I don't even know where to start with today's adventure, but here goes.
We stayed at the Braeside Inn last night. Our room was quite nice with sloped floors and a sloped bed, 😂 but the options were few. Breakfast service didn't start until 8am, which got us on the trail a little later than we had planned for a 24.4km day. Breakfast was a traditional Scottish breakfast consisting of black pudding, sausage, bacon, egg, toast, beans, tomato, mushrooms, and a tattie scone. We are definitely fed well here!
We joined back up on the trail after about a 1km walk to wander along an old military road toward Conic Hill. We crossed streams, climbed steps, and went through many gates to sheep pastures until we had Conic in our sights. Bill and I obviously hike at a slower pace than our friends, partly because we couldn't help but stop and gaze at the scenery and turn around to see what was behind us from time to time. OK, we managed to chat with several people today, including fellow hiker, Anna, from Edinburgh.
This is how far ahead our friends were!
Then came Conic Hill! It wasn't the longest climb we have done, but it definitely made us work for it. As we were approaching, we had gentle, overcast views of Loch Lomond. There was a trail of walkers all seeking the same reward. When we came near the last push, we had to make a turn and go steeper to the top. That's where we met our friends, already on their way down!
The wind was chilly, so we took our leave from the Hill sooner than we would have liked and began to proceed downhill on newly established stone steps. This is part of a reclamation project that is still in the works. It was a looong way down!
At the bottom, we passed through the Trossachs National Park Visitor Centre then proceeded to Balmaha through the forest. We found a lovely park in the centre of town, near the Oak Tree Inn, to enjoy our packed lunch. A 30 min stop that put us behind a bit, but it was a much appreciated rest break. We topped up our water bottles and carried on for the next 13 km, stopping at the park nearby to see the Tom Weir statue. Tom Weir really promoted the love of hill walking and mountain climbing.
Much of our trail moving forward wandered along and just off of the Loch. It went on and on...and on. 😂 Now, we break for this little story... Yesterday, this fine gentleman stopped us and chatted for a little while about the Way. How could you not stop and talk to a man in his kilt?! He seemed to genuinely want us to be successful in our walk and offered some kind advice, then we were off. He said he would see us tomorrow. Fast forward, to now. There, he and his wife were at the gate to their home, Anchorage Cottage, right there looking over Loch Lomond and the walkers that went by. He remembered us and stopped us, again offering more advice for the last bit of today's leg. We enjoyed a little conversation, and carried on. We both felt like Allan and Liz were meant to meet us on that trail and somehow won't be surprised if we see them again before the walk is over. There were a couple more climbs left in the day.
This was just part of the 150 steps to climb, followed by more incline without steps. In Allan's words, "it's not a race, it's a marathon!" Don't we know it!
Finally, we made it at 5:10pm.
We checked into the Rowardennan Hotel with just enough time to have a quick shower before supper. A half pint of Calidonia Best with steak pie for Bill and fish and chips for me. We wasted no time getting back to our rooms for some quick laundry and organizing for tomorrow. 🥱😴
Here are some trip stats so far:
