Day 8 - Castlecarry to Kilsyth

WE ARE HALF WAY!!!!

The end of this easy day means we are half way there!  It feels good.

Today was quite leisurely as far as walking goes.  The biggest bit of excitement was when two swans who had parked right on the canal path with their young hissed at us as we cautiously walked by.  Seriously, they should get together with the cows and compare notes!

It has been a little strange for me every morning.  When I wake up I feel a little hesitant and nervous about the day ahead, and wish I could just stay in my cozy sleeping bag.  But as soon as I get walking I feel excited about the day, and am so happy that I am here.  Maybe it's just laziness or fatigue that makes me not want to get up.

Today was a little different as we planned on sleeping in.  I made it all the way to 8:30, which was fine since it gave me lots of time to get everything ready.  I went to breakfast and had porridge, not oatmeal, and tea.  When I got back to the room I went over the maps for the next few days and made mental notes about where to get supplies, etc.  I woke Ben up at 11:15, and we checked out at 12:20.  The front desk lady was very kind and asked all about our trip.  When I asked if we could have a couple of oranges for the road she came back with the two oranges and two Mars bars.  So nice!

We had only planned for 10 km, and tore through that in under two hours.  We met a couple of fisherman along the way, but none seemed to be having any luck.  When we got to Kilsyth we walked up into town to get supplies and have a bite to eat.  We stopped at the Scarecrow Bar and Grill and had a drink while watching the UK track and field championships.  It was very relaxing.  When it started to pouring rain we ordered some snacks and hunkered down a while longer.

Once we were ready to leave we got all of our stuff together and headed out.  When we were searching for the beginning of the trail that would lead to where we thought we were going to camp a helpful gentleman came out and gave us some good advice.  Where we wanted to go was too difficult to get to.  He made some suggestions as alternatives and so we headed out again.  A couple of kilometres down the way we ran into another couple of fisherman who helped some more and we are now sitting on a hill in a park in a small town watching the sun set from our tent.  Not a bad end to an easy day!  The bonus is that we knocked about 2.5 km off of tomorrow's walk to get where we are tonight.  Sweet!

Sunset At Twechar Park

That' s it for now.  Will post this on our way tomorrow, but tomorrow's will be a day late.  Good night, everybody!

Day 7 - Linlithgow to Castlecarry

We arrived in Castlecarry after another long day of walking.  There was lots of motivation today as we are in a hotel tonight, we are planning on sleeping in tomorrow morning, and we only have 10 km of walking tomorrow.  Tomorrow is our planned easy day to mark the midway point of our long walk.  The first thing I asked when we arrived at the hotel was if we could get a late checkout.  Yes!!

It started raining last night around 2:00.  The rain and wind were pretty harsh at times but the tent held up quite well - we only had a small puddle in one corner when we woke up.  It was still raining quite hard when our alarm went, so I decided to wait until there was a lull, which came around 9:00.  Unfortunately by the time we were all packed up and on our way to find breakfast we were soaked.  Luckily by the time we finished breakfast the rain had stopped falling and we dried up as the day progressed.   Our tent is hanging in the bathroom right now in hopes it will be dry by the time we leave tomorrow.

Most of the day was spent along the Union Canal again, which doesn't offer a lot of scenery.  There were, however, a few more notable points than yesterday.  First was the biggest  aqueduct in Scotland (2nd largest in the UK) at 250 m long, and 26 m tall.

Avon Aqueduct

Next point of interest was the Falkirk Tunnel, 630 m long.  It felt like walking through a Walt Disney attraction - dark, humid, creepy.

Falkirk Tunnel

Finally, at the end of our stint on the Union Canal we saw the Falkirk Wheel, a boat lift that connects the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal.  The wheel takes the place of 11 locks that were filled in when the canal was closed in the 1930's.  The wheel is a very impressive engineering accomplishment and a Scottish icon.

After a rest there, we finished the day walking along the Forth and Clyde.  This was much more picturesque and gave us a look into what we would be doing the next few days.

After cleaning up we had dinner at the hotel pub while watching Andy Murray's Wimbledon match.  I don't need to say who everybody in there was cheering for.  We will watch a little TV before bed and then hopefully get a long restful sleep.

