Why I really need to revisit the West Highland Way

Introduction

Most importantly; I didn’t finish it the first time around. That alone should be enough to revisit the West Highland Way. But also, the highlands beckon. They want me to return to their hills and mountains. To feel the wind and rain and breathe in the fresh highland air.

So, let’s start by explaining why I didn’t finish the first time I was there, in May of 2022. Two main reasons mostly: not nearly enough training and certainly not enough stamina. That, coupled with the misplaced notion that I could in fact do it made for a painfull experience, to say the least. It must be said; we’ve (as in, my friend and I) experienced some of the worst rainfall the Highlands had seen in weeks, maybe months, but that only contributed to what was destined to fail from the beginning. To clarify; it took me almost two years to come to peace with that train of thought.

The negative

Where to start: I was at least 20 kilos overweight and had the stamina of a dead highland cow. Sure, I did walk briskly when we trained. I made several trips and they all went well. But I never trained under the right conditions. And certainly not with the right equipment. Not that I didn’t have the right equipment, I did. But I was wrong about what I should and shouldn’t bring with me on the that specific trip. And it cost me. My pride, mostly. But also a lot of physical discomfort. All in all; the mindset was there, it just didn’t fit the physical condition…

And as I said; the weather was the worst the region had seen in weeks, if not months. That isn’t some lame excuse made up by me, it was confirmed several times, by complete strangers we encountered, either in a bothy to get away from the rain for a while or in a pub, for basically the same reason. The weather was bad and it stayed that way for the entire time I was there, unfortunately. And with the bad weather came the troubles.

The start

The first two days were fine. Dry weather, not too cold. But the third day, the rain started and it didn’t end. And that made the trip along the shores of Loch Lomond a slow, difficult and most painfull one. For me at least. Several times, I looked down and thought they might never find me again if I fell down. The rain made rocks slippery and difficult to climb. It made the small creeks swell up to large, fast flowing streams that were hard to cross and it made the sandy paths into muddy slides. More than once, I fell down, ending up with my face in the mud, whishing I didn’t have to get up again. It was that bad. Again, for me at least. But it wasn’t bad enough not to want to revisit the West Highland Way…

The positive

Because still, I enjoyed it when I had the change. The scenery, gray and bleak as it may seem in the rain under the clouds, was breathtaking. Not at all what I was used in the Netherlands. The people, in stark contrast with the weather, warm and friendly. I enjoyed the breaks we took in the pubs, bunkhouses and little restaurants. I liked the short talks we had with the locals we encountered, who were ever so friendly and inquisitive. But overall, I enjoyed the peace and quiet I experienced just hiking through the desolate and sometimes barren landscape. It enabled me to clear my mind and focus on nothing but the emptiness. I even managed to block out the pains and aches in my knees and lower back by just looking up and around. A feat to be sure!

What happened?

At the end of day 3, while approaching Crianlarich, my left knee gave out completely. The difficult route along the shores of Loch Lomond and the subsequent climb up the route and the descent down to the youth hostel next to the railway station was too much for the much maligned joint. That combined with being soaking wet, severely cold and basically done for, I gave up. Not because I wanted to, but because I knew I had to. Had I continued, I would have seriously (and permanently) damaged my knee. I didn’t want to risk that. Better give up now so I may return some day then know with certainty that it was my last hike ever.

So, am I going to revisit the West Highland Way?

Short answer: yes! Long answer: yes, but. Yes, I’m going to revisit the West Highland Way to be sure. The ‘but’ is the moment. Right now, I can’t make the time for a 7-10 day long visit to Scotland. Unfortunately, but alas, it’s the reality of the moment. So, as soon as I get the opportunity to revist the Scottish Highland, I’ll be flying over there before you can say ‘haggis’.