The Great Glen Way: Day two - Gairlochy to North Laggan

Wednesday night wasn't the best night's sleep I've ever had. After shivering in my sleeping bag for an hour or so, Sybil and I both nearly jumped out of our skins as a huge roaring sound came out of the sky right above our heads. It must have been an RAF jet to be flying that low and fast (and loud!) but it didn't half give us a fright. The jet, or whatever it was, soon roared away over Loch Lochy and we settled down again.

What a view to wake up to

After I had dried off and warmed up a bit I finally drifted off to sleep, only to be woken at just past 10PM by a strange noise. Listening carefully, I realised that it was two tawny owls calling to each other. Now that was a sound I could fall asleep to.

I also heard someone walking past my tent during the evening; perhaps a late dog walker or someone out to watch the stars? When I woke up I realised that someone else had set a tent up just down the path from ours and was up early fishing in the loch. On the plus side, it had finally stopped raining.

Bit of history

We made our way up to the road to discover we had camped just outside Bunarkaig. It was roughly half an hour's road walk to Clunes, where I found a picnic bench and unpacked my stove and hot chocolate sachets for a warm breakfast.  The sachet I'd chosen refused to open, so I took out my penknife and managed to slice my thumb whilst cutting the packet open. It can only happen to me. Luckily I had several plasters in my bag so wrapped one around my thumb and carried on making the drink.

At Clunes Forest School

However I had to use every single one of my stormproof (!) matches to light the stove. In yesterday's downpour the box had gotten damp, even whilst being tucked away inside my rucksack. The box, apparently, wasn't stormproof and it was only with a bit of persistence that I finally managed to strike one of the matches on a tiny dry section of the box. Making a mental note to buy some more matches at the next village, I drank my hot chocolate and we continued on our journey to Laggan.

A distant mountain

A sign at the forest school announced that Laggan was only seven miles away. I figured I may even be able to make it to Fort Augustus that day as it was still only ten in the morning. It would be nice to have a little rest day to explore, but we shall see.

As it turned out, the sign lied. It was an enjoyable walk on a wide track through forest, with occasional glaces of Loch Lochy to the side and snow-covered mountains in the far distance. We met a fair few walkers today, some on their way to Laggan and others coming from the other direction.

A cheeky smile at a mini waterfall

The track wound through the trees at the side of the loch, sometimes gaining a little ground so the views across to the other side were fantastic.

The rain continued to hold off and thankfully we hadn't met any of the infamous midges yet. My main reason for doing this walk in early May was to avoid them, as I've heard a few horror stories about how people have run out of their tents in the night, clawing desperately at their flesh and eyes as the little blighters ate them alive.

Plenty of chaffinches along the route

The trees were alive with birdsong, which is one of the reasons why spring is my favourite season for walking. After hearing my first cuckoo of the year on Tuesday, I was now hearing them constantly throughout each day. I never understand people who walk or run with earphones in, listening to music. I actually saw a couple of people doing this on the GGW. Nature's soundtrack is the best one you could possibly listen to, so why cover it up with music you can listen to any other time?

Best buds

The Great Glen stretches out in front of us

And again

We reached a junction where a sign pointed up another track directing walkers to the nearest Munro. No thanks, I think this walk is enough for me. Perhaps another time. A Munro is a mountain over 3,000 feet high for those who aren't sure. Some people are insanely fit and like to jog up them before breakfast.

South Laggan

It was nearly half past one before I finally saw the beautiful sight of South Laggan to my right. Hmm, perhaps I wouldn't be getting to Fort Augustus tonight after all. Sybil's lead was clipped on due to the sheepies on the road and we looked for somewhere dog-friendly to have a hot meal. A sign fastened to a fence claimed the Eagle, a boat that also happened to be a pub serving meals, was open 11am til late at night. More lies. I got there and it was closed.

Hmm, never mind. We continued on to North Laggan, another two and a half miles away, where we found the Great Glen Water Park. I tied Sybil up outside and asked the lady on reception if they had any free dog-friendly rooms for the night. Unfortunately not, as the lodges were booked through Hoseasons. We were welcome to use their restaurant though. I ordered cheese panini and salad for us both and, thinking I would be able to get accommodation of some sort in Fort Augustus, asked the lad if there were any buses running through the village. Yes, there would be one pretty soon.

