Day 1
Friday 9th May - Dornie to Falls of Glomach
The walk maybe didn't start too well. For starters, me and a chap called Humphrey upset the bar staff the night before by asking for a drink at closing time.
The same staff were on duty at breakfast, with faces like smacked a*****s, and made sure that we didn't sit together.
Then one of my walking poles fell apart at the hotel entrance and I very nearly strangled myself with my neck decorations (map case, camera, mug on a line (for dipping in burns)....., So I had to buy another pole. And yet another one to match it. Luckily there's a very good shop at Dornie which sells outdoor kit.
Then I went to the start - the very impressive, but fairly new Eileen Donan castle (The royal navy battered the original one down during a spat with some Jacobites).
They wouldnt let me in. A Belgian film company was making a whisky advert and had a couple of dozen almost dressed "hunks" in just kilts and make-up all lined up like a scene from Up The Khyber. I was much too inhibited to take a pic, though, so you'll just have to believe what I'm saying.
On with the walking.
I set off along the shore at Dornie and soon caught up with a group of three Glaswegians - Margaret, dave and another chap who's name escapes me - And off we all went up Glennan (I think this is what its called as the river in it is the River Glennan, innit?).
This climbs fairly gently but rockily to a bealach and then a path plunges off down the other side into Glen Elchaig - where a local offerred us a cup of tea.
After a brew, we all trotted off up the Glen and I turned off to cross a footbridge on a path which leads up to the Falls of Glomach.
This is a very scary place to be with a heavy pack on. The path is perched on the edge of an enormous drop and has one or two easy (but not a place to make a mistake) scrambly bits. I did wonder who Glomach was and how many times he'd fallen off......(!)
Having worried my way up this beetling gorge, I decide that it was time to put an end to the days adventures and, on the first bit of dry ground, I put up the tent and settled in.
A couple of danish Challengers passed by and another one camped just downstream (turned out to be Humphrey) The Glaswegians and a few other small parties continued along to Iron Lodge.
Chicken Curry for tea.
12 miles and 2100 feet of uphilliness in fab, sunny, but fairly cool weather.
