Day 79 – Drumnadrochit to Wester Kirkhill, 17 miles

I couldn’t leave Loch Ness today without looking for Nessie. For the past few days, I’ve been searching the loch from high trails, hoping to get a glimpse of Nessie moving across the loch. All I saw were boats.

Loch Ness

One of my many talents is being a highly trained SCUBA diver. I know that sunlight disappears quickly at depth, so most aquatic life is in shallow water. Loch Ness is very deep, so it stands to reason that its aquatic life is near the shore. I went down to the shore, and with the stealth of a big game hunter, moved slowly but certainly through the grasses and reeds. searching for a sign of the monster.  It was early in the morning. The water was calm. Then I heard some splashing and grunting. I carefully peeked through the trees to find a camper who had gotten up early to… well, a camper who had gotten up early. I continued on.

Nessie

Then I came upon it – the object of all the Loch Ness lore. I had expected to find a giant monster, but Nessie was no larger than a horse.  I can’t imagine what all the fuss was about. Disappointed, I returned to the trail to continue my quest for excitement, and I headed north away from the loch and its famous monster.

Once again, the trail passed through a pleasant forest. Most of the forests I’ve encountered are plantation forests – where trees were planted many years ago close together in a grid pattern. The plantation forests are now dark and overgrown, with little life beneath the trees. This forest was different.  It has been thinned – lower branches have been pruned, and sunlight reaches the ground. You can actually see through the forest. The trees are still growing in the characteristic grid, but bird and other animal life appear to be returning.

I finally left the GGW where it crosses a road.  Had I followed the GGW to Inverness, I would have thereafter found myself walking along a busy road all the way to John O’Groats.  By leaving the GGW and avoiding Inverness, I delayed the busy road walking for at least 4 days.

I’ll still be road walking, though. When I left the GGW, I also left the final footpath on which I’ll be traveling. There aren’t many footpaths in this remote part of Scotland, and in order to find accommodations at the end of every day, I need to follow the roads.

This is where I would normally end the daily report, but today requires further elaboration. Tonight’s accommodation is in Wester Kirkhill Farmhouse. I found its location on my map, and easily walked there. When I arrived where I thought I should be, there was a farmhouse, but no B&B sign or any other indication that this was the Wester Kirkhill Farmhouse where I had reserved a room. I walked into the grounds and rang the doorbell, but nobody answered. Hmmm, maybe I’m in the wrong place. My phone was in my backpack, and the phone number was in my computer, also buried deep in my backpack. I had assumed I wouldn’t need to call since I had the location pinpointed. I elected not to retrieve my electronic gear at this point because conditions were not conducive to doing so. (OK, as much as it hurts me to mention the weather, it was raining.) So I walked a mile back into Kirkhill to see if anybody could direct me to the proper place, or alternatively, to find a pub in which I could unpack my electronics without exposure to the elements.

Allan

Guess what? Kirkhill has no pub, no restaurant, no grocery store, no place to get out of the rain. I searched for a bus shelter without any luck. While I pondered my next move, Allan was parking his car at his business. I asked him if he knew where Wester Kirkhill Farmhouse was. He didn’t, but invited me into his office so we could search. While I pulled out my electronics, he searched his computer – we both concluded that I had been in the right spot. Then we called, and sure enough, it had been the right spot. Allan then drove me back to where I had been, and I checked in to the B&B. Thanks, Allan for your kind assistance. I never cease to be amazed how people in small towns so willingly come to the aid of a forlorn traveler -- even one carrying a backpack.

Barbara, the hostess, explained that her sign was being repainted. She cooked me a nice dinner, so I’m now comfortable and well-fed.

For those of you who are keeping track, I’ve logged over 1,000 miles already and should be topping 1,100 in a few more days.






© 2011 Ken Klug

Day 78 – Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit – 15 miles

I have observed before that the British are obsessed by the weather. I’ve been here for quite some time, and I may be starting to develop the same obsession. So starting today I’m going cold turkey on the weather. From now on, weather doesn’t exist, and I’m not going to report on it. Not even if it snows. Not even if locals start hanging hammocks from palm trees. Nope, I’m going to ignore the weather and just report on the day’s activities. I think that will make the postings much more interesting.

Trail made of dirt

Today’s walk was on a trail. It was made of dirt. It also had rocks and roots. When the trail ended, it came out on a road. The road was blacktop.

Water called Loch Ness

Sometimes I could see water. It is called Loch Ness. It has a monster, but nobody ever sees it. Or if they do see it, they get eaten by it, so they can’t tell anybody. I didn’t get eaten, so I must not have seen the monster.

