2022 - Day 4 - Back to Drumnadrochit & Plan A

Today was a bit of a damp start as you can see from the car windscreen! Rainwear on & ready for the off. Denise drove me back to Drumnadrochit to complete stage 2 of the Great Glen Way that I couldn't do on Sunday thanks to them-thar pesky cyclists!!

I get so excited/flustered/anxious when she drops me off that I sometimes forget what I'm doing! Today was no exception - I got going out of Lewiston and eventually started to climb. It was whilst I was catching my breath at around 150ft that I remembered that I hadn't started my gizmo!! 2nd day of operator error!! That's a couple of miles to add to today's total I thought!! 

After another 50ft or so of climbing the pathway came out onto a dead-end minor road and I came out into the full force of the misty, mizzley rain. I was still climbing but more gently now. There was more traffic on the road than I was expecting but then there were more 'holiday' rental homes & lodges than I'd realised. There were also other local businesses like a "Woolery"? A pottery and a rather untidy farm. 

Whilst I was enjoying the scenery in between the low cloud/mizzle I noticed a discarded Pepsi bottle lying in the moss beside the road. I 'tutted' and picked it up. A bit further on I saw and collected more evidence of in-human stupidity. It seemed such a shame to litter in such a beautiful place. The picture shows the litter I'd picked up over about a mile & a half!! 

After a couple of miles the path veered off to the left as the roadway came to an end. It was nice to be off the road. The rain had stopped, the sun was trying to shine and I found a little burn to stop and have my snack! 

 The only problem with running water is you then need to "use the facilities" Fortunately there were plenty of trees a bit further on. 

The walk today was a little kinder on my feet. The forest tracks  although sometimes quite wide, seemed to have a softening layer of sand, peat and pine needles cushioning my footfall. Having said that, today was long and arduous. The pathway undulating fairly steeply. I felt that the undulations meant I was more frequently climbing than descending - probably just my imagination and aching legs! 

At a point some 300 metres above the lovely-named 'Primrose Bay' the pathway forked. I could go right and take the High Route or left on the Low Route. I sat on a convenient bench and ate my lunch whilst I contemplated which route. Actually no, I did eat my lunch but there was no way I was going back up into the clouds and rain!!

Lunch over I made my painful (Oooh! My poor knees!) descent towards Alltsigh where I crossed over near the old packhorse bridge.  . . . . and then started to ascend again! 

Did I ever say that there were a few things I don't 'do' when walking? Cows, mud and hills!! The hills mainly because I know that when you go up you've got to come down and vice versa!! 

So, from Alltsigh towards Invermoriston the Low Route climbed, it undulated to give me some respite, but it climbed. At a point just north and above Invermoriston I was at 200m. I could see the car park where Denise would be waiting for me. It took me 30 painful minutes to make that descent! 

I carry a lot of things with me on my walks (Denise says too much!) Today the thing I forgot were my walking poles!! They were in the back of the car!! 

I was so relieved ( and exhausted) when I got in the car that, guess what? I forgot to turn off my gizmo!! 

About 2 miles into our journey back to Fort Augustus I remembered!! Oh well, at least I didn't have to add the two miles I'd forgotten at the start!! And I'm sure Denise was doing more than 17.3 mph!!