“When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains.”
Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
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Forward:
A year ago this time, I sat at my laptop inside my parent’s Illinois home during the holidays. I looked up at my partner Alec and said with both excited and nervous energy, “I hit the purchase button - I bought a plane ticket to Scotland. I guess I’m going on a long hike!” It would be my first time leaving the states in my entire life. This trip had a few objectives, not all of which were specific to hiking. I planned to attempt four primary goals: Walk The West Highland Way, The Great Glen Way, summit Ben Nevis via the CMD route, and show myself the truth of my new-to-me camera - could it satisfy my desire to capture the landscapes so beloved to me while I walk? Could I comfortably carry a professional camera, lenses, and bag of over 20 rolls of film for 10 days straight? And if my camera and I make magic, if I feel great carrying it around so long, what comes next and what does it mean? The following images were shot with support from Ilford Photo, and were shot on Ilford Delta 400 and Delta 3200. They were shot on a Fuji TX1, also known as the “unbranded” Hasselblad XPan. After two major trips with my camera system, I now stare down a short couple of month before we tackle our greatest journey yet - a thru hike of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves however - for now, enjoy this journey across Scotland.
Southern terminus of the West Highland Way | Milngavie Scotland | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Four months after committing with a plane ticket purchase, I arrived in Glasgow. I slept like a rock on the overnight flight, and swiftly caught a ride to the village of Milngavie (pronounced Mull-Guy). “Laura?”, says a familiar voice. On the stoop of our hotel sat my friend Kat. Kat, who thru hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, and I met on the AT the year prior and became fast friends. A dual citizen now living in London, Kat took the train up to meet me for a new adventure - The West Highland Way - a 96 mile bipedal epic across the Scottish Highlands, and Ben Nevis’ CMD route - a route for me, would become one of my greatest and favorite challenges. I would continue on solo afterwards, with an attempt to arrive at Inverness as my final destination.
After a night of sleep, Kat and I woke up early to a Scottish Breakfast and ambled to the center of town to greet a large concrete obelisk, which symbolized the start of our journey. After a quick self portrait, we began our 96 mile adventure to Ft William.
Self Portrait of Kat and I before we embarked northbound on the West Highland Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat walking along the Mugdock Wood | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Walking path signs near Milngavie, Scotland | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Not but a mile or so into the day’s walk, I see a man in a mix of traditional Scottish garb and modern hiking gear walking our way. For better or for worse, this American was intrigued. We stopped and chatted for a time, and Alan, as he introduced himself, recounted his own walks from Milngavie to Ft William and back. Out of his pack he produced a newspaper that included a cartoon drawing of the route. I tucked it into my pack and kept it to this day. “May I take your portrait?” I ask. “I’ve had many made, but sure”, Alan replies. Meter, frame, click. One exposure will suffice. “Would you like me to send it to you?”, I say. “No thanks, I’ve had many photos taken of me before. Enjoy your walk!” One of my favorite things about having my camera around on a journey such is this, is connecting with people in the unique ways cameras allow for.
Alan, West Highland Way Walker | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Walkers along the West Highland Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat walking along the West Highland Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Trail Marker | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Dumgoyne pictured above farms and forestry plantations | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
L: Kat walking on The West Highland Way, R: Shadow self portrait | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
A lot of people know me as a portrait photographer with a particularly advanced portfolio in the world of music. I’m not afraid anymore however to keep myself in a box. There’s so much about the world I have an interest in photographing. It may be a bit bold and unusual to buy an xpan and photograph walking journeys, but it’s brought me much joy. I also think I’m a natural at it and I enjoy the challenge of the format and subject matter I’ve been working with.
Kat walking along the West Highland Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Field of sheep on the trail | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The farms and hills went for miles on end, and the route snaked along primitive dirt paths and modern roads. It was clear however that the landscape was slowing morphing, mile after mile. Soon Conic Hill, or Chronic Hill as it’s so affectionately called, came into view.
Conic Hill and Sheep | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Walking up Conic Hill | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Upon reaching the top, we were treated to the first views of the famous Loch Lomond. The hilltop winds whipped and howled, and on no uncertain terms worked relentlessly to knock me over. Fortunately, I succeeded in standing.
