Finished the West Highland Way a few days ago. I was hiking seven days, and covered 95 miles. It was a beautiful walk, and I’m really glad that I did it. My body feels pretty good, aside from a nasty blister (don’t go hiking in Scotland without good socks.) The trail begins outside Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, follows the shore of Loch Lomond, Britain’s largest lake, and ends at the base of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Trekking in the highlands was a bit tame after the John Muir Trail. On the West Highland Way you can walk from one hotel to the next, and there are plenty of pubs right on the path. (I camped wild every night. Hotels are not in the budget.) The other thing about the highlands is that they’re really not all that high. There are only four mountains in Scotland taller than 4000 ft. So the hike really wasn’t all that hard.
One night I stayed in a bothy (mountain hut) with some Scottish guys who were taking their kids out into the woods for the weekend. I did some juggling for them, which they all thought was really cool, and they shared their whiskey and marshmallows with me.
The thing that struck me most about the wilderness in Britain is that it’s not that wild. There were only a couple nights on that trail that I couldn’t hear a highway if I listened hard. And a few days I was hiking parallel to the road. Which I’m not that into. If I walk somewhere I want it to be somewhere I can’t drive to. There also aren’t any large predators. I guess this is good for hikers, since you don’t have to worry about bears stealing your food, but it’s terrible for the ecology. The deer population, for instance, is out of control. There is motion now to reintroduce some of the animals, possibly starting with beaver and lynx (these being more cute and cuddly than wolves and bears, and thus are less controversial).
What there was, though, was the midge. Overall, the midges were no big deal. There were always a few in the evenings, but nothing bad. Except for one night, which will be the subject of a long post, when I get more computer time.
After finishing the hike, I stayed three nights in Glen Nevis, a beautiful valley famous for being the set for some of the scenes in “”Braveheart””, and the Harry Potter films.