With the weather forecast being pretty reasonable, I decided to return to the Borders and walk a section of the Southern Upland Way (SUW), returning to Tibbie Shiels via a route that would in essence create a giant figure-of-eight loop.

I had managed to extract myself from bed on time and drove the scenic route to the start point, hoping that the cafe at the car park might be open for a nice bacon roll.  No such luck.  The car park was deserted as was the cafe, so getting the gaiters on I made a leisurely start at around 9:30, crossing the stone bridge that crosses the short river that connects the Loch of the Lowes and St Mary’s Loch.

Looking over Loch of the Lowes

Passing the Inn (opened by the wife of a molecatcher after his death, and who the place is named after) I was on the SUW, climbing steadily and quickly along a farm/forestry track.  While not particularly arduous, the track just seemed to rise steadily on for ever.  There was, however, ample compensation with the views opening up behind me.  Naturally I had to stop every so often to turn round and enjoy them!

Looking towards Pikestone Rig and Peniestone Knowe with the Ettrick Horseshoe in the distance.

At a rather out of place metal signpost, the way turned off the track into some forest for a brief moment, before bursting out the trees at a stile.  Suddenly I had a superb view, looking up a glen with the Ettrick Horseshoe in the background, still covered in smattering of snow.  Not having paid much attention to the map, and suddenly losing a lot of height very quickly, I assumed that the way would be following Whitehope Burn along the bottom of the glen.  How wrong I was.  The path quickly climbed out the glen, leaving me breathless and staring around at the astounding views, including a glimpse of Tibbie Sheils Inn nestled in the distance on St Mary’s Loch.  The ridgewalk along Pikestone Rig was wonderful (and superbly waymarked) with a fine view of Broad Law in the distance – one of the highest (I was going to say peak, but most of these hills are just big lumps) hills in the Southern Uplands, and a Corbett to boot.

At this point I had a fine tail wind and was romping along, the way contouring delightfully above the Scabcleuch Burn which it follows down to the Ettrick Water.  It was here I left the SUW turning left as it turned right to head towards Moffat, a mere 16 miles away.  This was now a short road walk along a delightful valley that is more reminiscent of the Dales or the Lakes than Scotland, the commercial forestry the only thing that marks this area out as being in quite a different location.  Lunch was had in the shelter of Ettrick Kirk, keeping me comfortably out the wind before starting to make my way alongside the Kirk Burn along a route that would see me complete a circumnavigation of Craig Hill, which sports some exceedingly large cairns.

Looking over Ettrick Kirk

It is important to note now, that the presence of a path on the map does not necessarily mean there is a path on the ground (even when the path has a nice big signpost telling you that St Mary’s Loch really isn’t that far away!).  I managed to follow a rough quad bike route that was heading in my general direction, before that petered out and I was left to trail blaze my own route into a hefty head wind.  In less than ideal conditions this would have to be a map and compass job and I certainly would not want to attempt this route without either in my possession.  It was tough going as well, with high tussocks, wet ground and a couple of deep burns all having to be negotiated, as well as the wind.  It was with some relief that I reached the SUW again where another metal signpost points to Ettrick Kirk.  No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t see a path on the ground – still, all good fun!

The Southern Upland Way on the return journey

Steps were retraced on the SUW for a Kilometer or so, before striking off to take a slightly more direct route back to the car.  A clear path contoured round Peat Hill, then suddenly there was the Loch of the Lowes and St Mary’s Loch spread out before me.  The path I was on traversed a rather steep slope as I slowly descended to the Loch Side – again not so much a path as a motley collection of sheep tracks which turned into a real strain on the ankles.  It was a great relief to reach the Lochside and follow a slightly better used path that made its way back to the car park.

I hadn’t met  a soul all day, which surprised me a little, as Tibbie Sheils is a popular place and can get busy.  This, however, was a Tuesday in February and I had the hills to myself.  A fantastic days walking which has given me an appetite to have a stab at the SUW.

Loch of the Lowes (foreground), St Mary's Loch (background) and Tibbie Sheils Inn between

Day Rating 9/10

Thoroughly enjoyable.  The SUW along here is a delightful section of path with fantastic all round views.  I was pushed along nicely by the wind for the first half, but really toiled walking into it over rough ground on the way back, which is why it doesn’t get a 10 (for making it hard work!).  This area is spectacular and it always strikes me as strange that it just isn’t as popular as the traditional “walking” areas around the UK.  The Borders really are brilliant!  Go there.

Southern Scotland at its best!

It doesn’t seem that long ago, the day I stepped off on the North Downs Way on my first ever days trailwalk.  Over seven years later and 10 trails completed, it seemed like  a good idea to revisit some of them with a potted photographic history.  Having had a guddle around on You Tube got me thinking, why not cobble together a slideshow of some of my favourite photos of these walks.

I don’t profess to being a fantastic photographer, (thankfully there has been some improvement over the years), but these pictures are more a visual record of what has passed.  More importantly they jog the memory of these walks, recalling sights and sounds otherwise long forgotten (although passing the naked rambler and his girlfriend on Hadrians Wall will never be forgotten!) and providing some inspiration and anticipation for what is to come.

The slideshow is somewhat experimental and is the first time I have tried something like this with iPhoto.  It didn’t work out quite how I expected, but it seems to have turned out reasonably well.

Included are photos (in order) from:

North Downs Way
Hadrians Wall
South Downs Way
Borders Abbeys Way
Dales Way
St Cuthberts Way

and

the Cumbria Way.

Hope you enjoy!

Walking 2004-2011-Large.m4v

I decided to do a walk in the Borders for a change – the Ettrick Horseshoe was to be the destination, a fine and airy round that gives fine views all round.  The only problem is it is a swine to get to.

Struggling to evict my carcass from bed this morning I eventually made it out the door before 10am.  All well and good, but I had miscalculated badly.  It took over 2 hours to get to the start point – much of which was over fairly slow country roads.  You know that you are going somewhere remote when a B road is marked as single track on the map!

The SUW and the bothy just visible. Ettrick Pen is out the shot to the left

Eventually I made it to the start point, setting off at 12 o’clock on the dot in fine weather.  The sun was shining and with the snow lying heavily around 50m above it looked like it could be a good day.  Initially the Southern Upland Way was followed for around a mile or so (it crosses Ettrick Head at its lowest point then proceeds to make its way right down the centre of the horseshoe) at which point I turned off to follow a forest track to Ettrick Pen, the highest point on the route and the start of the round.

The best photo of the day - near the summit

It was here I had to make a decision – as I reached the snow line, very conscious of the fact time was marching on – I decided all I would do was a simple circuit onto Ettrick Pen.  While I could have walked half the Horseshoe and returned on the SUW I wasn’t convinced that I could do it while still light, and more importantly, avoid more snow – rain had been forecast for the afternoon and with some menacing looking cloud coming in the day was to be sensibly shortened.

With no clear path to work with I struck off across country, heading towards a couple of cairns marked on the map.  To say it was tough going was an understatement.  Wandering across the tussocks is sapping at the best of times but add deep snow it becomes far more entertaining.  Eventually I made it to the cairns – the horseshoe gradually appearing in all it’s glory as I gained height.

Looking back at my route in

The view here was fine, showing the lower ground free of snow, but with wisps of mist forming in the low areas.  I pressed on up to the pen, following the fence line along a quad bike track – right up to the summit the track had been followed by a fox, the tracks standing out clearly in the snow.  Unfortunately I must have obliterated most of them, as both myself and the fox were following the line of least resistance.

There is a large summit cairn, and fine views East and South West.  The Eildon Hill stand out as a landmark in the distance, marking Melrose and the start of both the St Cuthberts Way and Borders Abbeys Way.

Following the fenceline I to a turn, I started to descend, first following a barely discernible path until it vanished under the snow, then piling through sometimes knee deep in the stuff, until I finally reached the track I had come up on.

The view from the first Cairn - Worth clicking on

Retracing my steps back to the SUW I popped into the bothy here for a nosey and spent a while sitting in one of their rather comfortable chairs reading the log book.  Curiosity satisfied it was only a short walk back to the car.

Day Rating 7/10

Enjoyable little jaunt.  Not as far as I wanted to go, but I always like a bit of a frolic in the snow and the views were great.  My own fault for sleeping in.

On the journey home. Spectacular view on the Tweedsmuir Road!

This year I have set myself the modest target of walking (or hiking) 500 miles, which works out at just under 10 miles a week.  In retrospect I am hoping to smash the target – but I have to get there first!

Using my GPS and the fantastic Garmin Connect, I have found a great way to log each walk.

This walk was a late-ish start on Sunday heading onto Cort-ma Law, one of the high points on the Campsie Fells just to the North of Glasgow.  For anyone travelling North past Stirling on the M73 the Campsies rise up invitingly in front of their eyes.    The hills cover quite a substantial area, almost reaching from Stirling to Drymen (this is a very general generalisation) and is encircled  (very loosely, clockwise from Glasgow) by the A81, A811 and M9/M80.  While there are some fine walks (Dumgoyne is a major early landmark on the West Highland Way) the majority of the ground on top is featureless, grassy and bog.  If you like Sphagnum Moss this really is the place to be!

Anyway – I digress.

Cort-ma Law sits at 531m, a relatively modest height, with a trig point atop it.  Access to the hills is from a car park on the locally named “crow road”, which passes right through the fells themselves.  The car park sits at a fine spot, half way up the hill, giving superb views of the Kelvin valley and Glasgow itself.  It is a favourite local beauty spot which is popular whatever the weather, although it tends to suffer from bouts of the local “wildlife” at times, if you get my meaning.  This is where we started the walk.