People riding horses

I saw some people riding horses, though.

Carol and Stewart

And I met a nice couple who were walking on the trail when it was still dirt.

I’m at my B&B now. I am going to have dinner soon.





See how much more interesting the daily posting can be when the weather is ignored?



Answers to Monday’s puzzle:

The correct answer is 14 – but I named two of them. Here are the others, though I’ll admit that hiding number 7 within the title of number 6 was a bit sneaky.

1. It’s Raining
2. Stormy Weather
3. Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
4. Blame it on the Rain
5. Singing in the Rain
6. Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain
7. Falling Rain
8. I Made it Through the Rain
9. Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down
10. Baby I Know the Rain Must Fall
11. Rain, Rain Go Away
12. It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More


© 2011 Ken Klug

Day 77 – South Laggen to Invermoriston – 19 miles

Multiple choice question of the day: Which of the following went away today?

a. My sore throat.
b. The rain.
c. My sniffles.
d. My spirit for adventure.
e. None of the above.

If you guessed rain, you are wrong. But as I walked back to my B&B tonight after dinner, there were large patches of blue sky above, so maybe tomorrow will be dry. Or maybe only tonight will be dry. If you guessed any of the others, well… I’ll let you know tomorrow. We’re still working on the songs from yesterday, and I want to give everybody a fair chance to participate before implementing another contest.

Loch Oich

I will say that today’s walk was far superior to yesterday’s because there were a lot of interesting things to see, despite the rain. The trail started out along a rails-to-trails route through a nicely wooded area alongside Loch Oich. It then joined the Caledonian Canal where there was some activity in the locks. Then it took me to Loch Ness, where I will commence my search for Nessie.

Where's Nessie?

Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness lie along a geological fracture that runs straight as an arrow. Linking the lochs with a canal enabled the Scottish fishing fleet to travel north and south in inland waters and away from the treacherous waters on Scotland’s north coast. Of course, Scotland’s fishing fleet has largely been replaced by Asian factory ships so the Caledonian Canal is now used mostly for recreational transportation.

The three lochs are of different elevations, and are separated by hills, so locks are necessary for boats to navigate the lochs. On the narrow canals in England, the boaters manually operate the locks. In Scotland, the locks are operated by lock keepers. That means that the boaters don’t have to lock up their boats when using the locks to pass between the lochs.

I chatted for some time with a lock keeper, who shall remain anonymous. I teasingly commented that it seems like a cushy job, because there is nothing to do until a boat comes along. Then the lock keeper presses some buttons, and the gates open and close as necessary. The locks operate during the 6-month season, March to November. In addition to tending to the locks, the lock keeper must maintain the grounds around the lock, because untidy grounds might discourage boaters, who are the reason for the lock keeper’s cushy job. The lock keeper did confess to being fortunate to have the job, but disagreed that it was cushy.



LEJOGers Anne and Andy

 Along the way I met two LEJOG cyclists who are coming close to their finish.

Telford Bridge, Invermoriston

Diversity along the trail can make up for bad weather, but I’m beginning to wonder how much more diversity Scotland can have in store for me.









© 2011 Ken Klug

Day 76 – Gairlochy to South Laggen – 13 miles



View across Loch Lochy

 I looked outside my bedroom window this morning, and what do you know – it’s raining. Normally I don’t really mind going out in stormy weather, but yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and runny nose. I’ve tried hard to avoid getting a cold by washing my hands frequently and not touching my eyes or nose, but I guess you can’t always prevent it. So this morning I just wasn’t in the mood to have raindrops keep falling on my head.

Cia-aig Waterfalls

Normally when walking alone, various tunes work their way through my head – my favorites so far have been Waltzing Matilda and King of the Road – but not today. With the exception of a short detour suggested by Heather, the hostess at last night’s B&B, today’s walk was a bust. Blame it on the rain, or on my cold, or the fact that it was just an ugly walk on a forest track with nothing to see but trees. My throat hurt, I was sniffling, and I wasn’t in the mood for singing in the rain, or to listen to the rhythm of the falling rain or the wind in the trees.

I made it through the rain to my B&B, and I’m dry now, but I’m still in a funk. I suppose I’ll be in a better mood on Tuesday – rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

Old Barge on Loch Lochy

Baby, I know the rain must fall, but all I can think of is rain, rain, go away. I’m hoping that for the next two weeks it ain’t gonna rain no more.

Today’s puzzle: How many song titles have I included in this posting?






© 2011 Ken Klug

Day 75, Sunday, August 14, 2011 – Fort William to Gairlochy, 10 miles

Today is another short day, dictated by the location of available accommodations. It rained on and off all day, but the rain wasn’t a problem because for the next few days I’m following the cycleway along the Caledonian Canal.

