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Published: July 10th 2022
Wednesday 6 July 2022. Day 4 on the West Highland Way (WHW) from Rowardennan to Ardlui via ferry at Ardleish 14 miles by Garmin. 1598 feet Elevation gain. 11 hours walking.
Ardlui our destination is in the Arrochar district of Scotland but not on the region selection list for TravelBlog. Nor is Rowardennan which is in the Stirling council. Both are shown on Google Maps in these locales. Rowardennan has the last road from the south and east into this side of the loch. All other places north and east of here on the loch are served only by boat. The main highway route A82 runs up the west side of the loch. This means it is a long way around the southern end of the loch to bring our bags up the west side to the northern end of Loch Lomond.
Our walk starts at an Honesty Stop where you can pick up some snacks and drinks and leave your money for them in a box. The sign indicates 68 miles to Fort William and 28 miles from Milngavie. Continuing on the wooded area is very green and lots of moss covered ground and ferns under the tall
tree canopy.
Our scramble crosses large rocks up steep slopes and along a muddy pathway. The rain is a variation of mist and droplets. A breeze sends the water from leaves onto our heads. We come to a Bill Lobban memorial. This is a stone cairn with lots of vegetation on it. He died in 1975 while saving the life of a friend. (tomorrow we will understand even better how special this must have been to his friends).
As we approach where the Trossaches Path diverts from our WHW we pass some very impressive foot bridges. Short gentle steps up and down. Subsequent ones will be high steps, steep and narrow. As we walk along the shore of Loch Lomond and over the rocky outcroppings that extend their fingers into the Loch the path becomes steep and rocky with lots of scrambling to go both up and down. It is very slow going.
This is a day of little streams and waterfalls cascading over the rough rocks.
About 1330 we arrive at the hotel and resort at Inversnaid. This is only accessible by boat and the Cruise Loch Lomond ship comes to this spot. We discuss
how to take the boat to Tarbet and the bus to Ardlui which is on the opposite shore and requires a ferry to get to from the end of this days walk at a spot called Ardleish which is only some abandoned ruined houses. But elect to have some of our lunch and drinks and press on.
At the Inversnaid Hotel there is a separate entrance for the hikers asking that they remove shoes and backpacks and there are some tables to sit out. Our group heads for the much nicer area of the bar. Well the clutter of bags and shoes and poles are such that as I put down my day pack and take off my shoes and hang up our hiking poles I look back to see the rain cover is missing from my backpack. I get our sandwiches out and cannot find it anywhere. It appears to have been removed without my knowing it.
About 1415 Karen and I leave well after the other four and continue on the most difficult trail. About an hour and 1.7 miles along of the 5 miles we have yet to go Karen slips on some steep rocks
and falls. She hits her head and glasses on a rock hidden by the ferns. One glass lens is damaged but the frame is intact and does quite a bit of the damage around the eye. Several cuts on the head bleed profusely. At precisely that moment a lovely young couple, Nicholas and Sarah from Germany happen to be coming down the same rock and ask if we need help. I say yes. After determining that limbs are OK, we turn Karen over to pick her up and wash the blood and clean the wounds and put bandaids on them. They are very helpful with a spray disinfectant that also washes the wound. As we continue on now more slowly than before, they insist on staying with us. The trail is very treacherous. We learn from people later this is the most dangerous part of the entire West Highland Way and where almost all the accidents occur.
After we have walked for about 3.5 more hours we get a note from Jo our group leader that the last ferry is at 1910. We will not make it there so I say they have to wait as Karen has fallen
and is injured with a head cut but can walk. Jo replies that the folks at the ferry and hotel say we must call 999 and get the rescue folks to come get us.
At 1925 we arrive at the ferry pier and the German Couple continues on. I have given them our card and asked them to contact us after they finish the WHW. I call 999 and I am transferred to the Coast Guard since we are on the Loch. I give them lots of information: names, ages, phone numbers, weather, Loch wave height, location including my exact position on google maps and extent of injuries. They then tell me they will have someone contact us with details on coming for us. No call came. After about 40 minutes we are cold. Jo says no one can come for us on the 999 service. We start to walk thinking we may have to go 2 miles farther to where there is a place with shelter. I call 999 again and ask for the coast guard who then tell me the police handle this not them. I call 999 again and this time ask for the police. We
are about half a mile now from the pier. After a very long hold the police tell me that yes a rescue boat has been dispatched, don't know from where or when it will arrive. We head back to the pier. On the hill above I see the flashing blue light of the boat at the pier. I blow my whistle three short blasts several time. I then see a column of six people marching up the trail in amazing, golden, all weather suits. A welcome sight. I explain Karen is behind and head for the pier. The boat is there with two more people. They require me to remove my day pack and down a life jacket before going on the pier and to the boat. They sit me on a saddle behind the pilot of the boat.
