Day 3: Inversnaid to Inverarnan
Trip Start
Aug 10, 2010
1
7
Trip End
Sep 06, 2010
Inverarnan, Scotland, United Kingdom
Monday, August 16, 2010
Today was a much shorter and less strenuous day than either of the first two. The distance from the waterfront at Inversnaid to the where the path reaches Inverarnan is listed as only 6.5 miles in my trail book. So, this meant I didn't have to rush to get started and I would have as much time as I wanted for a couple of small detours.
The nice folks at the Inversnaid Bunkhouse dropped me off back down by the waterfront where they picked me up at the end of yesterday's walk. I headed north through much of the same type of forest I walked through to get here. Through a clearing there were wonderful views of the Inveruglas power station and the massive water pipes descending to it from Ben Vorlich and Loch Sloy. Back in the woods, the midges made their presence known for the first time on the walk. It was a cloudy, still, somewhat muggy morning -- exactly the conditions during which they're most active. I was swarmed, but didn't feel like I was being bitten. Hopefully the Skin So Soft was working! I was stopped by a very friendly elderly couple coming the opposite direction; they asked where I was from, where I was going, if I was enjoying Scotland, etc. They were extremely nice, but I felt the midges landing on me in droves while we were talking. I tried so hard to be polite, but the couple wouldn't let me go and the midges made it impossible to concentrate. Finally, I just had to start swatting at them and the woman told her husband to let me carry on. (I'm not sure why they weren't similarly bothered; perhaps they're so used to the midges they can just tune them out?) Apparently, the key to dealing with midges (in addition to dousing yourself in repellent or Skin So Soft) is to keep moving; they really get you when you stand still.
Continuing on, I entered the RSPB (Royal Society for Protection of Birds) Inversnaid Nature Reserve, a beautiful ancient oakwood which, according to a sign, is home to redstarts, pied flycatchers, and wood warblers. I took a very steep nature trail (maintained by the RSPB) off the main West Highland Way path to a viewpoint looking back out over the lake; I didn't see any birds, but I did hear a few. I clambered back down to the path and continued on to my second detour, Rob Roy's Cave.
I had read a lot about Rob Roy in preparing for the walk (and watched most of the movie with Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Lange). Rob Roy MacGregor was basically the Robin Hood of the Highlands. He made his living by dealing cattle, both legally and illegally. He borrowed the large sum of 1000 pounds from the Duke of Montrose to complete a transaction, but his trusted drover ran off with the money. This made Rob Roy a wanted man; the Duke seized his land and declared him an outlaw. Rob Roy was supported by the Duke of Argyll, a distant relative, who was a common enemy of the Duke of Montrose. He was on the run for over 10 years and was captured many times; his image and legend grew because of the daring ways in which he managed to escape. The cave I was about to go find was supposedly one of his secret hideaways.
Getting to the cave involved scrambling up and down massive boulders that dropped right down to the loch. Eventually I spotted the large letters 'CAVE' in white graffiti above what looked like it must be the entrance. Unfortunately, it was a few too many boulders away for my comfort, so I decided that was good enough. I snapped a photo and headed back. Having learned from past mistakes, I had left my trail book on top of one of the boulders along my way so I could identify my path back to the trail.
I continued north through the forest along the side of the loch. At one point the trail was narrowly squeezed between a massive boulder and a tree. I was intrigued by a large beach off to the left so I went to explore. There were great views up and down the length of the lake, including a very picturesque wooded island just to the north, apparently called I Vow. I snapped a few photos and...
My camera beeped and displayed the words "Memory Card Error" in the viewfinder. My heart skipped a few beats as I really treasure my photos as souvenirs and I've always wondered just how reliable SD memory cards really are. I turned the camera off and on and still got the same beep and error message. I tried to view the existing photos and the camera just displayed "No Image". Let's just say I was not a happy camper. But, thank goodness I had downloaded all of my pictures last night, so I knew the worst case was I lost today's pictures to this point. I popped a new memory card in, retook a few photos, and got ready to leave.
Just as I left the beach I met a friendly couple heading in my direction along the main path. We started chatting and walking together; they introduced themselves as Christina and Garrett. They were from the States and on break from business school; Christina's at Harvard and Garrett's at Columbia, though they're both originally from Dallas. After I told them I work at Amazon and currently on Kindle, Amazon and Kindle were pretty much the sole topics of our conversation for the rest of our walk together. They were very interested in Amazon's business model (and history), and they were intrigued by (but didn't know much about) Kindle. I think it's safe to say we have two potential new customers now.
