to brighten anyones day.

After travelling along a very quiet lane for a short while I then headed South again, but only for a mile or so along yet another disused railway line, now an official route in the National Cycle Network, and into Croftamie where again I headed in the preferred North direction. It wasn't long before I entered the Buchanan Castle estate : very classy with my B&B overlooking the 13th hole of the private golf course.

Another surprise awaited as I was greeted with a massive bunch of flowers (plus a helium balloon floating out of the box!) and a load more cards. Needless to say I was left in tears - I'm beginning to become an emotional wreck! But there were also tears of happiness as I was touched that so many had taken the time to remember me and send a card to await my arrival. Of course I couldn't take the flowers with me plus, whilst tempted, thought the balloon would struggle a bit in the wind so the bouquet was donated to Gail at the B&B and everything else sent back home.

To round off the evening I visited the oldest pub in Scotland : The Clachan Inn which opened in Drymen in 1734, for dinner and a glass of wine plus raised another £42.04 during half time in the Euro 2008 football game!

I've certainly had a birthday that I will never ever forget.

Mileage 21.84 Time 4.26

Day 53 Linlithgow to Kilsyth

Today was set to be a groundhog day as once again my route was totally along canals albeit a mix of the Union and the Forth and Clyde. Also as Debs happily pointed out, today was going to be my last day ever "sprightly 41 year old" but as I constantly remind her, she is still older than me!

Unfortunately the weather God decreed that today would also be a damp and at times a bit of a miserable day so it was on with the waterproofs first thing. Once again I didn't have to pay for my B&B as Nan at Belsyde House asked me to donate it to my fundraising. Dropped back down to the canal and it wasn't long before I met the first of the three amazing man made feats of engineering : the 273 metre long aqueduct straddling the river Avon. This is the 2nd longest with only Telfords aqueduct in Wales being greater in length. Still can't get my head around I'm running alongside water in mid air! After this there wasn't really much to write about over the next 6 - 7 miles except that it had stopped raining for a while. I then came to the 2nd of the days "interests" but this was causing me a bit of mental turmoil. The canal disappeared into a huge dark tunnel that I obviously had to go through and thought of it really scared me. Although dead straight so I could at least literally see the light at the end of the tunnel, it was 690 metres long and dimly lit every 25 meters of so. The path was wet and slippery in places and water was dripping constantly either into the canal or onto the footpath echoing in the tunnel. At least there was a guard rail to stop you accidentally walking into the canal! The sides of the tunnel were raw rock and these made eerie silhouettes. However I knuckled down to the task, took loads of deep breathes and ventured into the darkness. Inside was so wet that the sides had the appearance of a damp cave with stalactites and stalagmites. To saw I was relieved to be back out in daylight would be a mega understatement and I was very proud of myself to have conquered that particular demon! Didn't really care that it was now pouring, at least it was rain rather than tunnel water.

Then it was the turn of the third of today's features and this time it was a wow. 100 years ago the Union was linked to the lower Forth and Clyde by a series of eleven locks but when the canals fell into disuse they were demolished. Nowadays a huge "ferris wheel" type steel contraption called the Falkirk Wheel lifts boats to and from the two canals - the only one of its kind in the world and really has to be seen to be believed. I then transferred to the Forth and Clyde canal and passed through industrial sites (yuck), towns (OK) and countryside (much preferred) but just as I got to the later and was running along a dead straight piece of the canal stretching for nearly 3 miles the heavens absolutely opened and before long I was drenched.

Kilsyth is at first glance a town full of pebble dashed houses and flats, not really appealing but luckily I'm staying on a farm at the top end of town. Reading the visitors book quite a few end to enders have stayed here in recent days and there is a card from a guy walking North to South who had massive blister problems just getting here. He lasted one more day before buying a bike and cycling the rest of the way!

Mileage 21.74 Time 4.38

Day 52 Edinburgh to Linlithgow

To be honest getting through my days off is getting incredibly harder as I'm really missing John, family and friends - being able to talk on the mobile is great but in no way compensates for not actually being able to see them and talk face to face. It's not so bad on the other days as I have plenty to keep my mind occupied with all that is around me but being on my own in one town or city for a day is a different story. Anyway enough of my emotional state of mind!

