WHW Day 2 – Drymen to Rowardennan.

If yesterday’s stage was easier than expected then today’s was much tougher than expected.

We left Drymen just before 9am and quickly turned off the main road to head up into the forest. I got a good look at a Lesser Whitethroat and before we knew it, it was time to take a quick breather to listen to Ken Bruce and Popmaster. There were misgivings when Ken announced that there would be new prizes from next week….

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond made its first appearance as we were heading for the first target of the day – Conic Hill. As it was a Bank Holiday there were lots of walkers as well as the WHW crowd. It was quite a tricky section as well with lots of tree roots desperate to snare the unwary foot.

Conic Hill

After a careful descent we were soon at Balmaha were it was thought wise to rest a while at The Oak Tree to recharge the batteries before the trek up the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond to Rowardennan.

Gentlemen who lunch

The first section along the Loch was nice and gentle but the undulations quickly followed and after one seemingly endless flight of wooden steps I was convinced that the second lunchtime pint had been a misjudgement. Hindsight is 20/20 of course. It had seemed an excellent suggestion at the time.

The last couple of miles were tough but just after 4.30 we arrived at Ben Lomond Bunkhouse and after a revitalizing shower I was already looking forward to tomorrow’s stage…. until I read the description of it in the guide book….. The toughest of the lot… Oh well. How tough can it be? It looks so nice…