Invergarry Castle

Hmm, bet they don't have blisters

We finished our meal and made it to the bus stop in the nick of time. The bus pulled up and opened his doors, then informed us that unfortunately dogs were not allowed on the bus. At first I was rather offended, but then I realised he meant Sybil. With no choice but to carry on walking now, I was just hoping we would strike lucky again and find another suitable wild camping spot.

Home for the night

As luck would have it there was a perfect spot just a couple more miles down the route, complete with bench and well-used campfire. The bench came in handy for spreading my sleeping bag and fleeces on to air them a little, after the damp day yesterday. The pitch overlooked our second loch of the trip, Loch Oich. I borrowed a bit of the water from the loch for some washing before retiring to the tent for the night. A pretty enjoyable day with a fair amount of solitude and pleasant forest walking. I was beginning to realise that even though most of the track to either side was surrounded by trees or a drop to a loch below, there would usually be a suitable grass verge somewhere of a big enough size to pitch the tent on. I decided to just stop worrying about such things and enjoy the trip for what it was, a bit of freedom.

The Great Glen Way: Day one - Fort William to Gairlochy

Wednesday the 7th of May was the start of our six-day walk to Inverness. We woke up at 7.30am in our tent at the Glen Nevis campsite to the sound of rain hitting canvas. I lingered in my sleeping bag for a while but it became clear that the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon. It took a while to stuff my wet tent back into its bag and after I'd dressed, packed up and visited the campsite shop for our dinner for the next two days, it was getting on for 9am.

So it begins

The rain eased off a bit as we arrived into Fort William, but grey clouds still loomed over us so I decided we should keep our wet weather gear on (yes, Sybil wears a waterproof coat too. She isn't friends with the rain). The Great Glen Way has a slightly uninspiring start directly from the train station and through the nearby Morrisons car park before heading away on a path in front of some houses where Sybil could stretch her legs.

Passing Caol

There was a bit of road-walking as we made our way through Caol, where I stopped at a cafe to have a moral-boosting cup of hot chocolate and something warm for breakfast. Sybil had already eaten, but she still shared a little of my fried egg sandwich. The Way passed a slim shingle beach where the local birdlife was still out in force despite the persistent rain. I saw a wheatear, a flock of oystercatchers on the shinty pitch, sand martins swooping low all around us and my first hooded crow.

A bedraggled hooded crow

We were suddently instructed to veer right by a GGW signpost as we reached the start of the Caledonian Canal, which was to be our almost constant companion all the way to Gairlochy. The walk finally felt "official"; now if only the rain would stop!

Calendonian Canal

Unfortunately it was not to be as the heavens continued to pour on us all day, save for a half-hour break about eight miles out of Fort William. We soon reached Neptune's Staircase, which is a pretty impressive set of eight locks that allows boats to ascend or descend the slope. No pictures though, as the rain was still beating down and I didn't want to risk my camera getting wet.

Still marching along the canal

There were some nice views of the hills and mountains of the Glen quite close at hand. Closer to Gairlochy it was possible to look back and see the snow-patched slopes of Ben Nevis in the distance. We stopped to have lunch and had a quick chat with several couples who had started the Great Glen Way the same day as us. Unlike us though they were all off to cushy B&Bs at the end of the day, while we had to try our best to dry off in our tent. Ah well, at least we had chosen the cheaper (free) option.

We were stopped at the Moy swing bridge while a farmer directed her flock of sheep and their lambs across to the other side of the canal. I had a chat to one of the couples we had met and found out they lived in Inverness and were walking home. A bit less travelling than us to do then!

The rain was really coming down now and instead of pausing at Gairlochy, we carried on into the forest to find somewhere a bit more sheltered to spend the night. Camping was permitted at Gairlochy locks but it was only half three in the afternoon and I didn't want to be sitting around bored in the tent while the rain carried on. I wanted get a bit more distance covered so we had a headstart the following morning.

Our home for the night

In the forest was a little fairy garden with gnomes and fairies set around the trees. Unfortunately with the rain dampening my spirits, I didn't take the time to explore it and I wish I had done now. The rain started to ease off a little and I found a nice grassy area between the path and the road at the side of Loch Lochy to pitch the tent for the night. After such a wet first day, I could only hope for better weather for us in the morning.   

The Great Glen Way: To Fort William

On Tuesday 6th May Sybil and I set off for Fort William in Scotland, to begin our walk across the Great Glen to Inverness. I've wanted to do a long distance walk for a couple of years now and decided to take the plunge with a fairly easy one in terms of navigation and distance.

