Day 4 West Highland Way - Ardlui to Ewich House

Wednesday, June 29, 2022 - Ardlui to Ewich House at mile 49.5 10.5 miles

We woke up and checked our gear. Between the heated towel bars and the radiator almost everything was dry, including Pounce's shoes. Pounce had elected to hike in waterproof shoes, something she had never done before. She ended up regretting it and almost purchased a different pair of shoes halfway through the hike. When shoes are waterproof they do not dry out easily once they get wet. I hiked in regular Altra trail runners which got wet easily but could also dry out fairly quickly.

Many people choose to hike the West Highland Way in heavy waterproof hiking boots. Footwear is always a personal decision but a major disadvantage of boots is that once they are wet they are almost impossible to dry out unless you have a boot dryer or drying room. Foot problems and injuries are the major reasons  people quit the West Highland Way. If you are on a hike for multiple days your feet swell. Boots do not expand. This is why experienced long distance hikers will buy their hiking footwear one size larger than they usually wear.

We enjoyed the buffet breakfast downstairs. Outside it was cloudy but not raining. Check out was 10:00am and we decided to stay until then and take the 10:00am ferry back to the trail.

Before I repacked my backpack Pounce suggested that I line my pack with a large garbage bag to keep my gear dry and she had an extra one that she gave me. I had never hiked in multiple days of rain although I did one test hike with my pack raincover before coming to Scotland. I had assumed that my pack cover would be sufficient. It simply was not. It helps but in the kind of multiday rain that we were experiencing it did not keep things dry.

It started to rain as soon as we walked out of the hotel

The Scooby Doo van was a tour guide

Arlui Hotel behind us on the right.

I look back at Ardlui

One thing that really surprised me was how small the towns and villages were in Scotland. I would look at a place on a map and almost always assumed it was larger with more services than it actually had. This was especially true in the Highlands. The Highland Clearances in the 1700s and 1800s were an almost genocidal policy that forced people off the land and replaced them with sheep. The effects of those clearances still reverberate in the land today.

We paid the ferry boat captain another 5 pounds per person for the ride back to the trail and hiked back up to the trail, where we paused for some pictures at an overlook.

Loch Lomond behind me

It was raining again but we finally were at the end of Loch Lomond. I said goodbye without regrets and enjoyed the easier terrain of rolling hills, passing through many sheep filled fields. Black faced sheep abound in this area. We hiked fast in the rain and I was happy to know that we had a room for the night to look forward to at Ewich House. Eventually the rain stopped and we peeled off our rain layers. Today's route took us alongside the River Falloch for several miles before it crossed under highway A82 and the train tracks that parallel the highway.

The rivers and streams were running full force from all the rain and it made for a beautiful sight and sound.

We stopped briefly at Beinglas Farm to use the bathroom. There was a bar, pods to stay in, restrooms, showers, a small store and a camping area. Sadly, they lost their lease in September and have closed down. 

The Falls of Falloch

We stopped to enjoy a snack and the view at the Falls of Falloch until the midges forced us back up the trail.

Sheep outnumber humans in Scotland by over a million. I had never noticed that the eyes of sheep are slitted like the eyes of goats so I mistook the creatures in the next video as possibly goats. But they are sheep. Scotland has had a problem getting enough sheepshearers to keep their sheep sheared properly. Usually the sheepshearers from Australia come over this time of year to shear the sheep because it is their slow winter time in Australia and they need the money. But because of Covid restrictions the past few years they have not been coming.

The Carmyle Cottage

Most cottages and buildings in Scotland are white. It is the cheapest color paint.

The sheep creep tunnel under the railroad tracks

It was low even for us shorties

The tunnel under highway A82

My turn!

Once we crossed to the west side of highway A82 the trail began to ascend up through more sheep country. The sun was out and my feet started to get uncomfortably warm in my waterproof socks. This was a lovely section of trail with sweeping views of the valley the highway and train tracks ran through.

Passing a sheep farm with a cool old rock wall fence

The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and the West Highland Way

I am not sure what it says about a country that they have a thistle as their national emblem and their motto is basically a variation of "Mess with the bull and you will get the horn". Supposedly the reverence for the thistle goes back hundreds of years. The story is that a group of Norse were sneaking in to attack and had removed their footwear to walk more silently when one of them stepped on a thistle and yelled out in pain. The Norse were then defeated by the alerted Scotch.

The Scots that I encountered were invariably kind and helpful. But historically they were fierce warriors and their ability to hold a grudge was legendary.

I could feel a hot spot developing on my toe and took advantage of this historical marker to change out of my waterproof socks into regular wool socks. But a blister had already begun to form. There was a side trail here that went to Crianlarich but we skipped it to continue to Ewich House. The trail climbed and then descended steeply and for some reason the woods we went through reminded me of the scary woods in the Wizard of Oz. 

I was running low on water and stopped to filter some at a little stream. Even after filtering the water was brown from the tannins but it tasted fine.

The trail descended steeply to a clearcut logging area and then popped out to the road. We took a little side trail to Ewich House, our stop for the night.

Ewich House

We knocked on the front door but no one answered. Eventually we just opened the door and went inside. In the front foyer was a boot dryer and we removed our shoes and set them to dry on the foot drying rack. We waited in a front seating area and really wanted to be able to check in and get our rooms. Eventually Pounce went outside and looked around until she found Sylvia the owner working in a garden, who apologized for not hearing us and came inside to give us our room keys and check us in. The Ewich House is run by Sylvia and her husband, Swiss citizens, and it is immaculately clean and welcoming. The old building had been remodeled extensively and the rooms were bright and cheery.

I took a hot shower after Pounce showed me how to turn it on. The showers always seemed to defeat me in Scotland. They are not as intuitive to turn on as one might think and certainly nothing like how they turn on in the United States. As I dried myself off after the shower I discovered a tiny tick on my thigh and used my tweezers to pull it off and flush it down the toilet. Ticks are abundant in Scotland and I was lucky this was the only one that I found the entire trip.

Our extra bag was waiting for us that we had bounced ahead with the luggage transfer service and I changed into my town clothes. Sylvia was kind enough to call a cab for us to Crianlarich after my wifi call failed. (They have very slow internet) Ian the cab driver was great. He picked us up and took us to Crianlarich Hotel for dinner and told us to just have the hotel call him when we were ready to go back to Ewich House. As the only cab driver in tiny Crianlarich he is know by everyone.

Cullen Skink soup, a fish chowder

I decided to try Cullen Skink soup, which is a popular fish chowder that reminded me a lot of clam chowder. I have made an effort to try as much of the local cuisine as I could, with the exception of black sausage, which is basically blood sausage. For dessert I tried the toffee pudding which is actually a cake and very delicious with ice cream and a runny toffee syrup. The front hotel desk called Ian for us and he took us back to Ewich House.