At the Start

From the car park it is a steep climb up a promising looking ridge (again I use the term very loosely).  You can tell this is an ever popular walk here as the ground is well worn by plenty of boots.  It is a deceptively steep ascent for this area as well, climbing over 200 metres in just under 1km.  Eventually a cairn is reached at the top of the ridge and from here the views truly are superb.  I must point out here that when we walked up we couldn’t see much more than 50m, the mist was so thick. Starved of our reward, we carried on regardless – compass and map in hand.  The wind was on our backs, which at least kept the persistent drizzle off the glasses.  There is a path up here that is relatively easy to follow for most of the way to the trig point on Cort-ma Law.  The ground is undulating, very boggy in places and is reminiscent of moorland rather than mountain.

We got up to Cort-ma Law without incident – even passing a large group who were just returning from it.  The original plan was to do a circular walk (there are several lumps and bumps up here which can be linked to form a rough horseshoe) heading North from the trigpoint towards Lecket Hill and descend from there to the road and back to the car.  We were persuaded otherwise as the ground further round is notoriously boggy, quite possibly requiring the use of snorkels to complete the journey.

We managed to get ourselves lost – not lost really, we just went the wrong way – okay then lost, shortly after leaving the trig point.  The low ground as we walked away was extremely boggy.  As the mist seemed to get thicker we picked our way round it in seemingly the right direction before completely losing the path and becoming disoriented.  Cue a check of the map and GPS which resulted in taking a bearing in the opposite direction in which we thought we should be going.  Trusting to the compass rather than our rather out-of-sync sense of direction, we finally found the path about 50m away.  By now the weather was vile, mainly because we were walking directly into the wind/rain/sleet.

Arriving at the trig on Cort-ma Law

The walk back wasn’t much to write home about, to be honest we could only see a few metres in any direction, and it was with some relief that each of the cairns passed on the way out loomed out the mist.  Eventually we started the descent to the car park, and finally got some sort of view as the cloud had lifted a few metres from when we had started.  There was still time to fall arse over apex before returning to the car, wet, cold and gasping for a pint.

Day Rating 4/10

Wet, cold, horrible and couldn’t see a thing.  The only saving grace was it was a useful exercise in practicing compass work and some extra logged mileage.  One to do again in better weather.

A leisurely start saw us leave the house at half past nine for the journey over the Campsie Fells up to the Trossachs.  It was quite difficult getting up though, after only four hours sleep!  Typically, at that time of the morning the roads were quiet, but as we reached the car-park at the foot of Ben A’an it was abundantly clear that we weren’t the only ones to have the idea.

As well as the two cars already in situ, several more arrived along with an assorted menagerie of Adults, Kids and Dogs, promptly spewing forth and heading straight for the hill.  We followed soon after (concluding much fiddling with the GPS) and started the steep climb from the car-park.

Near the start

Although a small hill in relative terms, Ben A’an is a delightful little walk, although it does make you work for the rewards.  There is no gentle introduction here, as the path heads fairly steeply up to a small burn, the course of which it follows for a while.  The very bottom of the path is quite heavily eroded, despite the best efforts to the contrary by (I’m assuming) the National Park.  Things do improve after passing a well engineered cross drain however.  Eventually the sometimes rocky, sometimes very muddy path, levels out a little and good time can be made.  Up to this point and beyond the path is heavily wooded sheltering you from the wind and rain very effectively.  So much so, in fact, that I was overheating in just a base layer and fleece.

That may have been an after effect of a few to many mince pies over the festive period though!

There are a couple of large muddy patches along this middle section that have to be negotiated.  Walking poles provide an essential secondary service here – acting as a “pokey stick” to determine the depth of the mud, thereby avoiding any unfortunate sinking experience.

Approaching Ben A'an

The path rises steadily, and soon the distinctive shape of the summit can just be made out through the trees and soon we burst into the open to get a sneak preview of what awaits at the top.

To get to the summit there is a steep, but well engineered path that follows a re-entrant, and the amount of work completed up here is impressive.  Without the repair work to the path the erosion would quickly become a massive issue, impacting exceedingly badly on the environment here.  Still, once the steps have been successfully negotiated it is only a very short walk to the top, and some fantastic all round views of Loch Katrine and Ben Venue.

The view of Loch Katrine and Ben Venue

As we stood at the top the weather began to come in across Loach Kartrine encouraging us to start the descent.  There were, by now, a great many people coming up the hill, each of them greeted with a cheery “Happy New Year”.

One thing very noticeable on the descent was the amount of windblow up here.  A huge number of trees were over and the ground littered with branches and general detritus.  Probably not the best area to be walking through in a gale, I think.

Day Rating 9/10

It has been over 20 years since I last walked up Ben A’an, and it is a little stunner.  The views are astounding for very little effort, and once up there are options to extend the walk.  I think it could get very, very busy here during the summer though, which, if you like solitude, is not ideal.

If we had gone any higher today there would not have been the views, so it was a superb choice just to blow the cobwebs away.  The only downside is it’s a bit short.  Never mind eh!  More time in the pub!

Happy New Year all and the very best for 2012!

Ben A’an by aaronbarnes6632@hotmail.com at Garmin Connect – Details.

Conistion to Ulverston

This was a section of the Cumbria Way that we had walked on two previous attempts of the Cumbria Way.  On both occasions it had rained for the duration of the day resulting in the abandonment of the walk (the only trail to beat us yet).  Fortunately this was our last day, so as far as we were concerned the weather could do what it wanted.  It did, but more of that later.

As we started out from Coniston the weather was calm and pleasant, making the walk down Coniston Water a very enjoyable experience.  I seem to remember on the previous attempts (in the other direction) trudging along the never-ending lake side looking like a drowned rat and being thoroughly miserable.

One of the two photos we managed all day. The other was the statutory finish photo

Nice to see was a huge Duke of Edinburgh expedition heading towards Ambleside along the Cumbria Way.  There must have been at least 25 kids in the group and they seemed to be having a whale of a time, although by the look of it some of their rucksacks needed a helping hand in packing.  It was along the Lakeside that we managed to take the only photos of the day also.

Soon enough the path drifted away from the water side, crossed a road and entered the rather bleak looking Torver Low Common.  The way up to Beacon Tarn was a mixture of bog stone and firm ground.  Gradually the rain started to fall, and as we reached the Tarn a heavy persistent drizzle started that signaled rain for the rest of the day.  Somethings never change.  The common, in places, is criss-crossed with other paths, and like many other places on the Cumbria Way the waymarking is almost non-existent, meaning regular checks of the map were important.

Here's a nice photo from day 4 to take the mind off the rain

The temperature had dropped and for the first time since leaving Keswick the wind picked up too forcing on the waterproofs and some warmer clothing.  The walking on this section, although easy was now being marred by a succession of styles which had the effect of really slowing us down, not really being totally recovered from the long day that we had to Elterwater.

I’m sure in fine weather the route is thoroughly enjoyable – there was certainly the suggestion of fine views, but with the weather closing in the walk had become a slog, including a number of fields that were doing a fine impression of a WW1 battlefield.  Just when things couldn’t really have been much more miserable it rained.  Not just any old rain but rain.  Imagine standing under Niagra Falls for an hour, that is probably the closest description I can think of that gets anywhere near how heavy the rain was.  Close to the end there is quite a steep climb up a narrow road for around half a mile.  The water was running down the road up to our ankles.  In the end we just had to laugh as the last 3 or 4km were almost swum.  My backpack cover had even managed to create a pool of water inside itself.  This was taking great delight in sloshing itself over the back of my legs, until it was noticed and forcibly removed.

We got soaked.

Thoroughly.

It really was nice to get to the finish!

The pub though, was selling pints of Wainwright.  What a lovely pint and very appropriate to finish the Cumbria Way.  We only stopped for one however, it was getting a bit chilly sitting there in the wet gear!

Day Rating 7/10

Generally poor waymarking again, and really the only section of the whole way that was blighted by stiles.  The weather?  Not much you can do about it really so doesn’t affect the score.

There are some really nice sections of this walk, not least the Lakeside path contrasted with the bleakness walking over the common.  The final section sees a return to the fields of “Cumbria” of day one, this time with a real upland feel to it. There would have been some fine views along here, but, with the weather as it was, there was nothing really for us to experience.

One last point to make, there are many places along this section that suffer badly from mud, and there are certainly 3 places I can think of that will have unwary walkers up to their knees in mud if not careful – you have been warned!

Oh!

The view as the way starts its descent into Ulverston is quite stunning, or would be if you could see it.  On a fine day it would certainly be a place to linger and contemplate the journey from Carlisle.  Taylor made for your fun!

The End!

Trail Rating 43/50 (86%)

It’s a difficult choice but I would place this as the second best trail I have walked after the South Downs Way.  It is consistent, and there is a real sense that the walker is experiencing all that Cumbria has to offer.  There are no tedious section, especially walking North to South, although I can understand why if walking the opposite way the last day to Carlisle would be disappointing. An extremely enjoyable walk that will last a long time in the memory.

So which direction?

Certainly walking South made a well-balanced walk.  The big problem, especially when walking in the aftermath of a hurricane, is the prevailing wind.  It is literally in the face, but I think a small price to pay walking it this way round.

Any arguments for or against?

Elterwater – Conistion (approx 9 Miles)

Today we had a lie in.  After the monster walk yesterday this was to be a nice short day across to Coniston via the splendid Tarn Hows.  After a leisurely breakfast we set off in fine weather, clear skies and high temperatures.  It was almost like summer.  The walk up to Skelwith Bridge was stunning, the clear blue sky and surrounding peaks reflecting spectacularly off Elterwater.  It wasn’t too busy here either – on a morning like this I would have expected the crowds to be out in force.

