This article has links to products and services we love, which we may make commission from.
The West Highland Way Day Two Low Down
Day 2: Balmaha to Inverarnan: Boots, boats, and automobiles
Miles: 21
Time: 09:30- 15:40 (well that’s what time we went for the water taxi…)
Weather: Dry, mild
Accommodation: The Drovers Inn (£30 per person) / Alternative: Strathfillan Wigwam Village
Balmaha to The Land of the Twig Trees
After a breakfast fit for West Highland Way walkers, the team dismantled. Julie’s feet were plagued by blisters (she’d had her walking boots for years, you can never tell how it’s going to work out) and because Balmaha was close enough to home she made the decision to leave, rest up and rejoin us on the Thursday (with some other friends via the bus from Glasgow to Glencoe.
Little did we know at this point that I’d be on that bus too…)
Helen and I took the easy and breathtaking path out of Balmaha. Who thought an area with such tranquillity could cause so much stress?
Within a couple of hours, we were met with a choice (close to the Glasgow University building) – straight ahead or right.
When Helen last did the WHW (trojan), they had to take a road path which we wanted to avoid, you know, so we could to it ‘properly’. There was work going on in the area to improve the paths and unfortunately for us, some signs had not been erected yet.
We walked through the beach and headed straight for the trees but the trees appeared to get closer together and there was no longer a path. Then beneath our feet turned boggy so we headed up the hill (through the blasted trees) to get to dry mud. This worked and we could see Rowardennan (just, the tree branches were piercing our eyes) but just could not get to it.
With the help of GPS on our iPhones (seriously, what would we have done in the 90s?) we made it out of twig hell and on to… back to more like – the Glasgow University building.
Over two hours wasted in the trees, like a horror film, we can laugh about it now. It was suffocating.
Helen remembered there was a water taxi (from the youth hostel) and made some calls. Luckily her husband’s parents were dropping off her sister-in-law, Lee, to join us for the rest of the trek. They had a right laugh at us.
Drover’s Inn & Billy Connolly’s Dad
The Careys (Helen’s family in law) and I dined at The Drovers Inn, Inverarnan (for accommodation reviews see here), had a sing-a-long with a man who looked like Billy Connolly’s Dad (The Drover’s Inn is renowned for its entertainment) and then is was time for bed to recharge for tomorrow (aka The Day of Doom, for me).
What mishaps have you go yourself into whilst travelling?