Don’t tell my son, Colin, but I didn’t want to do this hike. I’m only here because it means so much to him. He was supposed to walk the trail with his dad, but that didn’t work out. Next week, I’ll be leaving Colin at the university in Glasgow and flying home alone to Portland, which I’m dreading. So, I’m walking 96 miles with my boy and making memories together, even if it kills me.
Today is day four of seven, and I’m feeling familiar enough with the trail to tell you about it. By the way, my name is Keaka Denney. Unlike my son and former husband, I’ve never been to Scotland before. I really didn’t want to like it – it was something that Colin and his dad shared – but I must admit, it’s growing on me despite the blisters, aching feet, and midge bites.
The West Highland Way is Scotland’s most popular long-distance hiking trail. People come from all over the world to walk its entirety or sections. We’re doing the whole thing, from the Glasgow suburb of Milngavie – they tell me it’s pronounced “mull-guy” – to Fort William in the Highlands.
Some people carry all their gear and camp along the way, but Colin and I are carrying only day packs and having our luggage taken by a transfer service to our next night’s accommodation. I’m so glad we chose to stay in hotels so we can have hot showers and a comfortable bed each night.
The first day on the trail we walked from Milngavie to Drymen through mostly flat farmland. I loved seeing the sheep and cows. And everything was so green! We even popped into a whisky distillery and made friends with other hikers.
On day two we walked from Drymen to Rowardennan, which included going up and over a mountain with the deceivingly mild name, Conic Hill. The views of Loch Lomond from the top were breathtaking. Thank goodness we got a long break for lunch at the bottom in the quaint town of Balmaha. After that, things got a little weird. Well, I won’t go into that right now, but the weirdness did allow us to meet some lovely locals.
Day three, yesterday, was my favorite so far, even though it was the most challenging. We walked on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond all the way to the top of the loch at Inverarnan. It was gorgeous, but I had to carefully watch my footing with all the rocks and roots and ladders and bridges. That’s the area where the famous outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor once lived. Last night we stayed at what they say is Scotland’s most haunted hotel – the Drover’s Inn. I didn’t see any ghosts. Well, that’s not entirely true. But she wasn’t a ghost. Not really.
Today we’re walking from Inverarnan to the town of Tyndrum. The trail is much easier today, which is a relief. There’s a delicious scent in the air, like sage. Or maybe it’s wild mountain thyme like in that famous song. We should soon come to the ruins of an old priory that, Colin tells me, was established by Robert the Bruce way back in the early fourteenth century. It’s easy to think of people like that as being fictional, but he really lived and we’re about to see a place where he visited. Isn’t that amazing? History is so alive here in Scotland. I hear from other walkers that there are great restaurants in Tyndrum and I’m looking forward to a good meal – maybe I’ll try the vegetarian haggis.
Tomorrow will be our longest day – twenty miles – which sounds impossible. But Colin promises the path is smooth underfoot and the miles will pass quickly. I hope he’s right. I must admit, I’m excited to see Rannoch Moor. Several films and television shows filmed scenes there, including Outlander and Harry Potter. We finish the day at the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe, which Colin is really excited for me to see. He loves history and can tell you all sorts of stories about the Glencoe Massacre or the fact that a hotel has stood there – in the seeming middle of nowhere – for at least four hundred years. I wonder if any spirits will make an appearance.
Day six will take us into Glencoe just a bit before we head over the mountains and drop into the next big valley and the relatively young town of Kinlochleven (built in the early 1900s for the hydroelectric and aluminum industries). The scenery is becoming more and more dramatic and breathtaking with each day. I hope it’s not raining, but even if it is, we have our waterproof trousers and jackets.
The final day will take us on another route that can only be accessed on foot, which I’m really loving about this hike. I feel like I’m seeing the real Scotland and not the curated version for tourists, you know? On that final day we’ll get to see more ruins, an iron age hillfort, and the U.K.’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, before arriving at Fort William, which is the second largest town in the Highlands. I’m looking forward to resting my aching body and yet, I’m kind of dreading the end of the hike, too.
The West Highland Way surprised me, in a great way. Who knows? Walking may be my new favorite way to explore the world.
In the magnificent Scottish Highlands, two devoted mothers separated by centuries discover a haunting connection in a gripping novel by the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk.
Struggling with the tragic end of her marriage, Keaka Denney is on a bittersweet adventure in Scotland with her son, Colin. She’s joining him on a weeklong hike along the West Highland Way before he enters university in Glasgow. Soon into the journey, Keaka’s disquieting visions begin—a woman from ages past reaching for Colin, a burning cottage, violence.
Scotland, 1801. After Sorcha Chisholm and her son are wrenched from their home in a brutal eviction, they face an arduous trek toward a new beginning. When Sorcha learns she’s wanted for a murder she didn’t commit, she and her son run for their lives. Then help arrives from the strangest woman in the most unexpected ways.
Centuries apart, Keaka and Sorcha walk the same path—devoted mothers in circumstances beyond their control who will do anything to keep their sons safe. Defying logic, they find strength in each other. But what does their connection mean? And how far will it go?
Women's Fiction | Fiction Adventure | Mystery Historical [Lake Union Publishing, On Sale: June 24, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781662528095 / ]
KelliEstesis the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, which has been translated into eleven languages, was the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nancy Pearl Book Award and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award, and is currently under option for film/TV; and Today We Go Home, a nationwide Target Book Club pick. Kelli is passionate about stories that show how history is still relevant to our lives today. Her lifelong love of Scotland has her learning the Scottish Gaelic language and the Scottish fiddle (both badly, but she’s working on it). She has walked three of Scotland’s long-distance trails (so far) and is currently planning the next. Kelli lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. Her novel SMOKE ON THE WIND is available now from Lake Union Publishing.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy