LEJOG Day 74: Drymen to Rowardennan

Weather: Sunny and hot

Distance covered today: 24.2km (15.0mi)

Last night's B&B: Rose Cottage (£32)

Cumulative distance: 1499.0km (931.4mi)/ % Complete: 78.3%

GPS satellite track of today's route: Day 74 (click!)

It was a long day, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed. It started badly. Half an hour out of Drymen, I discovered that I had left my walking poles behind, yet again!  There was nothing for it but to head back to collect them, resulting in an hour’s delay to my schedule and an extra 4-5 km (3-4 mi) to walk! Once I had regained my original position, I decided to take a short cut through the forest to try to gain some time, only to discover once I was well into the forest, a notice indicating that the track was closed due to storm damage. I’m afraid, contrary to my better judgement on this journey, I decided to ignore it. The notice looked old, the forest looked benign and I would have by then had to make a significant detour to regain the original route. As it happened, I was partially right. Indeed the storm damage had been addressed, but the foresters were now felling trees and objected to walkers in the vicinity for understandable safety reasons. I snuck through the forest avoiding them and intersected with the West Highland Way, feeling like a delinquent schoolboy, and thoroughly enjoying myself. I then found an alternative route to the pretty little village of Balmaha on the coast of Loch Lomond, by which time, I had pretty much made up half of the lost time.

Once out of Balmaha, the going got a little tougher. The guide-book and other walkers had warned me that the path along the shore of Loch Lomond was not going to be a walk in the park! The angular geography of the region means that the shoreline is often very steep, with the result that the path swoops and climbs with gay abandon, sending you on fruitless route marches up steep slopes only to plunge you down again back to the shoreline. It does though mean that there is a succession of lovely views, both of the beautiful loch itself and also of the imposing mountains beyond, the most dominant of which is Ben Lomond. The weather was also superb, if a little too hot, with dappled sunlight filtering through the forest leaves. I had anticipated that the forest in this region would be entirely coniferous and was therefore surprised to find that almost the entire shoreline consists of lovely deciduous forest. It almost made all the ups and downs worthwhile!

There were fewer walkers in evidence than yesterday, but still enough so that conversation was not really appropriate. It is interesting, though fairly obvious, that when there are very few walkers, such as the loneliest of the Pennine trails, every walker becomes a personal friend. As the frequency increases, there is just a gruff acknowledgement of the other’s presence, and above that threshold, there is active resentment at their effrontery in invading one’s privacy! Today was decidedly in the second of those three categories, though at one point I did encounter a rather well-spoken English couple looking for a tree. I seemed to have read something about a magnificent oak in some guide-book or other and offered to dig it out for them, but the tree they were looking for was actually growing on a tiny island right in the loch, and I couldn’t help them. I left them fruitlessly looking it up on their iPhones and went on my way with a wry smile on my weather-beaten visage.

I had though expected to see my dinner partners from last night on today’s adventure, but no luck. I must assume that all my machinations with the route will have resulted in our paths not coinciding, which is a pity, because I enjoyed meeting them. They were an unusual group in that they had history with each other. Two of them had been an item once upon a time, but had separated and were now each with new partners. They are both very dominant characters, so I wasn’t surprised that their relationship had exploded, and they seemed much happier with their new partners. The fifth member of the group was on her own, but without explanation. As is my wont, I talked my head off, and we covered the whole waterfront. Given that three of the group, including myself, were ex-South Africans, that country dominated the conversation, and I was interested that one of the Germans had practiced as a doctor at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg with one of the South Africans, his girl-friend at the time, also a doctor. He spoke movingly of his experiences there and of the quality of care that he had seen being administered.

I find it fascinating that when I get into these conversations, especially with ex-South Africans in the UK, there is a curious sense of something between guilt and relief. It seems so much more unrelenting than in the case of other countries. If a Canadian or an Aussie decides to come and live in the UK, it’s just a curious choice, but fair enough, so what? But in the case of a South African, particularly a white South African, with all that troubled history, it’s as if there is some residual, shared guilt. It may well be that the prospects for the UK aren’t all that bright, but that is somehow someone else’s problem. In the case of SA, it is a continuing and shared problem. Hence the guilty relief at being out of it. With all this going on, it is hardly surprising that I choose to stay well clear of ex-South Africans while I am in the UK. Those emotions are just too raw. I think all three of us felt that last evening. They may all of them show up here later this evening as there aren’t too many places to stay in Rowardennan. If they do, it will be interesting to see if the conversation remains that intense.

Michiel, Anna-Marie, Jean, Andreas & Natalie

Gorse still blooming in Scotland. I've been looking at these blooms since early April!

I've also been looking at the ubiquitous posties. This fellow looks like he has had too many deep-fried Mars Bars!!

A Scottish Dog-rose for Veronica

Loch Lomond: a boat yard at Balmaha

The Highland Fault shows itself in Loch Lomond as a series of islands

Scottish heather. My camera doesn't do the vibrancy of the colour justice

The loch with the Highlands beyond

Lovely dappled sunshine in deciduous forests

What a place to live!!

Lunch time at the side of the loch! Those are my boots, with a little family of ducks beyond paying me a visit. They were delightful 

Ben Lomond, I think!

Or was this Ben Lomond! They are off my map, so I'm guessing!

Lovely Scottish heather