Elter Water

From Skelwith Bridge the way climbed steadily to Tarn Hows, and every single step of the way was a joy, despite being a gibbering wreck from the previous day.  As the afternoon pushed closer things started to get a little busier and we even managed to stop and chat to a few people on the way.  A short distance and good weather = take it easy and enjoy.  The walk here meandered between woodland and farmland regularly,  and each time the path left the woods another fine view was presented.  This really was the Lakes at its best.  

Eventually we reached Tarn Hows, which unsurprisingly was, due to fine weather, hoaching with walkers of all shapes and sizes.  We lingered for a while, lying on the grass and enjoying the warmth of the sun and taking the mandatory photo of the scene that must be familiar to anybody who has visited the Lakes.

Tarn Hows

The drop down from Tarn Hows to Coniston is quite steep and as we sauntered gently down the hill there a few families, some members not looking too enamoured with the hill, toiling to get to the top.  It’s always nice being smug when walking down hill.  The rest of the walk into Coniston switches between wood and field, not one step wasted.  The route of the Way really has been well thought out over the whole distance with most of the credit going to those who devised the route way back in 1970.

In Coniston itself a tea room beckoned as we had managed to get there a tad early.  A couple of pints in the Bull followed before heading the short distance to the Hostel.

Day Rating 10/10

Unusual to give 10/10 – I don’t think I have given two consecutive days a 10 before.  Super little walk with almost everything you could ask for, and it wasn’t too busy, even at the honey pot site of Tarn Hows.

Keswick – Elterwater (23 Miles)

So far, we had been lucky with the weather and the forecast for the day ahead wasn’t too bad.  Some light showers in the morning, but more importantly the sun was due to make an unscheduled appearance in the late afternoon.

After getting suitably lost in Keswick (another game of spot the waymarkers) and eventually purchasing some cheap gaiters (which I had conveniently forgotton to bring (note to self, buying cheap equipment is a false economy, I might as well not have bothered) we were on our way.  The route crosses some playing fields on the route out of Keswick (close to the pencil museum which unfortunately we had no time to visit) heading towards Portinscale.  From here there was a fantastic view fo Cat Bells looking impressive in the morning light.

Soon we were away from habitation and wandering through Fawe Park along with what looked like an incredibly large number of Partridge wandering happily around.  Suddenly we were at the Lake Side, wandering through peaceful native woods only to find a fantastic carving of cupped hands.

For the most part the way is poorly waymarked along this section.  As a general rule though, stay next to the water and you’ll be fine, at least until Brandelhow Point where there are about five or six options.  Toss a coin and take your chances!  Unfortunately I had been distracted by a telephone call meaning that we took the wrong path, arriving at a road a good 1km before we were due to.  Rather than retrace our steps we simply followed the road to where the Cumbria Way joined it from the left.  No great drama but it is slightly frustrating when you go wandering off in the wrong direction because of poor waymarking (or should that be poor navigation?  Discuss!)

Just before the small village of Grange the way cut uphill, crossing the remains of what looked like a recently fallen tree and continued into the mouth of Borrowdale.  This section of the walk is delightful, and just past a couple of campsites there is a quite outstanding spot by the river Derwent.  There is a real sense of peace and isolation here that encourages you to linger a while.  From here it wasn’t too far to the planned lunch stop at Rosthwaite, firstly through some pleasant woodland, then following a riverbank walk (on which the resident cattle had been using for target practice) to an old packhorse bridge that signalled our destination was near.

Rosthwaite is a lovely little place with plenty going on, and the tourists to boot.  We stopped at the walkers café, the Flock In, which served up a hearty lunch and a fantastic pint of tea in a mug!  Hit the spot.  They have a sideline in Herdwick sheep, which they farm, and have plenty of fresh meat and woolen products on sale.

Goldfinch in Langstrath

We left the tea room in a light shower, just ahead of a group of gentlemen walking through to Dungeon Ghyll.  They caught up with us just after we crossed the river and when the opportunity arose passed us at a fair old rate of knots.  The rain was gently turning on and off at this point, with even the rare glimpse of some blue sky.  The route looks like an old packhorse trail and rises steadily from Rosthwaite to where the path crosses Stonethwaite Beck to enter Langstrath.   It is worth noting that from Rosthwaite to this point the route is shared with the Coast to Coast!

Almost immediately the ground was harder, rockier and bleaker in Langstrath and this ruggedness is attractive in its own way and there was a real sense of anticipation as we continued to climb steadily towards stake pass.  There was quite a bit of traffic coming sown from the pass, all confirming that the weather was far from pleasant up there.  Never mind eh!

Eventually we passed the group of guys from earlier, who had pit stopped for a change of socks, understandibly as we had crossed numerous becks as well as plenty of lying water.  Unfortunately for them their stop had come a little too early as there was still some substantial wading to be done before reaching the climb up Stake Pass itself.

Looking knacke....I mean down Langstrath

The climb up from Langstrath takes you by surprise.  Looking at it on the map I was fully expecting a hard steep slog for a good 500 metres or so.  To my pleasant surprise there has been a huge amount of erosion control up here.  Around a third of the way up the path turns into a series of highly engineered hairpins, making the ascent a delight.  There is an airy feel to them and you can’t but help turning and staring down the impressive valley that you have just walked up.  Fantastic.

Even better was to come as we reached the other side – the view into Mickleden and the Langdales was just superb.  Despite this being a long old day it was turning into the best days trailwalk I have experienced so far.

Cue a torturous decent that seemed to take forever, not helped any by the uneven stone pitching all the way to the bottom.  I can’t complain though, this kind of path work is essential for the survival of these routes, otherwise the erosion would just obliterate them.

Looking towards the Langdales

In the end, I’m glad we didn’t go up that way!

The initial plan had been to stop at the Old Dungeon Ghyll for a refreshment or two before heading on to the hostel at Elterwater.  Unfortunately time was not on our side, (it was half six), and with four miles to go we would be lucky not to end up walking in the dark.  Cue a rather fast walk to the hotel where we promptly missed the correct route.  Rather than retrace our steps we instead followed a path across the fields to the large National Trust Car Park where it appeared that someone was undergoing a driving lesson.

Almost completely unnoticed, the sky had cleared, and as we got back onto the correct route we were treated to some fantastic all round views in the rapidly failing light.  No wonder this is called the magic hour.

As we reached Chapel Stile the bats were flitting about our heads and the surrounding trees.  The last mile or so was walked with the head torches on and we arrived at the hostel in the dark as predicted.

We checked in, dropped the bags and encamped in the pub, sampling a few really good ales and some good stodgy sausage and mash.

Day rating 11/10

A day walk that literally had everything, and despite going wrong a couple of times didn’t have a bad moment.  The prelude to and ascent of Stake Pass was spectacular and although it was a long day, the last hour of walking at dusk was something pretty special.

Fantastic

Caldbeck – Keswick 18 Miles (Via Western Route)

The start of day two and although the wind had died down, there was still a fair breeze (understatement of the year) to contend with even at the lower levels in Caldbeck.  A visit to the local shop/post office/petrol station provided us with two of the finest pasties I have ever experienced (for lunch) and so equipped with sustenance we began the ascent out of the village.  As we climbed the wind increased, not to the levels of the previous day, but enough to make the decision about going over High Pike fairly straightforward.  At the decision point, Nether Row, we took the lower Western route, which in theory, although a little longer than the direct route (around 2 miles), should provide the easier walk.

Turning West, we walked along a lengthy farm track to Potts Gill before opening out onto the hillside itself.  Even here there is a great feeling of remoteness which lasts virtually all the way to Keswick.  The views however are superb, even this early on the route taken by the Cumbria Way alternative has obviously not been an afterthought.  It does make one wonder what the views are like on top though – hey ho, we will just have to come back some other time!

At Fell Side, quite a large hamlet with an outdoor activities centre, we turned left to follow the road for quite a distance (I’m sure I keep mentioning I hate road walking) before turning up a track at Green Head.  The route meanders around for a while around Orthwaite and it is here that the Lake District sneaks up on you.  Turn a corner and wham – there’s Skiddaw its huge bulk almost challenging you to walk any further if you dare.  Suddenly, the way was in fields and as we passed the first lake of the walk, Over Water, there was a very pastoral feel to the walk.

As one or two of the guide books have pointed out this is the Cumbria Way – not to be confused with the Lake District, although it passes through the National park for the majority of its 72 miles.  The walking up until now had been a gentle prequel of what was to come.

It is worth noting that much of the waymarking is non-existent along this section, which in part resulted in a short excursion off the main path through Whitefield Wood before returning to the Cumbria Way itself as it skirted a rather large caravan park.

At Peter House Farm we stopped by a finger post declaring Skiddaw House 3 1/2 Miles via Whitewater Dash Falls to devour the fantastic pasties.  Suddenly there were walkers everywhere.  Appearing from cars, paths UFO’s they seemed to pass through this point all at the same time.  I’m guessing that we were about the halfway point for the day and that this was a popular start point for walks into the surrounding hills.

The Way to Skiddaw is long, remote and bleak.   A spectacular moorland landscape in which everything living seemed to be trying its best to keep out the way of the elements.  As we climbed the steep section of path to Whitewater Dash a hailstorm appeared from nowhere battering us for a good 10 minutes.  As quickly as it had appeared the hail stopped, and as we passed the top of the falls it returned to just blowing a gale!

The only sign of life up here were a few small birds following the path in front of us and it was with some relief that we spotted the Hostel at Skiddaw House, the highest Hostel in England and quite possibly one of the remotest.  Unfortunately, the hostel didn’t open until 5pm, meaning that there was to be no sneaky cup of tea and we had to make do with the shelter on the end of the building for a few minutes rest.  This old shooting lodge looks an entirely unique place to stay.  I think I may have to try in the near future.

