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Day 72: Bonnybridge to Lennoxtown (14 miles)

I left Bonnybridge at 9:30 after breakfast at Retro Cafe which had opened at 9. It was a beautiful fresh morning with a lively westerly wind which made walking into it quite a challenge at times, the forecast saying it would gust 46 miles per hour, which I could well believe. This made me smile -  part of the tradition of walking south to north is to have the prevailing Southwesterlies behind you - almost without exception I’ve had easterlies or northerlies to walk across or into - only now when I’ve turned west for awhile has a westerly kicked in!

The path took me under the M80 at 10:30. With a number of locks and flag iris and lilies starting to flower, I found this a prettier and more interesting stretch of the canal to walk. It was wide too which I wondered might explain the presence of the lilies.

Of birdlife there was little; I think the wind was keeping them down but I saw lots of mallard and their chicks, a few swans and swallows and above the wind, I occasionally heard the sound of sedge and willow warblers. 

The canal took me towards Kilsyth, with the Antonine Wall clearly visible across the canal. I stopped around 11 at a convenient picnic table, allowing me a respite from the wind while I phoned ahead to check my accommodation and book in for dinner and breakfast.   One more night like that tomorrow at Drymen, and then I’d be back to camping along the West Highland Way bar one exception. I wondered how many times I’d be taking down a wet tent …..of course, this also meant being reconciled with my 3.7kg of camping equipment. The luxury of a lighter backpack would soon be over! 

As I continued on I started to get the sense of leaving the Central Belt behind as the Campsie Hills came into view on my right. But I was aware I still had 8 miles to go before I started heading northwest.

The canal started to meander as I approached Kilsyth which gave a little respite from the wind. I must admit, I preferred the softer more rural look of the Forth and Clyde Canal upstream of Bonnybridge compared to the more utilitarian look of the Union Canal. At 12:00 I arrived at the Achinstarry Basin with lots of boats moored by the pub - it really was like a marina!

The bends in the canal also gave me the luxury of still waters looking down into the depths in among the lilies - the sense of another world down there to which the walkers and cyclists were unaware. Only the fishermen encountered along the way seemed to give thought to this and made me realise I’d been missing something.

Having donned my waterproofs for a threatening black cloud which then passed me by, I decided to stop for lunch in the sun before another impending bank of clouds arrived. With my feet dangling over the bank I was able to watch young fish and tadpoles amongst the sunken lily pads, giving the impression of a much slower pace of life.  I was fascinated. Here there were water mint and a yellow flower which had leaves like loosestrife by my dangling feet - I’d have to check it later.

With the clouds starting to mass above me I set off again at 13:20 and sure enough a short shower began shortly after.

With a tall modern church to the left I knew my turning off the canal at Kirkintilloch was approaching. Ahead of me I noticed a heron landing on a floating platoon ahead of me. It seemed reluctant to take flight as I approached and for awhile we watched each other no more than 3 metres apart. It took off but landed just in front of me on the path.  I’m not sure what would have happened next, but a cyclist blithely interrupted our mutual observation and the heron took off in alarm.

I then joined Strathkelvin disused railway path, at 14:20, with the sign indicating 3 to Lennoxtown and 10 to West Highland Way. This was a pleasant walk along the Glazert river and it was only from here that several short showers came through. I arrived at the hotel at 15:20, with plenty of time to relax - there was even a whirlpool bath! Luxury for my weary bones! 








Location: Lennoxtown, Glasgow G66, UK

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