False summit of Conic Hill with Loch Lomond in the distance | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Walker descending Conic Hill with Loch Lomond in the background| April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
A flat tent spot on the flank of the hill was sighted, and Kat and I set up our tents. We laughed at our matching tents and enjoyed a camp meal and conversation while the sun set. I shot a few more frames in the fading spring light before retiring my camera back to it’s case. Look to the left, and you’ll see the Scottish Lowlands from which we came. Look to the right, and you’ll see the clear and distinct rise of munros (mountains). Our camp lie on the Highland Boundary Fault, a fault line which separates the lowlands and highlands of the country. Looking northward, we had now entered the Highlands.
Our tentsite on Conic Hill | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Loch Lomond | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Day 2 would mark our journey along the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. I’m sure that you’ve heard the tune - you take the high road, and I’ll take the low road. And I’ll be in Scotland before ye. The trail winded us up and down forested hills and open views of the massive loch, with a few intersecting small villages that appeared to largely exist at the pleasure of tourism. Much of this section was in a national park, so the lands were mostly wooded with mighty Atlantic Oaks and Scots Pines; vestiges of old Scotland.
Loch Lomond | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The steep, steep side of Ben Lomond
Towering above the trees stood Ben Lomond, another iconic character you know from the song. Treeless and covered in low lying brush, Ben Lomond stands at 3,200 ft. Don’t let it’ small size fool you - the mountains of Scotland command deep respect and are prone to dangerous and sudden weather, and are also more precarious than they may look from afar.
Mountains and Woods along the Loch
While I hadn’t any time to climb Ben Lomond, I looked fondly on, took a photograph, and continued the day’s task of walking. Beautiful woodlands shaded me from the unusually bright sunlight, and I admired the simple pleasures of light filtering through the noon day path.
Kat crossing the road near Loch Lomond | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat purchasing baked goods at a trail side Honesty Box | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond were much more demanding than the day’s previous walk. I learned pretty quick that Scotland didn’t believe in switchbacks when trail building. Relentless ups and knee crunching downs were a promise the trail ensured. I couldn’t help but smile though. How delightful it is to be traveling by foot. I marveled at the stark sunlight as it hit the water and illuminated the craggy hills and mountains. Eventually we settled our campsite on a hill near the waters edge. A meal and camp chores completed, and off to a sound sleep we went.
Loch Lomond with munros (mountains) in the background | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Rocky shorelines of Loch Lomond | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
We greeted the morning at the Loch’s edge. Since I was regularly stopping to photograph, I got up earlier than Kat and began my walk. She’d always catch up with me. The path mercilessly sent me up and down once again; a last hoorah before the bidding the Loch farewell.
The West Highland Way at Loch Lomond | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
By lunch time, Loch Lomond receded. Much of the trees had too. The munros grew taller and more snowy. Leaving behind Loch Lomond and the woodlands in exchange for montane esque landscapes was a worthy trade off, but I missed our old friend the Loch. For almost two days, it’s presence felt like a reliable friend.
Kat walking along the receding banks of Loch Lomond
Feral British Isle Goats near Loch Lomond | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
Trail marker and path | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
Trail marker and path | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
The West Highland Way and a Sheep | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Scottish Sheep | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Hills covered in clouds | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Asleep in the forestry plantation.
After a shorter but fulfilling day of walking, Kat and I found a flat tent spot deep inside a forestry track near a burn (gaelic for creek). I felt a bit conflicted. One is technically not allowed to camp inside the plantation, but it was growing late, and the site we found was very clearly an old and established spot. It was the first time I had no cell phone reception, and I texted my loved ones from my satellite phone to let them know I was safe and at my campsite.
The trees in this photograph, while pretty, are non-native Sitka Spruce and are intentionally planted and cut for paper products. From what I have read, they serve no ecological purpose, only economical. With this in mind, I hadn’t much imagination and excitement to walk the neatly planted groves. However my favorite thing about them, was the fragrant smell of thousands of Spruce trees.
