West Highland Way: Day 3

Date: Tuesday 3 April

Route: Balmaha to Rowardennan

Distance: 7 miles

Accommodation: Rowardennan Hotel

Another relatively short walking day, virtually all of it alongside the south-eastern side of Loch Lomond, and the way in which the guidebook describes the lack of major climbs makes us wonder if we would have been better to have lost a day’s walking and tackled the whole 14/15 mile route from Drymen to Rowardennan in one go.

In the event, we wake to snow (although nothing as bad as the blizzard conditions that have hit further south, thankfully!) and the opportunity to take a slow wander along a much less populated path than we have been used to so far, which still has enough climbs and descents to make us grateful that it wasn’t tacked on at the end of another 7 miles!

Balmaha, where we stayed the night, is home to the Oak Tree Inn (not wildly exciting but obviously used to dealing with large quantities of visitors efficiently), a boatyard that runs ferries and pleasure cruises across Loch Lomond (though no cruises in early April), a big car park and a small but friendly shop.

As we leave, the snow on the mountain tops adds a new dimension to the walk and the views, although some of the snowy hillsides resolutely refuse to show up on camera, blending in with the cloudy sky and disappearing from the photographic record.

The day’s walking, although at times close to the (currently) quiet road between Balmaha and Rowardennan, for the most part alternates between attractive forests (including the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park) and deserted loch-side beaches along the southern side of Loch Lomund. There are a few sections to get your heart pumping and a few hillsides where great views appear, seemingly out of nowhere, making this a lovely section of the walk, once again very easy to follow.