Day 59: 21 May 2014; Milarrochy to Inverarnan

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	59
Date	Wed 21 May 2014			Start to end time	08h 27m
Start point	Milarrochy			End point	Inverarnan
Miles today	20.60			Cu miles	1,106.21
Ft today	5,271			Cu ft	148,456
Route miles left	389.17			Route ft left	54,254
Today’s weather	Humid and overcast in morning, sunny in afternoon. Light Southerly breeze. 17C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

Walking the length of Loch Lomond is a bit like climbing Snowdon.   Whereas Snowdon tantalises you with views of the summit which never seems to get any closer, with Loch Lomond you keep thinking that you have arrived at the end, when you go round a corner and discover that it was just a cove, and there are miles more water in front of you.   Added to that, on this section of the walk you actually climb more than you do when ascending Snowdon, despite ending the walk at exactly the same height as you started.

I knew all of these facts before I set off, having walked it before, so I suppose I approached the day with a bit of trepidation.   And to make the walk even more challenging, overnight it had rained hard, the wind had dropped, and the temperature had risen.   In Scotland at this time of year, this can only mean one thing – midges.   And indeed, they made their unwelcome presence known immediately I unzipped my tent and poked my nose out.   That searing stinging pain from an invisible source immediately told me that the midges were back.   Fortunately I’d brought a net for my head, and by putting it on and walking in cagoule and over-trousers I managed to minimise the agony – but at the price of looking like something from a biological warfare unit, and getting extremely sweaty.

Today’s walk did indeed fall into the “quite challenging” category, with over 5,000 ft of climbing and more than 20 miles in length.   And the ground was rough, with lots of ups and downs.   But perhaps 3 weeks walking the South West Coast path had immunised me to the pain.   I actually quite enjoyed the walk – though the numerous other hikers I encountered along the way didn’t seem to be – the tricky ground and the gruelling hauls uphill were actually quite stretching and exhilarating.   The other walkers did, by the way, include the same clean-smelling newly-retireds with good knees as I’d seen elsewhere, but also including a fair smattering of American and German visitors, which I hadn’t encountered in such numbers earlier in my journey.

And the scenery was stunning.   Loch Lomond is at the heart of Scotland’s first of two national parks (the other is the Cairngorms) and the views into the Trossach hills and the Arrochar “alps”, many of which still had quite large patches of snow, were uplifting.   And the bluebells, which had been fading further south, seemed to be at their prime on the loch shore.   I don’t think I’ve ever seen quite such a massed display before.

I’ve retired to an authentic Scottish pub for dinner and to write this blog, where I am being served by Australian men wearing kilts.   Well, I suppose I am right at the heart of the “Lakes and Mountains” tourist route, so synthetic authenticity must be the order of the day..

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Midges made an unpleasant appearance overnight at the campsite. I felt a bit like Buzz Lightyear	The WHW path is excellently maintained. I came across this group of engineers rebuilding a flight of steps early this morning
Unusually, I had to share MY path with other walkers!	Guidebooks describe this section of the WHW as “enchanting” and with the bluebells in full bloom today, it certainly was
Hiking the trail today and wondering if I need a haircut..	Looking North along the path – more snow visible on the hills than there was in Wales or the Lake District
Panorama over the Loch. Simply stunning, today!

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Day 58: 20 May 2014; Milngavie to Milarrochy

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	58
Date	Tue 20 May 2014			Start to end time	08h 04m
Start point	Milngavie			End point	Milarrochy
Miles today	22.11			Cu miles	1,085.61
Ft today	2,883			Cu ft	143,185
Route miles left	408.90			Route ft left	56,928
Today’s weather	Hazy sunshine all day. No rain. Cool Easterly wind. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“I constructed my “LEJOG” hike route by joining together as many recognised long distance paths as I could. I did this because it saved me working out routes from scratch and also because these long distance paths tend to be better way marked and maintained than “regular” rights of way and footpaths. In total I think about three-quarters of the route uses these long distance paths.

So today I left one long distance path behind – the Kelvin Walkway – and joined another one – the West Highland Way. The “WHW” is a bit different from the others I’ve walked, for two main reasons. The first is that it is one of the most popular walks in Britain, so it’s extremely well signposted and it’s nearly impossible to get lost. The second is that I’d already walked the WHW in the recent past – almost exactly 4 years ago, in fact. So the route is familiar to me and I knew pretty much what to expect.

