Day 13/14 - July 7/8 Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham to Princeton

Another relaxing morning for the Heimanns!  No need to wake early so the others slept in.  I like to wake up early, so I went for a nice morning run and then came back and got Lara for a 6-mile loop walk on the canal while the kids were still in bed. So easy to hike without any weight on the back.   

And there were some good handstand photo opportunities too!

FYI - the railroad was in disuse so no danger here!

I did a horizontal handstand - much more difficult than it looks. ;-)

We returned from our walk and the kids were still not interested in doing anything.  After 10 days of lots of activity, I suppose they are trying to average it out.  ;-) So we left the kids in the hotel, secured a 2 pm checkout and went out to walk the town.  We were tempted to take a boat, but opted to just take this picture instead.  This is my "Where's the respect for 'Olivia' on the boats?" I suppose she's not the main character, so Viola got the love instead.

After dropping off some food for the kids, Lara and I went for brunch - a peaceful and relaxed meal of hummus sandwiches in a garden setting.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking the town and relaxing in the hotel lobby, basically biding time until dinner and the show.  We did have an enjoyable ride on the Ferris wheel to get a nice view of the town from above. We ditched the kids after that. ;-)

They did their own exploring and we did ours, finding a few nice shops in town.  A trip to Stratford wouldn't be complete without buying a few Bard-related items, so we popped by the store at Shakespeare's birthplace and picked me up a shirt, sweatshirt, and poster for my office.  Here I am posing with my 'Will Power' shirt in front of the house in which Shakespeare was born.

We met the kids back at Zizzi's for dinner - this time I redeemed myself from yesterday's gluten-free mishap and enjoyed a rustica pizza and chocolate torte. 

We met Kate, Alex, and his folks in front of the RSC just before our evening show, Julius Caesar. The advantage of having just seen Titus is that anything after that seem's like child's play as far as the violence.  It was a great production - we all thoroughly enjoyed it as well as the extra time with our companions.   

After the show the we drove back with Graham and Elaine while Alex and Kate had a dance party driving the kids back. 

By the time we had packed everything it was close to midnight.  We quickly collapsed and in what seemed the blink of an eye, we were back in Kate's car at 6:45 am, heading to the airport for a 9 am flight. After a final goodbye with Kate, she snapped this shot of us leaving - Hello World!

While checking in, we found out that our flight had been delayed two hours.  Clearly the travel gods were not ready for our vacation to end.  No problem as that gave us a chance to get some Acai bowls for breakfast and for me to write this closing entry.

If you've enjoyed following our journey and would like to support our charity with a tax-deductible donation (all of which goes to the charity since we have self-funded this trip), please do so through our website link.  Thanks for the support and the wonderful words of encouragement!

And so to finish this adventure's blog, here are

Mark's TOP 10 C2C family hiking observations:

1) John Muir Way is a great family hiking experience - I would recommend doing this one BEFORE the Wainwright trail that we did 2 years ago as this is less challenging and a good starter family hike.  I would also consider doing this one as a C2C bike trip in 3-4 days with the family since the cycle route is similar and it might be more enjoyable cycling on the tarmac paths.

2) Think outside the box - I learned from this trip that I sometimes should be less rigid with my definitions. I had limited my hike search to ones that went from one coast to another because we already had the name, logo, and t-shirts.  By doing so we ended up with this hike that was less enjoyable for the kids than others we could have chosen that were as long but didn't actually start and end on opposite coasts.  Lesson learned!

3) Bring good shoes for rainy weather.

4) Rainy day hikes are part of the adventure - learn to embrace and even enjoy them.

5) Choosing adventures that are away from internet access automatically promotes more family time!

6) Always bring hand sanitizer!

7) And toilet paper for emergencies that are more regular than you might think.  Toilet paper > large leaves!

8) Plan well in advance, but be open to whatever happens in the now.

9) Give plenty of space/room for breakdowns that will inevitably happen when you spend 24 hours a day with your family in conditions that are not always ideal.

10) Our kids are AMAZING - but so is every other child!  There is nothing special about what they are doing. Lara and I are firm believers in putting our kids in positions in which they can challenge themselves; we know they will amaze us as well as themselves and leave with much more confidence in what they can do.  Olivia and Jonah are not in better shape than most children (at least not before the hikes).  If we can do this, and manage the added difficulty of planning food options with our vegan diet, then anyone can do this.  We are super proud of them and highly recommend all families try to do at least one trip like this for themselves, for their children, and for whatever charity that they want to help.

Peace and love from our family to yours. 

