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26 May - Getting ready
 We
decided to do the West Highland Way, and with Esther having 3 of
everything, it was easy to borrow a backpack and all the necessary
hiking gear from her. So we packed our bags with tents, sleeping bags,
food, stove, pots and odds ready for the long walk.
The West Highland Way -
95 miles (153.8km) – is Scotland’s first long distance footpath and passes through
some of Scotland’s most beautiful and dramatic scenery.
27 May - Milngavie to
Drymen - 12 Miles (19km)
 So
off we went on the West Highland Way. Caught the train at 09.20 to
Milngavie, which is just a short distance from where Esther lives (about
4 stops). Half the train got off at Milngavie, all doing the West
Highland Way. I did not expect to see so many people on the hike; I also
did not expect to see them only carrying small day packs. Most people
make use of Travel-lite to transport their packs.
The 12 mile walk from
Milngavie to Drymen is really well marked, the route is fairly easy and
flat and the path wide, so there is no chance of getting lost. The first
section of the route we walked through beautiful deciduous woodlands
with lots of streams. The route past by many villages so halfway we
popped in for lunch and a beer.
We camped on a farm
about 1 mile (1.6km) before Drymen, the farm offers a cooking shelter which came
in very handy as it started raining just as we arrived.
28 May - Drymen to
Rowardennan 14 miles (22.5km)
 We
left Drymen, a pleasant walk though the woods, the path soon reached
Conic Hill, our first taste of the Scottish Highlands. Reaching Balmaha
we, once again, stopped for lunch and a beer. From Balmaha we walked
 along
the shores of Loch Lomand. The views across the loch and towards the
mountains are fantastic. We walked past Ben Lomand and through ancient
oak woodlands, the views are really spectacular.
On arrival at
Rowardennan we found only a hotel, youth hostel and wild camping. Esther
opted for the Youth Hostel and we found it to be very comfortable and
warm.
29 May - Rowardennan to
Invernarnan - 14 miles (22.5km)
 On
leaving the Youth Hostel Esther was struggling getting her backpack on
(anyone who knows her, will know that she has the whole world and the
kitchen sink in there). The man from the Youth Hostel looked at her in
amazement, and asked if she knew there is a transport service. So we
decided to send the backpacks with the van. By now we were well known as
the people with the large backpacks, so the other walkers looked at us
in disbelieve as we came strolling past, swinging our little plastic
bags containing the days provisions.
Once again the path
followed the shores of Loch Lomond and passed through more natural oak
woodlands. We even spotted some wildlife, being the wild goats in the
area. The area here is much associated with Rob Roy MacGregor, there are
many stories about Rob Roy and I am not quite sure, if they are all
true.
The path was much more
hilly than the previous days and what a good thing we were not carrying
those heavy packs. We camped at Benglas Farm which also had a great
bar/restaurant and cooking shelter, which helps a lot in the rainy
weather. We took a walk across the river to a bar which is apparently
more than 300 years old, and what a nice atmosphere it had. We had an
excellent night of singing (and drinking red wine) with the other
walkers, to such an extent that I left my wallet in the pub. Disaster
again.
30 May - Inverarnan to
Tyndrum - 13 miles (20.9km)
 First
thing in the morning it is back to the pub looking for the wallet and to
my relief it was still there!!! By now everyone knows the South African
has lost her wallet (how embarrassing). With wallet in hand we set off
to our next destination. The route follows the River Falloch and posses
spectacular gorges full of waterfalls and rapids. We soon reached the
old military road built towards the end of the 18th century,
the path follows the road (by now mostly just a narrow track) for most
of the way. The hills all have a blue/purple colour as they are covered
in blue bells.
We walked past an area
known as “the king’s field” where legend has it that in 1306 Robert the
Bruce (From Brave Heart) suffered defeat by the MacDougalls.
By now the dreaded
midges had come out (smaller than a muggie but more
 ferocious
than a mosquito), these biting insects are just everywhere and as Esther
walks in short sleeves she is now covered in lumps and pumps, they get
in everywhere, in your hair, ears and even up you nose.
