So today's walk basically consists of walking over a hill. Should be easy peasy. Pity the poor fools walking all the way to Rowardennan. We are going over Conic Hill (1184ft/361m) and then we will be staying in Balmaha. This is all part of our plan to make the West Highland Way as easy as possible, for several reasons: 1. Recovering from injuries and we really don't want to get injured again 2. Connected to that, quite low fitness levels. 3. Enjoying the walk more by not rushing. 4. Stopping a lot to enjoy the wildlife. 5. Not getting caught in the stride of any "hiking" types who might encourage us to walk as fast as them! On the way out of Drymen we soon criss-cross with the Rob Roy Way, passing the ghosts of our younger (fitter) selves. As we pass through Garadhban forest we hear and then see a Tree Pippit, appropriately enough at the top of a pine tree. Me: It could be a Meadow Pippit? I mean they look exactly the same, or at least it's really hard to tell the difference. My ornithological skills are not ... Jennie: It's in a tree. It's a Tree Pippit. Debate over. I also spot a Siskin in these woods. I haven't seen one for a while since we had them visit our garden in Dundee. Birdwatching is becoming quite a good excuse for not walking up this hill! There's some mist around but it's lifting and I think the sun's actually about to come out for us. As we climb we notice many ringlet butterflies, upon identification actually Mountain Ringlets. When we are at the top we are rewarded with stunning views over Loch Lomond, with all its many islands. I'm sure plenty of people do this walk and miss out on the view so we feel quite lucky. It might be common sense to imagine that going down will be easier than going up but in reality descents can also be quite challenging. It puts a lot of weight through your knees and quads. It also doesn't help when the surface is particularly hard. On this busy walking route erosion is also a problem so the Loch Lomond national park has constructed steep steps all the way down. Actually this is tough going. One man looks to be genuinely struggling and I am quite glad to see him hanging around Balmaha later on and not stuck up there unable to take another knee shattering step! Ok I'm exaggerating, it's not that bad really. There are some nice woods at the bottom of the hill as we arrive at our destination, the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha. So ends a lovely walk to reach the bonnie balmy banks of Loch Lomond. Job done. I think an ice cream is in order.
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