West Highland Way gets an extension
AS of this week the West Highland Way is officially a mile longer. The famous 95 mile walk through some of Scotland's most stunning scenery still starts in Milngavie but it will now finish at the west end of Fort William's High Street.
Extension to the route has been long discussed and since over 100,000 people walk the Way each year, traders have welcomed the extension — but it's not yet clear how weary walkers will take to having to go the extra mile, largely on concrete.
An official marker is to be erected, possibly in Gordon Square, Fort William, so walkers can be photographed at the end of their journey.
The official extension comes just after the announcement that The West Highland Way has been named as the first European addition to the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) and Way walkers and hikers in the wilds of Canada will be part of the same trail.
Scotland's ancient Caledonian peaks and the Appalachians of the eastern United States and Canada were once part of the same great range and one which stretched across Greenland and as far south as Morocco.
Millions of years of separate histories have since passed but now Scotland's most famous long-distance walk and the globally renowned hiking route have been joined together.
The move to connect them through a hiking trail is expected to deliver a major boost to the economy as there are 40 million hikers in the US and it is anticipated many will be keen to walk an international route.
Although the West Highland Way will be the first official section, the route will be marked with IAT signs and coastal footpaths further south in Ayrshire and further north towards Cape Wrath will eventually be included.
The union has been developed by the Edinburgh based British Geological Survey (BGS), which wants to acknowledge the rich heritage shared by the two regions.
A billion years ago, Scotland and the north-east of what is now the US and Canada existed as close neighbours on the supercontinent of Rodinia.
They parted around 50 million years ago when the tectonic plates under the Earth's surface moved apart and the Atlantic Ocean was created.
Hugh Barron of BGS, who originally had the idea of reuniting mountain ranges in Scotland and North America, said: "As well as our cultural links, Scotland shares an older geological heritage with this region.
"We have been close neighbours on ancient continents, shared in the building of the Caledonian-Appalachian mountain chain, and only recently — in geological terms — separated by the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean.
"We are now in the process of restoring these ancient links by celebrating our common geological heritage through long-distance walking routes."
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Weather for Milngavie
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
