If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words How About A Video

After an absolutely stunning day yesterday weatherwise, today was more of a typical Scottish day.

Both days were equally spectacular...and exhausting.  I'm thinking photo montages and videos will be my "go to" because by end of day I'm pooped -- in a good way.

So without further ado here are highlights of Day 1 & 2. It's looking like the rain will be with us for a while.

I'm off to bed...

Cheers ❤️

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

Yes you've heard that saying before.  

It might seem like an easy way out of blogging but I am sooooooo tired that my words probably wouldn't make sense.

I will just say that our day -- from arrival in Glasgow, the beautiful accommodations, the wonderful people who are part of this adventure and the delicious food -- was perfect.

Despite being extremely sleep deprived we managed to get in lots of walking.  Glasgow is a beautiful city.  They are well into spring and the flowers, trees and shrubs are amazing.

We set off on the first leg of The West Highland Way tomorrow morning so I am off to bed.  Enjoy this video and the pictures.  😊❤️

Let The Adventure Begin!

Despite a few logistical challenges, backed up traffic on the 401 and long security line-ups the trip from home to the airport went very smoothly.

Like the proverbial "village", my family and friends have been instrumental in making this trip possible.  You have all my love and gratitude for your support.

Once we got through security things went tickity boo.  They weren't kidding when they said get here early -- over 1 1/2 hrs in line. 😳

We met up with the rest of the LOLA group at our gate.  Most of the group we were meeting for the first time in person.  I think they are going to be fun.

Our plane is scheduled to arrive in Glasgow at 6:57 a.m. tomorrow.

We were fortunate to have a flight that had 100 empty seats leaving lots of room for people to spread out.  Mike and I had 3 seats to ourselves.  

Lots of elbow room.   

This post is short and sweet since there is not much action happening on the plane.

 

I have downloaded season 4 of The Crown -- I know, I know. What took me so long.                       

Here's a video of our day.  We will chat again from Glasgow once we settle in.  😊❤️

Finishing To Start Anew

 Wow!

When I said I was pressing pause I never expected it to be for 2 years.  What the F&*K!

My last post on this blog was May 12th, 2020 and here we are now May 4th, 2022.  Whoda thunk it.

I have to admit that leaving my "The West Highland Way The County Way" blog incomplete has left me feeling somewhat Sheldon-like.  You know?  When he hasn't been able to complete 3 "knock knock/Penny"s at the door.  No? You don't know?  It's a Big Bang Theory reference -- binge worthy in my opinion.

Anyway.......

I am not even going to go into the last 2 years.  It has been challenging to say the least and I know not just for me.  I have decided that it will only be eyes forward, positive outlook and make the most of each moment from this point on.  No more needs to be said.

Back to the blog...

IT IS A GO!!!! ( I am knocking on every piece of wood I can find as I type this)

Friday at 7:15 p.m. I am scheduled to board a flight to Glasgow, Scotland which will be the start of the real West Highland Way adventure with Live Out Loud Adventures Tours.  Accompanying me on this trek is my brother Michael.  

I have no words......

Well actually I do have words -- blogworthy ones hopefully.

I am hoping that you will follow along with  Michael and me on this...I don't even know what to call it.  Epic Adventure....that sounds good.

I will be posting while we are there and will put a link on my Facebook page and a link in my Instagram bio if you are interested.  If you are my "friend" I'm sorry cuz my feed will be full of each days events.  You can "unfriend' me if it gets too much for you,  😄

Just to give you a reminder of what the West Highland Way is all about I am putting a link below.  Click on it and it gives you a sense of the hike.

As far as completing what was the original purpose of this blog, I satisfied my nagging sense of "incompleteness" (is that a word? 🤔)  by combining it with a gear test hike with Michael.  We did it at the location that was to be my Day 7/8 on the virtual Way -- Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area. (The link below is to a video for the conservation area)

Here is the official itinerary.  

