West Highland Way with the Dog?

[v-ness]

OH is planning on joining his brother on a charity walk along the West Highland Way for 5 days in may.
He's thinking of taking the mad dog along.
Has anyone taken their dog before? How did you manage carrying the food? Doggy backpack?
Also, how touristy is it? Will it be pretty busy at that time of the year? Will it be easy to find places to camp?
Is the map easy to follow? I have some concerns about the group leader who is planning on navigating the route via his gps that he is keen to try :yikes: I'd feel better if someone was leading the group who could actually use a map and a compass!!
Sorry, rambling on now....
Any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers
Ness

 

[JAG009]

The route is clearly mark all the way and camping places are plentiful as for the dog dont know !!

Jason

 

[v-ness]

Ok, cheers Jason. That solves the navigation problem

Ness

 

[bojit]

Hi Ness , May might not be a good time to take a dog .

http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/ww_faq.asp#top

Can I take my dog on the West Highland Way?
Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code it is now possible to take your dogs on the way on all sections for most of the year. This is because access rights apply to people walking dogs provided that their dog(s) is kept under proper control. The only section which can be closed to dogs is on the east approach to Conic Hill where there are two enclosed lambing fields. Under the Code dogs should not be taken into fields where there are lambs, calves or other young animals. The enclosed fields are closed to dogs for up to six weeks (the last three in April and the first three in May) but normally they are only closed for four weeks and occasionally three weeks, again around the last weeks in April and first Weeks in May. We normally receive confirmation of the exact dates in March. During this time there is a well signposted alternative route, which does not add any time or distance to your trek. Throughout the rest of the Way dogs should be kept under proper control, and should be kept under close control or on a short lead in areas of farm animals, public places, and in moorland, forests and grasslands during the breeding bird season (April to July). Lastly, it is your responsibility to pick up and remove your dog’s faeces if it defecates in a public open place. It is worth noting that it can also be difficult to book dog-friendly accommodation along the Way. For further information on your access rights in Scotland visit www.outdooraccess-scotland.com. This is a very easy to navigate website which will answer any queries you may have.

Craig.............

 

[v-ness]

Thanks Craig. That would be ok. She'd be on a lead all the time anyways. And the round way, seems not much of a problem then.
Wonder if anyone actually did take their dog and how they coped with walking the distance.
At the moment she's only used to walking 5-7 miles about 4 times a week. Guess it would be easy to up her training to 10 miles a day. So she should be fit enough for the trek.

Cheers
Ness

 

[bojit]

Dogs can be funny sometimes ,one day they can walk 20miles then be so stiff the next that the won't get out of bed .
other times the will walk all day everyday .
when i was younger walking was my thing , i broke my arm and was off work for 6 months , so to keep fit i would walk the dog about 10 miles every morning ,
but some evenings she would hide in her bed when she heard her lead. some days i would have to go for a walk alone as she wasn't interested.

Craig....................

 

[v-ness]

hmmm... its a Collie. Dont think she knows how to stop or slow down- LOL

 

[bojit]

Should be ok , collies are like duracell bunnies they just go on and on !

Craig..............

 

[WeThePeoplexfbm]

i got a english staffy(it like rock) couple month ago, then ran off atfer the wildlife....never again -_-

 

[mikekeswick]

I've walked and mountain biked it, I wouldn't worry about route finding at all. Collies can do 100 miles a day no problems!
GPS's should be hit with a large hammer. If you are going into the hills navigation with a map and compass is 100% essential. If you have the required skills with a map a GPS is just another piece of modern junk that can go wrong and isn't fixable when you need it. I have redirected quite a few people who were relying on GPS, the best one was a guy on the top of Ben Nevis just before dark. We had just climbed Tower Ridge and were sat at the top of the north face having a quick brew. This chap was wandering about trying to find the tourist path back down - however he seemed intent on taking the quick way down the north face...because his GPS said so...

 

[bojit]

In the 10 years or so that regularly backpacked , climbed and mountain biked i only used my compass a handfull of times .
I found it far more helpfull to study and learn the map that way i would allways know where i was , every couple of miles
have a glance at the map just to confirm you are on the right path.

Mike , you are right about GPS and the hammer , i don't mind spending good money on kit but map skills win hands down over i gadgets.

Craig..............

 

[v-ness]

however he seemed intent on taking the quick way down the north face...because his GPS said so...

hahahahaha that was exactly what worried me!!!

OH is pretty good with a map, so he should be ok.