WHW Day 0 - Home to Milngavie

16 October

It was a smooth journey up to Milngavie and as an added bonus both of our trains were quiet (which raised the question as to why our allocated seats weren't together in that they were booked as a single transaction, but quiet as it was there was no problem with sitting together).

We arrived in Glasgow earlier than scheduled, which gave me an extra ten minutes to go and find the branch of Tiso so that I could get a pair of Sorbothane footbeds.

It's a big old store they've got there, with five retail floors. I was misdirected the first time finding myself in the basement when I needed to be on the second floor, but I'm sure that all the stairs were beneficial training. Alas, when I got to the right department I found that I could have any size of footbed, as long as it was a seven. Ne'er mind, it was only out of curiosity that I wanted to try a pair.

Empty handed, I hot-footed it back to Mick at the station, only to then have a bit of a panic that we were at the wrong station. Our train was not displayed on the boards, but a nice man in the ticket office enlightened us that Glasgow Central has a low level station and a high level station and pointed us in the right direction (too many stations and platforms in Glasgow!).

Before 2.30 we were in Milngavie and had before us a choice. With a few hours of daylight remaining we could start walking along the WHW in the direction of Gartness, or we could go and camp at Bankell Farm just outside of Milngavie.

The purchase of some cakes aided the decision making process (actually, the decision had already been made, but it seemed rude to pass by a baker without sampling the wares) and after rustling through fallen leaves up the hill to Bankell Farm, we're pitched for the night.

The day is a glorious one up here. Blue skies and warm in the sun (pity that the picnic bench at which I'm typing this is in the shade). Contrary to the indications of the weather forecast, I say "long may it continue".