We passed the very picturesque Doune Bothy, almost at the northern tip of the loch. A bothy seems to be an unlocked hut with a sleeping platform and fireplace; I guess they'd fall between a tent and a bunkhouse in terms of comfort. They are cared for by the Mountain Bothies Association and provide very basic, free accommodation for walkers who are happy to follow the 'Bothy Code'.
About 15 minutes later I split off from Christina and Garrett on my third (and final) detour of the day. At an area known as Ardleish, I took a ferry a very short distance across the northern end of the loch to the small village of Ardlui to have lunch at the Ardlui Hotel. This was definitely one of those "focus on the journey, not the destination" moments. "Taking a ferry" involved summoning the boat by raising a large, orange, rubber ball on a signal mast on the loch's edge. I did this by pulling on a rope, much like raising a flag on a flag pole, and tied the rope off to keep the orange ball suspended. Then I waited. And waited. And after a few minutes I spotted a motorized boat coming towards me across the loch. It worked! I followed the instructions and lowered the ball before walking out onto the pier to meet the ferry. The fare was 3 pounds each way, but a minimum of 6 pounds for the trip. Since I was alone I had to pay 12 pounds round trip. But it was worth every penny for the experience.
It took maybe 5-7 minutes to cross the loch and I walked up to the Ardlui Hotel for lunch. I had a pint of cider and wonderful toasted sandwich with chicken, mango chutney, and tomato. Then I walked back toward the pier to find the ferryman who, in the interim, had become gardener. He kindly stopped his pruning and shuttled me back across the loch. As I got off the boat and walked past the signal mast with the big orange ball, I stopped for a moment to reflect on what a unique experience I had just had.
I continued north along the regular path and very soon turned around to say my good-byes to Loch Lomond as it disappeared from view when I crossed a small ridge. Inverarnan, today's final destination was about an hour away through a combination of woodland and the open hillsides of Glen Falloch. The trail reaches Inverarnan at the Beinglas Farm campsite, where I was struck by the appearance of their several "wigwams" that they offer in addition to the open campground. The West Highland Way continues north past the farm, but I had to leave it and head west towards the main road (my first of many encounters with the A82), at which I turned south and headed a quarter-mile or so to the famous Drovers Inn.
The Drovers was a key staging post on the droving road to cattle markets in southern Scotland and England. It's operated as a pub and inn since 1705. Since the Clachan Inn (the starting point of my walk) claims to be the oldest licensed pub and it opened in 1734, I guess the Drovers was unlicensed for several decades, especially since they don't seem to dispute the Clachan's claim. The Drovers oozes atmosphere, with smoke blackened walls, low, uneven ceilings, open fires, taxidermy to the nines, a longstanding reputation for being haunted, and all its staff dressed in kilts. I was excited to be staying here for two nights, both for the uniqueness of the place, but also so I wouldn't have to re-pack and move on yet again in the morning.
As I stood outside the Drovers before checking in, I noticed a magnificent waterfall up in the hills behind it, quite high above where the West Highland Way reached Beinglas Farm. I immediately had thoughts of using my day tomorrow to climb up to the falls, if possible. I would have to ask.
I checked in, got settled in my room, showered, and changed. I rested for a bit before heading down to dinner. The pub was packed with residents of the Inn, campers from the farm, and locals just stopping in. Apparently there was a big football match on (someone said Newcastle vs. Manchester United). The open fire in the fireplace was incredibly atmospheric, so I sat down with a pint and my Kindle to read. Eventually I ordered dinner -- their "famous" Steak & Guinness Pie, a side salad (I was craving vegetables), and the chef's homemade bread and butter pudding. The steak pie was absolutely delicious and rocketed to the top spot on the "meals of the West Highland Way" list. It was also massive. I had no idea how I was going to make it through the bread and butter pudding.
When I was part way through my dinner a Scottish couple asked if they could share my table. We ended up talking for hours, seemingly about anything, everything, and nothing in particular. Valerie and John were staying at the campsite at the farm with their incredibly cute dog Sunny (or was it Sonny?). I enlisted them to help me with the bread and butter pudding, which they thankfully obliged. I had a lot of fun talking with them and the next thing I knew they rang the bell for last orders. We swapped e-mail addresses and hugged good-bye, and I went off to bed after another great day.
Distance traveled: 9.0 miles (excluding 0.8 miles round-trip by boat)
Highest elevation: 358 feet
Total distance traveled: 40.5 miles
