Hullo. How are you? I hope you are having a good day. I’m Mark and I’m walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats…
After a very good night at the Ewich House B&B and perfectly cooked eggs, I set off to rejoin the West Highland Way along the path of the river Fillan, named for the 8th century hermit monk. The river forms Strathfillan, a wide valley running from Crianlarich to Bridge of Orchy.
The weather was incredible all day long and presented the surrounding mountains beautifully.
Before long I reached the very popular village of Tyndrum, which was busy with tourists pottering about the village and some venturing a little way along the West Highland Way in either direction.
The temperature hit around 19 degrees centigrade, which is unusually warm for this time of year in the Highlands and seemed to make every person I spoke to very happy indeed. It’s striking how few of the people walking the trail are Scottish. Instead, my fellow hikers are mostly young Germans, Swiss, Dutch, French and Swedes. And all of them, without exception, are exceptionally friendly and a pleasure to chat with.
A few of the surrounding mountains remain snowy at their peaks. It’s so tempting to head up for an explore, but my accommodation schedule is now locked in to Fort William in a couple of days.
This section of the West Highland Way makes use of the many old military roads, which were constructed by the British government in the 1700s as a way of subduing the local population after the Jacobite Rebellion in 1715. These make for pleasant, easy walking and I was soon crossing the border between Stirling and Argyll and Bute, adding another county to my list.
The afternoon was spent dreamily wandering along the trail and soaking up the sunshine. With just 11 miles to walk today, I soon reached the hotel, checked in early and went to the bar.
The Day 52 Vlog
Fundraising for MacMillan Cancer Support
As I walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, I am hoping to raise £10,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support, who do such a wonderful job of supporting families through the most difficult times. If you are able to spare any amount and would like to donate to MacMillan, please do so through my Just Giving Page.
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