Looking Towards Helvellyn

The walk from here to Keswik is breathtaking, and probably not recommended if you suffer from severe vertigo!  The path snakes along the steep side of Lonscale Fell giving an airy walk along the valley.  Walking North you wouldn’t get the benefit of the views down the valley towards Helvellyn but heading in this direction it makes a quite outstanding finale to the day.

As the shelter of Lonscale Fell ended a final rain shower hammered down on us, probably just  to try to finish us off for the day.  We were knackered, and it was with some relief that we made it to the fantastic YHA in Keswick.

Day Rating  8/10

A tough old day, and certainly not the easy option, although meeting some guys who had done the high level route I think they had trouble breathing let alone standing up in the wind.  This however is a cracking day walk, with a sense that you are now really getting into the guts of the Lake District.  It really whets the appetite for the next day.  Some stunning views on quite remote paths with a quite stunning finish into Keswick.  North to South could be a far more rewarding walk than South to North.  So far, I would certainly recommend it this way.

Cumbria Way – Day 1

Carlisle – Caldbeck (15 Miles approx)

Sunday the 11th September 2011 was a busy day.  Our plans for using the tent went straight out the window, (metaphorically), with a good look at the weather forecast for the week ahead.  The tail end of a hurricane, rain, doom, destruction, death, the end of the world…

You get the picture, not the ideal weather for camping.

Sunday was spent hurriedly booking accommodation for the week ahead.  B&B in Caldbeck, Keswick YHA, just about squeezing in Elterwater YHA and Coniston Holly How and a B&B in Ulverston to finish off as the walkers hostel was full.  Not a bad outcome for very last-minute planning.

The weir at the start of the Cumbria Way

We left the car in Carlisle at a friend’s house on the Monday morning and set off from the Citadel at a leisurely 1030 walking along the cycle path that would eventually turn into the Cumbria Way.  We had no less than three guidebooks and the Explorer maps, each of them offering a different opinion on where the start/finish was.  In the end we picked up the way just after an old mill that had been turned into luxury flats, passing a weir to find a tiny “Cumbria Way” marker on a finger-post.  Not the most inspiring of starts, but a start none the less.

To say the wind was blowing was an understatement of epic proportions.  The only time I have experienced wind as strong as that was on top of Ben Lawers in a Blizzard and the morning after a Vindaloo.  The initial walk to Dalston, a pretty little village around four miles or so from Carlisle, follows the river Caldew and is pleasant enough without being anything special.  A plethora of dog walkers adorn the area, along with plenty of evidence that there are not too many responsible owners around.  Just be careful where you step.  This is a cycle track and part of the national cycle network.  As a result the concrete endures until Dalston.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I hate road (well, hard surfaces) walking!

The rain had come, so we stopped for a spud in a very nice café in Dalston, before setting off once it had stopped.  It wouldn’t rain again for the rest of the day.

Once past Bridge End things really started to change.  The path entered open country and it began to feel like the Cumbria Way was getting going.  This was a pastoral, if rather windy, Cumbria, passing through fields apace and turning into a quite outstanding river walk (although at times the wind was doing its best to blow us into the water).  In fine weather this would be a delight.   This however was hard graft into a strong wind, not to mention that the noise was like a freight train passing above our heads with no let up whatsoever.  At Bell Bridge we hunkered down behind a wall for a break, a relief to get out (most) of the wind for a while before crossing the river and heading uphill to Sebergham with its lovely little church.  Dropping down the lane back to the river we passed a property with three black Labradors.  They were out on the track in front of us, saw us, then promptly ran in the gate so they could bark at us from the safety of their garden.

Church at Sebergham

Once across the river again the Way entered woods lining the river bank and the last leg of the days walk.  A sign declared forestry operations close in to Caldbeck and a diversion with “moderate inclines” to look forward to.  Firstly though we had to negotiate a woodland path that resembled a quagmire.  At least now we had shelter from the wind!

The diversion point reached, the alternative route was clearly marked on the ground.  Unfortunately the moderate incline was a rather long steep incline up to open ground and the wind.  I do this a disservice though. The views from up there were superb towards High Pike and the surroundings and despite our grumblings the diversion gave a superb end to the days walk.  All that remained was to get back down the hill and enter Caldbeck with our B&B right on the path.  Even better, the pub was only 100m away!

Day Rating – 7/10

First section of the day fairly uninspiring but after Dalston this turns into a pleasant river walk.  Waymarking was suspect in many places, in fact the best waymarking was on the diversion route, it was the best waymarking on the entire route to Ulverston!  The wind made the day hard work and slightly less enjoyable than it could have been.  A nice introduction to the Cumbria Way which whet the appetite for the following day.  I think it would be a major disappointment to finish with this section though – North to South is probably the way to go – even with the weather in your face.

HEALTH WARNING!  IF YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK YOU MAY LAUGH SO MUCH YOU COULD LOSE AN APPENDAGE.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/96500595

Baw’ Breaker adequately summed up my latest “Good Day Out on the BIke”.

Having entered this Sportive way back in April I was a little doubtful that I would ride the event, still suffering from a sore left knee from a fall in early March.

Melrose Hostel 

However, since it was an early 8.00am start I decided to travel down on the Saturday evening, staying at the Melrose Hostel. I knew this was a mistake as soon as I walked into the dormitory. The smell of rancid feet and bodies was over powering. Typical walkers hostel! Most of the other guys in the dorm were either walking St Cuthbert’s Way or the Southern Upland Way. The night was restless with much farting and snoring going on: of course I didn’t contribute! The mattress on the bed was rock hard. I swear I would have been better camping and sleeping on my carry mat on the ground!

When 6.00am arrived I capitulated and got up to get breakfast, only to find the members’ kitchen closed. Memo to self: go into a B&B next year. With hostel prices at £18 without breakfast and £24 with it included, it’s not much more expensive to look for B&B. In fact after booking the hostel I fond suitable accommodation at £22, fairly near the start of the event. Next year this is what I will do, although one of the marshals was telling me that Galashiels was a noisy riot on the Saturday night due to Galashiels Gala Day.

Early Start

I signed in at 7.30am and was raring to go. The morning was spectacularly sunny although a little chilly, perfect riding weather. I was off with the second group which was great as I had set myself a target of between three and a half and four hours and meant I would finish before 12 noon. This would prove an advantage because the temperature in the afternoon reached 23℃.

We started on Scott Crescent and uphill towards Elm Row and eventually over Gala Hill. Following the pleasant back road out of Gala a right turn took us on to the B7060 which we followed for about 4km.

The sun continued to “split the trees” but it was cool cycling in the shade of the verdant canopy, something that would change later in the day. From the B7060 a left turn took us on to the A707 and heading north for 4km I turned left on to the National Cycle Route 1. This was followed until the town of Innerleithen. This section of the route ran along the edge of the Elibank and Traquair Forest and is fairly lumpy and feels as if it climbs most of the way to our next turn. This is the area of some of Scotland’s premier Mountain Bike Routes and bikies were much in evidence, preparing for a day out in the forest.

Great Organisation

Reaching the junction with the B709 it was a quick right across the river Tweed and into Innerleithen. Friendly marshals directed us through the town across the A72 and back onto the B709. Initially this was a gentle climb to the golf course were the road was wonderfully flat. At this stage a young women absolutely stormed by, leaving me for dust. I could summon no response to the shapely backside that rapidly disappeared into the distance.

Female disappearing into the distance

Never the less I kept up an easy tempo, alongside the Leithen Water, steadily climbing between Woolhope Bank and Dod Hill. Picking up Glentress Water on the right and then Dewar Burn, the climb continued to Dewar where I crested the top. 11km of steady climbing,an absolute grind, what a relief!

Just after Dewar, the course took a right turn to continue on the B709 onto the feeding station at Heriot. Plenty of drink and food to enjoy here with lots of cheerful volunteers dishing out the available fare. After a few cups of juice, a piece of cake and a five minute break it was on my way, right out of the feeding station and onto Sandyknowe. Here I took a right onto an unclassified back road running south, parallel to the A7. The road was “sporting”, to say the least, with sweeping descents followed by nippy climbs. This was good open countryside popular with riders going in the opposite direction. Finally a steep descent with a sharp right took me on to Station Road in Stow.

Getting to the top at Dewar

The Baw Breaker

Marshals were present to allow a safe crossing of the A7, then it was a right past an impressive town hall and onto the second climb. On the OS map this has one black arrow and is a pig! My legs still shake at the thought of it. To make matters worst my gears started to jump. Once sorted I climbed slooowly up what is Gala C.C’s hillclimb. I continued steadily until my bike decided to take a closer look at the gorse bushes at the roadside. Restarting I made the top with one of the racers hanging on my wheel; the advantage of having a 28¨ low gear. At the top he jumped pass never to be seen again. Now it was past the wind farm onto Hareshawhead Plantation and then a sharp right to Wooplaw. Here the road was a little broken up but no where near as bad as some the roads around Kirkintilloch.

Just after Wooplaw House it was right at the cross roads down to Langshaw. Marshals were stationed here as it was the splitting of the ways for the 50 and 109 mile courses. I was assured that I had made the right course as there were another eight 5th category climbs on the 109 mile course. Having just come up two 4th category climbs I didn’t need any convincing.

What now remained was a gentle climb and then a welcome descent to Easter Langlee. A quick look towards Melrose gave a good view of the twin peaks of the Eildon Hills, a climb I completed last year whilst walking St Cuthbert’s Way.

The Eildon Hills in the distance (this may not have been taken on the ride....but don't tell anyone)

In Easter Langlee a left took me onto the B6374 riding east towards Gattonside. After a kilometer and half a right turn took the route through a set of traffic lights and across the river Tweed, towards Melrose Hospital. A final right turn on to a dual carriageway quickly followed by taking the second exit on a roundabout on the A6091, put me on the final few kilometers. Heading northwest on the A6091 and then the A7 a further 4km the course entered Galasheils. A final slip left into Church Street and then Scot Street took me back to the finish.