At Tyndrum we camped at
“By the Way” and took a short walk into the village, well known for its
Green Wellies Shop”. Here one can find almost everything, from hiking
gear to food. So Esther and myself picked up two very small backpacks,
as walking with a plastic bag is not all that becoming.
31 May - Tyndrum –
Kingshouse - 20 Miles (32.1km)
 We
did a longer walk today as Ronnie, a local guy, told us to rather do
this, as the other sections are very hilly, and you never argue with a
local. Although it was a long walk it was fairly flat.
We walked through
forestry plantations, which is a bit muddy in places, and now I
understand why wearing hiking boots is better than running shoes. The
route crosses Rannoch Moor with spectacular views of various Munros
(mountains
over 3000ft) and lochs in the distance.
On descending into
Kingshouse, one can see the magnificent mountains of Glen Coe and Glen
Etive where I am sure there must be excellent skiing in winter and some
fantastic rock climbing areas.
We camped at Kingshouse
which only offers wild camping with no facilities, so no better thing to
do but sit in the pub until bed time.
1 June - Kingshouse –
Kinlochleven - 8 Miles (12.6km)
 A
nice short walk today. We are now in an area with some of the most
impressive peaks in Scotland and it makes you wish you were a rock
climber. So we go over what is known as the Devil’s Staircase, still on
the old military road, and reach the highest part of the walk. It’s the
first day the sun is out and the views are truly magnificent.
We reach Kinlochleven
early and camped at McDonald, which is on the loch side. The village is
picture perfect with a large ice climbing centre.
2 June - Kinlochleven –
Fort William - 13 Miles (20.9km)
 The
way climbed steeply out off Kinlochleven through woodlands and joined
the old military road again. Esther even brought a beer as refreshment,
which we had at an old ruin along the way. The other walkers must think
we are total hooligans by now, as we constantly canning ourselves
laughing at absolutely nothing, they must think that we are pissed all
the time.
On arrival at Ford
William we did not, unlike most others, go straight to the camp site,
but first wandered about town in search of a pizza and a beer.
3 June - Ben Nevis - 12
Miles (19.3km)
 We
put off getting up until about 09h30 as it is raining and
 very,
very wet outside, but how long can one be cooped up in a small tent? So
in the end there is nothing more to do than put the wet weather gear on
and head up the mountain. The starting point is at The Visitors Centre
which was conficulously quite and we did not see many hikers along the
route as the mist is very heavy and a constant drizzle made it a bit
unpleasant.
The path up the mountain
is a gentle climb and not very steep, I was surprised at how quickly the
landscape changed from green rolling grass to a very rocky landscape. I
could not believe my eyes when we reached the top and found a large
snowfield!! How impressive.
The walk up and back
took about 7 hours and needless to say we went straight into the pub for
a beer and some food. Mission accomplished!!
ESTHER AND ME IN IRELAND
8 June - Glasgow to
Belfast
 In
order to get to Ireland, Esther and myself had to cycle from her house
to Glasgow Central to get a train to Stanraer. Esther
fell off her bike 3 times between the house and the station, this is
just the funniest thing, every time I look around Esther is laying on
the ground, bike on top of her, and all this in peak hour
traffic as everyone is on there way to work!!
At Stanraer we got a
ferry to Belfast and arrived in Belfast at around 16h30
 (peak
time again) where Esther proceeded to fall off again, the bike is too
big for here and her legs too short to swing over the middle bar.
We laughed so much
that it was a surprise that we managed to cycle the 6km north to where
we set up camp.
Esther now refers to
her bike as Silver, and let me tell you, Saartjie has nothing on this
one, it bucks and kicks and is rather unwilling to see Ireland.
9 June - Belfast to
Cushendall – 43 miles (69 km)
 What
a beautiful morning, sun's out, no wind, what more can a person ask for?
So with Silver loaded and packed we took the coastal road,
 which
is extremely scenic, specially on such a glorious day. We cycled
past many small coastal villages and large white limestone cliffs, it is
definitely the best cycling day to date. Esther proceeded to fall
off another 5 times before arriving at camp where she managed to fall
off again in full view of all the campers!! Good thing she is
wearing a helmet. We managed to do a full 43 miles.
