Day Trip to Ben Nevis - June 19, 2010

Malcolm left for Glasgow early this morning and Dad and I had breakfast. He persuaded the kitchen staff to make me some sandwiches and I was on my way towards Glen Nevis by 8:40 am. By 9 am I started on the trek up to Ben Nevis. At 4406 ft it is a mecca for people in the UK wanting to stand on the highest point in their land, and I was not alone as I set out up the rocky path. The last time I tried this walk was around Xmas/New Year 1994/1995 and we hit a thick blizzard about half way up. Completely whited out, we decided to turn back and I was very glad to do so. So today's trip was something of a bit of unfinished business and I felt in good shape as I hiked. The route is in two stages, after a short climb there is a route along a gully that connects you to the Ben. The views are breathtaking all the way up, despite the fact that you don't actually see the summit for at least an hour. Once again it was a perfect walking day with temperatures around 20C/70F and clear skies offering good visibility. I summited around 11:45 am after a lengthy toil to the top and even a scramble up a snowy bank towards the end. The summit is very barren and rocky with a hiker's refuge for really bad conditions. Today was just windy and chilly at the top and I would definitely have benefited from a wooly hat and a pair of gloves for the last section/summit. Nevertheless it was great to be there and I wandered around taking in the views for about 30 min followed by a wee dram and lunch before beginning the decent around 12:15 pm down the same track. I got back to the base around 2:30 pm and was really pleased to see that they had converted a barn into a pub strategically positioned to lure in weary hikers. I did not resist! After a quick drink I was back in Fort William around 3:15 pm and met up with Dad who had had a relaxing day at the guest house. The trip up the top was the perfect way to end the walking week and I look forward to another trip sometime in the next 5-10 yr once the boys are old enough to make it. It was really great to see people of all ages on the mountain, and lots of dogs too! Dad and I caught the evening train back to Glasgow and returned to our starting destination in Milngavie for one more night of B+B before we part company tomorrow. I discovered it is Father's day tomorrow so have got him a little surprise - it's not often that we are actually in the same location any more on FD.

Things I have learned this week

* long-distance walks are fun and I should do more of them;

* never leave for a day's hiking without your sandwiches;

* never go up Ben Nevis without a hat and gloves;

* that there are 850 golf courses in Scotland;

* it's well worth taking a week out of a busy year to be with people you don't often see;

* that there is no shame in wearing jazzed up running shoes for hiking - my columbias served me well this week and kept me blister free;

* that there is also no shame in walking poles for getting you up and down hills;

* never attempt to read the guide book while walking;

* that England will most likely never win the world cup in my lifetime;

* that 8 yr old kids can make it up Ben Nevis;

* that age is no barrier to doing something

Characters on the WHW

On these types of vacations, you almost inevitably run into the same groups of people over and over again who are on more or less the same schedule as you. I made up nicknames for some of the more memorable characters described below to protect their anonymity, and because we usually didn't know them.

On day one, we met the young couple "Teresa and Steve" walking hand in hand along the way sharing a backpack and (for some reason) carrying a plastic bag which annoyed me no end (why couldn't it fit in the backpack? I thought this all afternoon). They were very nice and were always well matched in pace with us and finished the way on Friday along with us.

Also very early on we met two 50-something buddies "Ben Doon and Phil McCavity" who set off on an electric pace and cruised past us a couple of hours into the walk. I thought they looked like really experienced walkers. Their pace gradually slowed over the day and was reduced to a hobble as we reached the Oak Tree in Balmaha. Ben had awful blisters and Phil had a dodgy knee. We never saw Ben on day 2 (or again for that matter) and he must have caught the bus home. Phil bravely hiked onto Inversnaid but the last we saw of him, he was in a sorry state catching the ferry over to the other side of Loch Lomond bound for home also.

A lot of 50-60-something married couples seem to hike the trail (at least they did this week). We met Terry and June, a couple of apparently empty nesters with a bit of time on their hands and our paths criss-crossed right the way to the end of the way. Like many people we met, they were amazed at how well Dad did, and he usually got to his destination quicker than they did! They had a good laugh when he dashed back to return his keys at the Bridge of Orchy.

A very agreeable character we bumped into in the pub at the Bridge of Orchy was Jock from Montrose. Jock wanted to hike the way last year for his 50th birthday but broke his ankle. He's an early riser and starts his hikes at 6 am when nobody else is around. We weren't quite on the same schedule and needless to say we didn't bump into him again!

