Sept 12 - home with bears

Tired. 

Sept 11 - to London

Finished our walk along the River Clyde, thus completing our long UK walk. We will publish a trip report in DoingMiles in the not too distant future. 3 trains, some stressful moments, a pizza, and we're settled into an Airbnb. 

We are happy and healthy, a bit weary, and tired. 

Sept 10 - all done except trains and planes

Today we finished the Clyde Walkway when we reached the dam above New Lanark and the Clyde Falls. Camped in a huge grassy meadow bordering the River Clyde.

Easy walking again on a nicely maintained path. Still too warm and sweaty, only 75, but very humid. There was a ten minute downpour that fortunately came exactly when we were in a Tesco buying our ice cream! And the a bit of drizzle just after we finished setting up the tent.

Here's a link to our route data: https://caltopo.com/m/JU6JL

We are happy and healthy and hoping it isn't raining in the morning when we walk the two hours to the train station to return to Glasgow.

Sept 9 - up the Clyde River

We're just following the Clyde River Walk upstream until Monday morning when we catch a train from Lamarck to Glasgow and then the train to London. 

Easy pleasant walking. Lots of people out enjoying the nice Saturday weather. 

Only 75 today, muggy and calm, so still too warm but much better than yesterday. Mostly sunny. No rain, although we could see a band of rain just north of us. 

We are happy and healthy and tucked into the tent early because some mosquitoes came out as we were setting up camp next to the river. 

Sept 8 - all day Glasgow

All day walking across Glasgow. Highlight was the Transport Museum and it's tall sailing ship. Excellent and engaging. 

Too warm. High was 83, sunny, muggy, still. 

We are happy and healthy and staying at a terrific B&B with. Scottish grandma who is the perfect host. Very tired. 

Sept 7 - Coast to Coast to Coast

This morning we reached Dumbarton, on the Firth of Clyde on the Irish Sea side of Scotland. So on this trip we've now walked Coast to Coast to Coast — Chester to Holy Island and then back to Dumbarton. Kind of nice symmetry. 

Two noteworthy things about Dumbarton. The Cutty Sark was designed and built there. And its harbor is now littered with dead boats. We've never seen anything like that before. There are three dead boats in the photo. It was fun to study them. 

We're now walking inland on a combo of the Forth and Clyde Canal path and the Clyde River path. All easy fun walking through places with historical stuff everywhere.

We are camped in a wooded area next to an abandoned football pitch, right next to the Chivas distillery. This is the first time we camped next to a distillery.

Warm, sunny, still, muggy again today. 

We are happy and healthy and sleepy. 

Sept 6 - a so-so day

First, the good news. Today we crossed the West Highland Way, a National Trail we hiked several years ago as part of a longer trip in Scotland. When we touched the West Highland Way, we completed our End-to-End hike from Lands End to John O'Groats. This is a classic UK hike from the south west corner of England to the north east corner of Scotland. Amongst British hikers, this is a well known life goal, something like the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail for Americans. It's not actually a specific trail, as anybody can design their own route, the definition is simply to hike from Lands End to John O'Groats. Our first hike in Britain was in 2002, and we have taken eight long walks since then. We had not intended to hike end to end. However, several months ago when Jim was studying our maps, he noted that we only had one gap, and this trip was designed to fill that gap. We started this hike in Chester, which was the starting point for our Wales coast path hike. And on our trip in Scotland several years ago, we started in Glasgow, walked to the start of the West Highland Way, walked that north, and then picked up the Cape Wrath Trail which we followed to the north west corner of Scotland, and then followed the coast east to John O'Groats.

As of about 11:00am Sept 6th, we have earned our End-to-End badges!!

And on to the so-so part of the day. The first 8 miles was nice walking on a rail trail. Then we had 7 miles up over a hill that was all in unattractive forestry land, most of it clear-cut. And the next 4 miles were on tarmac roads - very little traffic, but still not ideal. The first 110 miles of the John Muir Way had been very nice routing, but this afternoon was a letdown. The John Muir Way is only 12 more miles to the terminus in Helensburgh. However, a big chunk of that is through more forestry land, so we are going to take a different route to the coast and finish this piece of hike in the town of Dumbarton.