With this prior experience, I knew that today would be a fairly hard day. I’d allowed myself a night in a B&B in Milngavie, at the start of the WHW, and got up early so I could be walking by 7 am. Even at this early hour, when I got to the start of the Way in Milngavie town centre, there was already a queue of people waiting to have their photos taken by the obelisk that marks the start of the route.

So once I’d made the obligatory photo-call, I set off and headed down low road to Loch Lomond. I hadn’t meant to rush this section, as I knew it was well over 20 miles and with a tough hill thrown in for good measure. But I soon joined another couple of walkers who were heading for a campsite even further up the loch than I was, so I fell into step with them and made good time. We shared the route for a good few miles in the late morning, and I enjoyed having someone to talk to as I walked. The miles seemed to pass very quickly and before I knew it I was at Conich Hill – a smart little hill that overlooks Loch Lomond and offers good views down the whole length of the loch from near the top.

At this point the last time I’d walked the WHW, my boots had most inconveniently disintegrated but this time I’d taken the precaution of changing my boots in Glasgow (I’m now on my third pair) so suffered no such mishaps this time. After the descent from Conich to the shores of Loch Lomond, I found a small shop and café at Balmaha where I managed to get a cup of tea and something to eat. Then it was a pleasant couple of miles walk along the shores of the loch to Milarrochy where I am camping tonight.

All in all, I really enjoyed the walk today – having someone to talk to for part of the route lightened my spirits and helped pass the time, and the scenery was uplifting. All in all I found it a lot less difficult than last time – and it made me feel a lot more confident about some of the sections of my route I’m planning North of Fort William, as some of them are likely to involve walks of similar distance – or even longer – today. Perhaps walking 1,100 miles has had some training effect after all!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

At the start of the West Highland Way in Milngavie. It runs for about 90 miles North to Fort William. Even at 7 am there was a queue of people witing to start!	Memorial to the Craigallan Fire, which was burned in 1930, during the Depression, as a rallying point for local people and helped bring about a wider appreciation of the value of the Scottish mountains
Early morning haze over the mountains near Loch Lomond. Feels like the hike is beginning to enter the “proper” highlands now	This is tempting but too easy! The walk is so popular that all sorts of infrastructure has sprung up to serve the needs of the many people hiking it
Looking over to Conich Hill (to the right) – the first proper ascent on the WHW. Strictly the route needn’t go up it at all, but it gives great views from the top	On the WHW this lunchtime. The route is very well signposted – hard to get lost
Panorama from Conich Hill over Loch Lomond – the largest loch in Scotland and the second largest freshwater body in the UK (only Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is bigger)

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Day 57: 19 May 2014; Glasgow to Milngavie

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	57
Date	Mon 19 May 2014			Start to end time	04h 47m
Start point	Glasgow			End point	Milngavie
Miles today	13.40			Cu miles	1,063.50
Ft today	922			Cu ft	140,302
Route miles left	430.04			Route ft left	58,943
Today’s weather	Warm and sunny all day. Light Easterly breeze. No rain. About 17C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“It’s strange but true – the further North I’ve got on my walk, the warmer the weather has become. Doubtless the progression of the seasons has had something to do with it, but whatever the cause, today was undoubtedly the warmest day of the walk so far. I was warm all day whilst I was walking – for the first time, actually, since I started walking 57 days ago.

I had a very relaxing evening in a hotel in Central Glasgow, and given that I only had a short walk to Milngavie today, I allowed myself a bit of time to have a lie in and to look round the town centre. It was a lovely warm morning, so it was a good opportunity to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Actually, the latter was a bit of an exaggeration – I thought the part of Glasgow around the Central Station, where I was staying, was looking a little down-at-heel, as if it was still suffering from a bit of a hangover from the recession.

So I wasn’t away till 10 o’clock this morning, but only had a short hike through town to rejoin the Walkway along the banks of the Clyde, as it progressed downstream through the ultra-modern Exhibition Centre to connect up with the Kelvin Walkway. I followed this route all the way to Milngavie and, a bit like the equivalent on the Clyde, I found it interesting and easy to walk.

Kelvinside was altogether much more relaxed than central Glasgow today – it’s a well maintained parkland, and includes an attractive botanic garden. And incidentally for any physicists reading this, William Thomson the mathematical physicist worked at the university here and subsequently became Baron Kelvin. The name “kelvin” was given to the unit used for the measurement of absolute temperature, in his honour.

