Scotland 2025
October 3-19, 2025

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday

Saturday – Tyndrum to Inveroran
9 miles / 14.5 km

The Tyndrum Lodge provided us a “cold breakfast”. This consisted of a brown paper bag with dry pastries, sweet yogurts and some other bits and bobs. To be honest, none of it looked really appetizing and I was fine with leaving most of it in the room. Instead, we had heard about a place called The Green Wellie and were curious to check it out. Actually, we saw a brochure for it before we had even started the hike, so we were looking forward to finally getting there and seeing it in person.

It was huge! A cafeteria-style restaurant, gift shop, and a full-service clothing and supply shop were all there, attached to a gas station and its associated gas-station type offerings. Petra had wrapped up her feet before leaving the Lodge, and she stocked up a bit more from the shop here.

It was shortly after leaving Tyndrum that Dan surged ahead and Petra lingered behind. We were once again walking at our own pace and enjoying the beauty of the Scottish landscape on our own terms. The trail was wide and easy to navigate. For a good portion of today and tomorrow, the West Highland Way followed the old military road, originally built by General Wade in the wake of the 1715 Jacobite uprising. Nothing like the threat of needing to crush some rebels to get a proper road built

The landscape opened up considerably today, with views extending far down valleys and up hillsides. The trail surface was usually wet, but it was solid and easy walking. And, like all good military roads, the grades were gentle, even if long. This was the kind of walking that I truly enjoyed.

At the town of Bridge of Orchy I started to question if I had missed a trail marker for the West Highland Way. I crossed under the train tracks, skirting the quaint station, and then didn’t see any other way to go than to follow the paved street. Three men walking up the street confirmed that I was still on the path and I walked the rest of the way through town with more confidence. This was the only time on the entire trail that I questioned if I had missed a turn – not bad!

While the name “Bridge of Orchy” brings amazing, romantic images to mind, I admit that I was a little disappointed. The bridge itself was beautiful, built by the British Army following the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The village itself only sprang up afterwards in 1751, and it appears that its sole reason for existing is to cater to the hikers, fishers, and river rafting enthusiasts that come here.

The land beyond the Bridge of Orchy was not shy is rising up quickly from the valley lowlands. The trail started off in a comfortable forest, but that forest soon gave way to the rough scars of clearcuts. The footing became a bit more demanding, with large rocks littering the way. This meant that my appreciation of the views was split between staring at my feet and staring at the views across to Loch Tulla.

Up until now, our destination had always been obvious. Or if not obvious, then I was with Dan and/or Petra, who had a pin set on their phone for our lodging. I hadn’t bothered with where I was going – I just knew to follow the trail. But now I was getting tired and was looking forward to reaching the end of the day. But just where was that? The view below me showed literally two buildings. Surely one of them would be the Inveroran Hotel, right? I certainly hoped so, because I didn’t want to walk any further than what I could see in the valley below me.

Surprisingly, not only was the building in the distance the hotel, but I arrived quite early in the day, around 2:30. While it seemed surprisingly early to stop for the day, I was more than happy to stop. Dan had arrived only about forty-five minutes before me and checked into our room. The hotel was absolutely charming and was easily the “Ideal” that I had in my head of what a small Inn in the Scottish Highlands should look like. While the inn originally opened in 1707, the building that we were in was built as a 19th century drovers inn. Over the years, famous guests include Samuel Coleridge, Dorothy Wordsworth and Charles Dickens – and now, me!

The staff at the hotel was amazing – it showed that they truly cared about their job here, and seemed simultaneously excited and say that tomorrow they would close for the season. Yes – as soon as we left after breakfast the staff would clean up and lock the doors, not coming back until March. When I asked about the winters in this area, one guy said that the roads are often closed due to snow and that it wasn’t easy to get in supplies. I admit that it sounded nice to just stock up for the winter and enjoy the solitude.

After a great dinner in the small dining room we retired to our cozy room and prepared for another long day of walking. One employee had said that the next two days’ route was her absolute favorite of the entire hike. That sounds promising!

Sunday