West Highland Way

West Highland Way 2009 97 miles
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Waiting for a pie in Milngavie	Bit Showery	Cashel	Contemplating with Big Guy
Nap Time	Enjoying the view'	Loch Lomond behind	Meeting Luca
Devil's staircase	Loch Lomond behind	Fort William	Cool train ride

		Friday 14th May Milngavie ~ Drymen Started off through Mugdoch Woods where I got into trouble for jumping into some muddy water. It didn't matter though because I went swimming in the burn and washed it all off. It was really nice scenery and then we walked over a moor then on an old railway line. Then called at the pub for a drink because it was a warm day and we were all thirsty with all that walking. All I had was a drink of water! Stayed at a Bed and Breakfast at Drymen with Mrs. Lander. The bedroom was so full of her stuff there was hardly room for us. We were all squashed up with hardly any room to put our things. Went to a really nice friendly pub for tea, where the people were very nice and gave me some biscuits and a drink of water.
		Saturday 15th May Drymen ~ Sallochy Walked through Garadhban Forest and saw some really nice people who made a big fuss of me and one man even picked me up for a cuddle! it started raining so we put our cagoules on. Pets at Home donated me one for the walk, which was very kind of them and it certainly kept me dry. We couldn't go over Conic Hill because no dogs allowed during the lambing season so we followed the detour signs to Milton of Buchanan, stopping for lunch at the pub and then on to Balmaha. We were walking at the side of Loch Lomond and Big Guy got us a bit lost but then he found the path to Milarrochy and onto Cashel. I went for a swim in the Loch to cool my hot feet. The bed and breakfast was really nice with plenty of room for us. The house next door had some wolf type dogs. All the day we have heard cuckoos calling.
		Sunday 16th May Sallochy ~ Inversnaid A very long hard day's walking today at the side of Loch Lomond in the Forest. Lots of things to smell and chase in the Forest which I liked it and I liked walking at the side of the Loch as well because I can just jump in when I want a swim. The path was very narrow, twisty and stoney and with a lot of old tree roots across the path. Boss Woman was a bit worried because she doesn't like narrow paths where she might fall off. We stayed at the Inversnaid bunkhouse and I was glad when we got there I was so tired. The room in the bunkhouse was tiny and very cold and I was glad that Boss Woman remembered my sleeping bag to keep me warm.
		Monday 17th May Inversnaid ~ Ewich Another long hard day walking at the side of Loch Lomond. For the first 4 miles the path was a bit rough but then it changed to grass and forest. Weather is a bit chilly but sunny. Still hearing the cuckoos all the way. I saw 3 goats with massive horns in the fields, so I started to chase them but Boss Woman stopped me in case they chased me back. At Keilator we passed through a field with a herd of cows which mood at me menacingly and looked like they were going to chase me. Yikes! Big Guy picked me up and walked past them, just in case they chased us all. That night I dreamt that they were chasing me and I was barking and growling at them in my sleep and woke Boss Woman up growling. A steady walk uphill from where the cows were then a really nice walk downhill through the Forest to Ewich. I was glad when we stopped at Ewich House because I was very tired today. Big Guys feet and knees are hurting him so he was glad to stop as well. Ewich House is a big posh house and it was nice, warm and comfortable there with a massive bedroom.
		Tuesday 18th May Ewich ~ Inveroran Really nice and warm today. We walked over the moors at the side of a river and then alongside the West Highland Railway. We saw some trains going past and some people waved to us. Boss Woman called in at the Green Welly Shop at Tyndrum and bought me a tin of sardines for my lunch. They were well tasty .. We passed a sign that said someone wanted to open a gold mine and then walked past a disused lead mine. Everywhere I look there are massive mountains on all sides. I am really tired today and don't even want to chase birds or play stick fighting I just want to walk and get there to my bed. At least the grass is cool and soft on my feet. We walked over West Highland Railway Iine at Bridge of Orchy and some people we had met on the walk in the guesthouse there waved to us, but we couldn't stay there because they didn't allow dogs. I was very hungry when we got to very expensive Inveroran Hotel and was glad to get my tin of meat for my tea. It was very nice there though and they made us all very welcome. I got to share Boss Woman's dinner in the bar as well.