I continued up the Walkway out of Glasgow and into the countryside to the North. It remained sunny and warm, so I took is slowly, knowing that I’ve got a much harder day tomorrow, and really enjoyed soaking up the warmth. I arrived in Milngavie in the early afternoon, in time for tea and millionaire’s shortbread (of course..). It’s a local holiday (Victoria Weekend) in Edinburgh today, and partly as a result Mingavie seemed to be bustling with visitors. It’s also populated with enthusiastic looking walkers getting ready to start the West Highland Way walk. It’s funny how clean and smart they all look! Anyway I think I might have company for the next few days’ walking – something of an oddity as up to now I’ve had most of the paths I’ve been walking pretty much to myself.

So tomorrow another chapter in the hike begins, with the journey from Mingavie to Loch Lomond via the West Highland Way. I’ll tak’ the low road, as they say…”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

In Union Street, Glasgow, this morning. If you look carefully you might even spot a man in a kilt. This one was not 50% off, evidently..	Setting out in the warm sunshine on the Clyde Walkway, near the Scottish Exhibition Centre
Kelvin Hall, opened in 1927: a multi-purpose sports and arts centre	Kelvin Bridge, near the Botanic Gardens (I think..)
Impressive looking but rather hairy caterpillar blocked my path this afternoon	Elm trees – distinguished by the asymmetric lower lobes on the leaf. A rarity in England after the Dutch Elm Disease epidemic of the late 1970s (except in Brighton which escaped, seemingly) but thriving on the banks of the river today
Panorama showing the historic Finnieston crane on the left and the Rotunda building – now a casino but formerly gave access to a subsequently hidden tunnel under the Clyde

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Day 56: 18 May 2014; Strathclyde Country Park to Glasgow

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	56
Date	Sun 18 May 2014			Start to end time	05h 28m
Start point	Strathclyde Country Park			End point	Glasgow
Miles today	18.25			Cu miles	1,050.10
Ft today	1,074			Cu ft	139,380
Route miles left	441.79			Route ft left	59,568
Today’s weather	Dry but overcast with occasional sun. Moderate South-Westerly wind. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“As the crow flies, the journey from Strathclyde Country Park to central Glasgow is about nine miles. But my walk today was over twice that distance, as I followed the Clyde Walkway, once again, which sticks closely to the banks of the meandering river.

I’d got up early to hike into Glasgow, because the weather forecast was poor – heavy rain and a cold wind. So I was away by 7, which meant I arrived in central Glasgow (where I am staying in a hotel) by 1pm. I made very good time along the excellent Walkway and the promised rain never arrived. So much for weather forecasts. All they do is alarm you!

The walk was very straightforward, and once again the Walkway was generally well maintained and made for easy walking. But in a few places, it took diversions that weren’t shown on the OS map and I have to admit that at a couple of points, I missed the vital turn-off and so spent some time trying to locate the actual route. On the worst occasion, I think I missed a narrow trail leading off into the undergrowth, that I thought at the time was far too small to be the Walkway, but in fact probably was. As a result I spent half an hour wandering round a most unwelcoming chemical factory with razor wire surrounding me on all sides. In the end I gave up and followed a cycle path that eventually brought me back onto the route near the David Livingstone Centre.

I had a quick look round the David Livingstone Centre, and even though at the early hour I was passing through, it was all closed, I could see that it would make an interesting destination for a longer visit. Lots to see, and set in a spectacular setting above the river Clyde.

From there, I continued downstream, underneath the 13th century Bothwell Castle, imposing on a red sandstone cliff above the river.   I noticed that Giant Hogweed was making a very unwelcome appearance on the riverbanks. This noxious weed was introduced into the UK from the Caucasus in the 19th century as an ornamental garden plant. A big mistake, in my view, as the sap of this plant contains a chemical which binds with your skin and renders it sensitive to sunlight. This causes blistering and long-lasting scars. And I know all about it because when I took my ill-fated “shortcut” along the banks of the Wye near Rhayader a month ago, I think I inadvertently touched this plant. As a result, I got eleven burns on the back of my fingers, which have been extremely uncomfortable and are only just beginning to heal now. So if you see this plant, I’d give it a very wide berth!

