Before I start describing the travels of the day can I skip to the end?

The destination is Tyndrum – and it was in the Tyndrum Inn ….. Full of walkers, bikers and campers.

Billy Connolly has a sketch about asking a perfectly normal question & getting the most unusual, unexpected answer.( hence the title)

I’m sat outside the pub at the end of today and get talking to 2 guys – One turns out to be a musician about 70 years old who worked at some stage with a couple of Billy Connolly‘s bands . Interesting enough – so I turned to the other guy and say “are you walking the way then?He replies “Gold Panning” – I snort my beer and say is that the wind up that you tell tourists around here? No seriously he says I still use traditional methods but today I’ve been “sniping” I spent the entire day in a dry suit with a snorkel in a shallow stream . I tell him I’m still being wound up – and a couple of the guys join in to a tell me that this is actually a real thing in the area. A major company has opened up a long closed goldmine and already taken £2 million worth of gold just from the”tailings” of a long closed goldmine – ie the waste that technology in those days could not extract gold . These guys are just hobbyist freelancers.

I say they need to prove it 😆 and they promise to meet on the trail and show me as I set off tomorrow as they start early as will I be doing for the longest 30k day over Rannoch Moor – let’s see !!

I just love pub chat.

….. otherwise this day is July 8th – and i’m doing the Falls of Falloch to Tyndrum .

Yes of course we had a spectacular white water like the Falls of Falloch – quiet and tranquil today but …….

Which only a few months ago in full flood had taken out several of the bridges one of which still did not exist which meant a detour to find steppingstones upstream

But the trail lifted from the floodplains and after a steepish climb started to give the traditional welcome views.

Heading eventually through dense forest to the famous Crianlarich crossroads . Famous for red coated soldiers, anxious drovers and nervous coach drivers finally crossing into bandit territory. It also happens to be the halfway mark on the West Highland Way! Yay 😁 !!

We moved through historical sites – bloody battles won and lost – famous names like Robert the Bruce, Edward the first ( The Cursed Longshanks) . Ruined priories once hundreds of feet long, the height of religious glamour and wealth , reduced by 360 degree fate to mere mossy shadows the size of the serf roundhouses they are previously oppressed.

Then to find this fascinating stone. Legend of the Lochan of the Lost Sword. It’s just lying there next to the trail !

Eventually taking us into the busy little village of Tyndrum .

These are the rows of ex-lead miners cottages – I’m staying in one of them –the guy I was talking to last night – who looked after Billy Connolly‘s bands. Well His great great grandfather lived in one of them and he was making a four minute video for the BBC about it. Nice coincidence and one of the joys of travelling.

I’ve got no fitness tracker stats today as this is all I’m getting from my Fitbit – it appears to be making fun of me . No information just this annoying grin at my expense 😏

I’ll retaliate with Strava tomorrow!

Xxxxxx