West Highland Way sign near Tyndrum | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Per usual I awoke first and began my walk. Out of the forestry plantation I hiked out and down to a farm. I watched a sheep herder instruct his dog in Gaelic, while hundreds of sheep eyed their master. Past the farm I was thrust into an ancient history. St Fillan’s Priory, built in the 1300’s at the instruction of Robert the Bruce, stood like a ghost amongst the trees. Opposite of the remains was an old cemetary, with some graves from the 7th or 8th century.
Old historic cemetery | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Remains of St. Fillan’s Priory. The religious site was constructed in approx. 1318 under order of Robert the Bruce, and was deconstructed some hundreds of years later to build a neighboring farmhouse.
The Holy Pool.
A half mile up the trail was a place thick with energy - The Holy Pool. This deep end of the river was used as a ritual site during the heyday of St Fillan’s Priory. Individuals with mental illness were brought to this spot with the intent of a cure. A ritual was performed involving cleansing the person in the depths of the water. After this, the person was brought back to the priory, and the church bell was placed over their head. They were instructed to remain like that all night. In the morning, they were said to be cured. If not, the ritual was performed again. I can’t help but wonder, how many people weren’t “cured”, and how that made them feel. This place had a deep heaviness to it. We have a long way to go in understanding and de-stigmatizing mental illness, but we have certainly come very far.
A land in transformation.
The further north we traversed, the stranger and open the lands began to feel. Even greater and taller munros towered over us, and I could feel the weather changing, growing colder and windier.
Kat walking with the conical Beinn Dorain in the background | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
There’s a saying in hiking culture that goes like this - “Don’t quit on a rainy day”. It’s true. I also say, don’t quit on a poopy day. Kat and I were spent and it was time to find a spot for camp. I was tired and my feelings weren’t as in check as they should have been. I was sweaty, stinky, wet, and very tired. I tried for a hotel room up the road, and it was full. The only place I saw that was flat for a camp, was…I kid you not…covered in used toilet paper. Denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and finally acceptance. If you’ve never went though the stages of grief because you were worn to bits and knowing you’ll have to sleep by some less-than-respectful person’s deification detritus, I don’t recommend it. There’s no glory or lesson. Sometimes, you just chalk up a situation to be “what it is”, and you move on. I suppose if anything, the lesson lies there. Don’t quit on a cold, rainy, stinky day, and especially don’t quit because a person of poor ethics was too lazy to pack out their TP. Just keep going, and let yourself laugh about it later.
The road to Bridge of Orchy | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Woodland pathway with an old livestock gate | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
Naturally I woke up to the same scene from the night before and quickly packed my gear. I can’t say staring at used mounds of toilet paper, let alone filtering water near it all, was something I was interested in. I’d find water elsewhere. I power hiked away from the fecal fiasco and was almost immediately distracted by some of the most incredible scenery I had yet to see. In the rapturous splendor of Rannoch Moor, I found much needed perspective. Wild red deer grazed under rare Scots Pines. A Eurasian Otter slinked across the trail, intent to reach the marshy waters that snaked through the treeless lands.
Kat caught up and we enjoyed a coffee and breakfast on an old bridge. The Trail always teaches us a lesson in perspective; situations will not always be good, but how you handle them matters. That’s the good stuff, the stuff you use in your day to day life. A new day, a new turn in the trail, or a new landscape, can bring a new feeling. The one constant is change - embrace it.
Bridge-side breakfast in the wilds of Rannoch Moor | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
Rannoch Moor | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
Walker passing through Rannoch Moor | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 3200
Soon we found ourselves in Glen Coe, at the feet of the mighty Buachaille Etive Mòr, The Great Herdsman. The further north we walked, the more the landscape shamelessly exuded drama in the form of great, rocky muros teeming with icy springs and delicate flora, with kisses of snow and ice still clinging to the summits.
Blackrock Cottage | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Passing through Glen Coe | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat in front of Buachaille Etive Mòr | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Buachaille Etive Mòr | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat walking past Buachaille Etive Mòr | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The West Highland Way, Scottish Highlands | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat on The West Highland Way, Scottish Highlands | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
From a night of poopy despair to landscapes that plant a perma-smile on your face, change and the unknown are reliable friends on these journeys. That night Kat and I found ourselves up and out of the Montane and back into forested hillsides above the sleepy village of Kinlochleven, where we pitched our tents above the warm glow of the town. Tomorrow, day 6, would be our last day of the West Highland Way.