The Heimanns

Day 12 - July 6 Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon

Another glorious day in the UK.  Walking through the rain with numb hands feels like a distant memory.  Got up early to hang the clothes out to dry that Lara had washed last night. In the US, clothes dryers are pretty common place but in the UK they are rare, even in most upscale homes and B&Bs. Most people hang dry their clothes.  We also have found that most outlets have on/off switches.  Makes complete sense to avoid draining electricity.  It is no wonder that we Americans consume so much of the world's energy.

I made porridge with fruit for the family and then passed the rugby ball with Jonah while Alex's mum came over to do some yoga with Lara.

Then, Alex's dad, Graham, came by to take us to drive some sports cars! How cool is that!  We went back to his house/garage and all got to drive in a Ferrari 550 and a Porsche 911 and also sit in several other cars including a Lotus and a VW Porsche combo car from the 70's.

While the kids were out driving, Lara and I were back at the families chicken coup hanging with their rescued factory farm hens.

Then it was our turn to go for rides in the sports cars. 

While Lara and I were out driving, the kids were having fun driving a little dumpster tractor with Patty, a nice older man who lives on Alex's family's property.

Then Graham was kind enough to drive us to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we are spending the next two days.  He dropped us off at the Crowne Plaza, our lodging for the night. We dropped off our bag, and then went out for lunch. Zizzi's is a great Italian option for vegans at Stratford - special vegan/vegetarian menu with great pizza options.  Because Lara has gluten issues, I decided to split a gluten-free pizza with her. No amount of love can overcome the jealousy of watching your children eat a regular crusted pizza while you try to enjoy a gluten-free crust! Lesson learned. ;-) Here is a picture of the kids' scrumptious pizza. 

While at lunch, I read Lara and the kids a synopsis of Titus Andronicus, the show we would be seeing that night. I knew it to be the bloodiest of all of Shakespeare's plays, but didn't realize just how gory it is.  There is a reason that Disney has never thought of making an animated version.  And I believe Tarantino even turned down making a movie version because it was too bloody! ;-) It is safe to say that anyone on the fence about whether taking our kids on a 134-mile hike across Scotland would count as child abuse would be fully swayed with the additional information that we took them to Titus Andronicus!

After lunch, we went back to the room for midday naps so we could get charged up for an evening at the Royal Shakespeare Company. A little after 5 we were back out walking around and getting some pre-theatre Thai food at The Giggling Squid.  Funny name, but great food with plenty of vegan options!

Then we headed to the theatre, prepared for some blood and gore - we found out that at most performances, at least one person faints.  Fortunately, we didn't get seats up close where the fainting was happening. Being prepared for the worst made the blood and gore seem not so bad after all. Jonah did decide to go back to the room at intermission, but that was mainly because he didn't like how evil Aron the Moor was - the character does make Iago seem like a harmless cherub. 

The rest of us enjoyed the second half, though Olivia would have preferred it not to have been a modern version (it was set in present-day and had characters with cell phones.)

When we got back to the room, Jonah was in good spirits, watching TV and playing on his phone. Phew - no damage done! After another long day, we all went to bed fairly quickly and easily.

Lara's hike observations:

This hike, while not as pleasurable overall as our first hike in England, was extremely special because of the family time and witnessing the sweet bond that our kids share. To take two weeks and be with just our family is a privilege. I felt truly grateful for all (or at least most of!) the moments over the last two weeks and there is a powerful simplicity - walking with my family, carrying our packs, sharing meals and rooms- of just being together that I will remember most. The Scottish scenery and towns  were beautiful and the weather only challenged our spirits on one day. I think the details of the hike will be less important to me than this heartwarming appreciation of having my family all to myself and hiking in nature with them.

Day 11 - July 5 Edinburgh to Birmingham

After the day we had yesterday, it definitely felt nice to sleep in and not concern ourselves with hiking logistics for the day.  I got up at 7:30 to write yesterday's blog, Lara woke about an hour later, and the kids slept until a little after 9.  Lara went to a 10 am yoga class at Tribe Yoga - she said it was very good. The teacher wanted to take a picture with Lara after the class. The kids and I opted for an awesome vegan meal instead.  We packed up some and in the process found Jonah's rain jacket in his pack exactly where it was supposed to be.  So while I will take credit for passing down whatever gene it is that makes one prone to losing things, I recuse myself from responsibility for his dodo gene! A little after 10 am we left for the cafe. Holy Cow is a fairly new vegan cafe about 1/2 mile from our lodging. 

We ordered some delicious smoothies, some veggie BLT's, some hot chocolate, and a cappuccino for Olivia.  