Finishing Bonus

Back in the HQ sandwiches and cold rice pudding with peaches went down and absolute treat. Really hit the spot! Many riders lingered for a chat about the days ride. After a quick shower in more than adequate facilities it was reluctantly back in the car for the trip back to Glasgow.

This was a cracking ride in brilliant sunshine, well worth the effort of coming down from Glasgow. Gala C.C. are establishing a reputation for organizing excellent open events and this Sportive is no exception. The course was well marked and marshaled at all the critical points. Motor cycle marshals were much in evidence and a sag wagon followed the last riders on the road. A massive amount of effort had obviously gone into the organization particularly at the feeding station. I will be back and look forward to next year!

Incidentally, Gala C.C. run a series of Audax events throughout the year. Two remain, one in October and another in November. If your interested just type in “Audax UK” into your search engine and then click on calendar.

While many in the club were anticipating a day out on the Etape Caledonia, I was traveling to Kirriemuir to take part in the latest Audax event. There was a choice of distances, the monster 300km Snow Roads and the more sedate 100km Potter for Tea. Since I have lately been feeling my age I opted for the less demanding of the two. This was to take in Forfar and Brechin before returning to Kirriemuir, all on the quiet lanes of Strathmore. Looking at the map prior to riding it looked fairly undemanding, but little did I know that there was a sting in the tail of this gently potter.

The drive up was fairly quiet with the promise of a day of sun and showers. I was surprised that the journey took only an hour and forty minutes on relatively empty roads; the advantage of making an early start.

The start was located in the Northmuir Hall on the northern edge of Kirriemuir. The hall had been open over the Friday night to accommodate the 300km participants who were making a 6am start. On arriving I was provided with a cup of tea and a bite to eat; very welcome asI had eaten at six before leaving Kirkintilloch.

We left at 9.03am in a brisk westerly wind and threatening showers, which thankfully held off for most of the day. The route initially followed the B957 towards Brechin soon turning right (4.7km) on an unclassified road, toward Forfar. Up to this stage I cycled with a group of triathletes in the hopes that they would drag me round the course. However, just after the right turn, one of them puntured, I stopped and waited. This was a grave mistake as it seemed to take them about 15 minutes to change the tube. I guess triathletes don’t change tubes often. Under way once again we picked up the B9128, just after crossing the A90, and rolled into Forfar High Street. After a quick left we were on our first climb of the day up The Vennel and then the Lour Road towards Whigstreet via a left and right turn onto unclassified roads. This section began to set the tone for the rest of the ride being very pastoral with brilliant yellow, heavily scented oil seed rape, in full bloom. I suffer from hay-fever and at this stage I was finding breathing a little difficult, although I had chosen to ride with a guy from Manchester who was going like a bat out of hell, which may explain the problem. I liked his style, he was visiting friends of his wife’s in Dundee and had sloped off to ride this event. Much to his wife’s disgust. I ‘d never get away with it myself!

Whigstreet required us to turn left onto the B9127 ( sign posted Arbroath) and with the brisk westerly behind us we were soon tramping along at a respectable 23 to 25mph, on a beautifully surfaced flat road. Arriving at the junction with the B961 we turned left and into the first control at the Corn Kist Coffee Shop at 27km. Once my card was stamped I settled down to a couple of coffees, a piece of carmel cake and a chat with a group of four mountain bikers who riding the event. These guys had passed me while I was waiting for the puncture to be fixed and had motored it to the first control before I caught them. Good going on mountain bikes.

Suitably refreshed, it was right from the control and up hill through Redford and left onto back roads. Once again the area is very pastoral with the dark brown earth of the tattie fields now much in evidence. It was on this section that the mountain bikers disappeared off the back and I pushed on to catch a couple from Aberdeen riding a tandem. Boy can a tandem shift when the riders put their minds to it! I stuck with them until the next control and enjoyed a good chat with them throughout the next 20km. This is the aspect I most enjoy about Audax riding, you can always find someone to share the road with and socialize.

A quick right left to cross the A932 and then onto Guthrie, after which we crossed the B9113 and passed through the Montreathmont Forest to Brechin. Once again we were on quiet country roads with good surfaces; a delight to ride. The forest afforded shelter from the wind which was beginning to strengthen. The birdsong on this section was tremendous.

We entered Brechin on the A933 and filtered around the outskirts to finish on the B966 heading towards Edzell. 2km on we took a right to Ballownie and into the back end of the Stracathro Hospital and the control in the hospital restaurant and refreshment.

After a bite to eat and a pot of tea it was onto the final leg, retracing to the B966 and then right through to Little Brechin, Careston, Noranside, and Memus. Although this was relatively flat section I was riding alone into a strong westerly wind with showers gusting at about 25mph. With no one to hide behind this was becoming hard going, I should have waited on the folks I had got to the last control with. However, once again it was a fine ride with good views of the Braes of Angus and the mountains beyond. I was shortly to get a closer look at the Braes on the climbs to Cortachy and Pearsie crossroads. One final climb of Meams Hill and then a flyer into Kirriemuir and Northmuir Hall where beer and steak bridies and lots of other goodies were on offer to all finishers.

A cracking ride and all for £4! No closed roads, no support but good social event in the hall at the end.

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/85569351

Looking over Rannoch Station to Loch Laidon

Day 1

After coming across this walk on one of the walking forums I decided to try it out for myself (with the tent) during the spell of fine weather during April.

To get there I took the train from Glasgow on the Sunday, getting off at a fairly busy Rannoch Station in the early evening.  The weather was nothing short of astounding and even from the station there were fine all round views.  Unfortunately the small cafe was shut – I had been looking forward to a cup of tea before setting off.

Rannoch Station

The first part of the route followed the road to Loch Eigheach, a couple of kilometers away, before turning left up a track and onto the Road to the Isles.  Even here, before I had started properly, the views were spectacular so I took my time and enjoyed the view.  My only concern was making sure I had enough liquid for the two days.  There was a stiff breeze to contend with, although this did mean that the temperatures were very comfortable.

Eventually the Loch was reached, looking blue and inviting under the clear sky with Meall Chomraidh standing out to the East.  Here it was time to turn North up a track signposted to Fort William.  This could make a cracking section to a long distance route, although where from or too might be a bit more challenging to work out!

The Road to the Isles

The track rose gently, and unsurprisingly there were quite a few walkers coming to the end of their days walk from Corrour – most hoping that the cafe at the station was open.  As the height increased, the views out over Rannoch Moor were becoming more and more impressive and suddenly I was pootling along with that mixture of excitement, anticipation and joy that only fine weather and a good walk ahead can bring.  I felt like a kid in a sweetshop, given a free shot at everything!  Needles to say, I was wandering about with a stupid grin on my face.

I took my time, enjoying the views before reaching the lower slopes of Sron Leachd a Chaorainn, the point at which I had intended to start climbing.

It was also decision time.  I had initially planned on camping on top by one of the small Lochans but a couple of things made me stop.  The wind was up, even at the lower levels meaning pitching up top would have been entertaining, and also, more importantly, the ground was incredibly dry with very little sign of running water over what usually looked like a bog trot.  Discretion won the day so a low-level camp would have to be found.

The Camp site

I decided to pitch in the glen close to the start of the main climb.  This meant I would have plenty of time the next day to make it to Corrour Station for the train back to Glasgow.  Eventually I found a nice spot right next to the river and set up camp, enjoying the sunset from a cairn on a strange little ridge above the spot.

As the sun went down the colours were incredible and I managed to snap a few pictures from the inside of the tent before it got too dark.

What struck me was the incredible silence around me, apart from the river.  The wind had dropped and there was no noise at all in the glen – no animal or bird noise – nothing.  It is slightly disconcerting!  As the light faded I settled down with a brew and my book, before dropping off to sleep.

The view from the tent

Day 2

Note to self – leave warm gear on overnight – oh and use the Bivi bag as well that was left in the bottom of the rucksack!  Here endeth the lesson.

The morning was bitter.  The sun took its time reaching the glen I was camped in and I guess as the air was heated at height the cold stuff was pushed down into the areas that hadn’t been touched by light yet.  Still it got me out of bed!

The Cairn above my campsite

I had woken a couple of times during the night and taken the opportunity to stick my head out the door of the tent and look up!  It was astonishing.  The clear night sky, with no light pollution, is one of the most beautiful things in the world.  I could have stared for ever, if it hadn’t been for the painful crick in the neck that develops when trying to stay inside the tent while attempting to look out and up.

As I made breakfast the sun slowly encroached into the glen and things began to warm up nicely.  It was at this point I realised that I had lost one of my new gaiters – grrrr – they were a really good pair too!  I packed up and was on my way by eight, immediately climbing the slope that would take me onto the ridge walk.

There are no clear paths up here for the most part so the climb was slow and steady but well worth the effort.  Keeping to the West side of the ridge meant views over Blackwater Reservoir to Kinlochleven and fine views of the Mamores.  These stay with you for the length of the ridge – a lot of reward for not too much effort.  The ridge was easy to follow, and eventually I reached the top of Carn Dearg – complete with massive Cairn.

I sat and admired the view over Loch Ossian for a while before turning East to drop down onto the saddle between Carn Dearg and Sgor Gaibhre.  Up until this point I had not seen even one deer (that includes the train journey).  This changed rapidly as (I’m estimating here) around 150 animals crossed the path in front of me in three seperate herds.  It was a pity I had to use the camera at full zoom and couldn’t get any decent photos – a wide angle lens would have been really useful – but I managed to take a few clumsy snaps.

A small group of Deer from one of the herds

The show over I continued on the now steep, but sharp climb onto Sgor Gaibhre.  It was freezing up there and blowing a gale, but again the views (this time to the East) were Stupendous.  I didn’t linger long, instead dropping down onto the saddle before contouring in the direction of Corrour Shooting Lodge, nestled at the end of Loch Ossian.  

