Drymen

After a good night sleep we filled our bellies with a fry up at the hotel before we did our last check of our packs.

We left just before 1000hrs and made the short walk to the starting point for the next 96 miles. We got our pictures taken at the oblisk with the entrance to the West Highland Way just behind it.

As soon as we walked under the arch it began to rain. We hadn’t made it a 100 metres before we had to stop to put on the waterproofs.

The path soon took us out of Milgavnie through a woodland following the river. There was a short incline that got the heart pumping and with our waterproofs on it was quite uncomfortable.

The rain lasted about ten minutes so we stopped again to take off our coats. The woodland path continued for a few miles until it began to open out next to a small lake.

We passed a few fellow walkers; some had left from our hotel before us. The trail led through an area of private wooden cabins before the landscape really opened up.

By this point we had covered just over 4 miles. We both felt good and the sun had made it’s only apperance for the day.

The path from here descended to the bottom of a valley were the terrain remained flat for the next 4 to 5 miles.

As the path emerged from a small wooded area, we spotted a Distillery in the distance which presented a tempting detour; but we still had 5 and half miles to go, so we pressed on.

At this point we had to find a convenient bush before we continued. About half a mile on we got a supprise, we couldn’t believe our eyes, there was a pub!

We were geared up for a refreshing pint, a well deserved pint to mark the halfway mark for the day. However as we approached the main entrance our hearts were broken, it was closed.

We carried on in disappointment and to make matters worse the weather matched it. It began to drizzle; back on with the waterproofs.

It was at this point my dad had realised he had dropped his hat. We asked some walkers who caught us up and they hadn’t seen it. The only explanation is, he must of dropped it at that convenient bush!

We backtracked to the location and retrieved it, not realising how far we had actually walked since that point. We ended up adding an extra mile on to this section!

The rain quickly dissipated and we packed away our coats again. Luckily we wouldn’t need them for the rest of the day.

About a mile further on I felt a blister coming on. We stopped to apply some tape before it could get worse. Here my dad’s Prostate Cancer UK pin badge fell off and we couldn’t find the clasp.

He stuck it into the gate while I taped up my right foot; this should bring awareness to our fellow walkers. We continued on to Gartness where there is a weir/waterfall.

The path joined the country lane that eventually leads into Drymen. Looking to our left we spotted the wooded hill we passed around the 4 mile mark. I had a small sense of achievement to see how far we had travelled.

About half a mile on we came across a little honesty station and we decided to take a quick break. At this point we had been walking for over 4 hours, so a well deserved stop.

After our quick refreshment pitstop it was about another mile before we reached the campsite, our final destination for the day.

With the tent pitched we had a shower and made our food followed with the beers we carried all the way from Milngavie. Least our packs will be lighter tomorrow!