The rain started to fall around 0200hrs and it hasnt stopped and the forecast shows it isn’t letting up until the weekend at least!

We headed into Drymen to visit the local shop to get ourselves another meal. We are aiming to carry two days of food with us to save on the weight and have enough to keep us going between amenities.

As we followed the road out of the campsite that lead up a small incline we could see on the horizon our first glimpse of Loch Lomond.

To get back on the trail from the town centre we pretty much had to go back on ourselves, however consulting the map decided to take the Rob Roy Way which crosses the West Highland Way at Garadhban Forest.

The Rob Roy Way follows a single track road up a very long drawn out incline. Even the cows were sheltering from the rain and thinking how mad we are to be walking in it!

We passed an elderly man walking his equally elderly dog along the road. We were soon back on the West Highland Way, as it turns off into the Garadhban Forest; we took the opportunity to catch our breath and have a snack.

We met up with two walkers who pitched next to use in Drymen. The two chaps were from London and are only going as far as the top end of the loch; not the whole hog to Fort William.

We discussed whether it was worth tackling Conic Hill. This is a 360m hill that is optional for the trek before you descend into Balmaha. The views of Loch Lomond are meant to be great however with this weather it was under cloud cover.

The forest cleared as we turned a corner in the path giving us a better view of the Loch. I jump up on to a tree stump to grab a better look. We parted ways with our temporary walking companions and trudged on.

Then out of a hedgerow popped the elderly man and his equally elderly dog. We couldn’t believe he got a head of us; he didn’t pass us. We concluded he must have been a fell runner in his day.

We were getting closer to Conic Hill and would soon have to make the descision whether to climb it or not. Although there was no cloud cover, the rain was starting to come in. We decided to take the low road as we didn’t want to go through all the trouble for no reward.

The forest path joined the road that leads to Balmaha with Conic Hill watching over us to our right and Loch Lomond to our left. At one point we were sure we saw that elderly man and his dog on top of the hill!

We made it into Balmaha and according to the map there is a pub. After our hopes were dashed yesterday we approached it with some trepidation. This time lady luck was on our side.

We off loaded our really soggy packs in the foyer and took a table in the bar. Pint and food ordered. I had a pizza and my dad had the steak pie; he highly recommends it, if you ever call in the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha.

As we were leaving, the two chaps from London arrived and they had tackled Conic Hill. They did however say it was like walking through a cloud; I think we made the right call.

We stepped outside and the heavens opened even further. It was full on Scottish weather now. The path led to the shores of the Loch which it followed for the last mile to our campsite at Milarrochy.

We pitched our tent up between two cabins and because the backpackers hut is closed due to Covid we are allowed to use the sheltered veranda to a cabin.

The tent was still sodden from this morning including the sleeping area. Using sponge we got as much water out as possible and left it to air as best we could with the rain.

Our gear is all spread out on the veranda to allow it dry as much as possible for tomorrow. The rain still fallng; I looked at the forecast again in hope it might have changed, but it hadn’t.

It is somewhat daunting that the rain will not ease. Tomorrow is going to be the hardest day on the entire trek; this is not made easier by Covid.

Today we should have finished this stage at Rowardennan. There is a hostel there, however when I went to book it a month ago it was already full. I enquired about camping there; their response was due to Covid the camping facilities are closed for 2020.

All other possible B&Bs were full and there is nothing nearby. This is a fairly sizable spanner in the works. We’ve had a short day today but tomorrow is going to be 20 miles, in the rain!

Tomorrow night’s stage end should be Crianlarich however that would mean something like 27 miles from Milarrochy. So we have booked a campsite at Beinglas, just passed Inverarnan.

This was recommended by a fellow walker yesterday; he said it has excellent facilities but more importantly, it has a pub!

We have also booked a B&B in Crianlarich for the night after. This will make it an easier day following tomorrow’s 20 miles and the prospect of a dry warm bed for the night will be very welcome.

Great news on the sponsorship front, the total when I last checked was 1095 pounds! A massive thank you to everyone that has donated. It is giving us the encouragement we need!

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!

We caught the train from Stoke at midday and took the 5 hour journey to Milngavie. The train wasn’t full however there was one person to two seats.

It was slightly delayed between Preston and Lancaster as there was a tresspasser on the line! This meant we missed our connecting train at Glasgow, resulting in us having to catch a later train. It was great to finally arrive at our destination to be able to take of the masks we had to wear for the entire journey.

A short walk from the station is our stop for the night at the Premier Inn. This was our real first test with our fully laden packs. Mine weighing in at 14kg and my dads at 13kg! We are putting our faith in the anti-gravity tech of our Ospreys. Obviously this includes the food we are taking so it will get lighter the more we eat.

We booked into the hotel and decided to go for a quick pint that turned into two. We have dinner booked in for 2045hrs at the local pub, so we decided to walk to Aldi to get some fruit for tomorrow and a can of beer each for when we pitch up on our first night on the walk.

We have breakfast booked for 0900 so we can make the most of our last comfy bed for at least the next three nights.

I checked the just giving page and we are close to 900 pounds now. It would be good to get to 1000! Unfortunately the T-shirts from Prostate Cancer UK I requested didn’t arrive, so I have to make do with my pin badge.