Pictures from Day 5

Day 5 - Kinlochleven to Fort William

Another beautiful day in paradise and the last leg of our walk began around 9 am this morning as we left Kinlochleven for a sharp 300 m climb onto Lairigmor. Once again we forgot our packed lunches! This time at least we ordered them, just forgot to pick them up. Didn't bother to run back down the hill to get them and preferred instead to rely on our copius supplies of water, bounty bars and jaffa cakes which proved to be sufficient. The moor itself was relatively easy walking once we climbed up the hill and we made a good pace along the old military road for about 7 miles. After a brief snack on the jaffa cakes, we pushed on for Glen Nevis and were rewarded by excellent views of Ben Nevis on the way down. Malcolm and I were thinking of trying to walk the Ben today as well, but once we realized it's an extra 5-7 hours on top of the 6 hour hike to Fort William we decided to leave it for another day. For me, that other day will come tomorrow as I'll give it a shot. Our route to Glen Nevis was by this time quite straightforward and we all felt like quite accomplished hikers by this stage. Following a pleasant walk down through the woods, the trail pops out on to the A82 at the bottom of the Glen and from there it was a 20 min victory march into Fort William. We ended the day just after 3:30 pm. For once we got to our destination well before 7 pm! All of us were mighty relieved to see our guest house for the night just meters away from the finish of the walk and we duly staggered to our digs and checked in. A few celebratory drinks were then consumed and a nice dinner at Brown's restaurant in FW. We were soon brought back to reality though, as we watched Englands woeful display against Algeria - it's nice to know that the real world hasn't changed much in our absence. The whole week has been quite fantastic - I wasn't sure how we'd all hold up to the challenge and there have been a few hairy moments along the way, but we're all feeling great at this point and daring to dream of WHW2020!

Pictures from Day 4

Day 4 - Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven

Another perfect day weather wise - no rain at all and plenty of breeze during the 34 km (21 mile) hike. Attempted to have an early start today and got going with breakfast around 7:30 am. Malcolm is vowing to go vegetarian on us for the rest of the trip and we had a hearty meal with good veg sausages. Tactical error then ensued as we realised that none of us had placed an order for packed lunches! This increased the motivation to get to Kingshouse for a pub lunch as it's about the only place between here and Kinlochleven. Crossed the Bridge of Orchy and were promptly attacked by a swarm of midges around 8:30 am. The "Off" seemed to be working, though not before a few bites were suffered. Proceeded 750 m up the trail before hearing "hold on lads, I've found something in my pocket" - Dad promptly shot off back to the hotel to return his room key before Malcolm or I could offer to back track - though neither of us were that keen, to be honest. Some 15 minutes later Dad reappeared having now crossed the BoO three times muttering "all that wasted energy!" much to our, and our fellow hikers' amusement. We then proceeded through a brief wooded section to Inveroran followed by a sharp climb to breathtaking views of two valleys. We subsequently argued for a while about where, exactly, Glencoe was. Subject still unresolved, we proceeded down the hill past the Inveroran hotel and climbing again onto the moors. Spectacular scenery rewarded our toils up the hillside for the next 2 and a bit hours. The highest point of the morning was 445 m (1460 ft). Malcolm placed a stone for Dad and me on a grassy knoll some 50 m higher up. Dad and I were grateful for the rest, followed by a shot of schnapps from our Austrian friends (see accompanying article!) before descending down past the Glencoe ski centre and Blackrock cottage to the Kings House Hotel. After the Bridge of Orchy, this was a bit of a let down but a good lunch was had by all and we got a break from the sun for a bit. After the break, we set off again bound for the Devil's staircase, a steep climb back onto the fells an hour further up the track. Dad was very worried about the climb, but he doggedly fought his way to the top and we thought that we were home and dry at 548 m - the highest point on the WHW. This was about 5 pm. It took us another two hours to get down to sea level again back to Kinlochleven. As has been the pattern for the past few days, the last hour or so of the walk seems to never end. As we write this report, we're sitting back at 0 m enjoying a pint of guinness and catching up on the world cup. Only 14.5 miles to go tomorrow - all of us are exhausted but determined to get to FW.

