West Highland Way - Milngavie to Drymen

Today has been Day 1 of our West Highland Way walk, which is my Christmas present from James. I have been both excited and nervous about the trip; excited because I have wanted to do this for many years, and nervous because of my fitness (or lack thereof!) I have been eating more sensibly for the last couple of months and as a result I have lost some weight (15 lb) and I have also been doing some walking and lots of swimming. 

This morning Cat very kindly gave James and me a lift to Milngavie. We could have taken the train but it would have meant getting to the station with our luggage very early and also having to change trains. I felt much more relaxed with the car and Cat understood that. We arrived in Milngavie at 8.30 a.m. and handed in our luggage to a waiting van. It will be transported from hotel to hotel by van each day, so we only have to carry our small rucksacks. And five minutes later we were on our way!

After the obligatory photo session at the official start of the West Highland Way, which is in Milngavie shopping centre, we set off into leafy Mugdock Park which was looking pretty with lots of bluebells and then onwards to more open countryside beyond Carbeth, skirting Dumgoyne Hill. We could hear birds singing and heard the unmistakable call of a cuckoo. There were other walkers heading north; we met a group of ex soldiers who were doing the West Highland Way to raise money for army veterans with PTSD. One of them was an amputee and they were all very friendly, especially after James found the walking poles that one of them had left beside the path accidentally, and ran after him to return them. And we saw a couple who were a bit ahead of us but walking at about the same pace; by the end of the day we had overtaken each other several times so started saying hello. We walked northwards to the Beech Tree Inn where we had an early lunch before pressing on along the disused railway track. The last few kilometres into Drymen were on a road, but luckily a very quiet and pleasant one, lined with a long beech hedge which was very neat; the farmer must cut it with a machine. When we arrived at Drymen we checked in to The Winnock Hotel, which is right on the main square. After a short rest we went out to explore the attractive and tiny village, which didn’t take long! And then we went to the Clachan Inn for a drink before dinner. How civilised! At the end of the first day I feel tired but happy - but still a bit nervous because today was quite gentle; there are many more challenging days ahead of us.