West Highland Way Part 3
Almost every toe is wrapped in a plaster, my heels and the balls of my feet are covered in compeed; my feet are destroyed! Once the shoes are on, they don’t come off until the end of the day as I fear that I won’t be able to get them back on again. My lack of preparation for the West Highland Way is evident and I am suffering.
As time passes I manage to block out the pain and start to enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounds me. Crianlarich to Bridge of Orchy should be an easy walk, there are no notable hills, just the rough suirfaces of the military road to contend with.
Back into the forest which I got soaked in the previous evening, the path winds through the dense pines before arriving at Kirkton Farm. The ruins of a priory lie in the farm, its thought to have been connected to St Fillan, an 8th century Irish missionary who came to the area to convert the heathen locals to Christianity. Legend has it that Robert the Bruce requested a relic of the saint, the left arm bone, to be taken into battle at Bannockburn. After winning the battle, Robert the Bruce established a monastery to thank St Fillan for the victory.
The West Highland Way passes through the Tyndrum Community Wood which contains the site of the Battle of Dalrigh. According to legend, in 1309 Robert the Bruce was defeated here by the MacDougalls of Lorne, his sword is reputed to be in a loch nearby.
At Tyndrum I stopped for lunch and thought it would be a good idea to purchase some new walking socks. My feet needed all the help they could get! The difference they made was phenomenal, I wished I had been wearing them from the outset. Its amazing how much a little padding can help.
The path between Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy follows the military road once more. Its sandwiched between the road and the train tracks but neither really proves to be a distraction from the fantastic views. The sky had darkened considerably and I knew that rain was forecast so I was trying to push myself to reach Bridge of Orchy before it started. With the Bridge of Orchy hotel in sight the rain began. I reached the hotel before it got heavy but like every other day, others weren’t so fortunate. Sitting in the bar I heard stories of expensive waterproofs leaking whilst cheap boil in the bag ones kept the rain out, people opting to take the bus from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy to avoid the rain entirely and others sitting shivering because they had no water proofs at all. I just felt very fortunate that on the most part I had avoided the worst of the weather all week.
The group from Hamilton arrived later that evening, with a couple of them not feeling great. Barry had the worst midge bites I have ever seen, every inch of his legs were covered! It was no surprise when I learnt the next day that he had chosen to end his West Highland experience at the Bridge of Orchy. It seems to be very common for people to start but not finish the West Highland Way, either through injury, illness or simply finding it too hard going. Rob, a guy in my dorm at the hostel in Crianlarich, had started out with three friends but at Crianlarich they all bailed leaving Rob to complete the West Highland Way on his own. Like myself, they had under estimated just how tough the walk would be and they didn’t want to continue.
The Bridge of Orchy Hotel is a pretty expensive place; expensive rooms, expensive drinks and expensive food. There’s nothing else for miles around, so I guess that’s how it they get away with it. For walkers, a bunkhouse is available which provides a bed for the night at a fraction of the cost of the hotel. I was surprised by how nice it was, certainly better than any of the other accommodation I had stayed in thus far on the West Highland Way. The rooms each have one set of bunk beds which will sleep two. I was lucky enough to have the room to myself, so I got a great sleep and awoke feeling refreshed the next day, ready to tackle the Devil’s Staircase.
Posibly related posts:
Go Dan! Hope you make it all the way!