The famous “West Highland Way” begins in the small town of Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow and stretches 96 miles to the north ending in the town of Fort William. It is a highly populated long distance hiking trail. I spent a few days reading as much as I could about the trail. Why? I wanted to do something that would push me outside of my comfort level – mentally, physically, and emotionally. So, I set my mind to it.
Newcastle Upon Tyne was my home-base for a few weeks prior to my new adventure. I spent a number of days packing, unpacking, and repacking until I was semi-happy with the amount that I had. I had left the hiring of camping gear quite close to my departure date. I made due with what was available…I hired a 3 person “lightweight” tent (hint: it was not light at all), a lightweight sleeping bag (hint: the temperature would drop to 40-50s at night so lightweight was NOT ideal. I had to pack a lot of extra warm clothes to sleep in), a sleeping pad (spoiler alert: it ruptured after four days of use), and a mosquito net (spoiler alert: I did not use it once).
I even took my tent to the park nearby to practice setting it up and taking it down (practice makes perfect, right?). I made numerous walks to the city center to buy small necessary items that I deemed as “necessary”. Is my favorite candy bar necessary? One hundred percent, YES! I felt somewhat prepared as the days passed.
Next, the hard part. The planning of the route – I had up to two weeks to complete 96 miles. On average, I could do 8 miles per day? However, I did not want to overestimate my abilities until I got a feel for how it would feel carrying 30 pounds on my back. All I knew was that I wanted to take my time to enjoy the journey. I was in no rush. I booked campsites for the first three nights, after that I would take it day by day and decide as I go.
SBSCREEDY 