I’ve got a relaxing afternoon now to look round Glasgow, then only a short walk up the Kelvin river to Milngavie tomorrow. From there I start the West Highland Way, where the hard walking starts again. So I’m looking forward to enjoying this last minute chance to recharge the batteries and do a bit of washing!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Getting ready to do battle with the urban jungle on the outskirts of Gasgow this morning	The David Livingstone Centre, in Blantyre. Now a museum operated by National trust for Scotland, it was the birthplace of explorer and missionary David Livingstone, born in 1813. At the time it was a tenement building shaered with 23 other families
This monumental sculpture records the time Livingstone was attacked by a lion, which almost severed his arm	From the ancient to the modern.. Large electricity substation in the semi-urban no-man’s land to the East of Glasgow
Beware!!!! This is giant hogweed and the scars on the back of my hand were caused by and encounter with this noxious weed in Wales a month ago	Large brewery with characteristic marmite smell. Near the Gorbals in Glasgow
Panorama overlooking the Clyde as it approaches Glasgow

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Day 55: 17 May 2014; Lanark to Strathclyde Country Park

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	55
Date	Sat 17 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 29m
Start point	Lanark			End point	Strathclyde Country Park
Miles today	18.37			Cu miles	1,031.85
Ft today	1,338			Cu ft	138,306
Route miles left	457.36			Route ft left	60,331
Today’s weather	Overcast all day. Very little wind. Occasiona light rain in afternoon. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“Every day on this walk, it seems, has its unexpected moments. Today was no different! Basically, the route entailed a very straightforward plod down the river Clyde, following the Walkway along the riverbank from Lanark to the Strathclyde Country Park. I was quite looking forward to it, as I knew that the path would be essentially downhill all the way, and, based on yesterday’s experience, would be well maintained and easy to follow.

All these things were true. I’ve really enjoyed the Clyde Walkway – to me it’s been a bit of a hidden gem. The path – so far at least – is in excellent condition and in many places has boardwalks, wooden steps and bridges over the potentially trickier sections. And scenically, it’s first rate – running along the banks of the river, diving from high up on the cliffs, down to the riverbank itself, and with good views along the way. Wildlife was, however (at least to my pretty unobservant eye), not in abundance though the purple comfrey plants which lined the pathside made a spectacular and unusual display. As did the strange red and yellow cows which I spotted “grazing” in a nearby field just outside Lanark.

The surprise of the day came when I got a message on this website from a friend of a relative of a friend whose son was at Scouts with one of our sons (got it??) who had been following my progress using my tracker beacon, and realised that I was only a mile from her home. We met up in a café (I won’t disclose what I had to eat..) and I really enjoyed the chance to meet someone from the vicinity and learn about the local history. The café we were sitting in for example had been a former banana ripening factory.

After that chance, enjoyable, encounter I continued on down the riverside path, enjoying the easy navigation and forgiving terrain. I passed about a mile from the birthplace of General William Roy, who created the Ordnance Survey in 1791. I feel I owe him a big favour, as it’s these “OS” maps that I’ve been using to navigate my way along the LEJOG route. Though I suspect he would struggle to comprehend the electronic wizardry that goes with it these days.

I soon arrived at Strathclyde Country Park, where there is a large Loch popular with leisure sailors and rowers, and the new campsite at the Northern end. It’s a very modern campsite with lots of facilities. Though the receptionist admitted that they were more set up for caravans than tents and in fact I was only the second tent they’d ever had. It did show, slightly, as she needed to know how many axles I had as the computer wouldn’t accept my booking without this vital piece of information. I said two, just to keep it happy.

Now I’m off to find something to eat and to do a bit more route-planning for the section from Fort William to the North!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

On the Clyde Walkway – a really enjoyable walk, especially if you do it the way I am as it’s all downhill!	This tree seemed to be suffering from an infestation of caterpillars. I just hope they aren’t contagious…
I managed to convince myself that this was an otter standing on its rear legs. But it stood awfully still, for an awfully long time..	If there is 50% off these kilts, I’d have thought that there could be a serious danger of accidentally discovering what Scotsmen really do wear underneath them
Purple comfrey plants were in abundance along the river banks	Fly fishing (I think) in the Clyde. Seems to involve standing motionless in cold water up to your waist for as long as possible while nothing happens
The old bridge at Lanark. An impressive structure

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Day 54: 16 May 2014; Abington to Lanark

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	54
Date	Fri 16 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 55m
Start point	Abington			End point	Lanark
Miles today	20.48			Cu miles	1,013.48
Ft today	2,346			Cu ft	136,968
Route miles left	474.61			Route ft left	61,103
Today’s weather	Dull, cool and overcast in morning. Bright sun by early afternoon. Moderate westerly wind. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“Even if today had been raining and scenically dull, it would still have been a very significant one for the LEJOG hike. Because 7 miles out from Abington this morning, I passed the “1,000 miles walked” line so yes, from now on there are fewer digits in the number of miles left than there are in the number of miles walked. I allowed myself to feel smug, briefly, before reminding myself that there are still 450 miles left, which is nearly twice as far as I’d ever walked prior to this jaunt.

