Dad and Kari starting the WHW
Day 1 Milngavie to Drymen (Drim-men)
Yesterday, June 23rd was our official start to the West Highland way. The hike began in the town of center of Milngavie. After a short stop in the visitors center and trip the Marks and Spencer grocery store for some snacks to pack we were on our way.
The Fam in front of the WHW obelisk, the symbol is used on trail markers throughout the walk
Early in the day we didn't encounter to much trouble. We were mainly getting used to the idea that we are walking long distances and had several stops to readjust boots, remove our "water proofs" (rain gear) or depending on location put on or take off of coats. The day was filled with some amazing views and we are not even to the good parts yet.
Early in the day when no ones feet hurt
Kari on top of a hill taking in the view
Our first stop of the day (after 7 miles of walking) was Glengoyne (Glenn-goin) Whiskey Distillery. We had to walk through a sheep field and through some sheep poo to get up there from the trail, but it was worth it. We took a tour which includes a "dram" (shot) of 10 year old whiskey. Their 10 year old whiskey is the youngest they make, the oldest being 21 years. They are unique because they allow their whiskey to mature much longer than other distilleries. Three years is the minimum age in which you can legally call it whiskey. So Jim Beam is not as good a we think. Glengoyne whiskey is sipping whiskey and we were specifically told you were not to use it to make mixed drinks. An interesting tidbit is at a certain point in the whiskey making process the whiskey (its not really whiskey yet) is put in large wooden drums for a few days. These drums are made out of "Oregon Pine" or Douglas Fir from Oregon. You know Dad jumped all over that one. In the shop I bought a small souvenir and Dad ended with 2 bottles of single malt whiskey and some Glengoyne glasses in which he had to pack the remaining 5 miles. Dad has never bought whiskey in his life but we now have two bottles for when we get home.
Glengoyne Whiskey Distillery
After our trip to the distillery and lunch at the Beech Tree Inn just a mile down the road we headed off for the last leg of the trip. At this point we had been walking on paths but they were hard and almost seemed like pavement. The last 2-3 miles of the walk were on a single lane pavement road with huge hedges you couldn't see what was coming in either direction. So, you have to dive in them when a car was coming! Since we had already been walking 10 miles every step was agony at this point and we don't have a lot of pictures since the mood was not great. We found the bed and breakfast and quickly crashed. This is why I didn't not blog about this day yesterday, there was no more body function!
Day 2: Drymen to Balmaha
The beast of the day is Conich Hill.
Conich Hill...you can see the trail going up
The start of the day was relatively easy. We have a few miles of pavement walking but we took a small short cut to take about a half mile off the trip. Which doesn't sound like a lot but at the end of the day every quarter mile counts. We had a late start again because we ended up walking past a health clinic and mom opted to stop and get her barbed wire wound checked out for good measure. Everything was fine and I was commended for my handy first aide. She had a tetanus booster and was prescribed some antibiotics just in case. The whole thing only cost about 53 pounds or $90 which is pretty cheap for a doctors visit.
Chad and Kari just about to go up Conich Hill
After we were out of town we walked through some forest land which looked a lot of Oregon and then out on to a sheep covered moore to the base of Conich Hill. Which should not be called a hill! We took it in check points so that Mom didn't have a much trouble keeping up. It was a long haul going up and a long haul going down. It was very similar to our fell walk up Walla Crag a few days ago. After several breaks and a snack at the top we we headed down. In this place going down is just as hard as going up because there is no such thing as switchbacks here. Straight up and straight down.
We ended up in Balmaha around 4:00pm and checked in the the Oak Tree Inn and I am sitting the in bar having a pear cider and writing to you all. I am pretty tired so I will sign off for today. I am not sure about internet tomorrow, doesn't look promising but we should have it the next day. Thanks for reading!
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