10
June - Cushendall – Ballycastle - 20 miles (32km)
 We
left rather late and shortly after we left the village of Cushendall
there was a sign indicating a scenic route via Torr head, which sounded
rather nice, the sign 'not suitable for caravans and coaches' should
have warned us not to take that route, yes it was scenic, but the hills
are definitely not for cycling with a loaded bike. Esther claimed
that she did not fall at all today as she had to walk the whole way and
now she has blisters on her feet.
The
downhill section into Ballycastle was fantastic and after waiting at the
bottom
 for
a longer time that usual, I cycled up the hill again to were Esther was,
just to find her walking downhill as well!!! This time with a flat
tyre. No quick release on this bike and one needs a spanner to get
the wheel off. Needless to say we have no spanner. So we
walked into town and found a campsite. One very nice man in the
camp had a spanner and we took the wheel off (actually he took it
off) he also gave Esther a lift into town to get a new tyre as her
existing tyres are so old, they are just disintegrating.
11
June - Ballycastle – Castlerock - 40 miles (64km)
 Wow,
we woke to a brilliant morning again. The day started in its usual
way with Esther being a total disaster again. While loading up old
Silver the one bungy cord slipped loose and hit her on the lip, now she
has a fat lip as well, besides all the bruises and scratches from
falling off her bike.
So
first things first and back to the bike shop to get a spanner and new
front tyre as well.
The
coastline is absolutely magnificent and we stopped at The Giants
Causeway
 and
spend sometime wondering around.
Not
only is the scenery fantastic but the local people are extremely
friendly, after quite a long hill a lady offered us some tea, Esther
thinks I'm trying to kill her and she reckons that it would have been
easier and quicker to have taken an overdose at home!! So after 40
miles we packed it in and found a campsite. I think the lady took
one look at Esther's face and let as camp for free!!!
12
June - Castlerock – Quigley’s Point - 20 miles (32km)
 Just
a short ride to Magilligan Point to get a ferry to Greencastle, where we
got slightly lost as a local map shows a coastal road which is non
existing, (Esther not happy with me) so we pitched the tents at the
first opport unity
we got to give her backside a rest, and went across the road for a pint.
People in Ireland are really relaxed and laid back, and sing songs in
the pub is very common.
We are
now in the Rep of Ireland and only discovered it when we wanted to draw
money and the only option was Euros!!
13
June - Quigley's Point - Portsalon via Letterkenny - 57 Miles!!!! (91km)
It
rained all night and there's nothing to do but pack up in the rain and
head for Buncrana, where we intended to take a ferry to Rathmullan, just
to find that the ferry only starts operating on the 16th. The only
option now is to cycle back to Letterkenny and onto Ramelton and then to
Rathmullan. Although its cold and raining the scenery is still out
of this world. We met a cycle tour along the way and stopped for a
chat, they even offered us some coffee, what a pleasure!!
We
found no camping in Rathmullan so we headed on to Portsalon.
Esther is getting stronger by the day and she is not falling of her bike
anymore. Old Silver is still creaking and squealing, and extremely
unwilling on the up hills, but Esther shows her no mercy and we push on.
From Rathmullan to Portsalon, is only about 19 km but we took the scenic
route (again) and encountered some really nasty hill before a serious
downhill into Portsalon. By now Esther’s one hand is totally numb
and quite useless, she is now 100% convince that I'm trying to kill her.
I tried to break it to her gently that it happens to everyone, but I
don't think that convinced her.
14
June – Portsalon
 The
weather turned even more foul overnight and it is now not just cold and
raining, but there is also a mean wind coming from the ocean, so we
decided to stay put and we both crawled back into our sleeping bags,
zipped up the tents and read the whole day.
By 5
o'clock we had enough of laying in the tents and headed for the local
pub, which is a shop and pub all in one, a few locals were sitting at
the bar and soon the singing started, this is just great!! It was three
in the morning before we got back to our tents so I guess we had a real
good time.
15
June - Portsalon - Melmore Head - 37 miles (59km)
 After
only getting into bed at three in the morning we were rather slow in
packing up and it was 12h00 before we eventually got on our way. The
weather is now really bad, drizzling, a strong wind and bitter cold.
