July 2023
I have to be upfront - we did not make it all the way. It sounded like an unreal adventure; 5 days through the Scottish Highlands, carrying all our gear on our backs, watching sunsets, swimming
in Lochs ....
We tackled 3/5 days before deciding that we weren't having fun anymore, and that we would not be wasting another day crying into our backpacks when we could be having Lidl picnics and wild camping by Lochs. I will say it was easily one of the best weeks I've spent outdoors, so still a win, but the West Highland Way is NOT for the faint hearted.
I consider myself reasonably fit, but not super strong, so even bringing my bag down to 13kg had me duct-taping the back straps on day one. We took the train from Glasgow to Milgavnie as our starting point, and I was already feeling the stress, not helped by the fact that the rain had arrived and threatened to leave us soggy twenty minutes in. Only time would tell if the £4.99 Amazon rain cover was going to keep my only other pair of walking socks dry (it did!).
Once the rain cleared, day one was pretty uneventful. We had stocked up on Greggs at the station, so ate an unbelievable lunch of two sausage rolls, a sandwich, and a donut, which tasted even better for the fact it had been squished in my bag. Day one is reasonably flat, except for the final stretch up to our first campsite, and you pass through a few small villages with flowers and beatiful woods. You also encounter quite a few other WHW-ers, which is comforting on day 1. I felt like we looked like we were struggling already, but I pushed it to the back of my head. Just nerves! Everything fine!
Our first campsite was basic but had everything we needed, and we set out on day two renewed - this was definitely my favourite day. We had our first holiday pint, and there is no beating a lunchtime pint on a weekday when you're usually working. The sun was shining too, so the view across to Loch Lomond was stunning. The next section was reasonably flat - you walk through woods, alongside the Loch, and it got progressively quieter as the day went on. I can't describe how relaxing this was (once I ignored the weight of my backpack). We wandered up and down through the woods, heard birds and the water and just soaked it all in. Scotland is so beautiful all year round, but there is something so special about being in the woods and hearing nothing but your boots stomping.
The campsite was a basic semi-wild site; no showers, just a Loch, and a wood fire. We decided to go for a dip as the sun was setting, and the cold was great for my sore toes. Warming up by the fire and playing cards by headtorch was again one of my favourite memories from the trip.
So now to Day 3 - the day that made us pack it all in. It started relatively ok; we knew we had some distance to go but we were prepared. We quickly came across a stunning honestly box which sold the best cheese sandwich I've ever eaten (probably due to being eaten so close to a Loch) and the crispest can of Sprite I've ever drunk (again, the Loch factor).
Pretty soon after our pit stop though, we realised that, at our pace, we'd have another 8 hours walking ahead of us. Given it was already about midday, we decided to pick up the pace. Pretty soon after this the path started to change, massively. We quickly started having to scrable over rocks, step up steep forest sides, and just generally get our hands involved. I'm not used to this kind of walking, and I am not sure my boots were up to the task (this is a common theme for me - see Valley of the Five Lakes...). I also had the nastiest power gel I'd ever eaten. Strawberry and banana but imagine that whoever made them had never tasted either of these fruits, and also decided it should be bitter.
I think if it had been a shorter period of time, I could've handled it, but this seemed endless. In the end, we were walking for about 11 hours, and a lot of that was clambering. Every time we got close, we'd still have another hour to walk, then another hour, then another 30 mins...
Eventually, as we finally got away from the Loch and back onto flatter paths, my friend and I began to float the idea that maybe we weren't enjoying this as much as we thought. After some more silence, another one of us would suggest we were just hungry and perhaps we needed to eaten. Our next campsite had a pub, so maybe we just needed a pint and a burger. Soon after this, another one of us would say 'I wonder if there's a bus to the next stop.?' - before, finally, about 30 mins out from our campsite we locked eyes and said 'I'm not enjoying this, and I think this should be our last day doing it'.
Arriving at the campsite and taking a shower was heaven, but we were so shot that we didn't even enjoy the pint. After a fight with the midges to put our tent up, we collapsed, hired a car, and planned our bus to Fort William. I am so glad we did.
The three days we spent doing the WHW were amazing, but I couldn't escape this constant pressure that we had to keep moving because if we didn't make it to the next campsite in time, we wouldn't be where our tent was, and we had to make it to Fort William to get our train back, otherwise we'd miss our train home, and I didn't have enough leave to extend my holiday... I found myself constantly thinking about the next step, which meant I wasn't really enjoying myself, which would have been a travesty given all the amazing scenery.
So - we gave up. I am thrilled that we did. We ended up doing so many other great things, whilst actually relaxing, and I don't think we would've done that if we forced ourselves to keep going. The highlights include wild camping at Glencoe and swimming at Glenfinnan.
I will say, we sat and watched some of the arrivals make it to the end in Fort William, and there is something about the sense of accomplishment that does make me want to try again, or at least finish the sections we didn't do. But, I think we'll have to leave ourselves a lot more time, and maybe buy some better boots. Nothing but admiration for the people who finish the Way!
