West Highland Way Day 4: Inverarnan to Tyndrum

We woke Sunday morning to an overcast sky and cooler weather. After a full Scottish breakfast, we left Beniglas Farm and continued up Glen Falloch. A good path, cool overcast, and mild elevation gains allowed us to make good time. We walked through cow and sheep pasture paralleling the A82 and the rail line. We crossed the river on a nice footbridge but when it came time to cross the rail line, the path went under the tracks via a "sheep creep", a four foot diameter pipe built to transfer sheep. As I attempted to go through, I found that because of the rising ground, there was less headroom at the exit than the entrance. I exited as all sheep do, on all fours.

We climbed the north side of Glen Falloch and continued toward Crianlarich. Across the valley rose mountain tops shrouded in clouds, with green "plantations" of fir trees. At the head of the valley the trail comes to a tee intersection. To the right takes you to the village of Crianlarich, while the left takes you on to Tyndrum. This also marks the halfway point on the whw. Not wanting to add additional miles, we close to the left, climbing through pines to a picnic table with a spectacular view of  Glen Falloch to the right, Ben More (3851 ft) and Stob Binnien (3821 ft) in front of us, and Strath Fillan to our right. What a great place for our pack lunch.

After lunch we climbed through a pine forest before descending to the valley floor and crossing the river Fillan. Shortly after we came to the ruins of Saint Fillans priory. Saint Fillan was an Irish priest who came to Scotland in the 7th century to convert the Scots. In 1307, Robert the Bruce had the priory built. The stone ruins are over 50 feet long. Up the trail is the holy pool of St Fill an whose waters are said to cure insanity.
Soon we came to our BnB for the night, Glengarry House. But first we had to cross a stream, climb a stile, and cross the highway. It was a challenging way to end the day but worth it. A beautiful room, a wonderful home cooked meal, and welcoming hosts. Our hostess Ellen made the soaps in the rooms, makes the jams and chutneys, even raises the hens for our dinner and breakfast eggs. A great way to finish the first half of the whw.

The unedited photos for Day 4 are posted on Flikr.