June 15, 2022
Last year we spent three weeks trekking on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Of the 268 miles that we hiked, 142 of those were also on the John Muir Trail (JMT). One of the most famous trails in the world, the 210-mile JMT traverses through three national parks in an area greatly influenced by the conservationist John Muir.
John Muir (1838-1914), was a founder of the Sierra Club and an early United States National Park advocate, earning him the nickname of “the Father of the National Parks.” However, many people may not realize that he was actually born in Scotland. The 134-mile John Muir Way, created in 2014 on the 100th anniversary of John Muir’s death, is classified as one of Scotland’s 29 Great Trails.
We were inspired to walk the John Muir Way because it was an opportunity to complete another coast-to-coast trek (similar to our recent Hadrian’s Wall Path hike across England). The trail website’s description of the numerous natural places and historical sites on the route also intrigued us. Our hope was that the trek would provide us with a microcosm of Scotland over 10 hiking stages.
Our trekking route along the John Muir Way
To begin the John Muir Way, we traveled to the west coast city of Helensburgh. It was just across the Firth of Clyde from Helensburgh that John Muir left for the United States with his family in 1849 at the age of 11. Next to the coast was the official starting point for the trek, consisting of a stone bench with two John Muir quotes inscribed upon it.
Sitting on the two sides of the bench at the start of the John Muir Way in Helensburgh
A Short First Day and a Loch View
When I was a boy in Scotland I was fond of everything that was wild, and all my life I’ve been growing fonder and fonder of wild places and wild creatures. — John Muir
Our first day’s distance was just eight miles, so we left in the middle of the morning to begin our walk east. The first three miles of hiking were on a paved bike path as we climbed out of Helensburgh and into the hills.
The John Muir Way can be walked or cycled. Most of the time the trail is shared by both hikers and bikers; at other times the walking and cycling paths split when there are steep ascents or rough dirt trails that are not appropriate for bikes. At one such split we turned onto a dirt road and continued climbing.
Soon after, we entered Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, the oldest national park in Scotland. The weather was overcast and windy, but we were fortunate to have good views of Loch Lomond as we continued our climb. The loch is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area.
At the top of our ascent, near Gouk Hill, we came to a trail sign indicating an optional climb to a viewpoint. In the cold and windy conditions we briefly debated whether to take the optional trail. We opted for a quick look and ascended up the steep path.
It was a good decision, for as soon as we reached the top we had an expansive vista of the loch below us. We took a break in the strong wind and enjoyed the view as the sun peaked out of the clouds.
From there, we descended to the village of Balloch, located at the foot of Loch Lomond. We spent our first night at a pub there.
A Traverse through Lochs, Castles, and Hills to the Trail’s High Point
Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. — John Muir
We had a 14.5-mile stage to complete on Day 2. The weather forecast called for early afternoon rain and gusty wind, so we were motivated to start hiking by 7:30 am. Our path took us along the shore of Loch Lomond for a time. The mountains to the north and west of the loch were covered in clouds and mist.
Before we left the loch shore for good, we came upon Balloch Castle. The original castle was constructed in the 13th century. It was later torn down and the present castle was built as a residence in 1808.
The next stretch of trail consisted of several miles of walking along quiet country roads. We traversed through neighborhoods and walked by several farms.
We had some trouble finding a place to take a needed break, but finally found a couple of large rocks to sit on beside the road. Across the street from us was a field with a cow and her calf. As we sat, drinking water and eating a snack, the cow became more and more agitated by our presence. After mooing several times, she began to move toward the barbed wire fence separating the two of us. Getting the message, we cut our break short and started hiking again.
We turned off to a dirt road, which took us into a range known as the Kilpatrick Hills. The wind, now gusting up to 20 miles per hour, mostly stayed at our backs, except when we turned south to weave through some occasional trees. We began to climb and eventually topped out at the highest location on the John Muir Way at 902 feet.
From our vantage point, we could see rain falling to the north of us. Because we were hiking through exposed hills, we wanted to arrive at our hotel before any significant rain began to fall.
The trail took us along a reservoir before finally reaching our hostel destination for the day. We arrived in time to enjoy a late lunch at their cafe before the rain came pouring down in the middle of the afternoon.
A Long Rainy Stage along a Canal and Roman Wall
Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. — John Muir
We had dodged the rain on the first two days of our trek, but our luck changed on Day 3. There was significant rain in the forecast. And it was already raining steadily when we looked out of our window after waking up.