I dropped down to the Loch via a small path through the forest (after having an impromptu bath when crossing the river) then turned left onto the path alongside Loch Ossian.  This is a very pleasant walk to the station (eventually past the Youth Hostel), the remotest railway station in Britain.

There is a restaurant there run by SYHA which does pretty good food and you can get a well earned beer there too, before catching the (rather busy) train back to Glasgow.

A great walk, nice route (picking up three munros if you so wish) and fantastic weather made the two days an absolute joy.

Did I mention I love walking?

Walk rating 10/10 

Pure Dead Brilliant!

The Cairn on Carn Dairg

The final day started with a fine mist at the campsite, but thankfully no rain.  The distance was short, and although we were chasing the bus from Dumfries there was no real need to make a very early start.  Setting off from the castle at 9 am we were assured that it was a lovely walk through to Annan. The advice was spot on.  This really was a lovely river walk keeping to the bank all the way.

Hoddom Bridge, the Annan flowing Peacefully Below

Over the distance of the trail we had met surprisingly few people – ok no-one, apart from a few dog walkers in Moffat.  This was no exception, although the path looks well trodden and there are plenty of fisherman huts around.  We passed two guys fishing, the first two people on the path we had seen since leaving Moffat three days earlier.   The wildlife was out too for us.  Lots of ducks, including the ubiquitous Mallard, and plenty of Goosander which seemed to be leading us downstream for a while.

At Meinfoot a fantastic new footbridge has been constructed over the  Mein Water, saving a fairly lengthy detour to the nearest road bridge.  At Brydekirk we crossed the bridge (complete with violently pink Pub on the end of it) to continue along the other bank.  You could tell we were reaching habitation now as there were a few more dog walkers passing here and there, giving us funny looks.

Wood Anenome, a lovely little white flower was displaying in lovely little clumps in the more heavily wooded sections of the walk.  With the temperatures climbing a lot over the past week there was a definite feel of everything about to burst into life.

After passing under the main Dumfries road we recrossed the river (here a blue tit was making its nest inside a hollow metal sign post) and entered Annan, firstly through some very pleasant parkland, then into the town centre itself where, with quite a bit of time in hand we stopped for a refreshment in the Blue Bell Inn.

We took our lives in our hands and crossed the road by the old road bridge and returned to the river.  It was now around three miles to the finish – the sun had come out and we could almost smell that salty sea air (ok I imagined the last bit).

As the way leaves Annan the river widens and there are salt marshes hoaching with wildlife.  The cycle network is followed for a while then the way leads off down a track towards the finish and the Solway Firth.  The finish, for some reason, isn’t at Barnkirk Point, but instead is just over 1km away at Newbiebarns, right in front of a large industrial complex.  Never mind eh!

Heron

Trail Rating 34/40 (85%)

Despite the rather naff finish (it really could have been sited a bit better) this has to be one of the best trails I have walked.  If you get the chance for a 4 or 5 day jaunt, do it.  It is also a perfect introduction for those who want to try backpacking for the first time with accessible campsites and plenty of facilities on the way.  Would I do anything differently?  I’m still debating which direction would be better to travel.  As we walked South I became more and more convinced that to walk from Sea to Source might just be a more satisfying way to walk.

Whatever way you walk this – it’s not overly spectacular, you don’t walk round a corner and have your breath taken away – it’s not that kind of walk.  It is (the thesaurus is a great thing) enjoyable, pleasant, agreeable, good, satisfying, gratifying, delightful, marvelous; entertaining, amusing, diverting, lovely and great all in one.  In other words – it’s nice.

Do it.  You wont regret it!

The End

A shorter day was on the cards today so we decided to make  a quick getaway.  The rain had come overnight and the temperature had dropped considerably.  It was dry as we packed the tent, the dirty great big black cloud that was hovering nearby threatening to drop its load on us.

Carving from a Beech

Grahams the bakers on the main street provided us with a super breakfast and we were finally on our way at a very leisurely 10 o’clock.  The fine weather of the previous day had deserted us completely and as we passed the war memorial and bowling green a light drizzle started, kept off our backs for a while at least, as the path meandered its way through a nature reserve beside Castle Loch.  There are a series of fantastic carvings through here, all created with a chainsaw.  Most have been fashioned from the stumps of dead and fallen trees, the highlights being the Beech Tree carving from a fallen Beech, and the delightful Woodpecker and Red Squirrel right at the exit of the reserve.

The Way passed through quite an untidy farm before climbing a small ridge, giving some fine all round views.  The drizzle from earlier had stopped now, but the clouds continued to menace as we headed towards Parkend.  Here there was a very nice lady called Helen who runs a craft shop called The WEE BYRE Studio.

The WEE BYRE Studio

THE WEE BYRE STUDIO

The studio is right on a junction the path and as we passed we were wondering exactly what was in the rather pretty cottage that had parking advertised.  As we investigated, a woman (who introduced herself as Helen) came out and asked if we would like to have a look around.  The shop is small, but there are some wonderfully crafted items around – furniture, mirrors, baskets and some lovely framed photograph prints that really are worth a look (I seriously considered purchasing one but I had enough to carry as it was!).

Her hospitality was fantastic and it turns out that she is a great champion of the Annandale Way.  So much so that the she is planning to offer facilities to the intrepid walker.  It’s worth popping in:

• Tea, Coffee and Biscuits are available when open
• Camping available by arrangement (the grassy end of the car park makes a lovely place to pitch)
• Quite a fantastic bathroom and shower facility on offer too! (by arrangement)

Road Walking

After leaving the studio there was a very pleasant section following the top of some flood defences, protecting the area from the stream fed from Hightae Mill Loch.  The rabbits were obviously not too bothered about flooding.  Some of the holes you could go potholing in!

This led to the first section of road walking, from the outskirts of Hightae up to the magnificent country house of Rammerscales, complete with one of the best tree houses I have ever seen (this thing would be worth about £250,000 in London).  On this section the Mossburn Animal Centre is passed which is…different.  If you are peckish or in need of a light refreshment there is a small café located in a porta-cabin.

The climb up to Rammerscales is short, and soon we were are walking along a stony path through the Forestry Plantation behind.  Here was the second point that horses had made an adverse impact.  At one point the path turns away from the forest track and onto a grassy ride.  It is wide enough for walker and horse to use one part of the path each.  Instead the horses had managed to churn up a good 80% of the area between trees and fence.  It doesn’t matter to them – they don’t have to walk across the muddy divots created by the hooves.

I’ll get off my soap box now!

This whole section leads out onto moorland and eventually the prominant landmark – Joe Grahams Monument.  He was master of the Hunt for the Dumfries Foxhounds and apparently “showed such fine sport” that the monument was subsequently erected in his memory after his death at 80 years old.

Joe Grahams Monument

The route up to the monument is delightful, and extremely similar in character to sections of the Dales Way, though at times you have to be on our toes with the waymarking.  The rain and mist were down now as we neared the top and what, I imagine, would be a quite spectacular section of the walk when clear was turned into a damp squib.  The area around the monument seems to have been used to re-enact the battle of the Somme.  Every inch of the field has been churned up badly by the cattle in it, making the ground very difficult to walk over.

From the monument the way is difficult to find as the exit to the field is hidden.  The best route to take is to follow the ridge down to the South East until a wall appears, then turn left, following the line of wall, to find the gate that leads back onto the official trail.

After leaving the monument behind this became a road walk for around 4 miles – apart from a short section along the river Annan, a taster of what was to come (there was a fisherman’s hut here where shelter could be taken).  Just after the two routes rejoined, the way finally made it down to the river permanently.  This area is close to Hoddom Castle and is obviously well walked, through some lovely woodland.  Wild garlic and Butterbur abound round here with the garlic pungent in the damp air.  As we closed in on Hoddom Castle we had a reminder that even though the weather had been crap – there is always someone worse off than yourself.

I felt sorry for these guts. They looked miserable

Four decidedly pissed off looking horses were attempting to shelter under the one tree.  The look of utter disdain they gave us as we tried to say hello was superb!

Soon we crossed the a footbridge over the river and from there it was only around 200m to our campsite at Hoddom Castle.

This is one of the best sites I have stayed at.  Facilities are superb, bar and restaurant on site and one of the best kept I have seen.  They even had crazy golf and outdoor chequers!  The prices weren’t too bad either.  The pitch for the night was £11.50 for the two of us, a great price compared to some others! The meals in the restaurant are equally well priced!

Day Rating – 8/10

Again another superb day.  For us the weather had been poor which takes the enjoyment away at times, but again there is plenty of variety on the walk from lowland pasture to the Dales Wayesque walk up to Grahams monument.  It loses points on the amount of road walking – just a little too much for my liking and the state of the field (and waymarking) at Grahams monument.  The final river walk section was delightful and set up the next day perfectly, while the campsite is one of the best I have ever stayed at.

The previous evening had seen an improvement in the weather and a new arrival at the campsite.  A small backpacking tent had appeared near ours and it turned out to be a walker on the Southern Upland Way.  Just to give an idea of how remote the SUW is, this was the first place that he had had any facilities for 5 days.  As I write this I would imagine he still has another 5 days walking to reach the end.  We had a touch too much porridge in the morning, so, although we had a fair distance to go, we invited him across to share since we had the stove going already. (Ulterior  motive here – it would cut down our pack weights a little!).

