Drymen to Rowardennan
By the time I woke up, the overnight rain had stopped. I was really surprised, when I opened my tent at about 7.15, half of the campsite had packed up and gone already! I set off without my waterproofs on. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, as about 10 minutes later, I saw a dark cloud looming in the distance.
Rain had been forecast for most of the day, so it was expected. I have the luxury of a hostel this evening (with a washing machine and drying room) so although I spent most of the day damp, my spirits weren’t dampened!
I took the road to the outskirts of Drymen, before taking a track through woodland. As I walked along the track, I slowly passed other West Highland Way walkers. Some were familiar faces from yesterday and others were new faces.
The views across the fields were beautiful. It was great to see the hills in the distance.
I could then start to see Conic Hill in the distance.
The West Highland Way goes up and around the side of Conic Hill. The views of Loch Lomond were absolutely stunning.
Unfortunately on the way up, one of my new poles broke! The bottom section fell off, but I thankfully managed to do an emergency repair with some cable ties. I’ve not had much luck with poles the last couple of weeks! I posted my other good one back home, but my sister is going to bring it to Fort William, so this one only has to last until Friday!
The descent from Conic Hill was a bit tricky. (I was very glad that I’d paused in the rain to fix my pole!) The path has been paved with rocks to prevent erosion, but with the rain showers, they were a bit slippery, so I had to concentrate. I was glad to make the track at the bottom!
I followed the track down and into Balhama. I stopped at the cafe and had a cup of fruit tea and a sausage roll. It felt well earned after the descent from Conic Hill.
I sat outside the cafe, at one point a black cloud started to look over our heads and we all looked at each other, all having the same thoughts about moving inside. I decided to risk it, and thankfully light rain only started, as my sausage roll arrived. I quickly ate my sausage roll, then continued on my way.
The West Highland Way left Balhama to join the shores of Loch Lomond. As I was walking through the woodland, the rain started again. It was nice to have a bit of shelter.
As I walked along the woodland, there were some signs, they started off cheery and motivating. They made me smile, when I saw them. It was then funny to see a sign asking if I was tired yet! When I saw the “Your body will thank you soon” sign, I questioned if the signs had another motive.
The West Highland Way then left the woodland, and followed a road along the edge of Loch Lomond. The views across the water were beautiful. The Loch felt so still, even though there were ripples in the water. I think it is the feeling knowing that you’re looking at such a massive inland body of water.
As I rejoined the woodland, the rain got heavier again. The hills started to disappear and I could see the rain bouncing off the water’s surface!
A while later the sun came out and the woodland felt alive. The rain had darkened the bark, which made the leaves and forest floor seem greener. With the bluebells scattered across it, the whole place felt magical. I felt so lucky to experience the trail like this.
As I got towards Rowardennan, it became clear, the signs were to promote the local outdoor sauna. I’m not one for saunas, but I did enjoy their signs.
I shortly arrived at Rowardennan hostel. I’ve got a rest day tomorrow, so I’ve booked to stay for a couple of nights. It was really nice to come into a warm bed and a dry set of clothes. I’ve had a parcel posted here, so I’ve got a whole collection of snacks waiting for me too!
I put my clothes in the washing machine and used the drying room to dry out my tent. A chap at the hostel had paid to use the tumble dryer and kindly offered for me to add my stuff too, so my clothes are all dry!
With most of my kit admin done this evening, I seriously considered climbing Ben Lomond tomorrow. Unfortunately, the summit isn’t featured on my Harvey West Highland Way map, so without a paper map of the route, I think it will have to wait for another day. I suppose that I’ll have a rest instead!
Leave a Reply