Day #7 – Kinlochleven to Fort William: Distance = 24km, Total Ascent = 735m

Our final day begins with a steep climb out of Kinlochleven, through the Great Pass of Lairigmor, and onwards through forest plantations. Occasional breaks in the trees provide splendid views of Ben Nevis. We’re now on the homestretch and Fort William awaits. The official end of the West Highland Way is in Gordon Square by a bronze sculpture of a weary hiker rubbing his feet. We’ll sit on the bench, rub our feet, and then … celebrate our achievements at a family-run hotel with an award-winning restaurant.

Ben Nevis: Distance = 5 ½ to 6 ½ hours, Total Ascent = 1,345m/4,413ft

Ben Nevis … the mountain with its head in the clouds … the mountain with “a wild heart, an adventurous spirit and a flair for drama”. With Ben Nevis right at our doorstep, bagging our first Munro will be a natural. For those with energy still remaining, we’ll wake up early and climb to the highest point in Scotland, and “bag” the first of hopefully many Munros - a mountain in Scotland with a height over 914m/3000ft of which there are 282!

So one adventure completed....now on to the next!

I hope you will join us. .❤️

PRESSING THE PAUSE BUTTON..

So....
I have made a decision to pause my journey along The County Way — one advantage of a virtual tour.  Only for a couple of days

Anyone living in our neck of the woods knows that the weather has been anything but spring-like for the last few days.   I’m okay with cooler temperatures but it’s the rain/snow and wind that just make anything other than a short hike unbearable.

Yes, I know that if I was on the “real” Way there would be no choice but to forge ahead — again another advantage of a virtual tour.

The other reason is that some of the locations that I wanted to visit are opening this week allowing visitors to use the trails, etc. as long as you adhere to the physical distancing guidelines.  I really want to blog about these locations having actually experienced them as part of the County Way adventure.

Today (Monday May 11th) would have been the final day on the West Highland Way with tomorrow being the optional climb to the top of Ben Nevis.  I am going to hit “unpause” and complete these final legs soon.

They are promising a warm up.....fingers crossed.

See you on The Way real soon. ❤

DAY SIX: A DEVIL OF A DAY...

The Devil's Staircase  Photo credit:  William Janssen

The official itinerary:

Sunday May 10 – Day 6 – Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Distance = 14.5km. Total Ascent = 425m

Today’s hike provides some spectacular walking across inspiring mountainous terrain. The Devil’s Staircase awaits – a zig zag climb up to the highest point of the West Highland Way (548m) where the mountainous views are stunning. On a clear day, you may even be able to see Ben Nevis (1344m), the highest Munro and our final challenge on the last day. After a gentle meander across the moorland, we’ll head down to Kinlochleven where a warm friendly welcome awaits us at a small family run guest house.

Today was to be a challenging day with the climbing of The Devil's Staircase.

Ben Nevis  Photo credit:  Jim McGeachan

My intended location for today's County Way is currently closed.

Try as I may, I just couldn't come up with an equivalent here close to home.  I have decided it doesn't really matter today because today is Mother's Day.

This day was intended to be a time to take a moment to stop and appreciate the women in our lives that have nurtured us along our "way".

I have many in my life but of course there is one in particular that I celebrate and appreciate today.  My mom, Rita whose maiden name is McIntyre.  My Scottish connection for this day.

Homemade apple fritters

My husband and I did a "porch" visit with her dropping off treats and a handmade card -- I actually used construction paper and crayons.

I must say my drawing skills haven't improved much since I was a kid.  I'm not sure she realized that orange "thing" was intended to be a Monarch butterfly.

Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

Since the County Stairway was off the table, my day (as seems to be the habit) became all about food.

I had made a batch of fritters in the morning but I felt that in honour of Mother's Day I could do something a little more formal -- afternoon tea.

A very British thing to do.

Okay so I opted for something other than tea for my beverage of choice.  

