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About_Time
04-19-2012, 09:12
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/02/travel/la-tr-offasdyke-20120402

I didn't see a link for this article posted yet, so I thought I'd share it. I still think my favorite journal post from last year's hike was "Bill Bryson is a wimp", which was posted just after Clingman's Dome......

Mrs Baggins
04-19-2012, 09:26
We're hiking The West Highland Way, all 95 miles of it, in 8 days in September. This article just makes us all the more anxious to get there! Our bags will be ported from B&B to B&B everyday, we carry only day packs with the needs of the day in them. Any hike that always ends with a few pints in a pub is a very good hike indeed.

PapaGarrettP
04-19-2012, 09:32
This sounds like a great time. Any helpful links to travel details, Mrs. Baggins?

Mrs Baggins
04-19-2012, 12:36
This sounds like a great time. Any helpful links to travel details, Mrs. Baggins?

We're using:
http://www.macsadventure.com/us/walking-tours.php

rocketsocks
04-19-2012, 13:52
We're using:
http://www.macsadventure.com/us/walking-tours.phpPretty cool sit Mrs.B,I'm sure some will like the "Whiskey Crawl",I pre the the "Scottish highland" walk.

Firefighter503
04-19-2012, 14:24
Mrs. Baggins, have you used that company before? I am headed to Ireland in June, and wanted to do some hiking while I am there. Realistically I'd like to do something more 'wilderness' than town to town, but I can't find the info I am looking for, so I was thinking about checking out one of these companies.

Mrs Baggins
04-19-2012, 14:30
Mrs. Baggins, have you used that company before? I am headed to Ireland in June, and wanted to do some hiking while I am there. Realistically I'd like to do something more 'wilderness' than town to town, but I can't find the info I am looking for, so I was thinking about checking out one of these companies.

They came highly recommended from a couple that has thru-hiked the AT and done many other long hikes. If you go to their (Bogie and Bacall) journal at:

http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=10179

you can read up on their WHW hike. I met them in the Smokies in 2008 so I was somewhat familiar with them and their hiking style. If we like how this all works out I'll be organizing a group hike with Mac's in 2013 for the outdoors group I lead here in Maryland. It seems the best way to get several people overseas, no real language barriers (just learning the various UK accents and dialects!), transport of bags, and so many gorgeous "walks" that can be done in a week's time.

We did do a some very short day hikes on the WHW when we were there in Sept 2008 and vowed that we'd come back to do the whole thing as soon as we could. After opting to do a Med cruise last May and hating every single moment aboard that stinking ship, I booked this hike the day after I got home! MUCH more our style of vacation! :) We'll never set foot aboard a cruise ship again.

fredmugs
04-19-2012, 15:51
Maybe when gets done "thru hiking" he can write another book exposing what a lousy job the national park service is doing.

Datto
04-19-2012, 17:56
There was a Scotch distillery (famous?) about 1.2 miles north of the south terminus. Nice people there. Has a tasting lab.

I made 1.2 miles the first day. Camped on their lawn the first night as I remember (with their permission of course). I had a terrific time on the WHW. Lots of friendly natives along the way.

Don't forget to stop at the famous tavern up aways on the WHW. Has the bridge behind it where the movie had the actor (Liam Nielson I think) jump off the edge of it to escape the English.

Also, in one of the towns near the WHW there's a library type building that has the lineage of the Scottish/English bloodlines in diagram form from way back in -- what was it -- 1066 or so? Very interesting diagram on the way. The diagram is burned but still readable (someone tried to burn the building down -- the lineage map was saved).


Datto

Datto
04-19-2012, 18:08
Also, don't forget to see the Edinburgh Castle since you'll already be nearby anyhow. That was one cool place. See the old painting on the wall in the castle where the eyes of the guy in the painting follow you as you walk around the room (you wouldn't notice the illusion unless you knew what to look for). I think the crown jewels of Richard The Bruce are there too as well as the room where King James from 1533 was born.

Also, as I remember there's the largest bar in Europe in, I think, Glasgow. Seats 2,000+ people. Quite a few watched encouragingly as Nurse POG tried to retrieve the contact lens out of my eye that had rolled back behind my eyeball for the previous five months and 22,000 true airmiles.

The WHW also swings past the small lake where Richard The Bruce tossed his sword into the lake when being chased by the English (I think the sword may have later been retrieved and might be part of the crown jewels -- can't remember for sure).


Datto

Mrs Baggins
04-19-2012, 20:44
Also, don't forget to see the Edinburgh Castle since you'll already be nearby anyhow. That was one cool place. See the old painting on the wall in the castle where the eyes of the guy in the painting follow you as you walk around the room (you wouldn't notice the illusion unless you knew what to look for). I think the crown jewels of Richard The Bruce are there too as well as the room where King James from 1533 was born.

Also, as I remember there's the largest bar in Europe in, I think, Glasgow. Seats 2,000+ people. Quite a few watched encouragingly as Nurse POG tried to retrieve the contact lens out of my eye that had rolled back behind my eyeball for the previous five months and 22,000 true airmiles.

The WHW also swings past the small lake where Richard The Bruce tossed his sword into the lake when being chased by the English (I think the sword may have later been retrieved and might be part of the crown jewels -- can't remember for sure).