Tomorrow night will be wild camping so no update.  It will also be the first of four nights in the tent.  We will be going through towns though, and I'll try to update then.

Thanks for reading and good night!!!

Day 6 - Slateford to Linlithgow

Day 6 is done.  We had a very comfortable night in Edinburgh, and decided not to rush this morning.  I let Ben sleep until 8:45, and we finally got walking around 10:30.  Today's walk was pretty much all along the Union Canal,which runs from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  The canal is a little gross until you are out of the city, but there was tonnes of activity around it: runners, walkers, cyclists, bird feeders, rowers, and more.

Slateford Aquaduct

Ben Trying To Catch A Ride

We met a very friendly gentlemen as we were approaching the city limits.  He joined us for a kilometer or two.  He was very interested in our adventure and had lots of questions.  We asked him some questions of our own and found out that Edinburgh is better than Glasgow. 😉 After trading stories for twenty minutes he turned off to head back to the city, but not before we gave him a Canadian flag pin.  He was very appreciative.

The path along the canal was a little boring compared to the scenery we've been treated to so far, but it was pleasant none the less.

We stopped in at Ratho for lunch at the Bridge Inn.  You can't miss it, it's right beside the bridge.  We sat on the patio and watched the barges go by.  Ben had a pulled pork sandwich, and I had a cheese and pickle sandwich, both with a bowl sweet potato, coconut, lime soup, one Coke each, and a jug of water (not a pitcher).  It was so enjoyable taking a break there!!

Lunch At The Bridge Inn

Barges On The Union Canal

Tonight we are camping just outside of Linlithgow.  We just got back from a walk into town where we had ice cream!!!  We also sat beside Loch Linlithgow, watching the swans, and gulls, and ducks, and admiring Linlithgow Palace.

Making Friends At The Campsite

Tomorrow we are headed to Falkirk, and then Banknock, to celebrate the half way point of our trip.  We are expecting rain tomorrow morning so packing up might be interesting.  We've only had our rain jackets out once so far, but I have a feeling our luck may be about to run out.  

Thanks for reading and following along with us, everybody!! 

Day 5 - West Linton to Slateford

We are in Edinburgh tonight after a huge day of walking.  I think Ben found another gear today.  He made short work of the Pentland Hills, and had me pushing myself along the Water of Leith to keep up.  After 30 km we walked up to a posh looking hotel and had most of the lobby staring at us as we checked in.  I am sure I looked like I was about to keel over.  When I asked where the nearest restaurants were the front desk guy started with, "Well, about 10 to 15 minutes walk from here...". We cut him off there and said we'd eat at the hotel restaurant!

The Pentland Hills were awesome to walk through.  It felt very peaceful there, and I think it was a high point for me so far.  We passed a reservoir in the hills that seemed to double as a bird sanctuary.  There was a small shack, "Dulverton Hide", that we stopped and had a rest in.  There was a log for bird watchers inside, and we noticed that somebody saw some Canada Geese yesterday.  We left a note saying how fortunate that was since it was Canada Day!

Dulverton Hide

As we were leaving the Pentlands we saw two elderly gentlemen having a break for lunch.  They looked to be in their seventies, and we were at least 7 km from anywhere (14 km return!) at the time.  It was inspirational to see them out there enjoying their country at such an old age.  As with everybody else we've met they were very friendly and interested in what we were up to.

Lunch Stop At Bore Stane

As we walked through Balerno, about 10 km outside Edinburgh, we came across another elderly gentlemen walking up the street with a walker.  He stopped us for a quick chat, and let us know he hiked Ben Nevis (Google it) twice back in the day, and that despite the walker he still loved getting out, if only to go around the block.  Amazing.

Distant View Of Edinburgh From Near Balerno

The last bit of the hike into Slateford had us go over the second largest aqueduct in Scotland - 180 m long, and 18 m high.  It was built in 1822.  There was no railing between the sidewalk and canal, and one missed step while passing oncoming bikes or walkers would have had us swimming.  It was very impressive when you think of when it was built.

Back in the hotel room now after dinner, and I'm sure we'll be drifting off soon.  We are off to Linlithgow tomorrow.  It will be all flat river path walking.  We will make sure to enjoy it as the weather forecast is for rain from the next day on.

