Day 4 - Crianlarich to Inveroran

Climbing out of Crianlarich

Today was probably the least challenging day of all so far.  The total distance covered was 16 miles but most of the time it was on the old military tracks that cross the highlands.  Breakfast at the hotel was a Full Scottish, which is basically the same as a Full English but with the addition of haggis.  I have to say I quite enjoy the haggis – it does help though that all the venues advise that their haggis is freshly caught, so that probably makes a big difference.

 

Falls on the River Fallon

The West Highland Way passes along the top edge of the valley above Crianlarich and, by lodging there, I’d lost quite a bit of elevation which I had to regain first thing.  The legs were fine and it was an early test for the lungs but I’m pleased to say that having reached the halfway mark everything was holding up in pretty good shape.  The path wound through a forested section for a couple of miles, undulating gently, crossing a couple of fast flowing burns destined for the River Fillan below.

Eventually the path dropped down the hillside, under the railway line and across the A82.  For a couple of miles then it was a farm track heading to wards Kirkton.  Here walkers got a real treat as a shepherd was training his border collie to herd the sheep.  It was amazing to see them working together – the dog obviously loving his work, even though was could tell he was still only young as a couple of times his enthusiasm got the better of him and he couldn’t help but run a bit more than he should as the shepherd kept telling him to lie still.

After watching for a few minutes it was back to walking.  The Way takes you past the Lochan of the Lost Sword.  Here, in 1306, Robert the Bruce and his men were reputed to have thrown their weapons as they were being pursued up the valley by the English.  The weapons included Robert’s huge claymore sword.  Legend has it that it is still in the Lochan although an extensive search by a research team in 2015 found no trace of any weapons.  Still, it is an interesting story.

Soon Tyndrum was upon us.  There were a couple of places to stop for a brew and a rest but as it was a Sunday morning the cafes were very busy and so the decision was made to press on.  I did pop into “the last shop before Kinlochleven” (28 miles away) to get a drink and also a bottle of Old Jamaica Ginger Beer for John, the guy who was running the Way, should he pass by.  His own extensive research has shown him that this drink has the highest sugar content of any soft drink and so it’s his go-to soft drink when running.  John also insists that having a cigarette immediately before running helps open the lungs and thus provides great benefit.  I’m not fully convinced neither is anyone else who he tells it to.  Having said that, he’s a smoker who’s running nearly 100 miles and so he does have some degree of fitness.  He also explained that this was just a test run ahead of his trip to Spain in a couple of weeks where he intends to run 1,100km (700 miles) from the north of Spain to it’s southern tip over the course of about 7 weeks. Completely bonkers.  Having bought the ginger beer I later wondered whether or not I should have also got him 20 Lambert and Butler as well.

The Way tracks the railway to Bridge of Orchy

 The next 7 miles out of Tyndrum were a foretaste of Rannoch Moor, which will be tomorrows adventure.  The path rose out of Tyndrum and then followed the railway line to Bridge of Orchy.  Beinn Odhar at 901m and then Beinn Dorain at 1,076m tower above you, steep sided and imposing.  The train track hugs the side of the Beinns and veers away the Way in a huge horseshoe loop as it crosses the glen between the two.  The track stays glued to one Beinn then crosses a couple of impressive viaducts before landing on the opposite hillside.  An impressive engineering feat.

Bridge of Orchy Hotel

The weather in Crianlarich was drizzly but not too bad and so the raincoat stayed off for the most part.  As Bridge of Orchy approached the rain fell heavily and the wind funnelled up the valley between the mountains on both side.  It was a reminder that the moors can be a very bleak place when the weather turns – in winter the Highlands demand a lot of respect from climbers, hikers and walkers.  Ignore the warnings or underestimate the weather at your peril.

John finally ran past about 300m from Bridge of Orchy but refused to stop despite me shouting that I had some ginger beer for him.  He did graciously accept the gift 2 minutes later at the station where his bunkhouse was situated. 

Taylor, Kieran, Angela and John

Bridge of Orchy Hotel stands next to a lovely stone bridge over the River Orchy (which explains its name I guess).  Here I spent the next 3 hours or so drying off, having a drink and catching up with friends old and new.  Company included Angela and John and a couple of UK based Americans, Taylor and MC (MC is from DC and has no TV – honest, I’m not making it up) and a German lad called Kieran who had hurt his knee but was trying to keep up with his friends who were camping at Inveroran.  Kieran had managed to get a room for the night at the hotel having been deemed not worthy to join their camp.  I was instructed by Kieran, once I got to my B&B at Inveroran, to find his friends at the wild-camp site and chastise them for leaving him behind.  Ohana.  Ohana means family – nobody gets left behind !!

Loch Tulla

Inveroran Hotel

It got towards 6 pm and I still had a couple of miles to walk so I bade farewell and headed off to Inveroran and my next bed for the journey.  There I had a lovely meal and chatted for a while to a couple on the table next to me.  At Inveroran there was no connectivity to the outside world, not even text or phone call so I headed to my room to write the blog and get an early night. 

Tomorrow Rannoch Moor – the biggie !!