Pictures from Day 3

Day 3 - Ardlui to Bridge of Orchy

Another beautiful day in paradise for us began in Ardlui this morning. Dad woke Malcolm and I up and we had a hearty breakfast before catching the ferry back over to recommence battle on the WHW. Malcolm's ankle seems to be just about ok this morning and we got back on the trail at 9:30 am. The first hour was straightforward enough and saw us out of the Loch and into the lowland-highland country. Stopped for a pit-stop at a campsite/bar and bought some sarnies for the day. They also sold walking sticks so Malcolm bough himself a pair (sold to him by the local chef, you had to be there!) which helped his walking no end and gave Dad and I some ammunition to save for later on. We all picked up the pace thereafter and had a cracking walk to Crainlarich enjoying much easier terrain than yesterday evening (where we were basically in Rob Roy's footsteps!) and made our way through very nice lowland hiking. Had lunch around 1:30 pm just outside the forest before Crainlarich before segueing into a busy afternoon in the forest which was interspersed with spectacular views of the glen. After about an hour's walking in the forest we hit the valley and took a well-earned break at [editor, please insert here later on!] which is just one of many great places along the trail catering to hikers.

We were all pretty darned beat around this point, and Malcolm bless his heart had the great idea to buy some lucozade which we all partook. Dad was really quite tickled by this and bought a bottle of coke, which we soon consumed. It was fair to say that this purchase transformed our afternoon. Dad set of in overdrive and there was no holding him back for the rest of the day. We met up with a nice couple who we hiked back to Trymen with, then we carried on for the last 6 miles (which seemed like an eternity) to the bridge of Orchy. It was really spectacular walking, but took us much longer than we thought! We eventually rocked up at BOO at 7:20 pm tired but happy. The BOO hotel is absolutely awesome - it makes Ardlui look like a tin shed. The place here has to be seen to be believed. We were wined and dined this evening amid fantastic views of the bens and all swore to come back here soon.

We feel like we've broken the back of this walk and, with only about 35 miles or so to go, are looking forward to the final two days. It's been absolutely epic so far - Dad has been rolling back the years, and Malcolm has defied the odds of 24 hr ago to walk with a dodgy ankle to put us 48 hr from glory! Can't wait to get stuck into day four to Kinlochleven tomorrow! Who knows, maybe we can pull off one of the great British sporting achievements in recent memory?

Pictures from Day 2

Day 2 - Balmaha to Ardlui

Woke up to glorious sunshine in Balmaha and were all feeling reasonably ok after a good night's rest. After breakfast, we hit the trail again with the goal of walking the length of Loch Lomond. From Malcolm's stepometer it turned out to be ~50,000 steps on a journey that started just after 9 am and kept us busy till 7 pm! Although deceptively easy in principle (how hard can it be to walk along a lake after all?) we found the going very tough at times, with lots of scrambles along the river bank followed by easy periods of walking. The rewards for all this hard work are plentiful, however, with amazing views of the loch (photos to follow tomorrow!) throughout a sun-beaten day. We made good time in the morning, covering the first 10 miles or so pretty easily and lunched at the Ben Lomond park (resisting the temptation to climb up Ben Lomond) and thinking that we'd be at our Hotel in Ardlui by 5 pm. How wrong we were, though, as the afternoon was much tougher with lots of tricy tree roots and rocks to negotiate as the train snaked its way up and down the hillside for the next 6 hours! Everybody did brilliantly, though, especially Dad who kept motoring along all afternoon. Around 4 pm we made it to Inversnaid and stopped for some liquid refreshments (lager and lime for me and lime and soda for Dad and Malcolm). Around 4:30 we hit the trail ready for the last 5 miles and thinking we would be back by 6 pm. It took us much longer to negotiate all the winding paths that hit us, and by 6 we were still nowhere near the end. After another hour, we were finally rewarded with a view of our hotel for the night on the other side of the loch. Malcolm was telling us this while reading the guide book at the time and tripped over, niggling his ankle in the process. It's a bit swollen but hopefully will be ok for tomorrow. Finally made to the jetty and called the ferryman over to pick us up. We were mightily relieve to hit the Ardlui hotel just after 7 pm where a hot dinner was waiting for us. Dad and Malcolm both turned in by 10 pm. I stayed up a little bit longer writing this up. But it's time to turn in now - my knees are screaming like small babies and it's time to put them to bed. Tomorrow we have a change of pace ahead of us as we leave Loch Lomond and are bound for the Bridge of Orchy. I think all of us a quietly confident at this phase, and hopefully all will go well tomorrow as we push on past the half-way mark. Will post some pics tomorrow night!

