Day 2. Balmaha to Inversnaid

Day 2 was a shorter walk in terms of miles covered (14 in total) but the paths and terrain were much tougher than yesterday.  You'd think that, because the next 20 miles hug the shore of Loch Lomond, the going would be pretty flat.  But it isn't and that's because the eastern shore of Loch Lomond consists of craggy outcrops interspersed with dense woodland.

Tom Weir

After a very enjoyable Oak Tree Inn breakfast I checked out and made my way down to the statue of Tom Weir, a seasoned climber, writer and photographer.  He was an ardent campaigner, working to protect the Scottish environment and, in 1976, was awarded an MBE as well as being voted "Scottish TV Personality of the Year".  Not sure how tough the competition would have been back then ?  Andy Stewart, maybe ??  The Krankies weren’t around for another 2 years.

From Balmaha the path climbed sharply up and around the Craigie Fort before dropping back down to follow the shoreline as I started to head north.  At this point I caught up with Johan and Carla, a Dutch brother and sister combo who were doing the Walk. They’d actually been in the room opposite me in the Oak Tree but up to that point we hadn’t spoken.  I ended up chatting with them as we walked the next section to Rowardennan.  The conversation flowed well and covered a whole range of interesting topics.

Looking south down Loch Lomond

Delicate Angels Wings

The first couple of miles were quite easy, following a path by the main road that goes to Rowardennan.  Then, as the road fell back from the shoreline, our path took us though some lovely plantations.  Here we saw many trees and plants but the thing that stuck me was the proliferation of fungi.  Huge red and white fly agarics were plentiful but the one that caught my eye was the very delicate Angel's Wings.  Many of them had been nibbled by the local wildlife but there were a few that were still fully intact.

As we progressed through the woods the path rose and fell like a gentle rollercoaster.  Never too steep but enough to get the legs and lungs working.  Soon we were at Sallochy where we had a rest for 20 minutes, looking out over the clear and very calm water.  The weather today was excellent with no rain at all.  After the rest we started to climb the hill at Ross Point - the first testing climb of the day.  As Carla reminded us, "it's OK to sigh but it's not to complain".

The climb up Ross Point

 After dropping down from the summit of Ross Point it was only another mile or two before we arrived at Rowardennan Hotel.  Johan and Carla were staying here for the night whereas I was still only halfway to Inversnaid.  However, we were all in need of a sit down and a drink so we sat outside on the decking, sampling St Mungo lager, a bavarian style pils lager brewed in Glasgow. We chatted for ages, taking in the stunning views - Ben Lomond stood tall and was cloud free even though some of the peaks further up the Loch were shrouded in mist.

Where's the proof-reader?

We started to cool down after our earlier efforts and so we moved back inside.  The tv in the corner was keeping us up to speed with current affairs (albeit on mute) whilst the stereo played a great selection of tunes from recent decades.  One surreal moment had us looking at pictures of Syrian conflict whilst Frankie exhorted us to "Relax".  The news channel was Euronews Now, and basically kept looping a set selection of news stories.  I did have to chuckle that, for a tv company, their attention to detail was a little lax.  It took at least a couple of hours for them to correct a very basic spelling error in their headlines.

Johan and Carla

Angela, David and Nancy

Whilst we were here we were joined by Angela (San Francisco) and David (Scotland) whom I'd met at Drymen on Day 1.  

A short while later Nancy (Colorado) also joined us.  They were all booked into Rowardennan Hotel so they could relax for the rest of the evening.  

At about 5pm I had to leave them as I still had 7 more miles to cover, even though I would have loved to stay for more conversation and laughter.

Time to head to Inversnaid

The next 4 miles were all on a pretty easy track that rose steadily up above the loch before levelling off and finally dropping right down to the shoreline.  Here the track ended and the path became very challenging.    

Although Loch Lomond was never more than a handful of metres away, the path rose and fell over the quartzite, schist and marble underfoot.  Huge boulders regularly rose up out of the ground between trees and burns and provided a reminder of the much harder-wearing rocks north of the Highland Boundary Fault.  Often the path was replaced by a scramble over rocks, slippery when wet, and with many exposed tree roots.  There was as much time spent watching where you were putting your feet as was spent taking in the surroundings.

Great views over Lomond

Typical honesty box stall

The final few miles were tough going – many people have a real dislike of this section and I can understand why.  It seems to be never-ending and you never seem to pick up any speed or momentum.  However there are many other points of interest along the way and the scenery is hard to beat.  

I regularly saw drinks, crisps, fruit and chocolate in little display cabinets with honesty boxes next to them.  A real treat for the hungry walker who just so happens to have a spare pound in his or her pocket. 

Bill Lobban memorial

I also passed the memorial for Bill Lobban – a teacher who drowned as he rescued a pupil who had been swept into the Loch as a college expedition tried to cross the burn.  The pupil survived thanks to Bill’s sacrifice but he sadly died.  Passing walkers add sticks, stones and flowers to the mound as a token of respect to a man who paid the ultimate price to save his pupil's life.

From the memorial spot it was another 2 miles to Inversnaid – tough going amongst the rocks and tree-roots and then ending with the spectacular falls right next to the hotel where Arklet Water flows into the loch.  I finally made it to the hotel only to find out I’d missed the last sitting for dinner and would have to make do with sandwiches.    A shower, a sandwich and a cheeky beer and then I tried to update the Blog, but unfortunately the broadband was atrocious so I could only manage a placeholder.  Publishing will just have to wait.

Inversnaid Hotel - nice place, shame about the broadband

Tomorrow there will be a few more miles of rocks and roots before I say goodbye to Loch Lomond and take to more open terrain as I head towards Crianlarich.