On my way

I have flown to Scotland today, all went well arrived 20 minutes early to rain lashing down on the aircraft!! But in typical Scottish style, I had to put my sunglasses on outside the terminal, while waiting for my sister to pick me up. Have spent a lazy day doing what I do best i.e. pottering, drinking tea, drinking wine and eating, but probably well deserved after 3 busy night shifts and a 100 mile trek ahead. 
I will list now what I have packed in case (to go by courier between overnight stops) and day sac (to carry with me) and at the end of the trip will see what was really useful and what will be left at home in future (if this happens again??) treks.

Wearing
Walking socks and boots
Quick dry walking trousers
T shirt
Light micro fleece 
Anorak (gloves in pocket)

Day Sac
Money, bank card, phone, 2x phone chargers (want to use the GPS & this drains the battery so have back up power)
Map and WHW guidebook
Bladder Pac (to keep water in although it tastes a bit plasticky)
Waterproof trousers 
Hat with midge net & midge spray
Buff (neck thingy)
Waterproof cover for day sac
Small first aid kit (plasters, paracetamol, tissues, wet wipes)
Torch & pen
Micro towel
Pen knife (not sure what we need this for but it seems to have lots of attachments)
Sweets, flapjack bars, sandwiches
Compass and Kite (thanks Helen! To fly on the mountains)

Case - to be carried by courier (I am using Ginger Routes - £40 for the route)
2 pairs walking trousers
2 T shirts
Fleece top
Jeans, top and shoes for the evenings
Underwear and walking socks for 4 days - will try and wash out a few 
Toiletries 
Straighteners (!! Ha ha well one can hope for frizz free hair)
Back up snacks for rest of week
Kindle and IPad and charging leads 

So the bags are packed we have had a few wines and some dinner, early night needed ready for the walk tomorrow - need to be up at 7am
REALLY EXCITED!! ( and a bit nervous)

Getting Ready

The last month has been busy list writing, reading books and looking on line about what to take for 6 days on the WHW. I bought from Amazon a guide to the WHW and have borrowed a map and book from friends who have completed the walk (both were very enthusiastic about my plans).  Although I haven't read this from cover to cover it appears to have lots of information and maps, so hopefully no wrong turns!

 

All our accommodation is booked, so its good to know there is a bed waiting for us, but obviously the pressure is then on that you must reach your destination. We are walking approximately 20 miles a day with overnight stops at a mixture of inns, bed and breakfasts and hotels.  I am flying from East Anglia to Glasgow arriving a day before the walking commences so with only a cabin bag booked in,  I need to plan what i can fit in my case.

need to sit on this!

So here I am the night before frantically cramming clothes in (scottish weather means packing more to cover all eventualities), BUT I have got it all in and I don't have to travel in my walking boots - result!

Preparation

Strike While the Iron is Hot
So when are we gonna go? With the seeds there it only seemed right to make plans to do the  West Highland Way (WHW) and at Christmas we decided to do the walk during August when I traditionally make my summer trip north to Scotland to stay with my sister.  This gave us a good 6 months to prepare. 
We decided that walking 100 miles was hard enough without camping and carrying baggage so planned to book in at B & B's en route and consider using a luggage transfer service - at 40 something (!) with a back that has been put through the mill with careers in catering and healthcare I didn't want to risk it giving up on me halfway through.
Practical preparations have included buying my first pair of walking boots (Lomer - solid leather construction, traditional style) and trying to walk in them as much as possible.  A weekend in the Peak District (combined with visiting my son in Sheffield) so that I could get some hill walking practice and more recently my first 20+ mile walk, which gave us an idea of what to expect (and how our bodies would feel the next day).  We survived, all be it with aching calves the next day, so this gave us some confidence that we would be alright.  the only slight concern being that the original planned 17 mile walk ended up being 21 miles! My sister informs me that the WHW is well marked and impossible to get lost on (hmmmm! lets hope so)

Prologue

August 2012

My sister and I have just walked up Conic Hill, a steep hill  overlooking  Loch Lomond, and are now having lunch outside at the Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha. The weather is sunny and I am pleased that this time I managed to reach the summit, unlike my previous attempt a couple of years ago, blaming the close, humid day for my lack of breath and bailing out with only 15 minutes to go. Arriving at the table next to us are a group of walkers (well they looked as though they had all the kit and kaboodle - unlike me in my borrowed trainers and jeans) and I remarked to my sister that they looked like they were on a long trek, to which she replied that they were probably 'doing the West Highland Way'.  

  'Whats that then?' was my reply and from there I learned of the long distance path from the outskirts of Glasgow to Fort William.  

So high on sunshine and pleased with myself for climbing a mountain, I said, 'we should do that,' and from that lunch, the seeds to 'do the West Highland Way' were sown.