Pictures from Day 1

Day 1 - Milngavie to Balmaha

After a restless night battling jetlag and excitement, we all had a cooked breakfast at the Travel in and hit the trail. Got on the road by about 9:10 am after dropping our bags off with some shifty looking characters. Conditions just about perfect - 15C or 60F and overcast skies. The way starts off very simply in parkland before tracking an old rail trail followed by lowland hiking. Took a long time to find a suitable lunch spot and ended up stopping in front of an estate around 1:30 pm after about 12-13 miles. Seemed like we were going to be in the digs by about 3 pm at that rate. Shortly after lunch we made it to Drymen (pronounced drimmen) and enjoyed a nice forest trail leading up to the culmination of the day's walk - Conic hill (apparently there is more than one way of spelling this). It was no conic section, however, dropping up and down before making the ascent with breathtaking views of Loch Lomond. Dad did fantastically well up the hill and Malc and I took a quick detour to the summit for more of the same views (see subsequent posts!). The piece de la resistance, however, came on the way down which was a bit testing on the old knees of all of us. Safely made it to Balmaha around 6 pm and the trail rolled conveniently into the Oak Tree pub. After a wee dram and a rub down we had a spot of dinner and recounted the day's walking. Dad booked us into a single room with three beds so it'll be quite pally tonight. Malc and I opted for the camp beds. I'm sure we'll all sleep through the night. Everyone doing fine and not too much the worse for the day on the trail. Malc has a blister which we're going to pop before lights out tonight, but other than that we are all doing pretty well. Looking forward to the walk along Loch Lomond tomorrow which should be a breeze after Conic today!

in Milngavie

Finally arrived into Glasgow this afternoon after a lengthy connection into Heathrow. I should have booked this through a travel agent! Met up with Malcolm (who was expecting me in the intl terminal!) and Dad shortly thereafter and we made our way to Milngavie with the help of Dad's satnav. A bit dreary and drizzly here but we are all in high spirits and ready to go tomorrow. Watched Germany demolish Australia in the world cup over dinner and a few jars and sitting through the obligatory Sunday night pub-quiz. It's good to be back in the UK again and to catch up with them both. Photos etc will begin tomorrow as we attempt to prove to everyone that we are actually going to be doing this walk :)

Amsterdam

Easy flight over from PHL, albeit in a very old plane! Seems like US airways are buying all the junkers perhaps in a bid to save the environment. Enjoyed the usual brisk US airways hospitality and was happy to get to Amsterdam - am now waiting for connections to Glasgow (via Heathrow). It's nice to be in Europe again, and as usual I am far too amused by the quaint Dutch-English announcements threatening to offload folks' luggage if they don't get on their flights :)

1-1

I left for PHL with England 1-0 up after 3.5 min... arrived in PHL expecting 5-0 and instead witnessed a tense 1-1 draw... looks like USA were unlucky not to win. Of course, this is nothing new if you're an England fan :)

Pittsburgh...

After a nice morning with the kids playing around the house, we all jumped in the car and drove to PIT. By popular demand, we dined at the obligatory IHOP before heading to the airport. It was hard to leave Maura and the boys, but I was at least comforted by the fact that I had changed my last nappy for 10 days! After check-in and security I hoped up in a conveniently located Sam Adams bar next to gate B30 for jar and to watch the opening throws of USA-England before the flight to Philadelphia is ready...

T-3 days

No more training for me - the cases are packed and I'll be hitting the road tomorrow as the family drive to PIT. So far over $350 has been pledged so there's really no turning back - I'm determined to finish it even if it involves crawling there. Just checked the forecast for Scotland it looks like around 60 F all week - about 25 F cooler than here right now... can't wait to get started!

T-4 days

Nice 10-mile walk into work via Decker's creek this morning. While I'm not exactly "fit as a butcher's dog", I think I've got enough miles under my belt to make it next week. Very excited for the trip now and have even started packing already (much to Maura's surprise!)

T-5 days

Weather in Morgantown has taken a distinctly British feel today - temps in the mid 60s and light drizzle! I am feeling right at home and love this overcast weather :) After work I got my last run before the walk next week... a nice 5-miler along the trail. A bit more walking to do tomorrow, and a couple more bike rides and I'm going to be about as ready as I can be.... getting very excited for the trip!

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T-6 days

The training is coming along. Hit the Mon River Trail this morning for a 7 mile walk into work. The knees seem to be holding up well so I am thinking about hitting Ben Nevis after the WHW ends next week! Also had the thought that it'd be fun to raise some money for a worthy cause and have decided to walk for CaringBridge. If you would like to support me, let me know! CaringBridge is a great organization which connects family members when illness strikes. http://www.caringbridge.org/