Return to the Scene of the Crime, WAIT - Return to the Scene of the Injury

Day 21 Walking, Wednesday, June 26.

14.5 miles, 6.5 long hours, Steps 37785

Guisachan House, Fort William to Edencoille Guest House, Kinlochleven. 

Lavish breakfast buffet with a view across Loch Linnhe towards where the GGW came through yesterday at Banavie and Neptune’s Staircase.  

Hi-tech hosts at the breakfast went from table to table with iPads taking orders for eggs.  Please, NO eggs for me today.  

The buffet was crazy abundant with choices.  Croissants, bagels, breads for toasting, trays of hot bacon/ham, haggis, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, potato scones, cold Scottish ham, Scottish pork salami, pork sausages, cheese: Highland Brie, Scottish cheddar, Scottish crowdie a cream cheese hand rolled in pinhead oats and crushed peppercorns, smoked salmon, dry cereals, fresh fruit salad, porridge.  

Too bad this person couldn’t go crazy and stuff it all in 😁

Last night instead of an en-suite room at the Guisachan House, I had a suite of rooms. Tiny bedroom with single bed, counter with tea and coffee making supplies, TV.  Then a door led to a tiny hallway (also the fire escape for my floor) and  my en-suite - suite was across the hall, just for me.  Kind of strange at first but quickly adapted.  

Even more strange as drifting off to Dreamland I could hear a man clearing his throat right behind my head.  Our headboards must have shared a very thin wall. 

Stopped at Morrison’s to collect lunch supplies. Sandwich, which when eaten realized was rather bad and I tossed it towards the sheep. Cadbury bar, which was stupid mistake on a hot sunny day.  When I pulled it out the entire chocolate was a soft mushy melted mess.  Will not open it until it firms up in a new shape.  Also got peanuts, but it was too hot to have an interest in salt. 

West Highland Way in reverse has officially begun. 

Began long walk out of Fort William up and up and up.  Beautiful views of all the mountains and a perfectly clear blue sky.  

Ben Nevis, tallest mountain in Britain, and not covered with clouds. 

Practically sucked the CamelBak bladder dry, but held out knowing that would be a bad mistake.  

Trouble keeping count of the hikers headed into Fort William for their completion of the WHW.  It was necessary to say hello to each and finally began to keep the count tally my phone.  In the end there were 129 times Hello was said.  

Only encountered one couple also going in the same direction as me. We are the few and far between weird ones going against the flow. 

Hello Baa Baas!

Had “lunch” break by a stream. Took the boots, the ankle brace, and socks off, and stuck both feet into the icy cold Stream. It felt great

While sitting there on the rock with my feet in the stream two girls came up and used the flowing water to fill their bottles. One had a filter which collected the water from the stream and then instantly the water could be squeezed into their bottles. Learned it had been tested to treat 1000 Liters of water out in the wild.  Probably didn’t have a bad taste like those old pills we used to drop into the water and try to disguise with Kool-aid. 

Talked with one couple in their mid-70s who have hiked all over on long-distance paths. They too agreed the most challenging section of the West Highland Way was that 7 miles between Inversnaid and Inverarnan.  The gentleman has biked the coast to coast in the US from the Golden Gate bridge to Washington DC. 

Approximate location where The Crime to the Heel occurred two weeks ago.  

Today’s route was very challenging.  Not the aspect getting way up High, or the length, but the extremely Rocky trail.  Very difficult to step and place the foot, and have eyeballs that were constantly coordinated to every movement.  

Route went past the ruined farmhouse of Tigh-Na-sleubhaich. 

Right after the ruins the Lairigmore pass was reached at 1082 feet.  Wide open mountain crossing with fantastic Highland views.   Remember to stop walking when looking at views!

Beware Garden Gnomes in abundance. 

While walking back from the village post office to collect some dinner/snacks a van pulled up next to me and an elderly couple wanted to know driving directions to someplace.  Not only do I not know driving routes around here, it was difficult to understand with their thick accents.  Now, if they wanted to know how to get to Fort William or Inverness by walking that I could be helpful with.  

Expected to have the room from two weeks ago when I arrived here at Edencoille, But instead was shown to a room with a king size bed, there is a shower in the corner of the room, with a sort of curtain that could be pulled across in front of the bed for privacy, toilet in a skinny little room, and no sink. Thought the absence of the sink was really strange. Was I supposed to go into the shower to brush my teeth?  After I’d been in the room a bit and unpacked my backpack, I open the closet doors and found a tiny sink hidden away.  An outlet for the teeth.

“Best remedy for a short temper is a long walk.”  Joseph Joubert