Saturday 9 July 2022, Day 6 on the West Highland Way (WHW) Crainlarish to Tyndrum. 7.14 miles by Garmin, 1253 elevation gain by All Trails, 3 hours 30 minutes walking. Today one device or the other went to sleep on me so all numbers are highly suspect but within the ballpark of the distance in the booklet for this leg.
Our group is in two different places that are side by side in Crainlarish. This is more of a town. The night before there was a lot of discussion about taking the taxi to the Ewich House, where the WHW meets the A82 highway about 2.5 miles along the walk. I look at my All Trails navigation app and determine this is more than 1/3 of the distance for the day. I decide that I will go ahead and walk up the hill. This had been the very steep path we descended last night to get to our lodging in Crainlarish. It is a mile back to the trail and a climb of 450 feet of elevation gain. Jo and Lee reluctantly agree this way as well.
train that runs from Crainlarish to Tyndrum. It will take them 10 minute to ride to Tyndrum. They will meet us at the Tyndrum Lodge.
The walk up the hill was a fraction of what we anticipated from our very tired end to the day shuffle down the night before. The area along it near the top has been stripped of all the woods and has massive tree roots exposed where the trees have been felled for harvesting. There are several green plastic wrappers that look like posts. We determine that these must be to protect newly planted trees. I will subsequently learn that the gray squirrels eat the bark of young trees killing them. This green protective barrier may be part of the solution to protecting the young trees from the squirrels. Scotland wants to protect red squirrels here and get rid of the gray ones.
At the top where we once again meet the WHW path, we climb through some forest and move up and down past a few streams and bridges. The day is pleasant with no rain. At the Ewich house we see that it is a bit of a trample through the brush
to actually get to the road although there is a sign on the trail hikers to stop. But we continue on as the three of us; Jo, Lee and I are making good time traveling about 1.7 miles in an hour including our stops for taking pictures and looking around. Several hikers pass us and we see them going down the path through a rather large section of clear cut area with ugly mud and pieces of trees littering the area.
We pass under a very impressive stone trestle for the railroad that crossed the down the mountain that we had been walking beside. Now in the valley we have to cross the A82 and continue to walk in the pastures and farm fields in this gentle valley. As we cross over the River Fillan three young ladies who have passed us, have stopped and are having their chocolate cake for lunch. There are many sheep in the fields. A farmer is near his barn with his sheep dog. Another is working on a tractor in a field of cut grass. The damp cut grass is made into silage for winter feed for livestock. It is
tall and looks beautiful before being mowed. There is a sign about the Scotland Rural Unified Cooperative (SRUC) and their conservation and promotion of ecologically sound practices in farming and raising new breeds of sheep.
Our walk continues past the remains of an Augustinian Priory and Cemetery. This is called the Kirkton burial grounds. Just beyond this we stop at the Strathfillan Wigwams and camping ground to use the restrooms and have hot chocolate and coffee. We pass the site of the Battle of Dalrigh, where Robert the Bruce was defeated 1306. Later we walk by the Lochan (little lake) where allegedly the sword of Robert the Bruce was thrown after his defeat. This is called the Lochan of the Lost Sword. Finally we cross a patch of barren ground which used to be a lead smelter. We then enter the lower Tyndrum and find our Lodge right along the WHW path.
