Glen Etive

Looking back up Glen Etive

The road to Glen Etive

We have had some  very variable weather recently . Days of rain and  low cloud until everyone is really fed up with the scottish 'summer'. Then a day of glorious pristine weather comes along  and the mountains look incredible and I for one can't believe that I live in such an amazing place.

The above pictures are small postcard size paintings rom photos I took this week on a trip to Glen Etive. Below is a sketch of the Mamores from Glen Nevis done on Wednesday.

The Mamores from Glen Nevis

Bridge of Orchy Runs

Glen Etive

 We've had a couple of good runs from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William recently.
 It is one of my favourite runs and a really good test of fitness without being too exhausting. We can get a cheap train ticket to Bridge of Orchy from home and start running just ater 9 am. Once over the hill behind the hotel there is a short section of tarmac then on to Telford's road. Built in 1803 it was the main road until 1933 but is now a remote track over Rhannoch Moor. The cobbles are still there and are hard on the feet ! Once you get to Kingshouse you feel you've done something, but it is wonderful; the mountains of Glencoe and Glen Etive are all around and only the busy A82 detracts from the wild beauty of the place.
The next hurdle is the Devil's Staircase apparently named by hard pressed soldiers on road building duties in the time  of General Wade. Later workers on the Blackwater dam would use the route to get to the Kingshouse Hotel to spend their wages on a Friday night. Returning was sometimes more difficult than anticipated! I like the staircase but dislike the track into Kinlochleven which is steep and gravelly and although downhill seems to go for ever.
Kinlochleven is a good place to get drinks or food before the steep climb onto  the Lairig Mor( big pass)  and consists of 15miles of   undulating rocky track through the mountains. Just now the heather is in bloom giving  the hillsides a beautiful purple tinge but even more striking is the wonderful smell of honey that fills the air.
 On the 2nd February 1645 The forces of Montrose chased the Campbells of Argyll through here after defeating them at the battle of Inverlochy. They must have been tough in those days to fight a battle then run through the Lairig Mor in the depths of winter!
The final stage of the run is the descent into Glen Nevis with the majestic Ben as backdrop.

Sunset  on the west coast

West Highland Way Training Run

I'm just back from a three day West Highland Way run.
 I took the train to Milngavie on Monday and started at about 12.30. It was a lovely sunny day- as it was when I last ran the West Highland Way in June. Then bluebells were out and the cuckoo was calling . This time  there was meadowsweet, rosebay willowherb,foxgloves and himalayan balsam  in flower. The cuckoos have sadly departed for Africa.
 I love the variety of the West Highland Way. It starts in thge suburbs of Glasgow goes through a wooded park then into farmland, then forestry, moorland and heatherclad hill. Then comes the gorgeous but lengthy Loch Lomond section before the dramatic mountains and high passes.
I used to find the first section of the WHW a bit boring; I was always champing at the bit to get into the real Highlands, but the last couple of times the weather has been fine and the countryside has looked so beautifully green and the wild flowers so profuse that I really enjoyed it.
At Balmaha I bought food and water at the shop then carried beside Loch Lomond.There was a lovely holiday atmostphere with children in swimming and families having barbecues on the shore.
As the evening progressed I began to wonder where to spend the night . Previously I have slept under a rock or just bedded down in my bivvy bag on the path . However the two hazards of sleeping  out in this area are the rain and the midges- there was no rain but the midges were fierce.
  I followed a new sign pointing out the lower route of the West Highland Way( which I have never done before as I normally keep to the upper track) and chanced upon the Rowchoish bothy. I normally try to get beyond Inversnaid on the first day but the bothy was a chance of a midge free night so I decided to stay. There were three guys from East London there and later an unexpected but enchanting  visitor: Hearing a rustling  noise in the eaves I put my headtorch on and there sat  a pine marten chewing  a piece of plastic. For a while he hid behind a beam but his tail was hanging down in clear view.
The Londoners asked whether I minded that they had set an alarm for 8am, I said that I too was planning an early start, but I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had set my alarm for 3.30am. I was back on the trail by 4.00 am.

Loch Lomond on Tuesday-it was a beautiful sunny afternoon.

I found running  on the second day quite tough partly because I didn't get any coffee in the morning! I had hoped to get some at Beinglas but they were not yet open when I passed. It was a beautiful day although it became cloudy later on. The lack of caffeine and tiredness started to tell on me by the time I reached the switchback path through the forest above Crianlarich and I fell and grazed my arm.
At Strathfillan campsite I finally got some coffee and it was very welcome.Refreshed I picked up speed and arrived at Bridge of Orchy at midday nearly three hours before my train: I could have spent longer in bed! I treated myself to a pint of guiness in the hotel.
At home I had a bath, a nice meal, and a good sleep before getting the morning train back to Bridge of Orchy for the final leg. The  forecast for Wednesday was dire - The weather map showed a band of rain sweeping across Scotland . In the event it wasn't too bad , the rain was persistent but only heavy at times, and it was surprisingly warm. The sixty miles over the previous two days were telling  on my legs but I was able to keep up a reasonable pace.
At Kingshouse I spoke to a man in a high viz vest who told me that they are going  to knock most of the hotel down and build a bigger version! The Kings House is a historic 17th century hotel(one of the oldest licensed premises in the country) with a lot of character, and is in an iconic position at the gateway to Glencoe. I do hope they don't lose that character in the modernization, and  that some of the older parts will be retained ( apparently the climber's bar is staying).
 I reached Kinlochleven by 2pm but struggled on the climb on to the Lairig Mor, however even in the rain the  pass is a beautiful place and I was able to savour this last section.
I cheated on the  final mile  because Helen had  come  to the Braveheart car park and was waiting  too pick me up.
As always doing the WHW is a very satisfying  way of training , it is a route I know and  love but it doesn't get any easier. It is a good test of fitness which at the moment is a bit lacking.

Sketch of two ladies on the train from Bridge of Orchy