Once again a dry day as I retraced my steps from Saturday back through the city to the mini shopping/restaurant centre where the Union Canal abruptly stopped or started, depending on which way you are coming from. The whole day was going to be spent running alongside this body of water so whilst incredibly flat (there are no locks at all on the canal which in itself is a bit unique) cast your mind back to Saturday when I mentioned I got a little "bored" running the 8 - 10 miles along the Water of Leith footpath, well this was to be a day of around two and a half times that distance. Mind you, I didn't need any maps as all I had to ensure was that the canal stayed on my left! Until as recently as the late 20th century the canal was in disrepair and following extensive restoration including a tunnel under the M8 (1st motorway I've crossed since the Penine Way) it was finally reopened in 2000 and no runs a total of 37 miles from Edinburgh to Falkirk where a marvellous piece of engineering (which I will tell you about tomorrow!) links it to the Forth and Clyde canal. There were loads of bridges to either cross or run under including several more aqueducts. Each is uniquely numbered but on the outskirts of Edinburgh they had had to add a number of new ones so I had to contend with bridges 6, 6A, 6AA, 6AB, 6B and so on! There's not really much else I can say except the weather god is still pleased with me and the sun duly shone.

Stopped for a cup of tea (well, two or three cups of tea) at The Park , a fab place that appeared as an oasis where a guy called Colin duly paid my bill plus donated £10.00 to my effort. Suitably refreshed I strided on with purpose (think possibly the total of 6 spoonfulls of sugar in the tea might have had something to do with my renewed energy!).

Can't believe I've basically run a marathon today in a time that John had great delight in telling me was quicker than my London Marathon debut time in 1993! It's also amazing that after 7 weeks this is my fastest average speed.

Mileage 26.05 time 5.01

Day 51 - I know I've just had a holiday but I deserve another one!
Perfect blue sky this morning and not even a sign of any clouds. Did a bit of washing (whilst there was the availability of a proper washing machine) and had brekkie....the two who'd rudely awoken me early this morning were still in bed and asleep but I didn't have the heart to return the favour (when I got back later in the day I found out that they were still asleep when the 10 o'clock bed-making team knocked on the door - they're staying tonight as well so hope there's not a repeat). Took the bus to Ocean Terminal as I had a freebie ticket to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia (courtesy of Liz and Paul Jenkins which I very much appreciated) - it was really interesting to tour the decks and rooms that the Royal Family graced for so many years. I even got to pass 'beyond' the ropes and have my photo taken in the Royal lounge and also had some fun with monkey-pod in the anti-room. Although they didn't have a rubber stamp for my passport I have obtained an 'Ahoy there! I've been to The Royal Yacht Britannia' sticker instead. Whilst I was then wandering around the shopping centre (all I can do is window shop as I clearly have no capacity to carry anything with me) couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Ally from BJ's...chatted to her for a bit (she was in Edinburgh to do the moonwalk last night) but how weird is it to be so far from home and suddenly bump into someone that you know....fate must seriously play a hand here? Walked around the old town including a visit to GreyFriars church and the resting place of the famous devoted little canine : Bobby. Then treked up the steps to the castle which I was toying with the idea of going round but as the price was a little steep and I have been there before, decided to decline. However Mary Kings Close tour was really good. As I'm sure you know, the old town is made up of hundreds of tiny alleyways (closes) running off the main Royal Mile. Poor people lived and traded their wares down these alleys with the richer folk living in the upper floors. In the mid 19c the council decided to knock down the top few floors of several of these closes in order to then use the remaining houses as the foundations of their Custom House so basically they built ontop of existing dwellings. What remains underneath the Custom House is incredible - all the houses, shops and alleys giving a fantastic insight into the way of life. It was a great experience. Walked quite a way today which isn't really the idea of my rest days but I had a great time. By the way, the two in my dorm clearly didn't learn the error of their ways last night as after telling me they were going home to Germany tomorrow and that they had spent all but £3 of their money, at 8.30 pm they went out for a cigarette and didn't reappear until 11.45 and.....promptly turned the lights on again!!! My retinas are now completely burnt! Oh and Paul, took notice of your comments about my emails and tried to get into the Edinburgh office but I was refused entry based on my fantastic tan and my 'Forrest Gump' hairstyle making me look nothing like my photo ID...what a shame...I'm gutted!