Datto

We spent 2 weeks in Scotland in 2008. We rented a car in Edinburgh and drove west to Stirling then up and around all the way to Inverness (and did the boat trip out to Isle of Mull and Iona) then back down thru the Cairngorm National Park back to Stirling before returning the car to Edingburgh airport and getting a cab into the city, where we stayed for 3 days and hiked up to Arthur's Seat and the crag. So we've pretty much seen Scotland. We hiked into Glen Nevis...gorgeous day hike. Ben Nevis was shrouded in clouds and cold but we did take the gondolas up the mountainside and got the views. We love Scotland.

rocketsocks
04-19-2012, 22:00
We spent 2 weeks in Scotland in 2008. We rented a car in Edinburgh and drove west to Stirling then up and around all the way to Inverness (and did the boat trip out to Isle of Mull and Iona) then back down thru the Cairngorm National Park back to Stirling before returning the car to Edingburgh airport and getting a cab into the city, where we stayed for 3 days and hiked up to Arthur's Seat and the crag. So we've pretty much seen Scotland. We hiked into Glen Nevis...gorgeous day hike. Ben Nevis was shrouded in clouds and cold but we did take the gondolas up the mountainside and got the views. We love Scotland.My Ancestry is from the highland area more over Loch Lomond in Inverness at the foot of Loch Ness,might even been a distant cousin that started that whole Nessy thing,Bunch of drunkards we be LOL,would love to go there one day,simply beautiful.

neonshaw
04-19-2012, 22:16
I hiked up Mount Snowden in 2008. we were staying in Carnarfon at the time.

Datto
04-19-2012, 23:23
I was hiking downhill toward a some big lake on the WHW when I'd lost my footing and barreled in the back of a few people who were day hiking downhill ahead of me. After apologizing for running into them -- I found out they were from Indianapolis. Ha. Had a good chat with them. They knew a few people that I know from Indy.


Datto

rocketsocks
04-20-2012, 00:12
I was hiking downhill toward a some big lake on the WHW when I'd lost my footing and barreled in the back of a few people who were day hiking downhill ahead of me. After apologizing for running into them -- I found out they were from Indianapolis. Ha. Had a good chat with them. They knew a few people that I know from Indy.


Dattogotta love them small world stories.

fiddlehead
04-20-2012, 00:50
Wales looks like a great place to hike. It's not a big land so, maybe Bill can handle it.

I tried hiking in Ireland but, it was mostly just pub to pub stuff. Not very wild although lots of green spongy (peat) material everywhere and the pubs let you pitch a ten in their yard almost always.

For UK hiking at it's finest, northern Scotland is what I found to be the best.
Around Ben Nevis is awesome with not many roads and real wilderness.

I play in a band with some Welsh musicians here.
Oldest language in the world they claim. They talk from their windpipe though. (and have lots of tattoos)

Mrs Baggins
04-20-2012, 06:09
gotta love them small world stories.

Yep! In Edinburgh we were sitting at a table with some folks at the White Hart Tavern in the Grass Market district, all of us waiting on the start of the Literary Pub Crawl. Chatted up another American at the table......we both went to the same elementary school in a tiny tiny town in eastern California that's on the way to nowhere. When I asked where she was from she said "a little town in California, I'm sure you've never heard of it." That still amazes me.

Datto
04-20-2012, 21:14
gotta love them small world stories.

Get this. A woman I work with in Arizona -- she lived less than a mile away from me in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1992. She moved to Portland, Oregon like I did during the past decade. Then she moved to Arizona like I did and we work together in Arizona today. I asked her how long she'd been stalking me.

I also work in Arizona daily with two Ball State University graduates. We are everywhere. Resistance is futile.

I was hiking in New Zealand. I guy hiking toward me is out of breath and says to me as I pass him, "Go Cards." Yeah, he was a Ball State graduate too. Saw my Ball State Alumni baseball hat I was wearing.


Datto

Datto
04-20-2012, 21:26
Forgot to mention -- the girl I'd asked how long she'd been stalking me? Yeah, she was a Ball State University graduate too.


Datto

rocketsocks
04-20-2012, 22:25
My Aunt and Uncle met a couple at the Paris air show.Turns out after much discussion my aunt and uncle were to visit us in NJ on there return trip the couple was to visit there son in NJ as well,There son and his wife are friends of my folks and live in our neighborhood.So when they all returned to the states 8 of them went out to dinner.Small World indeed.

Old Hillwalker
04-21-2012, 06:31
The West Highland Way is now part of the International Appalachian Trail, as well as the Cape Wrath Trail. The CWT is the most remote and difficult route in the UK. Check out my CWT/WHW Blog at http://www.samohtw.blogspot.com/

So far over the years I have backpacked the WHW twice (both directions), the Great Glen Way, and the Cape Wrath Trail, and climbed lots of the Scottish peaks. I have been spending the month of May over there pretty much annually since 1989. I will be again heading back over next month (May) for a fortnight of peak bagging. I'll be happy to answer any questions regarding transport, lodging, and stuff.

rocketsocks
04-21-2012, 18:20
The West Highland Way is now part of the International Appalachian Trail, as well as the Cape Wrath Trail. The CWT is the most remote and difficult route in the UK. Check out my CWT/WHW Blog at http://www.samohtw.blogspot.com/

So far over the years I have backpacked the WHW twice (both directions), the Great Glen Way, and the Cape Wrath Trail, and climbed lots of the Scottish peaks. I have been spending the month of May over there pretty much annually since 1989. I will be again heading back over next month (May) for a fortnight of peak bagging. I'll be happy to answer any questions regarding transport, lodging, and stuff.Book marked your site Old Hill Walker,would love to go there one day,Thanks for the invite to your blog and info.cheers

greenmtnboy
04-22-2012, 14:29
I'd like to go to Wales someday as well as other parts of the UK as described here. I'm not a great fan of Bryson, though. I rather like Thoreau's style of hiking, and nature study.