As it happened the day was interesting too. At over 20 miles, it was quite a haul, but there was lots to see. The morning climb out of Abington round the back of Tinto Hill was hard work, and quite chilly, with low cloud and a strong westerly wind. But along the way, I spotted oystercatchers darting around – clearly unhappy with my presence, and a curiously long way from the sea, I thought.   After narrowly avoiding stepping on a frog,  I followed a narrow lane which became a forest path over the hills then back down into the Clyde valley a little further downstream. It was an easy walk, and once I’d passed behind the hill, mostly downhill.

I re-joined the Clyde on the south bank, close to the intake dam for the Lanark hydroelectric power scheme (this was the first hydroelectric power station in Scotland, built in 1927). I wasn’t certain whether I would be able to cross the river to join the Clyde Walkway on the north bank, but path over the dam was open and I was able cross easily.

To my embarrassment, I have to admit I didn’t even know that the Falls of Clyde existed until yesterday, so walking down the side of this spectacular section of the river was a real unexpected bonus. The only downside was that the power station was obviously generating at full pelt, so the river had been reduced to a trickle rather than a torrent. It’s a beautiful gorge: sure, I felt, to be populated with kingfishers and otters. Unfortunately I still failed to see either, but I did see a peregrine falcon, being keenly watched over from a hide by a group of RSPB volunteers. The bird was just visible through the warden’s telescope, but was hiding behind a fern and it took a bit of a leap of faith to convince myself that it was really there. Apparently the male is guarding the nest rather more than normal this year, while the female is out searching for food. Nobody seems to be quite sure why.

From the peregrine outlook, the Clyde Walkway follows the river downstream through New Lanark cotton mills – an impressive piece of industrial architecture, built by philanthropist David Dale in 1786. Now it’s a World Heritage Site and has numerous tourist attractions including, thankfully, a café.. The mills closed in 1968.

The rest of the short walk into Lanark proper, where I am camping, was easy, along the excellent Clyde Walkway. It runs through attractive forests and over bridges and boardwalks, a bit like Center Parcs. It was a bit difficult to find where it left New Lanark, but very much worth making the effort to find it. Time to go and find something to eat, now. It’s fish night at Wetherspoons, apparently..”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

These are what I think you would call proper sheep. Complete with “lugs”, I expect..	I’m always puzzled why you find oystercatchers, like this one, on remote upland moors, miles from the sea
The narcissi on the hill above Abington were at about the same flowering stage as those on the Lizard were, 8 weeks ago	A significant point. This is the moment I crossed the “1000 miles walked” line
View through a telescope looking at the peregrine falcon nesting above the Clyde Falls. The peregrine is the grey blob at the bottom right. Honestly.	Wildlife at the campsite where I am staying in Lanark tonight.
Panorama of the Clyde Falls from New Lanark

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Day 53: 15 May 2014; Moffatt to Abington

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	53
Date	Thu 15 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 32m
Start point	Moffatt			End point	Abington
Miles today	18.73			Cu miles	993.00
Ft today	2,335			Cu ft	134,622
Route miles left	496.05			Route ft left	63,604
Today’s weather	Dull and misty in morning, after overnight rain. Hazy sun in afternoon. Very little wind. Warm around 16C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“As I finished the walk today I found myself singing out loud (it was the Proclaimers, if interested). I’m not quite sure why this happened, but it must say something about my general humour this afternoon.

I’d really enjoyed my stay at Moffat campsite – as well as being donated to me free of charge, the bathrooms were a bit of a temple to ablution – spacious, spotlessly clean, and with generous free showers. It rained overnight but had stopped by the time I got up. I was away by 7:30 this morning, as I wanted to allow plenty of time for what I thought was going to be a pretty difficult traverse through the Border hills to Abington. I paused for a few minutes to look at Moffat as I went through – it’s a tidy well-kept town which claims to be “walker friendly”. Like many of these border towns, it’s long and thin, with the majority of the settlement lying alongside the main road, which runs through the middle. I was especially interested to see the famous “Moffat Ram” – sculpted by the same artist as made the Greyfriar’s Bobby dog in Edinburgh and particularly noteworthy because he forgot to put any ears on it.

