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Army tracker backpack11/14/2022 ![]() ![]() We chatted with a woman from Oxford walking solo who was exuberant over the stunning scenery. The approximately 13 miles to Kingshouse Hotel, an isolated cluster of structures about 12 miles east of Glencoe, traversed old military and "drove roads" - routes once used by Highlanders to drive cattle and sheep to market - into the vast, boggy wilderness of Rannoch Moor, as seen in the "Outlander" series. with our preordered sack lunches, yet another aspect of life on the trail that we quickly internalized. Stuffed with a full Scottish breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, black pudding, potato scone, and roasted mushrooms and tomatoes, we left by 9 a.m. The identity of the bugs would remain unclear, but Ramona's insight may explain why we never had reason to use the spray again. When I asked our server, Ramona from Austria, whether we'd been visited by midges on the patio hours before, she hesitated, saying it's the end of the season and they would be gone in a matter of days because of cooling temperatures. Feeling celebratory, we split a bottle of wine at dinner to toast our first successful day. Because there are few places to stay along the trail, hotels have to plan and space out diners. ![]() (Kathryn Streeter/The Washington Post)Īt the hotel's insistence, we had made dinner and breakfast reservations, something our other accommodations recommended, too. The author and her husband stayed at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, a seven-mile walk from Tyndrum. The herd thundered across the narrow bridge we had crossed moments earlier. At the foot of a bridge, a farmer vigorously waving his arms yelled something about moving his cows and told us to stand back, explaining, "They're skittish!" while jabbing his thumb for us to move away toward a stone wall. A brief encounter with a group of Highland cattle was the only time we stopped. The countryside was hilly, and we occasionally passed flocks of grazing sheep who, alarmed, would look up and stare suspiciously at us. Without any fanfare, we started the iconic trail marked with its hallmark symbol resembling the thistle, Scotland's national flower, walking seven miles along the relatively flat path toward the Bridge of Orchy. We'd read that, after Tyndrum, you couldn't buy provisions for 28 miles, and my husband snapped up dozens of energy bars at a nearby convenience store to add to my stash of apricots and almonds. So it was that on a fine day in mid-September, with a bit of nervous energy, we began, arriving in Tyndrum by train. Planning our dates and possible route, we leaned heavily on the recommended itinerary to lock in lodging for nearly 45 miles of hiking. Having the right equipment was critical, and REI helped with my backpack fitting, so I wasn't overloaded. We were also committed to carrying everything we needed on our backs rather than using a baggage transfer service. This would be our first thru-hike, stopping each night and continuing in the same direction the following morning. We decided on the legendary West Highland Way, which extends from Milngavie to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, and we committed to walking the northern half of the approximately 100-mile trail known for its dramatic scenery. This time, however, my husband and I plotted to disappear for four days to fulfill this old hiking dream. Though well aware of the country's plentiful trails offering cozy inns and warm beds along the way, we had never had the chance to hike one. We've grown familiar with the island country, a relationship that started long ago when we lived there as a family. Several months ago, however, we sensed an opening when booking flights to the United Kingdom, where our young adult children live. But last year, as empty nesters, we resolved to finally make it happen, despite the additional challenges posed by the pandemic. Years ago, when our kids were in preschool, my husband and I had what seemed like a crazy pipe dream: Once a year, we would take a multiday hike as a couple. ![]()
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