West Highland Way 2010
May 27th 2010 - Day 3: Rowardennan to Inverarnan (14 miles)
The morning dawned and brought with it the first rain we had seen. Big fat drops landed on me as I took our luggage out to the collection point. Out came the waterproof jacket, and it went back in the bag 10 minutes later.
This was the day to tackle the steep sides of Ben Lomond. You could easily see why they built the road on the other side of Loch – there wasn’t much room for one on this side! For the first part of the morning we stayed on the wide and well-surfaced forestry road. We had intended to take the path along the loch shore which promised beautiful views across the loch, if more difficult going, but unfortunately we were so intent on making good time we missed the turn-off point, which wasn’t signposted. So instead we enjoyed the limited views on offer from behind a screen of trees, and put up with the noise of the traffic that carried from the other side.
Forestry road out of Rowardennan
Stealing views from behind the trees
We were disappointed by the lack of waterfalls tumbling down the often sheer cliff face to our right. There were many places that looked like they should be gushing water down into the loch, but most held no more than a trickle and some were bone dry. The downside to the wonderful weather we had been enjoying I guess.
We took the second opportunity to go down to the shore and enjoyed the silence that descended as we entered the bluebell-littered wood. Not only were we missing the sound of cars, but also the voices of the large groups of French and German backpackers that we had caught up with (or had they had caught up with us?) on the forestry road. Once down by the Loch, we turned inland and came upon a deserted hamlet, a mossy testament to the highland clearances. It was difficult to imagine families making a living in such a spot, and though the location was beautiful, life must have been hard.
The path by the lochshore
Not long after rejoining the forestry road, we stopped for a mid-morning snack. Off came the boots, and on went more Compeed. Right after our stop, the forest road petered out, and the going got tougher, but it was more interesting than the tough up-hills and down-hills of yesterday. The walk now required your attention to make sure you didn’t fall or twist your ankle on the rocks, tree roots and ledges you had to navigate. Full credit to those walkers who managed to squeeze through some tiny spaces with huge rucksacks!
The going gets difficult
Just before the Inversnaid Hotel is the largest and most
elaborate waterfall we’d seen so far and there is a good
view of it from the bridge. Just as we were deciding to
stop, the heavens opened!
We stopped at the hotel and had scones with butter and jam
presented on plates covered in cling wrap. We feasted on the
scones in the front lobby of the hotel. There is a special
area for walkers (in the back of course, so you don’t bring
the tone of the place down), but as everyone else was
enjoying the sofas and not being told off, we settled down.
While sitting there, we met up with our first group of
walkers, Darcy and Julia from Brighton who were going to be
staying at the same B&B,
Clisham, that night in Inverarnan.
We tried to wait out the rain at the hotel, but we couldn’t wait any longer and donned the waterproofs before leaving the hotel. They went back in the bag 10 minutes later.
View from Inversnaid Hotel
Once again, after the hotel, the path wound its way with small ups and downs between boulders and tree roots. We took a small diversion off the trail in hopes of finding Rob Roy’s cave, which a boat full of tourists on the Loch could obviously see. I wasn’t quite up to the scrambling it took to get up to the cave but others said it wasn’t much, but he definitely would have been well hidden from the authorities at the time. These days I think the giant word CAVE and an arrow painted on the rocks rather gives the location away!
Where’s Rob Roy’s cave?
As we walked along the loch side, the sun came out again and we were temped to stop and sit on some rocks, as many people were opting to do. We snacked on Mars bars, I took off my boots and put on yet more Compeed. My feet were swelling due to the heat and I was finding my boots too small. So to free up space, I took the insoles out. That seemed to solve the problem and offered some relief to my poor, battered feet. To be honest, my feet were a mess, but I was so determined to do this that I wasn’t going to let a little bit of pain stop me.
We finally got to where the Loch narrows, looked back and congratulated ourselves on a job well done and took a celebratory photo for the end of Loch Lomond – only to find that the loch continues! Obviously we weren’t paying much attention to the maps and guidebooks...
Not the end of Loch Lomond
As we undertook the last miles of the day, which had become as hot and sunny as the others, the weather changed again and a light shower rained down on us. Then, as we climbed the hill after the turn off to the ferry to Ardlui, it turned to hail. Hail! On went the waterproofs. Thankfully it didn’t last long and we tramped down the descending trail that seemed to take far longer than it should to Beinglas Farm. Just on the outskirts of the farm, with the wigwams in sight, I stubbed my right big toe on a big rock and let out a stream of expletives that Jacquie and Susan found really colourful! There was one blister I hadn’t found yet, sneakily hiding under my big toenail.
We left the way to go to Clisham B&B in Inverarnan, which was a short way up the road. We had a triple room with three comfortable single beds, and there was a bathtub! Bliss! For dinner we went across the road to the Drovers Inn – an odd pub that time had ravaged and left behind. The entrance hall was full of stuffed animals (not the type you give to kids), from the average to the unbelievable (two-headed lamb anyone?). The kitchen was still going and produced an excellent pub meal washed down with lemonade and wine. I was also treated to the smallest bathroom stall I’ve ever been in – let’s just say I didn’t fit in it and I’m only 5’3”!
Back across the road in the B&B, I treated my feet to a nice bath before going to bed.