The Great Glen Way begins (or ends, if you do it north to south) in Fort William and passes through the villages of Gairlochy, Laggan, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit, with Inverness being the last stop before home.

We boarded the first bus of the day to Doncaster, where our train was waiting to take us onwards to Edinburgh. The East Coast trains are huge and have plenty of seats, but rather than sitting in our reserved seat (there wasn't an option to book the tickets online without reserving a seat) I opted to sit near the door at the start of our carriage so Sybil had a bit more room to lay down. Having being cooped up on a bus for forty minutes and not yet having had a run, Sybil was a bit fidgety and kept standing up and generally getting in the way of people coming in through the train door. I had to keep shepherding her back under the bench I was perched on and apologising to the people getting on the train. A few smiled, but mostly my apologies were received with blank looks and silence. Perhaps there is an unwritten rule of not speaking before six o'clock in the morning.

Chaffinch

We settled down in our corner for the journey and the train was hurtling through the countryside towards York when the ticket inspector, or train guard as they like to be called, kindly told us we could move to the wheelchair bay where there would be a seat for me and room for Sybil to lay down. Unfortunately the space was right at the other end of coach F, which meant making our way down the narrow aisle with Sybil leading the way and my huge rucksack, complete with mat and tent strapped to the back, bouncing off the seats and the heads of any unlucky commuters who happened to be sitting in those aisle seats.

Slightly flustered and now fresh out of apologies, we got to the seats where Rob the train guard was waiting and settled down once more. Feeling slightly hungry I decided it was time for breakfast. I have to admit I felt slightly undignified sitting there sipping from an Asda smartprice orange juice carton, while other passengers filed onto the train at each station clutching their posh Costa coffee cups. Nonetheless we got to Edinburgh unscathed (which is more than I can say for some of the other passengers) and continued on to Glasgow to catch our booked train onwards to Fort William. Phew. What a journey. But the scenery from the Fort William train alone made it almost worthwhile as it passed through the west highlands and alongside Loch Long and Loch Lomond.

At the foot of Ben Nevis

Upon finally reaching Fort William after a long eleven hours of travelling, we headed down the road to the Glen Nevis campsite where we were booked in for the night. I pitched the tent in Benview Field, which had a good view of, yes you guessed it, Ben Nevis. Sadly there was no time in the week for us to attempt to climb the mountain, so we consoled ourselves with an evening walk along the river where we saw several interesting species of bird including a sandpiper and heard my first cuckoo of the year. Sybil was happy to be finally off-lead.

Common sandpiper

We turned in early, planning to get a good night's sleep each before beginning our medium-sized Scottish adventure in the morning. Finally, the travelling was over and the walk could begin. Great Glen, we are ready for you!

Maltby and beyond: A visit to some villages

Today's walk was a pretty impressive (for me, anyway!) fifteen-miler starting from Maltby and going through the villages of Hooton Levitt, Carr, Brookhouse, Laughton-en-le-Morthen, Letwell, Firbeck, Stone, past Roche Abbey and back to Maltby. Phew! We've attempted this walk before, but only made it as far as Carr before getting lost. This time we went back and attacked it with a vengeance.

As with the majority of the walks Sybil and I do, today was not without its drama. First off, Sybil was sick on the bus to Maltby. Luckily I had some large wipes in my bag so I cleaned it up before we got off. I was slightly concerned as she's been on hundreds of buses and never had a problem, but she was her normal self for the whole of the walk so I guess it was just a minor blip.

Like I say, normal self. Sybil mid-pounce.

We made it through Hooton Levitt in record time, having walked this way before. When we reached Carr, we followed the road round to the left instead and soon found the correct footpath. How anyone can get lost in a village with only two streets is beyond me, but somehow I managed to last time.

Trying to look all innocent once we have passed

Last time we had an encounter with two demon horses that trotted over as soon as they saw us, nipped me on the arm and pranced around a very nervous-looking Sybil. The two horses in this field also trotted over, so I was a bit wary. It seems they were just overly-friendly and followed us for the length of the field, with Sybil pulling harder and harder on her lead to get out. I ended up picking her up as I didn't want any accidents, which resulted in most of the wet mud in her fur getting wiped onto my jacket and trousers. Oh well. A clean walker never had any fun.