As our smoothies came, Jonah pointed out that the sign on the door said 'Cash Only'.  Oops! I hadn't seen that sign; I had only seen the Am Ex, Visa, and MasterCard stickers on the door and assumed those were accepted.  A bit confusing.  The owner was very friendly and told me not to worry, that there was a cash machine 2 blocks away.  I asked for the total tally (including 4 desserts to be ordered for the train ride) and went to the machine while the kids waited for the food.  Unfortunately, I don't know my PIN, so couldn't take out any cash - Lara has been the only one taking out cash with her card.  So I ran back to the cafe.  By then the food had arrived.  I quickly ate and then left the kids there while I ran back to the Premier Inn to get Lara and money.  We finished packing, brought all of the bags to the train station, and Lara took out the necessary money.  I left her there with all of the bags and ran back to the cafe to pay, collect the kids, and get the four desserts for the train.  Unfortunately, the amount the owner had originally said was about 8 pounds shy of the actual amount.  The gracious owner said not to worry and gave us the 4 desserts anyway.  We ran back to the train with 30 minutes to spare before our 12:52 train.  Jonah then noticed that he didn't have his phone!  So ran back to the cafe to find his phone.  This is how I looked:

It wasn't there!  So back to the train station I went to give the bad news.  Then Jonah looked under the seat in the waiting room, and there was his phone - again, the dodo gene of my otherwise very intelligent son. ;-) All in all, I probably got 3 miles of running in, an easy day compared to what we have been doing.

The kids were thrilled to be traveling first class on the Virgin train to Birmingham. Booking early enough made it practically the same price, and I knew that the kids would appreciate a little extra pampering after 10 days of hiking.

Relaxing trip, with reading, journal writing, blogging, and dancing in our seats. 

Oh yes - can't forget the devouring of the Holy Cow desserts: berry cheesecake, chocolate caramel pie, banana cream pie, and chocolate peanut butter cake!  We're going to have to cut down on the desserts now that we aren't hiking anymore. ;-( 

The conductor came by to collect our tickets and said, 'Smashing.'  Love it!  So be prepared that the Heimanns are coming back with three new expressions that we plan to use regularly: 'Brilliant', 'Splendid', and 'Smashing'! And we love that the Brits even found a way to add some humor to the train bathroom experience!

We arrived at Birmingham New Street station at 5:15.

We walked over to The Warehouse, a nearby vegetarian restaurant where we met up with Alex and Kate (our hiking companions), Kate's mum (need to use the Brit spelling here!) and her sister Lucy.  We spent a splendid 2 hours with them eating burgers and fajitas, and of course topping those off with vegan chocolate brownies with soy ice cream.  This is clearly turning into a dessert eating trip for charity with a little bit of hiking along the way. 

After dinner we headed back to Alex and Kate's house for the night.  They were kind enough to turn over the house to us while they slept at Alex's parents' house. Or maybe they just realized that a family who had just been hiking for 10 days would probably be really stinky and it was best to clear out! ;-)

Lovely home and a perfect respite after the adventure we just had. While hiking, Alex had promised Jonah that he would take Jonah for a spin in his Porsche 911, a wedding present from his dad, who works on/designs/rehabilitates sports cars.  I knew this would be the highlight of Jonah's trip so we jumped at the opportunity to go back to Alex's parents for this ride. Not only did Jonah get to ride in it, Alex was kind enough to let Jonah take over the steering a bit while they drove around his parents' field.

We also  met Alex's father, a robust, kind, and life-affirming man who greeted us  as though we had known him for years. BIG hug!  Thrilled to get the opportunity to spend some time with him. When he heard that Jonah liked cars, he took us back to his garages where he had a few dozen stored cars (mostly other people's collections that he was working on).  It was a car enthusiast's dream.  Among Jonah's favorites was this Ferrari.

We spent a good hour walking around and learning about those cars. Before we knew it, it was after 10 and time to head back to Alex's house.. Soon after Alex dropped us off, we were all fast asleep.  All in all, a smashing day!

And now some observations from my fellow hikers.  Today I'll include the kids' thoughts.  Tomorrow is Lara's turn.  And I'll add my own overview/final thoughts on Friday.

Olivia's observation:

Although I really enjoyed spending time with my family (especially my brother), and feeling like a kid again, I definitely enjoyed the England C2C more overall because of the scenery, the variety of terrain, and because I felt proud of myself after completing those 202 miles. Still, there were many parts of this year's C2C that I loved, like climbing Arthur's Seat. I really love hiking, but I'm like a mountain goat, and because this hike was mostly on flat land and only once fulfilled my craving for a climb, I cannot say I liked it all that much. The hike did continue to challenge me and reteach me how to persevere though- I do now appreciate that. Sorry John Muir, but even though I would love to do Wainwright's C2C again, I would not want to do this one another time.