		Wednesday 19th May Inveroran~ Kingshouse I was tired this morning, seeing as we walked 15 miles yesterday and didn't even wake Boss Woman until 7.10 a.m. for a pee, I was starving as well and ate loads of biscuits for my breakfast. It was raining last night and the paths are all muddy this morning. Boss Woman has a blister on her heel and Big Guy is limping. We had a nice 10 mile walk over Rannoch Moor which was really very nice and soft on my feet. We stopped for lunch at the top of the moor and we could hear the cuckoos calling really loudly. Further on, just before we got to Kinghouse we stopped on the top of the moor again for a rest ~ it was really nice and peaceful with lovely views over Glen Coe. I laid on my back and sunned my tummy and had a sleep. Then we had a short walk down to Kinghouse Hotel where we saw Luca and his Boss Woman Ann. Ann very kindly sponsored me £5 for the walk. We all went into the Climbers Bar for dinner and I got to share Boss Woman's and Big Guy's dinner with them. Everyone made a big fuss of me again, which I liked. There were deer outside the hotel but I didn't chase them because I was too tired.
		Thursday 20th May Kingshouse ~ Kinlochleven Only 9 miles today and the weather is a bit miserable and drizzly, which makes the paths muddy again. After leaving Kingshouse, we had a hard climb up to the Devil's Staircase.The path was a bit stony and hard on my feet. It was a bit misty on the top and we stopped there for lunch. I found a really nice stick and I carried it all the rest of the way to Kinlochleven. Everyone we met seemed to find this amusing and cute, I am not sure why! The walk down to Kinlochleven was not very nice at all. It was at the side of massive water pipes that were there for the Aluminium smelter. We arrived at the Bed and Breakfast at 3.20 p.m. The woman was not very welcoming and didn't speak much. The bedroom was dark, old fashioned and miserable and Boss Woman complained that the milk was sour and the sugar was hard. We all went to the Tailrace Inn and shared a really nice dinner, where they made us very welcome.
		Friday 21st May Kinlochleven ~ Fort William Last day of walking today. Nice, warm and sunny today. On all the days of our walks, we have heard the cuckoos all the way. Really glad to leave Kinlochleven as I don't like it there. We had some Forest walking and over the moor, past a load of sheep which I really wanted to chase but Boss Woman kept a close eye on me so I couldn't. Sigh .... A long walk down into the bottom to the river where we saw some people who were walking the Coast to Coast Challenge walk and walked up again over the moor and through another Forest and then down into Glen Nevis, passing Ben Nevis mountain on the way. We walked along the road into Fort William to the finish of the walk. Well done ME. At the Bed and Breakfast in Fort William, the woman made a really big fuss of me. I think she likes dogs! We walked down into the town then for Fish and Chips. I got a whole fish to myself, which was good because I was starving. Saw some people there that we had seen on the walk and they made a fuss of me again. We went into a really noisy pub but we had to leave because we were all tired and the pub was too noisy.
		Saturday 22nd May Fort William ~ Milngavie Well, what a relief! They didn't make me walk all the way back. I got to catch the train back to Milngavie and was even allowed to sit on the seat (on my own bed of course). People on the train thought I was a very brave dog for doing the long walk and some people took pictures of me. The train ride was very nice and it was even better when I could see a lot of the places we had walked through, from the comfort of a padded seat. I liked this walk a lot and I look forward to my next very long walk, The Ridgeway. It was interesting to visit all the different places and I enjoyed meeting all the different people that we saw on the walk, most of which made a big fuss of me.
TOTAL RAISED £845