West Highland Way 2019 Day 2

Day 2 Sunday 22^nd September 2019

After a fitful sleep because of the other guy’s snoring throughout the night and a group in the kitchen (right through the door) at an ungodly early hour yakking, I was out of the B&B around 8:30 to see the attractive young lady from yesterday walking past.  We exchange “good morning’s” as she goes past.  Shortly after that I’ve passed her and am off at a pace that passes a few other early starters.  After an hour or so, I came to a junction, and see the signpost says both directions are the West Highland Way, which is slightly confusing, but I make a snap decision and turn left, as it seems to be heading downhill.  A bit later on, I look in the guidebook and find that this is an alternate route that leaves out a climb and great views but I don’t want to backtrack now and, as the sky is getting dark and rain is imminent, I think maybe I made the right choice after all.

Then, when reaching the main road along which I now have to walk along, I second-guess that decision.

Entering Balhama, the rain begins, and keeps on for the rest of the walk.  My coat has lost its waterproofness, which makes the walking in the rain less pleasant.  Normally I love walking in the rain, so it is not a terrible situation, just an uncomfortable one and means I keep my camera in the rucksack, away from the moisture, so there are no photos.  The path skirts Loch Lomond, occasionally connecting with the road briefly.  I just put my head down and march on.  The rain causes a mist to form over the Loch, which makes it atmospheric, something I appreciate.  I arrive at Rowardennan Youth Hostel at about midday, making this another quick day’s walk.  I am sodden, so ask if I can go inside to put wet boots and weatherproofs in the drying room, and to sit in the lounge until check-in.

A few others are in the lounge, including another attractive young woman (who must have been waiting for the rain to stop, as she gears up and leaves in the late afternoon never to come back), and others slowly arrive as the day goes on, including the attractive woman I said “good morning” to that morning.  If I were years younger, I would approach and speak to her, as she is obviously alone, and does not speak with anyone else.

I find I am in a dorm with a number of people who stayed at the B&B last night, including the two Americans, who can’t stop complaining about the weather and, after some research, discover a ferry across the loch to a small town where there is a bus stop and they make plans to end their walk here and go back to civilisation: that decision is something I and a few others do not understand – surely they knew that the weather in the U.K. was often wet.

Due to the wet weather today, my camera and phone stayed out of sight and dry, hence no photos.  But I promise there will be plenty in the next few days.

Day 3