Friday 2 May 2014
Four of us met at The Horse Shoe Bar in Glasgow on Friday afternoon.
We visited a couple more bars and had some food before catching the train to Balloch where the walk starts. Having no idea where we were going to camp on the first night, the best idea was simply to head into a bar in Balloch, get tanked up and forget that we were camping. The DogsHouse Bar seemed as good a place as any, as we ended up spending most of the night there before stumbling our way out with our rucksacks, having no clue where we were going to end up!
Balloch Country Park became our campsite for the night, two of us by the river where the ground was boggy and the other two, further into the woods where the ground was dryer and where we could be out of view from the public eye. (I am pleased to annouce that I was part of the latter two!) :D
It was mostly dry through the night with some light rain.
Saturday 3 May 2014
Up bright and early (and very hungover) we re-grouped and got some supplies at the local corner shop before heading down to the start of the walk by Loch Lomond Pier. My mate's buddy decided he'd had enough already and made his way back to the train station, leaving just three of us.
Leaving Balloch behind, we head for the Hills, towards our first port of call, Helensburgh. It stayed fairly dry in the morning with some light showers later on.
It was a trek over some open hills, across some moorland and through some woodland, including a steep muddy hill and a deforested area before a long dwindling descent down into Helensburgh, arriving in time for lunch.
After a well earned rest and an enjoyable lunch at Weatherspoons, we set off towards Gairlochhead, amid lots of Hills. The best way to deal with the hills is just to think about the amount of calories you're losing without having to go to the gym.
As we head away from Helensburgh we passed some Woods, farmland and moorland before following a minor road towards Gairlochhead, taking us onto the American Road which surrounds the MOD military training area.
Once arriving in Gairlochhead the next task was to find somewhere to camp, but not before a drink or two at The Anchor Inn. Also phone charging time before heading to camp.
A pint or two later and after speaking to Anchor Inn staff about suitable places to camp, (apparently none) we head over to the river at the other side of the loch, which was pretty much a perfect little location for a wild camp, although the local kids playing nearby could have been a little more welcoming instead of shouting "happy camping, hope you get p*ssed on!". Charming!
It was a peaceful night, it rained through most of it but I slept like a log since I never got much sleep the previous night. It wasn't long before first light and we got up and had some Breakfast (Porridge & Coffee) before packing up again, making our way about 9am and spotting a wild Bear across the river! It looked hungry.
Sunday 4 May 2014
We went to the village shop for supplies then made our way back up to the american road, we still had a good few miles to walk through the military training area, before our first views of Loch Long.
After a long hilly viewless walk in heavy rain and mist, we finally arrived at the village of Arrochar by Loch Long. We head to the Ben Arthur Bothy to put our feet up, certainly the most luxurious bothy I have ever encountered! We had a few drinks and a meal before deciding to retire for the day due to unforseen RAIN!! ...and pure laziness.
While in the bar, we got chatting to one of the local B & B owners who offered us beds for £25.00 per person. Having no idea where we were going to camp that night we decided some Bed & Breakfast would be in our best interest. We could dry our clothes, shower and just chill for the rest of the evening.
Monday 5 May 2014
Went downstairs for a fantastic cooked Breakfast plus Cereal, Toast, Coffee, Orange Juice... the works! Great start to the day, and I must use this opportunity to give the [b]Rowantreebank[/b] a mention. It wasn't the best accommodation I have encountered, the bathroom light didn't work, the ceiling was stained, but it was still better than a wet tent. (and the breakfast made up for its faults)
[url]http://www.rowantreebank.co.uk[/url]
After breakfast we took a walk over to Arrochar & Tarbet station to see Pete off, he had to leave us, expecting to have completed the walk the day before. There were now just the two of us with the last 6 miles to Inveruglas to complete.
We head off from Arrochar & Tarbet station into the woods taking us round the outskirts of Arrochar with some fine views of Ben Arthur (The Cobbler) and the Arrochar Alps.
After our visit to Inveruglas Pier, we walked 6 miles back to Arrochar & Tarbet station, plus an extra 2 miles to Tarbet Pier where we camped by Loch Lomond. We waited for it to start getting darkish before pitching the tents so we didn't offend any locals.
In the morning my mate caught the train from Arrochar & Tarbet Station back to Glasgow while I caught the Waterbus across Loch Lomond to Rowardennan where my plan was to join the West Highland Way, where I would reach Fort William by the following Sunday and head home on the Monday. Unfortunately due to horrendous rain, I got as far as Tyndrum before calling it a day, catching the next bus and heading home on the Wednesday afternoon/evening.
photo gallery here>
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/100408387173570597610/album/AF1QipMyQHG2wYqNjOcIIPM-vlDN0pD1jPuIyKh6QqlU
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