We pushed on but Esther appeared reluctant to do the scenic route again
(I do not blame her). In Carrickart we were told that there is a
Youth Hostel not far from there, so we opted for a room instead of looking for a campsite. By now it feels that
as if frozen
stiff even Esther is wearing long sleeves!! It was not as close as
we were lead to believe, but we soldier on up a steep hill to find the
hostel, very basic and remote, but warm and with a bed!!!
16
June - Melmore Head - Letterkenny - Belfast and Larne
 Esther
needs to get back home so the only option is to cycle back to
Letterkenny and see what is available from there. We were in luck
as there is a bus in 20 minutes to Derry and then another bus straight
to Belfast. A little shock awaited as when we arrived in Belfast.
Belfast was
 packed
full, each little nook and cranny was fully packed due to a large
international boxing event in town. Each and every B & B and hotel from
the cheapest to the Hilton (even considered that one) was fully booked.
By now it is 10 0'clock and freezing cold, I suggested we cycle the 6 km
north to were we camped before, but Esther nearly had a hart attack and
refuse blatantly to get on the bike. So back to the train station,
were the staff were extremely friendly and
directed as to a B & B in Larne, one can also get a ferry to
Glasgow. They even phoned to book and helped us on the train.
Wonderful people.
17
June - Larne - Oxford Island - 57 miles (91km)
 We had
a great breakfast at the B & B, what luxury!!! The B & B is right
across from the harbour so we went directly there. Esther could get
the 10.30 ferry.
I
hopped on my bike and headed back to Belfast in order to go south.
It's a great morning and as it is Sunday plenty of cyclist are out, all
stopping for a wee chat (as they say here) So I took the recommend route
south of Belfast along the River Lagan, all the way to Lisburn.
From there on a minor road via Moira to Oxford Island on Lough Neagh.
I even
saw the Orange Order men marching, band and all, in one of the smaller
villages.
18
June – Oxford Island – Ballyronan - 45 miles (72km)
 The
people here are really friendly, even offered me some dope!!! The
Lough is a fresh water lough and one of the largest in Western Europe.
So I decided to cycle along the shore to Ballyronan. The path
follows small country lanes and minor roads, past small villages and
farms. The lake has an interesting legend which says that it was formed
when the Irish giant Finn McCool scooped out an earthen clod to toss at
a Scottish rival who was fleeing Ulster by the Giant's Causeway.
Finn's shot fell into the Irish Channel and formed the isle of Man!!
19
June - Ballyronan - Kesh (Lough Erne) - 63 miles (101km)
 Packed
up in the rain again, what's new, but it cleared and I had a fantastic
cycling day west along the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, via Omagh
to Kesh. In Kesh I cycled onto the campsite, which was up some
serious hills, just to find it's not a camp site but a mobile home park
with no camping. Bummer!!! The owner was however nice enough
to allow me to camp on a small piece of grass and he even unlocked one
of the mobile homes so I could use the shower and toilet.
20
June - Kesh and surrounds - 20 miles (32km)
 Decided
to stay in the area, and went down the hill to the proper campsite from
where one can take long walks around the lake and through the forest.
I even found some dried fruit, yummy, ate the whole lot, now I'm
shitting through the eye of a needle. Well talking about food, I
always considered myself as the Queen of carbos, but I have nothing on
these people, they have macaroni cheese & chips, baked potato with beans
and chips, how's that?
21
June - Kesh - Donegal (Dun na nGall) - 45 miles (72km)
The
road to Ballyshannon runs all along the lake and with a tail wind it
felt like down hill all the way. At Ballyshannon I turned
northwards along the coast to Donegal, still with a tail wind, so
I arrived fairly early and set up camp at the Youth Hostel.
A walk along the river in
Donegal
Carrick
  
A walk
up the cliffs before I am on my way again and what a view!! There is
just no end to the beauty of Ireland
The cutting of peed out of the blogs is alive and
well, people mostly use it form home fires, and what a good smell it is,
reminds me a bit of Africa.
Ireland is a land covered in stone ruines and just
about everywhere you go there is some or other kind of stone ruine.
Now bike is on the roof of a car, and around the
ring of kerry.
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