After inspecting the earless sheep I set off out of town on the Annandale Way again. This quickly climbed out of the valley and up to meet the A 701 road near the gloriously named Willie’s Well. At that point I left the Way and headed off into the forest, not knowing quite what to expect. I planned to follow an old Roman road shown on the map, which I hoped would lead me over into the Clyde Valley and then to Abington. I found the path alright and after a mile or two of struggling through bog and tussock-grass, it turned into a gravel forestry track which was easy to follow. Along the way I rather unexpectedly almost trod on a lizard, scurrying about in the undergrowth.

And then right in the depths of the forest, I came across a huge “Forestry Harvesting Demo”. This event is the highlight of the tree harvesting year, it seems, and according to a couple of security guards I spoke to it attracts all the major tree harvesting companies and £millions worth of tree harvesting equipment was on display. As I wasn’t wearing my check shirt and hadn’t turned up in a pick-up truck with rows of spotlights screwed to the roof I felt rather out of place. But it was interesting nevertheless – a sort of lumberjack’s bring-and-buy sale I suppose.

The walk down the upper Clyde valley to Abington was very easy – I followed a cycleway and a narrow road alongside the railway. I stopped off in Crawford for a bacon roll and some tea, then decided to have a strawberry milkshake and piece of millionaire’s shortbread as well. So perhaps that, combined with the warm sunshine which decided to make a late appearance, was why I was singing so cheerfully along the latter stages of the walk.

My campsite tonight is right by the railway in Abington and I need to spend this evening doing some route re-planning. I’ve adjusted my route to enable me to camp in the Abington campsite, rather than wild-camping in the remote Southern Uplands. But that has put me rather off-track for my next destination, Lanark. A friend has told me about a narrow road that goes part of the way, so I’ll probably use that, but it does sadly mean that Tinto Hill, which I was looking forward to climbing, will have to get the chop. Yes – it’s on the “come back to another day” list.

One of my friends is coming down from Glasgow tonight for a beer – so that promises to be a nice finish to a very interesting and unexpectedly enjoyable day.
”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

The strange thing apparently growing out of my right shoulder is the famous earless ram of Moffat	I almost trod on this lizard, scurrying about in the undergrowth in the forest. I thought lizards liked warm dry places – but this was cool and wet
If you’re a rufty-tufty lumberjack attending the tree harvesting demo, the last thing you’d want to do is trip up.	A solitary fern growing out of a bridge parapet on the track over the infant river Clyde
It struck me that the sign outside Crawford clinic is just about as big as the clinic itself!	Walking alongside the railway again this afternoon. Motorway, path and railway are all crammed together in the upper reaches of the Clyde valley
Panorama looking back down over upper Annandale. A remote palce, completely silent when I wa sthere this morning.

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 52: 14 May 2014; Lochmaben to Moffatt

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	52
Date	Wed 14 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 26m
Start point	Lochmaben			End point	Moffatt
Miles today	18.83			Cu miles	974.27
Ft today	1,591			Cu ft	132,287
Route miles left	516.15			Route ft left	67,023
Today’s weather	Bright and sunny windless morning; clouded over in afternoon with light westerly breeze. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“I’d had an impromptu tour of Lochmaben last night, searching for something to eat. I’d been attracted by the promise of the curry night at the nearby pub, only to be told when I got there that the chef was sick and so there was no food on offer (thank goodness, probably). So I had a pint and some pork scratchings and went over to the chip shop. It looked good enough but I think I was still digesting Carlisle’s deep fried haggis with chips and gravy and wasn’t quite over it yet. I’d been warned to steer clear of the Chinese takeaway so I ended up at the golf clubhouse. I’m not a golfer at all and after my comments about thinking that golf courses would make rather nice campsites I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be allowed in. But in fact the bar staff couldn’t have been friendlier and they cooked me up an excellent gammon steak which I enjoyed whilst watching the golfers pottering around on the greens in the late evening sunshine.

This morning was sunny, again, so I arose in good spirits and after a relatively leisurely start I was on the road to Moffatt just before 8. I followed the Annandale Way all day, again, and it was a relatively straightforward hike. In some ways reminiscent of the Wye Valley Way in Wales, seeing the river get smaller and smaller, and the hills get bigger and bigger as I progressed upstream.

