Day-5
I woke up and turned the mobile phone on to see what time it was. 8:18! That can’t be right. I put on my glasses. 8:19!! I got up quickly, grabbing a few nuts for breakfast, and set off along the Great Glen Way, hurriedly putting distance between myself and my illegal campsite until I realised that it probably wasn’t an official “Camping Prohibited” sign, but a Scottish version of the beach towel on the deck chair.
On the train north from Glasgow Morpeth had told me that as I walked along this path I would suddenly be greeted by an astonishing scene, but he wouldn’t tell me what. Luckily I somehow missed the surprise scene, but when on rounding a corner the snow blasted northern cliffs of Ben Nevis came into sight I assumed that this was the surprise scene, and couldn’t help agreeing that it was astonishing.
My plan today was to walk on roads to Spean Bridge, cross the River Spean and follow its south bank east to Acluachrach, recross the river and head into the hills to camp somewhere east of Glen Roy. But first the Caledonian Canal had to be crossed which meant walking south along the bank of Loch Lochy to Gairlochy and a bridge. As usual, crossing the Great Glen felt like the end of a chapter and the beginning of another.
A long slow rise took me up to the Commando war memorial where I stopped for a while and took a few photos. It had been the seventieth anniversary of the Raid of St Nazaire recently and the memorial brought back things I’d read about this. So you thought you had it tough on Sunday did you John?
I walked down to Spean Bridge and the restaurant at the mill. It was just after 11am so too late for breakfast they said, but too early for lunch I thought. Instead lentil soup and a bread roll made a good snack. After that I left the rucksack in the restaurant and went into the Spar shop next door and bought some food, postcards and stamps. Then it was back to the restaurant for jacket potato with prawn mayonnaise followed by hot-chocolate. I stayed in the restaurant to write the postcards in case I should feel hungry again and whilst writing them noticed a familiar figure seated a few tables away; it was David Wilkinson who I’d met with Alan Sloman on day two. I invited him over and listened to tales of deep water and injured legs. He was waiting for either a train home or a train up into the hills to rejoin Alan and Andrew for their cheesy party and then a train home, but not liking to let him off that easy I suggested he buy a map and then he could have another try at the walk after the party*. We also agreed that as his train wasn’t for several hours we should walk up to Roy Bridge together.
It was a pleasant walk up the River Spean, and when we got to a place where we thought we could easily cross the river we stopped for lunch. After lunch we managed to get across the river hopping from boulder to boulder and turned east towards Roy Bridge. Actually we turned east away from Roy Bridge because we’d crossed the river higher up than we thought and had already passed Roy Bridge, although we’d seen no sign of it. It didn’t take long too realise our mistake, but I needed to go east anyway, and David came with me to cross a railway bridge onto the main road where we said goodbye, he turning back down to Roy Bridge and myself carrying on to Acluachrach where I found a track which led up to a chapel and the moors.
From here I walked north west to join the path that follows the 300m contour above Glen Roy.
There was no sign of the path so I made my own way until I eventually picked up a path, then a track, and suddenly found myself dropping down into Gleann Glas Dhoire. I followed the forestry track up the glen noticing what looked like a rather nice shelter of some sort tucked under the trees on the other side of the river, but I was too tired to investigate and I carried on up the glen until clear of the conifers and camped between two streams.
My diary says “Not really very well placed as I doubt I’ll do my hard day tomorrow [Creag Meagaidh was covered in snow] and my FWA is a bit scruffy. Need to check best way of getting into top of Glen Roy I think. Bread roll and ham, tomato soup, risotto. Lay in tent reading ‘A Parrot in the Pepper Tree’ and watching the shadows creep up the hillside opposite”.
* What a fool I am. David wasn’t up to finishing the walk and retired. Why oh why didn’t I encourage him to give up and go home, demand his 1st class ticket home from Montrose, and travel in style with Alan and Andrew?
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