We also needed to complete one of the longest stages of our trek – 17.9 miles. The first part of the day was spent hiking through a hilly forest. Because of the cumulative rain during the past few days, several sections were pretty muddy. We took our time navigating through the puddles and mud.
After about five miles, we reached the village of Strathblane. There was a grocery store in town, so we bought some snacks to eat. After Strathblane the path would be flatter, and we hoped to make better time as the rain continued to fall.
The trail joined a series of dismantled railway lines for about six miles. The first of the lines was opened in 1848 and the last closed in 1966. Not only was the path flat, but very scenic as we passed under old bridges and through lush forests.
At the town of Kirkintilloch, located about eight miles north of Glasgow, we left the rail trail and turned onto a path along the Forth and Clyde Canal. Opened in 1790, the canal was a 35-mile water route between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of Scotland. During John Muir’s first 11 years living in Scotland, the canal would have been in its heyday. But as rail traffic became more prevalent, the canal suffered. By the 1930’s sections were filled in and built over.
In the early 2000’s the canal was revitalized for walking and boating. We found it to be a tranquil and peaceful place to hike.
The rain stopped for a short time, but then returned with about two miles left in the stage. We had a choice to make after reaching another trail sign directing the walkers and bikers to different routes. We could continue on the flat canal cycle path to our hotel, located in a pub, or turn off to the walking trail to climb to Bar Hill and a Roman fort. We agreed to walk to the fort, so we left the canal trail.
After building Hadrian’s Wall from about 122 to 129 AD, the Romans conquered additional territory to the north. This resulted in the construction of another barrier in 142 AD, known as the Antonine Wall (named after Antoninus Pius, the emperor at that time). This wall was also built at the narrowest part of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. It was just 37 miles long and built of turf 10 feet high and 16 feet wide. Because of the turf construction, the wall ruins are not as evident, having weathered away over time.
The Romans built 16 forts, with Bar Hill fort located in roughly the middle of the Antonine Wall. As we ascended toward the fort’s ruins on top of the hill, the rain and the wind gusts intensified. We arrived at the top and took a few pictures, exhilarated by the wild weather around us.
However, the rain and wind quickly got the better of us, so we started back down. We were disappointed not to see the nice view from the hill touted by one of the fort signs.
A short time later, we reached the hotel, cold and wet from the eight hours we had hiked in the rain. Once we changed into warm and dry clothes, we enjoyed the view of the boats sitting on the canal marina from our room.
Discovering Something Ancient and Something Modern
The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark. — John Muir
After the long and wet stage on Day 3, we had a manageable 12.7-mile distance to complete on Day 4. The rain came and went as we hiked, but without the intensity that we had experienced during the previous day. The first seven miles were along the flat and scenic Forth and Clyde Canal path.
The trail took a slight detour from the canal to traverse through an old tunnel with a cobblestone path.
After joining the canal again for a short time, we turned off to climb to another fort on the Antonine Wall. Rough Castle was the second smallest fort on the wall. Although there wasn’t much remaining of the fort itself, we had better views of some of the turf sections of the Antonine Wall.
Less than a mile after leaving the Roman sites, we came to a modern marvel – the Falkirk Wheel. The wheel is a rotating lift that moves boats 79 feet in elevation between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal.
The Falkirk Wheel opened in 2002 and it is the only lift of its kind in the world. It reconnected the two canals for the first time since the 1930s, when they were previously linked by a series of 11 locks.
Take a look at the time-lapsed video that we made of the wheel in action. This 30-second video covers about five minutes of actual time:
After watching the Falkirk Wheel and eating lunch at the on-site cafe, we followed the John Muir Way uphill to view the top of the wheel’s intersection with the Union Canal.
We still had about three more miles further to hike to the city of Falkirk and our hotel. Before ending the stage, we passed by the site of the Battle of Falkirk. This took place during the Jacobite rising of 1745 when the exiled Stuarts tried to overthrow the Hanoverian King George II.
After four stages and 65.9 miles, we were roughly at the halfway mileage point of our 134-mile trek. From ancient Roman ruins, to modern boat lifts, to peaceful waterways, to grand loch vistas, we were satisfied with the microcosm of Scotland that we had experienced so far.
We looked forward to the coming days (and hopefully better weather) as we continued to trek east. With six stages to go, our sights were set on the North Sea coastal city of Dunbar, where the trail terminates at John Muir’s birthplace.
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. — John Muir
What a lovely trail. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks John for your support, as always. Definately one of our favorites! The Falkirk Wheel was super cool. I really enjoyed the challenge of recording its operation. The boat has around 60 people in it when it went up.