Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Fort William to Fort Augustus (2 days)

With 2 nights of hostel bed sleep I should have been full of beans heading out into the last leg of my journey, however it was hard to get motivated, and I just felt tired setting off yesterday. This continued today and one year feels blocked. Joy.

The way heads along the waters edge of Fort William, past its small suburbs, before turning inland along the Caledonian Canal, and then rising up Neptune's Staircase - a series of 8 continuous locks that raise the canal by 19 vertical metres. The Caledonian Canal was built from 1803 to 1822 and links the lochs to create a navigable waterway from Inverness to Fort William. I will admit to knowing very little about boats, but what struck me with this canal is the lack of narrowboats or riverboats. Instead the canal seems used by people taking ocean-going vessels from one sea to the other. Unlike narrowboats, yachts cannot pass under the bridges, and so each bridge along the way rotates like a gate to allow the boats to pass.

The trail is of course perfectly flat alongside the canal, but along the shores of Loch Lochy it rose and fell gently. The weather was changeable, and though midafternoon I was tempted for a swim, especially as that section of path twisted gently around the lochs shores, under deciduous forest, by the time I pitched camp it was raining again. I had decided where I wanted to get to that day, and to make camp somewhere after that point. There appeared to be a nice spot right where my walk ended but I decided that I felt good enough to chip a little distance off tomorrow's walk, and that there would surely be similarly suitable sites along the path. I was wrong. The route changed to a wide stony forest road, with narrow verges and a steep slope. I eventually just picked a spot on the verge wide enough for my tent but found the ground to stony to drive my pegs in. This meant the tent sagged in the middle and allowed rain to seep through in the night, making the foot of my sleeping bag wet. Additionally as I got into bed I noticed 2 very small ticks crawling around in the tent - needless to say I did not sleep well.

The second day began with me packing a soaking wet tent, and a damp sleeping bag, and generally feeling pretty under the weather. The literal weather was actually ideal for walking, mostly sunshine with occasional showers that were never heavy enough to bother with a coat, and something about it made the damp pine forest smell like warm toffee. I reached the end of Loch Lochy in good time and decided to have an early lunch. As a treat I got out my stove to boil water for a coffee sachet - only to have the gas run out with the water only warm. There is to be no sympathy for this, I knew it was running out and should have bought some more in Fort William, I'm just lucky I didn't try using it to make dinner the night before - at least it made the water hot enough for my drink.

The route continues along the side of Loch Oich, but unlike the first loch, this track is along an old rail line, and so completely flat. After briefly resting at the Oich Bridge locks, reclining on a park bench, I continued onto the final section along the canal to Fort Augustus. The creeping feeling of malaise was getting worse and when I finally got to the town I was desperate for a simple solution for camping that night. You are no longer allowed to pitch on the smooth grass beside the locks, so when I spotted a proper campsite I just went for it.
This has the benefit of hot showers and a warm laundry room which has dried out my sleeping bag nicely. The grass is smooth and easy to pitch the tent properly. I've been able to charge my phone.

One more thing:
Ticks. I have been lucky to encounter none so far, although Katya and Charlie had both removed ticks from themselves on the WHW. My luck ran out spectacularly as of today. This evening before my shower I spotted blood on my knee, from pushing through a thorny plant to take a photo, but as I examined the blood I noticed something else off to the side - a poppyseed sized tick nymph. This prompted further examination and in all I found 6 of the bastards, including one low on my ankle that had somehow penetrated 2 pairs of socks and my leggings (which hadn't been removed since I put them on yesterday morning). I am not a fan. Given that I was feeling unwell yesterday as well I assume I am coming down with some ordinary virus (or just run down from unideal nutrition), not early Lyme disease. I've taken some multivitamins today, and eaten a proper meal.