And I'll be in Scotland afore ye

In the spring, a lad's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of -- getting the hell out of the house and doing some hiking!

After my highly successful and entertaining hike across England last summer, following the course of Hadrian's Wall, I plan to follow up in August with a 95-mile Scottish hike along the West Highland Trail. This trail runs from a northern Glasgow suburb in the south, to Fort William in the north. It follows old military tracks, Highlanders' footpaths, and "drovers' roads." (As we all know, a drover's road is a track used in olden times for driving livestock to market. We can picture Glasgow as at one time the Kansas City of Britain, I suppose.)

The trail starts out in the lowlands, ambles along the length of Loch Lomond, rambles through glens and low passes, and ascends into the highlands. It crosses spectacular moorland, climbs the "Devil's Staircase," passes through forest lands, and finally drops down into Fort William -- a "capital" of the Scottish Highlands (second only to Inverness), and located at the base of Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. While the 4,409-foot elevation of its summit may not sound impressive to us Americans, the weather can be wild and unpredictable, taking several climbers' lives every year. I'm staying an extra night in Fort William, in the hopes of completing a successful climb (well, "walk" would be more candid) to the summit.

Once again, I'll be pampering myself while hiking. No tents, no heavy backpack. I'll be staying at B&B's and carrying only a day pack each day, leaving my baggage behind each morning and finding it mysteriously waiting for me each evening at my destination.

The primary hazard, apparently, will be the "midges."

Midges are small, two-winged flying insects, they love Scotland and walkers on the West Highland Way, they can smell your sweat! ... Biting midges fly in swarms (big huge swarms, that follow you around) and usually don't stray too far from their breeding (biting grounds) grounds.
--Walking Scotland (on-line)

I'll be heading off to Scotland with good hiking boots, a good camera -- and several gallons of DEET. I've got some good Scots blood in my veins -- neither miles nor moorland nor multitudes of midges shall stay my sure passage.