Argyll - Two days on the Three Lochs Way

I'd watched it move in from the west. A wall of rain and black cloud that was so dark it turned late afternoon into twilight. It caught me of course on the most exposed part of my route, the Yankee Road above Garelochhead. Rain started, hammering against my waterproofs, then it turned to hail that hit my hood like bullets. At these moments, I always remind myself that if I wanted to be cosy and comfortable, I could just stay at home. But this is much better. This is being uncomfortable and feeling alive.

The day had started more quietly. Off the train at Arrochar and Tarbert for a two-day backpacking trip along the Three Lochs Way. The Way runs from Inveruglas to Balloch, taking in Loch Long, the Gare Loch and Loch Lomond. Having walked the initial section many times, I started on this occasion at Tarbert, picking up the trail outside the station. Here a chill wind blew through with remnants of winter but there was little snow left on Ben Lomond.

The trail undulated south high above Loch Long. The grey weather created a perfect atmosphere for the long views along the loch as layers of murky mountains sank into the water. It was a stunning walk. The railway line kept company with the trail, contouring round the hillside on its narrow ledge. The route became steeper and was dotted with crags and old birch woods while the rocky outline of the Cobbler drew the eye on the other side of the loch.

The trail eventually left the lochside and descended into Gleann Culanach tucked away behind the Luss Hills. Despite the extent of forestry, it was a pleasant walk here with pockets of sun that were warm enough to release the aroma of pine trees. The route then emerged above Garelochhead on the Yankee Road which was built by the US army in World War 2. Today it still functions as an army firing range. Once the storm had passed over, it left behind a beautiful evening of soft golden light as I continued the walk down Glen Fruin to find a spot for the tent. 

And what a spot it was. The next morning the low rays of the rising sun caught a sliver of Loch Lomond way off to my left and down to my right, the waters of the Clyde were a sapphire blue. Skylarks sang overhead as I packed up and walked down into Helensburgh through Highlandman's Wood where tree shadows cross-hatched the trail ahead. 

Onwards from Helensburgh, the Way connected up footpaths and forest trails to eventually join Stoneymollan Road. This is an old coffin road that was used by people in Balloch to transport the dead to consecrated ground in Cardross on the Clyde. There are two particularly nice sections on the old "road". The first is where it emerges from the forest high on the hill to reveal a stunning panorama of Loch Lomond peppered with wooded islands and framed by Ben Lomond. The second is where the road descends from here for the final walk into Balloch. It passes through a line of knarly old trees and I imagine they must be old enough to have watched the coffins pass. 

My walk ended at Balloch which was a bustling contrast to the peace and quiet of the last two days. 

Fact File

More photos on Flickr.

Start: Arrochar and Tarbert train station on the West Highland line.

Finish: Balloch with regular trains into Glasgow.

Route: Out of the station, turn left to join a footpath along the main road. This is now the Three Lochs Way route and soon a track is signed up to the right to leave the road. The rest of the route is well signed but as at April 2024 there is a diversion in place around Gouk Hill due to tree fall. There is also a well signed linking path down to Garelochhead for a shorter walk.  

Atholl - Zoning out

This was my first trip of the season in wintry weather though the walk didn't start wintry. Instead it passed through several zones of different weather before topping out in winter itself.

I started in the woods of Glen Tilt which were winter bare but dappled by early morning sunshine. There was hair ice to see, always an exciting find, as I climbed higher through the woods. A clearing soon gave a view north over the giant cut of Glen Tilt as it meandered deeper into the hills below a snow-dusted Carn a Chlamain. 

I left the woods behind and picked up a lonely track that struck out across the moor. It passed into a new zone of weather as the world around me became frosty and frozen. Icicles clung to the overhang of the riverbank and the water on the track had frozen solid. Soon the track would be dusted with snow as it climbed the hillside. Looking behind me, its route over the moor was picked out in white like tram lines.

A stiff pull eventually brought me up onto the hill and into full winter. I'd chosen this top, Beinn a Chait, because it's not on any list or in any guidebook. It's just a top that I hadn't visited before and where I was sure I would find solitude. But what a stunning place it was that day. Without a breath of wind, I could sit for ages enjoying the wintry, mountain panoramas around me. 

Immediately to the east, the successive ridges of Beinn Mheadhonach, Carn a Chlamain and Beinn a'Ghlo were an impressive sight. To the distant north, were the Cairngorms blanketed with snow and closer to was the bulk of Beinn Dearg where I could pick out a few, tiny  figures on the top. But to the west of Beinn a Chait the land fell away to high moorland and the view was unimpeded so that I could see a long line of snow-capped peaks stretching across the far horizon. These were the Western Highlands but somehow they reminded me that day of a much grander range like the Andes or the Rockies. It was beautiful to sit there in the glistening snow taking all this in. Not a sound. Not another person. 

In the short days of mid winter, the sun was already dipping as I made my way back down. I retraced my route part way along the track in golden evening light that bathed the flanks of Ben Vrackie to the south. A bend in the river was the night's camp spot and it was a cold night that followed. A full moon rose. My water bottle froze and my tent iced up but the river ran free and tinkled quietly all night.

Next morning, I descended back down through the zones of frosty moorland and damp, green woods. 

Fact File
Start/finish: Blair Atholl
Public transport: Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness train
My route: Picked up the path up Glen Tilt immediately before the bridge over the Tilt on the main road through the village. Stayed on the track on the west side of the river and eventually joined the track that leaves Glen Tilt to the northwest ascending beside the Allt Slanaidh. It climbed a good way up Beinn a Chait before I left it to get to the top. Repeated this route back out next day.