Backpacking Scotland's West Highland Way

[DuneElliot]

This trail was top of my list to do after I moved back to the UK from the US. I knew Scotland was one of the few places that rivaled the stunning places I had experienced in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado and the West Highland Way was as well-known as the AT.

20190521_150503 by Dune Elliot, on Flickr


So if you are curious about this trail and what it's like, read on:


Day 1


Lots of traffic out of the south-east at rush hour made for a longer-than-anticipated drive to Birmingham where I spent the night in a lovely fellow Adventure Queen’s driveway (you’ll have to Google who the Adventure Queens are) who had offered me a place to park as a stop over on Friday night. However not only did I park for the night but I also enjoyed a couple of hours of great conversation and a glass of wine.


Sleep evaded me most of the night, and what sleep I did get was fitfull and restless. I was up with the birds and heading north a few minutes after 5am. It had rained during the night and rained off and on during the 5 hours drive to Glasgow until finally settling in 30 miles south of the city. I wasn’t feeling good about the impending hike in rain.I dropped off a resupply box with my return shuttle driver and found a parking space at the train station…the place most recommended by, well, everyone.


With the drizzly rain still lingering I knew I’d have to suck it up so I started getting ready and a little before noon we were standing at the obelisk at the official start of the West Highland Way. It felt a little surreal to be standing there, having seen this icon in so many pictures and videos of people who had done the trail before me….similar to the what I assume it must be like for those at the southern (or northern) monument of the PCT.


We followed the signs and were quickly away from the town center and walking well-gravelled paths alongside the creek. I had worn my full rain suit but was soon dying of heat despite the coolness of the day and the rain. I switched out to my poncho and was quickly feeling better.


The drizzle continued for a couple of hours and obscured the views that should have been stunning. It was hard to look around much when I had my head down most of the time trying to stay dry. The dog’s raincoats were doing their job for the most part but I quickly realized that my measuring had been sub-par and they were too short for their bodies.


Continue reading Part 1 here (where all the great pictures also are):

https://nomadicpawprints.wordpress.c...y-2019-part-1/
Part 2: https://nomadicpawprints.wordpress.c...y-2019-part-2/
Part 3: https://nomadicpawprints.wordpress.c...y-2019-part-3/
Part 4: https://nomadicpawprints.wordpress.c...y-2019-part-4/