The West Highland Way, Scottish Highlands | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Old sign indicating the direction to Ft William, the end point of The West Highland Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
I awoke and packed swiftly, and headed down into the village. I walked into a hotel and treated myself to a tasty Scottish Breakfast. As a vegetarian, I was quite happy to try vegan haggis. Yes, it was amazing even as a vegan option! This day would require a remote 16 mile walk to Ft William. While I enjoyed the nights of wild camping, I was looking forward to a nice bed and a hot meal and pint.
The little village of Kinlochleven | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Walker passing through Larigmor, a remote section of the West Highland Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Old farmhouse in Larigmor | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Larigmor | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
After so much thinking about it, there it was - Ben Nevis. I stared in awe of the UK’s tallest mountain, and I anxiously anticipated my own trek up the opposite side of the munro.
First view of Ben Nevis, the UK’s tallest mountain | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The softer side of Ben Nevis | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
West Highland Way walkers descending into Glen Nevis via a forestry road | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
All good things come to an end, and the dirt path ended to meet a sidewalk.
Where the dirt path ends and the sidewalk to Ft William begins | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
And so, it was over. 96 miles and 5 nights of wild camping in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Tonight, we’d eat pizza and drink beer, and finally get a hot shower in. Tomorrow, Ben Nevis would await us.
The original WHW end point on the city’s edge | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat approaching Carn Mor Dearg, a munro that connects to Ben Nevis via a razor thing ridgeline called an “arete” | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat and I were dropped off at day break by cab, and began our trek to the north face of the mountain. With Scarpa boots, crampons, and an ice axe, this was certainly one of the more technical and consequential routes I’d ever done.
Ben Nevis’ North Face | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Kat hill walking up Carn Mor Dearg | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
To be up there, was a different world. Scree, ice, and snow guided the way to the summit.
The view of Ben Nevis via the CMD Route | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Ben Nevis | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
I had my share of nerves on this route, but admittedly I felt confident in my abilities. Besides, the weather was perfect. It took me a long time, but I finally made it to the summit - a route that occasionally had me on all fours.
The Grampian Mountains | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Ben Nevis via the CMD summit, self portrait | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Ben Nevis storm shelter | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The CMD route up Ben Nevis was a lesson in patience and humility. Not once did I stop respecting the mountain. You get the deep, primal feeling that you’re the peasant and it, the king. Listen, and don’t get cocky. You don’t have conquest over a mountain, it’s just that sometimes they let you climb them. Exhausted from 6 days of walking and one of the more intense mountain routes I’d ever done, I looked onto the horizon - the Atlantic Ocean. Someone would tell me that it’s only a few days a year you can see it from the summit. What a gift this day was. I’ll forever be proud of myself for climbing this mountain.
Hill walkers on Ben Nevis | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Great Glen Way path signage | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The next day brought rain and cold. I was worn to pieces. I had plans to walk about 20 miles, but my body had other plans. I found a hostel called Chase the Wild Goose about 5 miles up the road, and took a Nero (Noun: slang for “nearly zero miles walked).
Old Inverlochy Castle, Circa 1200s | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Old vessel on Loch Linnhe | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Ft William and Loch Linnhe | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
From the window at my bunk bed, I saw Ben Nevis enshrouded in clouds, the summit entirely blocked from view. That night, I slept like a rock. No amount of snoring in the dorms could have awakened me.
Partial view of Ben Nevis as seen from my hostel bed bunk | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The pancake flat Great Glen Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The next few days I’d have to push hard to make it to Inverness. The Great Glen Way follows a major fault line that divides the Highlands. It features three lochs (including Loch Ness), all of which are connected via a man-made canal called the Caledonian Canal.
The Canal was finished 201 years ago, and unlike yesteryear when it served as safe passage for cargo ships avoiding angry seas, it now serves largely as a recreation source for canal boats and kayakers. The Great Glen Way leisurely follows the water route, and the walker can expect flat and easy-going canal side walks, and loch-side trails and roads. This route absolutely felt less traveled. It took me mostly through countryside and small villages.
