The West Highland Way – Part 1

On By James HandlonIn Hiking Adventures, The West Highland WayLeave a comment

The guide book had sat in a draw in my study for nearly 12 years, it was out of date and I was 12 years nearer to my grave. What had I been waiting for? I had better get a wriggle on and go and hike that darn West Highland Way before it was too late!

Buachaille Etive Mòr

The West Highland Way is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is 96 miles or 154 km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. My wife and I decided we were finally going to tackle it as a traditional through hike.

A through hike that is with the added luxury of staying in inns, pubs, lodges and hotels along the way and with your heavy luggage being transported onward for you each day to the next destination. Still it was a big undertaking which would span across 8 days incorporating an elevation gain/loss of 3,155 metres (10,351 ft) and included tackling the infamous Devil’s Staircase in Glencoe.

Continue reading “The West Highland Way – Part 1” →

Foto Friday – Forbidden Palace

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In 2009 I found myself travelling around China on a whistle-stop tour visiting the countries great cities and landmarks. Somewhere that I had always wanted to visit was The Forbidden City in the former capital of Peking a city now renamed Beijing.

It lived up to all expectations when I finally got there. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in what is now the middle of Beijing and houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.

The architecture is amazing, the scale mindblowing and its history resonates from every corner ofpalace the complex.

Foto Friday – The Laugavegur Trail

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Following stone cairns for guidance I found myself trekking in a small team across a snowy plateaux in southern Iceland in 2013.

The whole team found the going to be way tougher than we’d expected for even though it was early July there was still a load of persistent deep snow left on the ground which made the going pretty hard.

The trek took five days to complete and took me from Landmannalaugar geothermal springs to the Þórsmörk nature reserve.

See more photography from the trek at www.jameshandlon.com/category/iceland/

Foto Friday – Boudhanath Stupa Kathmandu

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After a successful expedition in April 2022 to climb Mera Peak in Nepal I was lucky enough to have a few down days in Kathmandu. Nearly everyone who visits Kathmandu at some point goes to see the Boudhanath Stupa.

Boudha, also known as Boudhanath, Khasti Chaitya and Khāsa Chaitya is a stupa located around 11 km from the centre of Kathmandu. The stupa’s massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in the world. Boudha Stupa was listed in the world heritage list by UNESCO in 1979 and is rumoured to contain the relics and remains of Buddha himself.

It is one of the most atmospheric and spiritual places I have ever visited. Pilgrims come from all over Nepal and the world to worship at the stupa by walking around its outside base, usually clockwise — an experience that can prove meditative for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Many believe that circumambulating a stupa purifies negative karma and fosters realizations of the path to enlightenment.

I’m not sure I found any path to enlightenment but the whole experience was mind-blowing!

For more photos from the expedition and Kathmandu please visit my Flickr Account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jameshandlon/albums/72177720299683196