Cool Window In Hotel Room

Thanks for reading, everybody!!

Day 4 Update

We just got back from dinner.  We went to The Old Bakehouse.  It was quite funny.  The place probably had 40 tables in two rooms.  When we got there we were the only customers and were seated in the far back corner of the second room.  A couple showed up shortly after and were seated right beside us.  It was a little weird.  Despite that we had a delicious meal, mac and cheese, and will go to bed full and happy tonight.
Also, HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!  We almost forgot but handed out some Canadian pins to some kind Scots today.  Hope everybody is having a great day!!

Day 4 - Traquair to West Linton

When I came to Scotland for work a few years ago, my dad and I were surprised at how kind everybody was.  You couldn't walk by anyone without getting a "Good day" or "Hello".  We have had to rely on this kindness the last couple of days and haven't been disappointed.  Our plan this morning was to wake up, walk down to Traquair village for breakfast and to fill our water bottles which had been empty since arriving at campos at night.  When we got down off the "hill" we asked a young boy for directions and he let us know it probably wouldn't be open for a few hours.  We asked if he would mind filling some water bottles for us, and he came back with full bottles and a box of breakfast bars he insisted we take.  When we got closer to the tea house I had planned on eating at we saw that the boy was right.  A kind gentleman agreed to refill our bottles and threw in two bananas to boot.  Thank goodness for all of their kindness.  It would have been a miserable morning without their help.

We made short work of the walk - about 15 km to Peebles.  We walked along the River Tweed pretty much the whole way.  

River Tweed

As we were walking by a golf course we watched a couple of golfers having a round by themselves.  I guess that's how much they love it... 

Cardrona Golf Course

On the way into Peebles around noon we stopped for a blue Powerade (SO GOOD!) and then for lunch.  We kept it Scottish today - lasagne (Ben), haddock baguette (JM).  The weather here was sunny, no clouds, and about 28 C by noon.  We would have not made it another 18 km to West Linton so, as planned last night, got a lift the rest of the way.

Once at our B&B we had showers (we both desperately needed one), threw a load of laundry in, napped, and watched TV - pretty luxurious for a couple of wannabe hill walkers!!

Tomorrow we are headed to Edinburgh, via the Pentland Hills.  I am really looking forward to getting the first view of the city from the hills.  Hard to believe we will be out of the Borders into the Edinburgh/Lothian area.  We really enjoyed this peaceful and friendly part of the country, and will be a little sad to leave it behind.

Day 3 - Melrose to Traquair

Day three was gruelling.  Due to one detour and one missed sign we walked about 31 km instead of 28, and it made a huge difference.  The last 5 km were mentally and physically challenging.  My respect for Scottish Hill Walkers grew even more today.  To anybody who thinks hill walking is easier than many of the walks we have back home, please reconsider.

At The Three Brethren

The weather was very muggy today which meant we went through a lot of water.  About half way through we only had 1.5 Liters left to get us the rest of the way and cook dinner.  For all the rain they supposedly get here, it is very difficult to find any of it right now!  After knocking on a few farm doors we decided to steal some from a garden hose.  Even so, we got to camp with only enough for one noodle pot and half a hot chocolate.  As we were getting close to the bothy (Google it) and we were struggling I imagined that there would be a group of people with a cooler full of icy pops and beer when we arrived.  No such luck.  However, some guardian angel left us two energy drinks and six cans of beer.  We shared one energy drink and I had a can of warm Carlsberg's.  Probably the best beer I've ever had!  Thank you hiking gods, and you can count on me paying it forward.

Wild Camp At Minch Moor Bothy (Since Demolished)

Aside from all of that, the walk was very beautiful once again.  Towns and rivers early, then hills and fields later.  We had one encounter with a group of cows that forced us to hop a stone wall and go around.  Why can't they just be like the sheep and leave us alone??

Tomorrow is slated to be 32 km but we have decided that a better idea would be to do the first half and then take a bus the rest of the way.  Call us soft, but we need some recoup time.  We are at a B & B tomorrow night so will be getting spoiled after three nights in the tent.  Also, we have both been fantasizing about ice cream so will hopefully find some in West Linton while we are there.

As always, thanks for reading, and all the good vibes.  We can feel it over here and it helps a lot!!