Looking back towards Moffat at the SUW

Gear and Tent stowed we set off in fine fettle, making for the A701 towards the Motorway which the way follows for half a mile or so.  This little stretch out of Moffat is delightful, crossing some fields with fine views to the South and East before reaching a gate onto a lane.  This is quite an important junction, although there is nothing to indicate it, and it is where the Southern Upland Way and Annandale Way run together for around a mile.  The two paths and the river cross the three generations of the A/M74.  Firstly under the Motorway, then immediately under the old dual carriageway bridge (now the A701), then finally across the river by the original incarnation before turning right up Crooked Brae, a long and seemingly never-ending hill.

Near the top the routes part.  Ours took us through one of the now familiar Annandale Way gates (the level of funding that has gone into the infrastructure is impressive – this really has been well thought out) and headed down an old drove road to meet some sheep who didn’t know whether to run or follow us.  It really is quite surreal when a whole flock starts to follow you down the track.  It’s only day two – the socks couldn’t smell that bad already?

Baa!

Again the walking here is delightful – the path is easy to follow and the all round views are impressive, especially the size of the humongous Forest of Ae which dominates the hills to the West.

Eventually we reached a road that would run alongside Kinnel Water for a couple of miles, and where the road is unfenced is a potential wild camping spot.  The ground was fairly dry and with the river not far away it made a nice little spot – if you don’t mind waking up with a sheep in the tent that is!

Soon we left the road to enter some more forest, this time on the other side of the river.  The waymarking here again is a little dubious, but fortunately all roads lead to Rome meaning that even if you do guess wrong you should end up in the right place anyway.  The choice is of a higher or lower route – the official route takes the low road (take the finger posts literally) but the views are probably better on the upper route for just a little more effort.

Again the waymarking baffles after entering a field –  follow it literally or you could spend a bit of time wandering around aimlessly looking for the exit – a couple of waymarker posts wouldn’t go amiss occasionally. (For what its worth climb the field then follow the power lines to the gate in the far corner).  This brought us out to the A701which is busy and fast, although there is a good line of sight along the road where you cross.

View from the old Drove Road

The walk can be split here , picking up a bus onto St Anns or back to Beattock.  Our plan was to continue onto Lochmaben to a campsite there.  We stopped for a good rest just here, enjoying the good weather that was now accompanying us – most of the time.  The conditions had been very fickle – warm in the sun one minute and freezing when it hid behind a cloud the next.  Occasionally rain clouds would pass overhead or close by, spattering us with rain but nothing too serious – often in the distance there was some poor sod getting it sore, but it wasn’t us today.  That would wait for tomorrow.

Mud

After lunch and a good rest we were in for a shock.  As a signpost approached the route had been taped off warning “Forestry Operations – Authorised Personnel Only”.  Most of the time I’m inclined to obey these instructions, but this was slightly different.  Having no idea of what route the Way took and the only directional information being the waymarkers (the route is not yet on OS mapping) we had little choice other than to go through.  No diversionary route was provided which at least could have helped.

Fortunately there was none of the usual racket which goes with intensive harvesting so we took the chance and went through.  It was a mess –  in fact a WWI trench would have been in better condition.  The route had practically been destroyed by tracked vehicles (possibly one of these tree eating machines) leaving deep mud everywhere.  To either side, no harvesting had taken place so with our full packs on it was a case of push through the trees and wade through mud.  The worst of it didn’t last too long though and soon we were back on slightly more manageable ground, before eventually sighing relief when we hit the forest track proper.

I really hope that the path through here is reinstated properly before it is reopened.

Enough of the bad stuff.  The walk through the remainder of the forest was very pleasant, and it wasn’t too long before we were out in open country – a very pastoral setting.  One of the attractions of the walk up to this point is the constantly changing landscape – moorland to forest; forest to lowland pasture.  Much is reminiscent of walks much further South.   There are times that you could be on the North Downs Way or the Ridgway – even the Dales Way.  This is probably the most enjoyable section – it’s…nice.  Charming might be a better description.

Just before the Way reaches Lochbrow Moor there is an official alternative route, mainly for dog walkers.  This avoids a dairy farm and again constitutes pretty good planning on the part of the development team.  Once past this the way runs up a Beech lined farm track.  At the brow of the hill is a fantastic view over the flood plain of the Annan and beyond.  Even the M74 looked nice in the sun!

Time was pressing on and eventually we reached the point where the Annandale Way splits.  There are two options – the first a lower level route mainly following the river via Lockerbie, and the other, (our choice) a slightly more upland route via Lochmaben.  We rested here for a while, around three miles short of our destination, before setting off again.  The sun was now dropping low in the sky giving the feeling of a late summer evening – wonderful.

Passing through a gate we walked along what looked like a newly created right of way for the path – it ran along the edge of a field in between wall and fence.  I now have begun to think that horse riders are very selfish creatures.  The path, which would have been very pleasant, had been churned up badly by horses hooves, leaving much of it a muddy 6ft wide mess.  Utterly selfish with no regard to other users – this was not the last time we would encounter this.  Inconsiderate….

Anyway, this just left us with a 2 mile or so road walk into Lochmaben, much of it along the B7020.  While a nice walk, more time had to be spent keeping an eye on the fast-moving traffic than the scenery.  The development of an alternative route here wouldn’t go amiss.

To end, the night was spent at the council Campsite in Lochmaben – the Kirk Loch site.  Although small this is a cracking little site, mainly for its location right by the Loch, but also its basic but clean facilities (the showers were superb). Even better there is a pub within spitting distance of the campsite which does very good pub grub.  All in all a great finish to the day.

Beech Lined Track at Lochbrow

Day Rating – 9/10

Another fantastic day, and this still gets a high score despite the forestry problems (not the trails fault) and the long road walk to Lochmaben.  It was a day of fine contrasts and constantly changing scenery which kept the interest level up for the whole day.  One highlight was the constant liquid song of the Skylarks overhead,  a feature of the walk.    Again the campsite was right next to the walk, avoiding the necessity of a long detour to find a pitch for the night, a stunning site with the swallows (house/sand martins?) giving us an aerobatics display over the Loch.

One of the best days trail walking I have experienced!

Kirk Loch Campsite - Lochmaben

Our trail started on Sunday 10th April with a bus journey to Moffat.  The weather had been astounding in Glasgow and that carried on as we left Buchanan Street Bus Station on the X74, an unusually cheery driver entertaining the passengers with his quick wit and banter.

It takes around 40 minutes to get to Moffat on the bus and it dropped us, still in quite astounding spring weather in the towns High Street.

Our home for the next two nights was the superb Camping & Caravanning site situated just a few hundred yards from the bottom of the high street at Hammerlands.  The location is lovely, and although it was quite busy we put the tent up leisurely and enjoyed the evening sun.  A walk around the site at dusk gave us the opportunity to watch a large population of bats flit in and out of the trees.  It almost felt like summer!

The view from Moffat Campsite

The next morning was day 1, and after making breakfast it was a nice change to leave most of the heavy gear and take a light pack for the circumnavigation of “the Beef Tub”.  Unfortunately for us, the summeresque weather of the previous weeks had packed up its bags and headed off back to its usual haunts, leaving the morning dreich and grey.

Right next to the site there is a large Co-op, which also happens to be on the way to the starting point (not to be confused with the official “start”) of the day.  The river Annan flows past the station car park where a large interpretation board gives plenty of information about the walk and the area.  We were on our way up the river – a very pleasant little walk for a mile or so before cutting across a field to an old coaching road.

Now the sky was turning from a grey to a disturbing black colour – the wind was cold and it wasn’t too long before the rain joined it.  A mile or so on down the road is where the loop around the beef tub begins, the preferred route forking to the left at a signpost then rising slowly up towards the A701 Moffat – Edinburgh Road.

On a clear day the views here would be increasingly spectacular.  It wasn’t clear and certainly wasn’t spectacular!  A heavy mist had descended along with the sort of rain that manages to insinuate its way through every piece of clothing it can find.  No view was forthcoming – we couldn’t even see the Beef Tub at this point.  Why didn’t we start yesterday?

If that was bad, it would shortly get a little worse.  As the green lane we were walking along crossed the A701 it climbed steeply up and over Eric Stane, briefly along the line of a Roman Road and past a Roman Watch Tower.  This is where it dawned on us that the path had been very sheltered – it was freezing up here!

On a clear day this would be a phenomenal section of the path, but we didn’t linger, instead re-crossed the road and started the climb to the top of the Beef Tub Proper.

Suddenly the cloud lifted from the trig point

Something miraculous happened here.  As we climbed the rain stopped and, yes, the sun came out. Happy days!

The trig point sits right at the top of the Beef Tub but our route was to take us across the top of Chalk Rig Edge to the official start/finish.   The views up here are astounding the ground was surprisingly dry apart from one or two exceptions and eventually we made it to the start a little drier than we had been an hour or so previously.

The start is marked with an impressive cairn, especially built for the Annandale Way.

Half the day gone and we had only just made it to the start!

At the cairn we turned right to start the descent, keeping to the left hand side of the fledgling river on a clear track.  Some of the waymarking has been inventive here including discs attached to a stone on the ground.  This whole are was a hive of activity as we descended.  Planting is going on here apace and at an estimate the size of the forest will be in the region of 3 or 4 Square Kilometers.  These are all native species as well – birch, alder and ash seemed to be in among the saplings that we had a look at.

Eventually we found our way down to the road along the bottom of the glen, the waymarking going from brilliant to non-existent in the space of a few meters and began the tramp back to Moffat.  The sun was out, the daffodils delightful – it was a far cry from the start of our day in the rain and it was easy to enjoy the walking, even if it was on tarmac.  Eventually we made it back to the river walk that we had started on – the water incredibly pure and clear bubbling slowly past.  A fine way to end the first day.

Day Rating 9/10

Although the weather spoiled things a little early on this is a fantastic section of the walk.  In fine weather the views are second to none and more importantly, like most of the walking in the South of Scotland, the footpaths are never crowded.  Some of the waymarking is a little dubious on the descent, but you can’t really go wrong –  there is only one place that you can aim for.  A really enjoyable day.

