When we travel outside of Ireland’s West Coast.
With the adventure that was crossing Rannoch Moor behind us, our penultimate day hiking the West Highland Way was to take us from Glencoe to Kinlochleven. We were looking at mere 10 and a half miles or just under 17 kilometres. Sure, we have hiked further than that in a day. But we did not … Read more
Our destination today was the Glencoe Mountain Resort, on the other side of Rannoch Moor. We planned the route for our West Highland Way day six carefully. As my guidebook warns ramblers not to underestimate hiking across the Moor. Standing at 50 square miles or 130 square kms, it is the largest bog in Britain … Read more
Finally, halfway through our West Highland Way hike, I was able to get a good night’s sleep. The lovely Craigbank Guest House in Crianlarich had an excellent cooked breakfast for us in the morning (what luxury). We were on our way by 10am. I felt sorry to be leaving the soft fluffy bed and warm … Read more
Our fourth day on the iconic Scottish West Highland Way hike was to walk from Doune Bothy to the village of Tyndrum. But, befittingly in the words of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns: ‘the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men’. We never slept in Tyndrum and we did not even make it there … Read more
Our goal on the third day on the iconic West Highland Way hike was to reach the Doune Bothy and spend the night there. From Sallochy Campsite, the distance is cca 22 kilometres or 14 miles, so the longest daily walk so far. I was looking forward to the experience of spending the night in … Read more
Day two of our one hundred mile West Highland Way hike was walking the 12 miles or 20 kms from Drymen to Sallochy Bay. So slightly further than our first day, which was 10 miles or 16 kms from Milngavie to Drymen. My research said that only pre-booked campers are allowed on the Sallochy Bay … Read more
Day One of my first ever long-distance hike started pretty much in the middle of the night. I was on the Citylink Express bus service from my home in the West of Ireland to Dublin airport. My friend and hiking buddy Jane and I were meeting at the airport for the first flight of the … Read more
In many ways, Scotland is culturally and geographically similar to the West of Ireland. While both regions are of course distinct, you do not feel completely out of place in the Scottish Highlands if you’re coming from Ireland. Scotland is famous for many things: bagpipes, whisky, haggis, castles, Loch Ness monster, tartan, kilts, deep-fried Mars … Read more
While the link may seem tenuous, I got inspired by the movie ‘Wild’ to walk a long distance nature trail. I looked up ‘easy hikes in Europe’. That’s how I found out about the Scottish iconic hike, the West Highland Way. I do not regularly hike, so I was looking for something challenging but suitable … Read more
I walked the West Highland Way in Scotland. I completed a hundred miles hike. So happy! It’s a huge personal achievement for me, the sense of success and triumph I felt at the end of the trail, and still do, is just wonderful. I still quite can’t believe I did it! While I enjoy the … Read more