West Highland Way Day 2 - Dryman to Rowardennan

Day 2 was way more memorable. From Dryman to Rowardennan. The pub we stayed at at Dryman didn’t commence breakfast till 8am which was hopeless. Basically every person staying there was a hiker, wanting to get started early, as the day was likely to involve approx 7 hrs of hiking. Leaving town you work your way gradually upwards until you get to the lower slopes of Conic Hill which rises dramatically on the shores of Loch Lomond, and offering incredible 360 degree views from the peak. The walk to the peak was steep and long but manageable.

The descent was a 3km quad-buster. Very steep. And, being a Sunday with the sun (mostly) out, there were literally hundreds of people making the ASCENT from the shore-side village of Balmaha.….so we were constantly dodging them on the way down. We bought a sandwich & drinks once at Balmaha. From our vantage there, by the shore of the Loch, we could look back up to the towering Conic Hill and see people still dotted over its peaks.
We were quite leg-weary but still had 3 hours of solid walking ahead, made difficult because of the numerous steep ascents/descents of outcrops as we skirted the shore of the loch. Lots of beautiful birch forests and regular glimpses back across the loch. The first 5kms north of Balmaha are dotted with pebbly beaches where many people were enjoying BBQs, watercraft, even swimming. There were also several shore-side camping sites & even caravan parks.
We’re staying at Hotel Rowardennan. At the rear there is a vast lawn area spilling down to the lake shore, and offering beaut views of nearby Ben Lomond & other towering hills.

Around 23km, 32,500 steps