We are camped in a beautiful wooded pasture, 2 miles east of the town of Balloch at the south end of Loch Lomond.

Today was still, humid, sweaty, sunny and warm. The skies are hazy and the view is compromised. The forecast for the next few days is in the mid-80s.

We are happy and healthy and about to evaluate options for how to spend the next several days before we fly home on September 12.

Sept 5 - more easy hiking and great weather

A little on the warm side, but only in the sun. Low 70's. All sun. 

Easy walking on a canal and rail trail bike path. A few miles up into the low hills to visit more fort sites on the  Antonine Roman wall. Really nice views from the low hills. First views of distant Glasgow.  Met a semi lost American couple on the canal path wondering if there was a pub nearby. We had to tell them that the nearest one was at least three miles further on. 

Nice campsite in a field above the village where we ate an early supper at a cafe. Cafes are open from 9 or 10 until 4. They serve sandwiches and soup. Pubs serve dinner after 5:00 or 5:30, cost twice as much and the food is at best no better.

We had an early picnic lunch at a Roman fort, and then supper at the cafe at 3:00. Then climbed a hill behind the village to set up our nest in a pasture (no damn cows here). 

We are happy and healthy and excited about a little celebration we get to have tomorrow!

Sept 4 - a tunnel, a wheel and a fort

More perfect weather, though bordering on the warm side in the high 70's. 

Most of the day along the Union canal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Canal_%28Scotland%29

The canal and canal path and us went through a very cool 620 meter tunnel built almost 200 years ago. 

And then the Falkirk Wheel, a beautiful and interesting tourist attraction, a sort of a huge art/engineering project built in 2001 to nominally replace 11 derilict canal locks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel

And now we're camped in the nice grassy Roman fort: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Castle_Fort

We are happy and healthy and listening to the corvids as we fall asleep. 

Amy (she,her,hers)

Sept 3 - the Forth Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge#Ownership

More magnificent weather and easy, fun, beautiful coastal walking. 

We passed an engineering marvel, the 1890 Forth Bridge. That was fun. The bridge is one of the earliest to use steel for its construction. And its color reminded us of our own GG Bridge. 

Tomorrow morning we leave the Firth of Forth, still following the John Muir Way, going inland primarily on canal paths. 

We are happy and healthy and thankful for our long run of perfect weather. 

Sept 2 - the Elephant in Edinburgh

Today we walked across Edinburgh and out the west side on the Firth of Forth. Our circuitous path through the city included a wide variety of things, and my favorite was the elephant.

Prior to seeing the elephant, we saw dozens of statues of men in warrior poses, either on horseback or on foot. All of those men's heads were covered with bird shit. And then we were walking through a park that included statues of heroic men and the elephant appeared, a life-size, young elephant in a comfortable, self-confident, extremely relaxed pose; and, with no bird shit on his head. 

We also saw a Dipper in an urban stream, something that was completely unexpected and a pleasurable surprise. 

Life is good. The weather continues to be magnificent. The tide ebbs and flows. Saturday on the waterfront was busy with locals out enjoying a perfect day, and we thoroughly enjoyed joining them for miles of walking along the river's edge and shore of the Firth. 

We are happy and healthy and camped 5 feet above high tide line under a maple tree. 

Sept 1 - into Edinburgh

More perfect weather. There were threatening clouds inland to the south, but all was great on the edge where we were. 

We had a life bird today! The Velvet Scoter. They are common enough offshore, but only visible with a scope. We met a very nice gentleman birding with a scope, and he was pleased to help us see a new species. That is a real treat. 

We booked an Airbnb room in Edinburgh, because wild camping in cities is too difficult. We wanted to stay in a specific neighborhood so that we are properly located to climb the hill to "Arthur's seat" first thing in the morning. The room and the apartment are fine, but the hosts are quite unfriendly and it is awkward. Very functional, but awkward.

We are happy and healthy with clean laundry, and good hot showers.