Day 21: Loch Oich

Start: Laggan Locks

End: Iver Collie campsite (Loch Ness)

Distance: 18 miles

Last night I had a lovely evening in the floating pub, chatting with other visitors. An American woman told me she was from Michigan state, "The state that looks like a mitten" she explained. She could talk more than me, barely coming up for air in between her sentences. She went on to tell me, "Think of the States like a big animal - Maine is the head, Florida is the leg and California is the rump!" I didn't ask her which part Alaska or Hawaii was! "So what's your deal? Where you heading?" she questioned and as I took a breath to reply she continued, "You have lovely eyes by the way!" I managed to get a few words in and enjoyed her enthusiasm as she exclaimed, "I just love Europe!" I also chatted with a couple from New Zealand who were spending 3 months travelling the UK and they asked me where was worth visiting. There were too many places in my head so I wrote them a little list in my notebook and ripped out the page for them. On returning to my tent the wind had significantly picked up. I'd anticipated this from the weather report and pegged my tent as securely as I could, using a rock to hammer my tent pegs down and placing further rocks around the edge to pin down the canvas further. A couple of other tents had pitched near me and in the middle of the night I heard the dreaded sounds of tent pegs pinging out and canvas uncontrollably flapping around. Fortunately, my tent was stable and I lay awake watching the flickering of head torches and listening to the sound of a man swearing in frustration as he aimed to take control of his tent. It was a long night, the kind of night where you lay there thinking, "This is why people sleep in buildings!" But my tent survived the night and I managed to keep hold of all the pegs.

The route began adjacent to Loch Oich, the second of the Lochs on my route. It was a sunny morning, although the dense grey clouds threatened rain. The regular route following the Eastern shore of the Loch was closed so I followed a diversion, heading West and up a tree lined steep ascent. The density of the trees obstructed my view of the Loch, but the woodland walk was peaceful and I was accompanied by another red squirrel that darted across the path into the trees for safety. I met a Scottish man on the route, who was staying in a nearby hotel and exploring the Highlands. He asked me the usual questions; "Where are you heading? Where did you start? On your own?" I told him about my last 20 days and asked about his adventures in the area. "Wow, day 21" He said, "Well you look good for it, you are glowing!" I laughed, telling him, " I think that's just the sweat from climbing that hill!" He wished me luck for the remainder of my trip and I pushed on.

The diversion added fairly significantly to my mileage but was an enjoyable route. I crossed the bridge of Oich, marking the end of the Loch and followed a flat track next to the Canal. By lunchtime I'd arrived in the bustling little town of Fort Augustus. I was surprised at how busy it was, but I was now entering the Loch Ness area which attracts a huge volume of tourists. I was delighted to see cafes and shops as after the 4 hour stretch I was hungry and in need of a rest.

After I ate lunch in a cafe at Fort Augustus, I found a shop to resupply my snacks and pick up dinner for the night. Outside the shop there was a bin, a very exciting find when wild camping, as you carry all your endless food packets and wrappers until you get the opportunity to dispose of them. I opened all the compartments of my bag and searched my pockets, enjoying making my load lighter. As I turned around to head for the shop, a man wearing a big pack with muddy trousers and a beaming smile called over, "Amazing when you find a bin right?" I laughed and agreed. "Hi I'm Scott", he said with a warm smile, "You look like you're on a similar mission to me?" I introduced myself and explained my project. He too was hiking multiple trails, from Edinburgh to Glasgow, then onto Fort William and then up to Inverness, totalling 250 miles. We exchanged stories of our adventures so far and discussed plans for the coming days. It felt nice to speak to someone who understood what it was like to complete a multiday adventure predominantly solo, covering similar daily mileage and having experienced challenging conditions in parts. He was staying in Fort Augustus, treating himself to his first night inside after 100 miles, whereas I was camping a little out of town. "I'll set of early and hopefully catch up with you tomorrow Amy!" he said as I waved bye.

My final miles were in heavy rain through a woodland track, but I had decided to stay at a campsite so I could have a hot shower, so I didn't mind the rain. I hid under a tree and shoved on my waterproofs, protecting the contents of my pack with a waterproof cover. I arrived at camp quickly, powered by a combination of a big lunch and motivation to get out of the rain. I am now onto my final Loch of the route, the famous Loch Ness, which means Inverness is edging closer and closer.