I can’t quite pinpoint it, but what the West Highland Way offered in rugged wild views, the Great Glen Way offered in an incredible window into Scottish country life. Whereas the WHW was mostly full of thru and section walkers, the GGW felt more like a quiet path that served as an artery leading to someone’s sheep field, home, forestry track, path into the munros, and so on. It felt like the epitome of what John Denver sang about in Country Roads, Take Me Home. Watching a farmer on his tractor bringing hundreds of sheep into another field, or watching a canal lock keeper man the locks for boats, having a beer inside a barge, and getting buzzed with local people my age, I felt at home.
A lone Scots Pine
Only 1% of Scotland’s indigenous Caledonian Forest remains today.
The Caledonian Canal
Still waters and the occasional boat are to be expected today on this historic canal once used for commerce vessels evading rough seas.
The historic Caledonian Canal | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Signs off the Great Glen Way in both English and Scottish Gaelic | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Old telephone booth | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Lofty munro with it’s head in the clouds | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Canal boat cruising the Caledonian Canal | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Ben Nevis from afar, as seen from a Great Glen Way Roadwalk | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Single track Great Glen Way path along Loch Lochy | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Loch Lochy | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
More Forestry Tracks.
Many miles of the Great Glen Way involved walking forestry tracks.
Sign indicating the respective end points of the Great Glen Way | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The end of the day came with rain. SNAP. My chest strap broke. I had to laugh a little. Maybe it was the camera bag, maybe it was inevitable wear and tear after a year of heavy use on my backpack. A little paracord did the trick and on I went a few hundred feet until I realized I was staring at a barge that was converted into a pub. That settled it. After food and a pint canal-side, I hitched a ride to Saddle Mountain Hostel. So much for camping, now I was having a good time hosteling!
Laggan Locks | April 2023 | Delta 400
Eagle Barge Inn, a pub on the canal. Yes, dreams can come true. This is real | April 2023 | Delta 400
Saddle Mountain Hostel | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
The next morning I had to book it. I was running out of time to finish the GGW. I’d need to walk about 25-30 miles per day to make it in time. Things were starting to feel rushed and even pointless. I felt anxious and kind of down, feelings I hadn’t felt at all until now. I started to consider my options: Push hard, feel miserable, finish the GGW, have your bragging rights. Or, enjoy this walk, take it in, do what you can within reason to make it to a good stopping point, and make your train back to Glasgow on time.
Trail through the woods along the Great Glen Way.
Roads were often not far away on the Great Glen Way, for better or for worse | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Another pleasant road walk | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Reflection in the phone booth.
Roads and Bridges in rural Scotland | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Back to a gravel path and the Caledonian Canal | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Eventually, I made it to Fort Augustus. I ate my feelings at a cafe and decided I wanted to prioritize experience over conquest. I could finish the GGW, but I chose not to, and I wouldn’t know what the last 40 miles would be like. But what I did know, was that those 40 miles I had done were beautiful, and I would end by standing on the hills overlooking the famous Loch Ness. There, after descending, would mark the end.
Entering Ft. Augustus | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Downtown Ft. Augustus and canal locks | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Self portrait in a driveway mirror | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Last bit of roads before Loch Ness | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Entering a rare stand of Scots Pines before climbing up the barren hills | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
A Taiga type environment above the hills | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
High Route to Loch Ness | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Above the trees near Loch Ness | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
After a number of woodland miles, I stood atop the high hills with a full view of Loch Ness. I was all alone. Cherishing it, I took a self-portrait and a handful of photographs, and put the camera away. I sat in silence, grateful for such a precious trip. Grateful to my camera for being a fine companion and means to photograph, grateful to Kat for her incredible friendship on the WHW and Ben Nevis, grateful to my fiance Alec for his unending support, and grateful to my body for carrying me. I didn’t have to complete this thru-hike. As it turned out, I had been voraciously extracting the marrow out of life every day this entire time. I wanted for nothing.
Loch Ness | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
Self Portrait on the High Route above Loch Ness | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400
My trusty Zpacks backpack | April 2023 | Ilford Delta 400