The spring colours in the fields, woods and hedgerows were, once again, stunning against the electric blue sky. I saw a deer running through one of the forests, but it was away too quickly for me to tell what sort it was. Otters and kingfishers once again remained conspicuous by their absence. In fact the most abundant wildlife were cows. I’m not sure if they actually count as wildlife but there were certainly a lot of them. I must admit I’m not a great fan of cows, mainly because they are bigger than me. They also tend to churn up fields and turn paths into slimy, smelly quagmires. And at one point today I was crossing a large moorland area when I came across about 40 of these fearsome Friesians heading purposefully in my direction. They eventually lost interest and went to moo at someone else but I didn’t hang about to take photos and I do find that experiences like this can be a good treatment for constipation.

The afternoon’s walk took me across the railway and the motorway at Beattock and on to Moffatt. It was a pleasant walk through increasingly wild scenery, and at one point the path coincided with the Southern Upland Way – one of the longest and remotest walks in the UK. I disturbed a colony of rooks (remembering that ”a crow in a crowd is a rook”) just outside Moffatt. They objected to my presence and circled around the treetops creating a cacophony of squawking in the hope of chasing me away, I think.

I’m camping tonight at the excellent Moffat Camping and Caravanning site, who have agreed to waive their normal camping fee, in recognition of my charity walk.   Very kind of them, and much appreciated.

Now I’m off to sample the delights of Moffatt cuisine. It’s an old spa town, after sulphurous springs were discovered here a couple of centuries ago. So perhaps there will be lots of healthy options on offer. On the other hand, steak and ale pie with sticky toffee pudding could be an option…”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

The swan on the Kirk loch by Lochmaben campsite this morning was so territorial he had been nicknamed “Mr Grumpy”	Striking beech tree just coming into leaf along the wayside
At Nono’s seat. A passing farmer told me it had been installed by the local postman who was fed up with not having somewhere to rest at the top of the hill. It has now achieved cult status and has its own Facebook page	Glad I only saw this after I had left the field..
Trainspotter heaven! Overlooking the marshalling yards at Beattock, on the west coast line	Raucous rooks in their rookery, just outside Moffatt
In the upper Annan valley. River looking distinctly smaller now

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Day 51: 13 May 2014; Annan to Lochmaben

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	51
Date	Tue 13 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 30m
Start point	Annan			End point	Lochmaben
Miles today	18.51			Cu miles	955.44
Ft today	1,192			Cu ft	130,696
Route miles left	534.26			Route ft left	68,311
Today’s weather	Fine and sunny all day. Light westerly breeze in afternoon. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“What a difference a day makes! After the heavy rain which had dogged me through Cumbria, Scotland served up one of its best days today. It was fine from the start, and the sun was already shining by the time I got up at 6:30. The rain of the last few days had left the campsite soggy, and the tent was wet once again as I put it away, but things soon started to dry out as the temperatures rose.

I didn’t quite know what to expect of the walk to Lochmaben today. The route followed the relatively new Annandale Way and I wasn’t certain whether it would turn out to be another of those deceptive “looks good on the map but doesn’t actually exist on the ground” excursions. My worries turned out to be groundless, as the route was well way-marked and, apart from a couple of points, well walked, too. It seems to string together a number of existing anglers’ paths, and local footpaths around Annan and Lochmaben, with only short sections which are “new” path.

The going was straightforward, if muddy. At one point, I stepped into what appeared to be solid ground only to have both my boots, and half the length of my socks, swallowed up by grey goopy mud. Around halfway along the walk, an inquisitive dog decided to join me at one of the farms. He followed me for about a mile before I realised that he had no intention of going home, so I had to turn round and lead him back to the farm, where he barked at me a couple of times and trotted back to his kennel. An unusual and slightly tiring diversion!

The Annan River was spectacular. With all the recent rain it was in full spate and cocoa coloured. I half expected to see oompah-loompas from Charlie’s chocolate factory hard at work around every bend. It’s obviously a popular river for salmon fishing, and the fishing path was very well maintained. There were a number of signs along the way explaining how otters and kingfishers were to be seen, but once again I was disappointed. No flashes of turquoise or sinuous ripples in the river were to be seen.