There is also plenty to see and do in Moffat.  If you have a sweet tooth visit the Moffat Toffee Shop.  This is a traditional sweet shop and you will find some old classics ready just to eke out that nostalgic feeling!

The Annandale Way

The number of Long Distance Paths in Scotland is growing steadily with the West Highland Way being one of the most iconic in Britain.  All others seem to hide from the limelight, preferring to bask in the reflective glory of their older sibling.  Some like the Great Glen Way and the Speyside Way are increasing in popularity, while others remain more difficult logistical challenges than anything else, the Southern Upland Way being a prime example.  Other local paths exist, the River Ayr Way (the first source to sea path in Scotland) and the Cowal Way are less well known, but are striving to increase in popularity.

One of the most recent additions to the network of trails in Scotland is the Annandale Way, opened on the 12th September 2009.  It is a young pup of a trail and fairly short in the grand scheme of things coming in at 55 miles – the only reason I knew of its existence was the chance passing of some fingerposts while driving to Dumfries one day in 2010.  From that day my curiosity was aroused and it was only a matter of time before it would be added to the list of completed trails.

Access to the start and finish of the trail by Public Transport is superb. If starting at Moffat

• From the North take the X74 Glasgow – Dumfries bus.  This stops in Moffat.
• From the South take the train to Dumfries then the X74 to Moffat.

If starting in Annan there is a railway station close to the start so:

• From the North X74 to Dumfries, then take the train (one stop) to Annan
• From the South, just get the train to Annan

Simple!

Sponsored

Usually the reasons for walking Long Distance Paths are no more complicated than “because it’s there”.  This time, although I had planned to walk this anyway, it became an opportunity to raise money in support of one of my work colleagues.  The wife of Dougie Anderson is suffering from relatively advanced Motor Neurone disease – we were attempting to raise money to help fund the purchase of an electric wheelchair – a vital piece of much-needed equipment.  At the time of writing this we have had a total raised at around the £350 mark.   I would expect this total to raise a little as all donations are brought together and collated.

A huge thank you to all who sponsored us on this venture, and an even bigger thank you to:

• Brodies Restaurant & Wine Bar in Moffat (£20) – Thank you Danny  www.brodiesofmoffat.co.uk
• Kirk Loch Caravan Site who donated our pitch (£15) – A huge thank you to Doug the Warden
  www.theaa.com/campsites/dumfries-galloway-lochmaben-kirk-loch-caravan-camping-site-374207
• Also Pip and Debbie who donated (£20) between them

This meant we raised £65 on the walk itself.  Again, thank you all.

Camping or B&B?

For us, this was a full camping experience.  There are plenty of official campsites on the route, and they all have the advantage of being right on the path.  I will go into more detail later.

Baggage transfer is available, if doing this B&B, but it is a service provided by the proprietors.

That’s enough background – onto the walk!

The last day

I always feel a little sad at times like these, knowing that it is the last days walking and this was to be no exception.  A stupidly early start, 5.30 am, meant we were doing a fine impression of the seven dwarfs (head torches and all) while walking through the town.  It was so early, in fact, that the local owl population was still in conference somewhere off in the woods to the right of the road.

Eventually the Way heads off to the right along a fairly non-descript path before starting the slow climb out the town.  We must have made a fine sight – twelve zombies, complete with head torches filing slowly up the hill. The only noise (apart form the owls) the heavy breathing.

Kinlochleven

It was surprisingly still at this point, with very little wind, and very soon it was hot work climbing this seemingly endless hill (I have a vague recollection of swearing at this the last time I walked out of Kinlochleven).  On and on it went, crossing a track that gives access to a hotel, before plunging into the woodland again  to continue up towards the glen. Eventually, after about an hour and a half, we made it to the top in the half light and rested, admiring the view over the town and the Loch.

Eventually we turned our backs on the town and with some special renditions of favourites from “The Sound of Music” ringing in our ears (we had now woken up – either that or it was just nervous energy) and started the long trek up the Glen.

The steep ridge of Mam na Gualainn dominates to the left of the path (the old military road) with the steep path up clearly visible contributing to a fine wind up.  ”Yes Linda, we really are walking up that slope….”  Rotten, but funny.

As we continued up the Glen, deer were visible on the lower slopes around us, possibly trying to avoid the bitter winds and snow that were covering the higher ground.  Even more of a surprise was a newborn lamb next to the path – almost a month early (11th March) to the normal lambing time up here.

It was not long after the weather came in, not for the first time a wall of white engulfing us as we pressed on.  The group was fairly silent now and it was heads down just trying to reach the finish.  The place we were aiming for first though was the plantation at Blar a chaorainn which it was hoped would give us some protection from the elements.  It was not to be.  The forestry work that had gone on over the winter had completely cleared the trees from this plantation, with one or two small exceptions.

For us, the way was shut here, the forestry operations still ongoing until April at least (Check the official Website) in Glen Nevis.  Instead we would walk down the road which is accessed at the information point in the forest.  Walking this way is slightly shorter than the official route but not the most inspiring, especially during a blizzard.  The road passes a view-point and it is just after this, and with some surprise that the outskirts of Fort William just appear out of nowhere.

Eventually, the group, completely sodden and looking like drowned rats made it to Fort William and the new official finish point, a nice change from the sign outside Fort William.

The pub beckoned and with small puddles forming round us we had a few celebratory pints!

Congratulations must go to Tony, Gilly, Simon, Pip, Linda, Adam, Al, Debbie, Paul, Steve, Mac, Chris and John.  Well done everyone!

We made it!

Day rating 6/10

Not the best day on the way.  A nice but long climb out of Kinlochleven up to the military road.  The surface up here is rough and quite sore on the feet – so many loose rocks on it.  The diversion was a bit of a dissappointment but needs must and it got us to the finish.

Trail Rating 60/80 (75%)

Despite it being one of the most popular Long Distance Trails there were very few users on the trail at this time of year – a nice change from the usual procession of backpackers.  This is still one of the best, helped in no small way by the availability of accommodation and supplies along the way.  Like every trail it has its more mundane moments but there are many places that more than make up for it.  Traditionally walked South to North I wouldn’t recommend doing any other way – finishing in Milngavie would be a real anticlimax.

If you get the chance – do it!

One of those great moments

The penultimate day and another short one, albeit over the Devils Staircase.

We had stayed in Kinlocheleven the previous night, and mindful of the weather forecast we were pleasantly surprised to find the town free of snow when we left in the morning.  The problem with Kinlochleven is it is very sheltered – a fact that we soon came to recognise as we travelled back through Glencoe on the way to Kingshouse.  It had snowed overnight and more was coming.

We reached the hotel and disembarked from the van being welcomed by a thin layer of snow on the ground and a chill wind that found its way through to the bone.

Before we would reach the Staircase, the West Highland Way runs parallel to the A82 into the mouth of Glencoe for around three miles.  I’m sure that there are usually fine views down into the Glen from the path but as soon as we had left the hotel whiteout conditions prevailed.  A wall of white approached us from the Glen then swallowed the party whole before spitting us out again at Altnafeadh where the van was waiting for us.  Before that though we passed the imposing bulk of Buachaille Etive Mor, one of the most distinctive peaks next to the way, which was doing its very best to look dramatic and moody.

Etive Mor from the way - amazingly it wasn't snowing at this point

There is a special kind of atmosphere to the hills in this weather, brooding, bleak, almost intimidating, but not at all unwelcoming.  I’m only glad we didn’t have to walk up Etive Mor!

Until the car park is reached at the bottom of the staircase the Way keeps its distance from the road, developing into a pleasant little route at the very foot of Beinn a Chrulaiste, its crags peering down at you moodily from above.

For a short distance we joined the main road and at this point the snow really came down.  At this we retired to the van to make a decision (argue) on going over the staircase (Health and Safety and all that).   After twenty minutes or so the snow stopped and that commodity so rare in Scotland appeared.  A blue sky!

The decision made we lined up in single file and began our assault up the hill.

On the way up the staircase

For those not in the know the Devils Staircase sound much worse than it actually is.  A steady climb, it eventually turns into a series of zig-zags which culminate in a quite astounding view.  The weather, for once had decided to be kind.

Despite the snow on the ground, for virtually everyone this was one of the highlights of the walk.  The views were breathtaking, giving us all a chance to take some snaps at the top, including the obligatory group photo at the top.  The snow was fairly deep over the saddle but the path was still easily visible and passable.

The whole group at the top of the Staircase

In front of us the Mamores were looking splendid in their white livery while surprisingly the lower ground at the reservoir looked relatively clear of snow.

As the path drops steadily it becomes more and more stony –  essentially a slog.  The best part of the day was over and it was a case of head down and stare at the ground in an attempt to avoid becoming the latest casualty of a fall.  A few of the clumsier walkers managed to fall over at least three or four times today (Tony – Steve), much to the amusement of everyone else.

The walk into Kinlochleven is fairly uninspiring – I would describe it as functional, and the day ends on a forest track with a fairly steep descent – complete with signs warning cyclists that they should dismount before attempting the hairpin bends.

Eventually we made it back to the hostel in the town before heading out to the pub for a refreshment or two.  It was at this point we said farewell to friar, who was off to a graduation, unfortunately missing the last days walk.

On a more sobering note it was only later at night that we learned about the devastation caused by the Tsunami in Japan while in the bar at the climbing centre,  the pictures on screen both terrifying and incredible.

Back to the hostel and the next day would be a very early start.

Day Rating – 9/10

One of the best days of the way, the weather made it.  Spectacular views all around, especially coming over the Staircase.  Only let down by the descent into Kinlochleven – no choice though so it is a small price to pay.

The view looking back towards Kingshouse from the Staircase