Wood anemones

Wood anemones

We were then instructed to take a path through a wood to the bottom corner. The wood has a fantastic carpet of wood anemones, with bluebells just starting to come through. We followed the path, then we started to run out of trees. I knew we had gone wrong as I couldn't find the stile, or even the field for that matter, that we were supposed to cross down towards Thurcroft riding stables. I spotted a road in the distance and we headed towards it, where I found out we had come out next to Thurcroft. Suspecting that the church tower I could see to the distant left was one of the villages we were supposed to be visiting, we turned that way and started down the country lane. I figured all roads lead to Brookhouse (or this one, at least) and I was relieved when I spotted the attractive village sign.

Back on track

A river (or stream) runs through it

It wasn't long before we arrived at Laughton-en-le-Morthen, where we followed several footpaths through oilseed rape fields. Crossing over a stone stile we found ourselves next to a garden where two dogs began barking at us, making Sybil feel she had to bark back. We were both then taken by surprise when the little Jack Russell hopped over the wall and was suddenly nose-to-nose with Sybil. Thankfully I think Sybil was too shocked to remember she usually tries to eat dogs when she's on-lead and just stood there meekly wagging her tail.

Fields of gold

Confusion arrived whilst I was trying to find the St. Leger pub. The footpaths had criss-crossed a bit and I wasn't entirely sure I was on the right one, so decided to use the next pub in the directions as a navigational aide. After traipsing up and down several streets once back in Laughton, I was no wiser as to where the pub was and could only find one named the Hatfeild Arms (no, I haven't misspelled it). As there was no audience to ask, I decided to phone a friend and with the help of online maps the two of us worked out that the pub I was looking for had recently been converted into a house. Finally I knew where we were and just as curtains started to twitch as people wondered why a young woman and her dog were walking back and forth for no apparent reason, we quickly moved on.

Slightly frustrated by this point about the time wasted, I decided to use the shortcut given as an option, only to find that the path didn't exist anymore. We had no choice but to continue on to Letwell and after initial uncertainty about which footpath to take we started to enjoy the walk again, as the path unwound between more pleasingly yellow oilseed rape fields. One of the reasons I like to do my "big" walks on weekdays is that you don't tend to see as many people (I'm rather unsociable you see) and this was the case today as we had miles of footpaths to ourselves. We sat on a bench (yes, Sybil too) and had a well-earned sandwich each while watching a buzzard soar nearby.

I love Spring

Soon we arrived at picturesque Letwell and, after making our way through more rape fields, eventually to Firbeck. I did have to wonder what the people in these posh-looking and well-kept villages made of me walking through with my tangled, windswept hair and muddy trousers. Most people seem perfectly able to go on a walk with their dog and look as clean afterwards as if they've merely visited a shopping centre, whereas mud appears to fling itself at me from all different directions, clinging to me and making me look as if I've swam in a bog.

A Stone house (geddit?)

We headed across more fields, wheat this time, in the general direction of the tiny village of Stone. There was a little more confusion as the footpath I was trying to follow was through the middle of a field being planted with potatoes by two tractors. I managed to find a way round and we soon found ourselves at Roche Abbey.

Stalking Roche Abbey

It wasn't far back to Maltby at all now, and we made our way alongside a stream in a wood carpeted with wild garlic, wood anemones, bluebells and other plant species I didn't know the names of. Even though the wild garlic wasn't yet in flower, there was so much of it I could already catch its scent.

Wild garlic

Then it was back on the bus home, where we got the by now expected chorus of "oh, isn't she well-behaved?" Hmm, no not really, she's just tired.

If you go down to the woods today...

No, there was no teddy bears' picnic. But I have got a new camera, so I had a little play with it in Listerdale Woods today.

Of course Sybil came too

We stopped by the pond; well it's more of a flooded marshy area really, but frogs have spawned in it and ducks often visit it. I call it the Bachelor Pond as I've only ever seen drake mallards on it.

Bachelor Boys

The frogspawn has hatched and there were a few young tadpoles lurking around the edge of the pond. I hope it doesn't dry up too much for them in the summer months.

Then we passed the field boundary where I saw this wonderful treecreeper:

Whilst I was busy taking his picture, I heard a tawny owl hooting in the distance. I've seen one in these woods before, but never heard one so that was a great first for me.

The stream banks were thick with what I think is a celandine, but not entirely sure:

Here's another of Sybil, because she's pretty:

Waiting for me

On our way back from the Wickersley end, I stopped to take several photos of trees coming into leaf. The goat willow trees were heavy with their distinctive catkins:

 Some more spring trees:

And one area of the woods is covered in daffodils at the moment. The bluebells are not in flower yet, but I feel it won't be long.

Bye for now :o) and thanks for looking.