I often find a cafe to frequent in a city, a touch of familiarity each day is special and I often get to know a barista or two. Not to over think it but this is also a safety strategy, for if I went missing perhaps someone working in the cafe could be a point of reference.
Read MoreJust up the road from The Cowshed Hostel is the Fairy Glen. There is no fairy legend, rhyme or tale that explains the name of this place, it is simply the best way to describe this landscape: small round grassy-topped hills with lochans (ponds) scattered in between.
Read MoreI woke to a Scottish scene more classic than yesterdays glorious sunshine, it was grey and very wet. I lingered in my tent with some Earl Grey tea, hopeful the rain might pause long enough for me to pack up camp. Sure enough the rain broke, I packed up and headed towards the path of rocks leading across the river. I had camped on a tiny island in the middle of a river, however, the rock path was not as easy to traverse in the wet.
Read MoreAfter finishing The West Highland way I spent one night camping at the base of Ben Nevis. The next day I hopped on an evening bus from Fort Williams to The Isle Of Skye. I spent three days on The Isle Of Skye, circling the north-east peninsula or arm of the island: Portree, Staffin, Rubha Hunish, Uig & back to Portree.
Read MoreThis morning was the final morning on this trail, so I took it slow. I slept in, put all my stuff in the warming huts to dry out, made a really nice breakfast and drank several cups of tea with two German guys for company. It was a lovely start to the day.
Read MoreI had been spoiled by blue, dry skies since the day I arrived in Scotland. But It had finally come to an end. It was raining when I woke, the first time I would have to pack up camp in the wet. So I had a little lie in hoping the rain would let up.
Read MoreThis morning while breaking down camp I had my first encounter with midges, tiny flies that lay siege to Scotland in the summer. Luckily it was still early enough in May that they were only just coming out (of the ground? no idea) so I really cannot complain.
Read MoreI woke up quite sore. My shoulders were tender after carrying an unexpectedly heavy pack for twelve hours the day before. This was my new backpack’s maiden voyage: The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2300. I love this bag, it weighs nothing and most importantly for Scotland it is water proof.
Read MoreThe West Highland Way is a 95 mile (154 km) long path beginning in Milngavie just north of Glasgow and ending in Fort William a town sitting in the Scottish highlands near Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK. More commonly traveled from South to North with the gradual increase in elevation or intensity of the landscape, this trail was the first of its kind established in Scotland.
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