As I left Fort William, Kenny and his four walkers drove past me on their way home to Glasgow. They stopped and mentioned that they tried to telephone me yesterday to arrange dinner together.  As is typical, I hadn’t turned my phone on, so I missed their message.  It was a nice thought, though, and I appreciate the gesture.

Peek-a-boo Ben

My route required walking along a busy road for a few miles until I reached the cycleway, which starts next to a series of locks known as Neptune’s Staircase. There were no views most of the day; there was one spot where Ben Nevis threatened to come out from behind the clouds, but it never really did.



Keith


Along the way, I met two cyclists from France, and Keith, from the midlands of England, who completed the WHW yesterday and is now walking the Great Glen Way. He was going farther today than I did, so we parted at Gairlochy.




The forecast for tomorrow is more rain. The local Scots are saying that they can’t remember a summer with so much rain, but I suspect they have short memories and say the same thing every year.

Rainbow

© 2011 Ken Klug

Day 74, Saturday, August 13, 2011 – Kinlochleven to Fort William, 14 miles



Keith, Amanda and Jason

 “Another sheety day,” thought the explorer to himself as he observed the rain falling in sheets outside the breakfast room window of his B&B. Yet with undaunted courage he packed up his gear and ventured into the storm. Surprisingly, the rain soon stopped temporarily, to be replaced by swarming midges looking for their breakfast. But the highly experienced explorer had anticipated the onslaught, and had doused himself with the Skin-so-soft Justine had given him at Byrness.

The trail ascended steeply out of Kinlochleven, and into the fog which hung over the hilltops. Occasionally, the fog on the distant hills made for interesting scenery, but more often it obscured the scenery.  Further ascent brought increasing rain and wind, which chased the midges away. Fortunately, the trail was in good condition – well graveled and able to disperse most of the water flowing across it. That made for good footing and a relatively quick speed.

Hazel and Kate

About 2:30, sunlight actually poked through the clouds, and started dancing on the adjacent hills. But by then, I had nearly reached Fort William, so the photo ops had pretty much passed by, with the exception of meeting Hazel and Kate, two ladies completing the West Highland Way.

Fort William

Fort William marks the end of the West Highland Way, and the start of the Great Glen Way, which follows the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness to Inverness. The pins on the Google map make it appear that I’m farther north than I am. In reality, I’ve covered barely 950 miles, and still have almost 250 miles to go. Two hundred fifty miles is a long way, and I expect it to take me another 16 days to walk that far. Who knows what further adventures await? I hear that if the poor weather holds, I’ll have a good chance to see the Loch Ness monster. I’ll try to get a good picture in the rain.

Ben Nevis hidden by cloud

© 2011 Ken Klug

Day 73 – Rannoch Moor (Kingshouse) to Kinlochleven, 9 miles

Today was another dark, gloomy day, and the forecast afternoon rain has just started falling.  Because of today's short walk, I beat the rain. This morning's views into Glen Coe and the surrounding mountains were spectacular in the low light conditions, and one can only imagine how the addition of sunshine would have enhanced the scenery.

Despite the gloomy day, everybody I met was cheerful. Today is the penultimate walking day for almost everyone. The West Highland Way terminates at Fort William, tomorrow’s destination for most of the walkers. I still have two more weeks to go, and if I keep to my schedule, I’ll arrive at John O’Groats on Sunday, August 28. There’s still a lot of distance to cover, more people to meet, and new friends to make, so I’m looking forward to the next two weeks more than I’m looking forward to arriving at JOG.

Jaquie and Davie

As I was leaving Kingshouse this morning, I encountered Davie and Jaquie again. I first met them at the Beech Tree Inn, shortly after I joined the WHW from Strathblane.  We chatted again outside of Inveroran yesterday. Today I remembered to take their picture.

Mandy and Heather
above Devil's Staircase

I also remembered to take a picture of Mandy and Heather. They and I have been passing each other multiple times since I first encountered them and their young sons on the trail last Saturday as we all headed for Drymen. Their sons left the walk, as planned, a few days ago, but Mandy and Heather continued on and will finish tomorrow at Fort William.

Sue

Walkers weren’t the only ones smiling in the gloom. As I neared Kinlochleven, I met a mountain biker, Sue. Sue is a friend of Andy Robinson, the author of the guidebook I’ve been following, and she mentioned that her husband joined Andy on some legs of the walk as Andy was researching his book.

I can’t believe how this walk just keeps getting better and better, gloomy days notwithstanding.


© 2011 Ken Klug