The team of six meet Karen on the trail and escort her to the boat as well. They have carried a large first aid kit and oxygen bottle with them but do not need to use it now. She is seated on the saddle beside me. With all aboard we head the 400 meters across Loch Lomond's extreme northern end
(it is 650 feet deep here) to Ardlui and our lodging for the next two nights. Three of them gather in front of us to form a human wind screen as we race across the Loch. When we get to the dock four of them walk us to the Ardlui Hotel and ask for a room. The paramedic with the group does a very thorough examination of Karen and documents the results. He puts three staples in the cut to the left and above her eye. Once satisfied she does not need further medical attention they go back to their boat and the 26 mile ride to their base and then to their homes. They are all volunteers. A very impressive group from the Loch Lomond Rescue Volunteers (see card). We are SOOO thankful to be at the hotel for the night.
Jo is fit to be tied at not being able to do anything to help us other than the most important thing of telling us we had to call 999. We are so grateful she was able to get this information to us. They have taken our bags to our room and have gotten a salad for
us. It is now about 2200 and the restaurant is closed and the bar only open 15 minutes more. By the time we have things ready for bed it is midnight. We can sleep late as we do not walk in the morning.
Silvertoes notes: Where to begin–there are six of us and there is a 30 year plus gap in age. We are all in relatively good condition and experienced hikers and walkers. We are giving this segment of the trail our full attention However two have knee problems that have been held at bay with gel shots. Another has asthma and the general environment has been a challenge. Jo, our excellent leader, calls it “the day from hell.” She is on the the west side of the loch and helpless. The management of the lodge is not overly helpful but the young bar maid and a young Argentinian employee are wonderful. The bar maid goes into the bar and asks for help, but to no avail. An older gentleman explains to her since there is an injury, even though the person in question is ambulatory, no one will go out because of liability issues. So there we
are, on the east bank, looking across the narrow north end of the loch at the twinkling lights. No road to where we are at the pink buoy, used to signal to the opposite side that the ferry is desired. We have fallen through the cracks for an ‘official rescue.’ We start to travel northward toward a farm at the extreme end of the loch and stop to have a ‘discussion’ as to whether or not to proceed. We turn back toward the dock and the lights twinkling across the way. We stop to see if we have communication and, in finding we do, Harlan connects with the police who have jurisdiction for rescue in far north of loch. The end result is we know they ‘are on the way’ but have no other details. Harlan trudges down toward dock again and starts blowing his whistle. I do not hear the whistle and look up, after traversing a particularly muddy segment and see a vision, a dream. All I can think of are characters out of Starwars. The men coming toward me are in pristine uniforms, Starwars design and BRIGHT gold. They march up, very proper and my first thought
is that I sure wish I was not so bloody and grubby!! They ask some questions and then we advance down the hill, one on each side. They are so professional yet so jolly and personable. AND they are all volunteers. At the hotel they are most efficient and thorough. Nearest clinic is 90 minutes away so they are capable of performing many procedures. The zodiac was immaculate and the teamwork incredible. We asked about payment–they are volunteers and there is no charge for the evening entertainment. We are still trying to determine an appropriate donation but in my book they were priceless!
So, what happened? I stopped 2/3rds down a very large rock to take a picture. The rock was very slippery and I think part of the issue was a lack of tread on the front part of my boots due to the duck tape binding sole of boot to upper part. I had been wearing the boots in San Antonio before we left and checked them out but I think the muddy terrain pulled the dried out shoe glue out. The boots were stored, in box, in house and not the hot garage.
So a
day of mixed adventures–good and bad. Bad fall but it did result in meeting some incredible people. We shall forever remember Sarah and Nicholas who would not leave our side. The LLRS is the best–kudos to all volunteer organizations everywhere who perform public service so unselfishly!
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Marta Hurwitz
non-member comment
Liked getting your update. But it certainly feels like de ja vous!!
Liked getting your update. But certainly feels like de ja vous. Be safe