In the interests of energy conservation I cut out the section of the route which climbs the Almagill Hills, so I missed seeing the monument and fort. They will have to go on the “must return to” list. The approach to Lochmaben itself was delightful. The route followed a path which meandered through woodland along the shores of the attractive Castle Loch, before ending on the shores of Kirk Loch, where I am camping. In fact, this is one of the most attractive sites I’ve camped it – nice recently cut grass, and a pitch which backs right onto the loch. The warm sunshine also helps, but it’s nice in its own right. Time to go and find something to eat now. Haggis beckons!!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

This heron took flight on my approach – it had been fishing near the weir in the chocolate-brown Annan river	Signpost of greater help to Salmon than to hikers!
An unusual interpretative display, the orange balls are meant to represent salmon eggs, laid in the riverbank	Believe it or not, this is a strawberry plant
This woodcarving on the shores of Castle Loch is sadly the closest I think I’ll get to seeing an otter	My campsite on the shores of Kirk Loch. Lovely! These lochs are kettle-holes – created when blocks of ice were left behind after the last ice age and created water filled depressions as they melted.
Looking along the Annan river. At its best in the bright sun this morning.

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Day 50: 12 May 2014; Carlisle to Annan

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	50
Date	Mon 12 May 2014			Start to end time	08h 06m
Start point	Carlisle			End point	Annan
Miles today	22.70			Cu miles	936.93
Ft today	841			Cu ft	129,504
Route miles left	554.63			Route ft left	69,884
Today’s weather	Showery with bright sunny intervals in morning. Heavy rain all afternoon. Light North Westerly wind. About 12C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“Earlier on in my walk, when people asked where I was going, I would answer “to Scotland” and that was sufficient to create the impression of an impressively remote destination. Well after today, I could no longer use that description because after a walk of 920 miles I crossed the border and entered Scotland. So now I’ve walked the entire lengths of England and Wales and just have to do the same with Scotland.   I also realised that when I cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2005, the whole ride was 910 miles.   So if I’d walked the same route, I’d have finished by now!

It had rained most of the night and once again I was thankful that I’d stayed in a B&B and had had an opportunity to dry out. Carlisle was saturated when I set off, but it wasn’t actually raining and soon the sun came out. I’d planned a route to the border following footpaths shown on the map following the bank of the river Eden. But when I arrived at the start of the footpath, I discovered that it was overgrown and indistinct, and went through a field of wet grass full of cows. Given that it managed to combine almost all the features of lowland walking that I like least, I took the easy option and walked along the road instead.

Although this meant that I avoided the inevitable struggle along the riverbank, the road was busier than I’d hoped, but it did enable me to make rapid progress. I crossed the river Sark, which marks the border, at around noon, on a by-road alongside the M6. It certainly made for a noisy entrance, but I quickly left the motorway behind and had a look round Gretna, the first town in Scotland. I made a detour to Gretna Green, to look at the Smithy where young lovers in the past used to flee so they could get married without parental consent. I sat on a bench by the church to have my lunch and in the space of my brief lunch-break I counted six gigantic coaches taking visitors this high-spot on the tourist trail. I wondered where they all went, and concluded that there must be a pretty impressive industry lurking behind the tranquil church green, processing them all through an authentic Scottish experience.

I’d been unable to find any way of getting from Gretna to Annan without walking down the road. So even if I’d wanted to spend the afternoon with recalcitrant cows, I didn’t have the option. The road was a national cycleway, so I’d assumed it would be pretty quiet. It was OK – with little heavy traffic – but like the morning’s walk, it was busier than I’d have liked and it also started raining again. So all in all, it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable hike. In fact I think today is the first day on the LEJOG hike which has been entirely on tarmac, and my feet are feeling a bit sore as a result. From now on, for the next few days, I’m following the Annandale Way, which hopefully should be a little easier. Tomorrow’s destination – Lochmaben”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

This pub sign in Carlisle seemed to say it all..	Slightly scary view of the west coast main rail line. As I was taking this, the alarms went off and the level crossing barriers started to close. I doubt whether a 38 lb backpack has ever been transported more rapidly.
After 922 miles, I finally arrived in Scotland	I’m not a great fan of museums to obscure things so I gave this one a miss. But I did wonder what on earth it was about
I know many visitors to this website were disappointed not to have views of Sellafield from the top of Scafell Pike, so here is the now-decommissioned Chapelcross nuclear power station instead	I sometimes wonder how much these clouds weigh..
Panorama over the Solway from Rockcliffe

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