West Highland Way: Day 7

Date: Saturday 7 April

Route: Tyndrum to Inveroran

Distance: 10 miles

Accommodation: Inveroran Hotel, Inveroran

Another “not one of the highlights” stretch of the West Highland Way, but another interesting day’s walking nonetheless, mainly on military roads built by the English to crush the Jacobite (pro-Stuart) rebellions, crossing one last hillside to end up at the beautifully situated Inveroran Hotel by the side of Loch Tulla.

Once past the relentlessly tourist-friendly (and therefore quite sniffily reviewed by guide-books) Green Welly Stop, the road soon leaves Tyndrum and turns into a metalled track, which is easy to walk two abreast (although you may need to keep an ear out for stealthy mountain bikers behind you).

The A82 is still visible, though soon at a distance, as this section runs closer to the railway line, which you cross a couple of times. The shelter of the early loch-side sections of the walk is pretty much missing from now onwards - luckily we only have a bit of light rain to contend with and no need to break out the serious waterproof gear (yet).

This section is really all about being out in the middle of a wide open space, amongst imposing hills and mountains. The ease of the path makes it difficult to slow down (once again we find ourselves at our accommodation way too early to check in – luckily it has a Walker’s Bar, complete with illustration of the whole Way, cartoon midges etc., in which to while away some time, though if you forgot to buy a newspaper in Tyndrum you could find yourself distressingly crossword-free).

The first notable landmark (not counting the various hills whose summits are wreathed in cloud and the occasional bridge/ stile/ gate etc.) is the railway station at Bridge of Orchy, a long white single storey building with a roof that was obviously designed to cope with more than the occasional downpour.

Once past the Bridge of Orchy Hotel and over the bridge that gives the hamlet its name, it’s back uphill and into virtually the only sheltered section of the walk, through a conifer plantation. The gradual climb is rewarded by a great view by a cairn on the hilltop, looking down on Loch Tulla and across various hilltops and the moorland we will be tackling the next day (having seen photographs of this in bright sunshine, when there isn’t so much cloud obscuring the hilltops, I suspect it gets a lot more spectacular than we have experienced).

Then, all too soon, we’re back down the hill and at the Inveroran Hotel (not that the welcome isn’t warm – it has some of the friendliest staff anywhere along the Way). Again, it feels as though we could have gone further today; strangely looking forward to the most exposed section of the walk, between Rannoch Moor and the mountains around Coire Bà (although possibly not the forecast heavy downpours – it looks as though that wet-weather gear may finally earn its keep).