I finished it off with one of the blueberry scones I had made the other day.  They freeze really well.  Good thing otherwise there wouldn't have been any let for today's "Tea".

With all these tasty morsels tucked away I needed to get out and at least move a little bit.  We took Burghley across to the farm where a friend of ours happened to be walking his four ( yes, I said four!) Basset hounds.

We have invited friends with dogs to come here -- maintaining physical distancing, of course.  It gives their dogs a chance to have a good run.

Burghley has been trying his herding skills out on them.  I give him "A" for his effort.



Music Credit:  Eddi Reader "Comin' Through The Rye" from the album The Songs Of Robert Burns


Total Distance:  3.7 kms    5375 steps

DAY FIVE: A VERY DREICH AND OORLICH DAY ON THE WAY...

Bridge of Orchy Photo Credit:  Aileen Candlish

The official itinerary:

Saturday May 9 – Day 5 – Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse

Distance = 19km. Total Ascent = 202m

Today offers a glimpse into the wild and remote as we trek through one of the last great wildernesses of Europe. The Way follows a track that climbs gently past some plantations and then out onto Rannock Moor, a section considered to be the remotest and wildest of the whole Way.  On a good day the walking is relatively straightforward but if the weather is bad, the elements can make for a challenging going across this exposed moor. Bleak and beautiful at the same time … it all depends on the conditions! As the path descends from the moor to join the road again, we can catch a view of one of Scotland’s most photographed mountains, Buachaille Etive Mor. We plan to rest in Kings House Hotel, a hotel that dates from the 17^th century that was originally used as barracks for George 3rd’s troops. 

It was to be a day that could present some challenges if the weather was bad on the Rannock Moor. By the look of it though today would have been one of those “bleak and beautiful” days.

Not so much here.  

The sun was short lived.  The morning sky quickly turned overcast with, dare I say, flurries.  It was a day that would leave you "chittering".  No matter, the task at hand was again to discover the "Scottish" in the County.

To that end, I set off on my bicycle in search of the County Way.

I am certain there are many bridges along the West Highland Way but during the last two days of the journey two are specifically mentioned.  

The Bridge of Orchy, pictured above, was to be our end of day yesterday and our starting point this morning in the official schedule.

Today's route would have taken us to the Ba bridge which funnily enough takes you across the River Ba.  😃

Ba Bridge Photo Credit:  Lorie K. Risner

When I was preparing for this part of the journey I knew immediately where to find my County bridge.

I had intended to do this part of the County Way on my bike so despite the chilly and windy conditions I resisted the urge to hop in my car and set out pedaling into a headwind....

wearing a toque, mittens, fleece lined wind pants and several layers on top.  It was so worth the effort.  

This is a dry stacked stone bridge located in the back vineyard area of Karlo Estates Winery. It is beautiful, especially this time of year because the creek is at it’s highest with spring rains.

The weather didn’t improve much as the day progressed but if I was hiking The Way in Scotland the journey would continue. 




Mother Nature certainly seemed to have her seasons confused.  My Canadian and Scottish roots mean I'm a hardy soul...my hubby too, even though he wasn't looking amused in this video clip.  He felt much better after his cup of hot chocolate.    

These poor blooms were probably wondering what hit them.

The King's House Hotel was where we were to rest our weary bones after our trek across Rannock Moor.  

Our farm is home to an old residence that dates back to sometime between 1840 and 1850.  The property itself was part of a Loyalist Land Grant in 1804.  

I think it has some characteristics similar to the King's House.
  

It has been boarded up for quite sometime so not a place you would want to spend the night.  I don't even want to know what creatures might be sharing your room if you did.  Yike's

Total Distance:  14 kms cycling  5.5 km hiking  8105 steps


Here is some extra footage of my search for the County Way Bridge.  Completely by coincidence the song in the video is Granted by Josh Groban from his album...wait for it....
Bridges!