Jonah's observation:

#HatedIt!

Then I asked him for a little more detail and this is what I got:

Liked - One thing I liked about this hike is that I got to spend time with my fam.  This summer I am going to 3 sleep away camps and I won't really be able to see them a lot, so I'm happy that I got this time with them.

Disliked - While I loved talking with my sis on the long days, I guess I just don't really see a point in aimlessly walking.

We definitely have one child who is our hiker, and one who puts up with it as part of the family. Jonah loves being with his us, and especially his big sis'! As long as she is there he is game to do anything.

Day 10 - July 4 North Berwick to Dunbar

Happy July 4th!  Independence Day coincides with the day we are gaining independence from our hiking gear.  And it feels like the right time to do so.  We didn't do any Shakespeare monologues today, but we did certainly feel like we were in one of his plays and like Lear, we were "contending with the fretful elements."  And as Billy Shakespeare said in one of his lesser known plays, "The friggin' rain was soaking us today!"  (At least it's in iambic pentameter!)

We wanted to get an early start to the day in order to catch an afternoon train back to Edinburgh, where we would be spending the night.  So at 7:30 we had a hearty breakfast and, as we had come to expect from this top notch hotel, the staff had gotten extra vegan options. In addition to the regular breakfast options we have been given at past B & B's, they brought out vegan yogurt and a vegan version of Haggis - a traditional Scottish meal.  When we returned to our room to finish getting ready, we realized that it was raining - that hadn't been in the forecast.  Jonah also announced that he had lost his raincoat at one of our previous stops.  Not surprising.  Jonah has definitely inherited my proclivity for losing anything that is not directly attached.  We didn't think this would be a big deal because the rain was light and we thought it would blow past pretty quickly.  The rest of us did put on our raincoats and we all put rain covers on our bags, but we didn't bother with rain pants and I didn't use my rain sandals.  By the time we left, it was 8:45 am.

As Jonah and I had done yesterday, we walked through town and neared the Law to begin the day's hike.  It was actually good that we did a dry run yesterday because there were a couple of tricky spots, but since we had already done it once, we didn't have a problem.

We were happy to have climbed it yesterday because we didn't have the time to do it today, and it wouldn't have been very enjoyable regardless because of the rain.  After we skirted the Law (even though we did nothing illegal) we came to the first of many wheat fields of the day.  I quickly realized that I had made the wrong choice by not wearing my rain sandals and decided to change - I told the others to keep going and that I would catch up.  The asphalt/tarmac gods were clearing getting back at us for our deriding their paths many times over the past 10 days. While not enjoyable surfaces on pleasant days, on rainy ones they definitely are preferred.  Rain doesn't usually soak us hikers.  The tall grass and wheat on the edge of narrow paths that rub against our legs and shoes are the big culprits. 

After changing shoes, I jogged ahead to catch up to the others. As I did, a herd of cows, realizing that the Moo Man was approaching, simultaneously ran toward us.  So happy to get one last encounter with my flock on our last hike day of the trip!

After about an hour, we had the Law clearly in our rear view mirror and it stayed there as a constant reminder of yesterday's glory for the remainder of the day. 

We did have some glorious trails today, and were grateful for the nice respites of tree coverage we occasionally had. 

And some of those sections were magical - not sure what types of trees these were, but they gave us the sense that we were in some enchanted forest. 

As we cleared this section, we entered a long section of muddy trails.  I was just getting wet with my shorts, but the mud was clearly showing on the others' pants. 

And then some more narrow trails with the type of tall grass and wheat that soaks our pants and shoes. 

I believe it was at this point that Olivia began to lose her s#*t.  She was drenched and was having a hard time imagining being able to continue. Lara and I were a bit ahead repeating our mantra, TSBT: This S#*t Builds Tenacity. It reached an all-time low as we walked passed this huge mound of manure, our spirits and olfactory senses joined forces in a big WTF! Look closely and you can probably get a good sense of how the kids were feeling.

Jonah was trying to entertain Olivia, and he finally broke through with his one hit wonder, "The Penis Song." He's a 12-year-old boy and in that phase; we were grateful for it on this day.   

Lara and I stayed ahead so the kids could work through things as a team. They do have a way of boosting each other up in a way that we can't. 

It wasn't all rough and rigorous - we did have our moments of levity, as was the case during the stretch of time we walked along this stream.

But as we got wetter and wetter, those moments were more scarce. It became more about reaching our destination. The kids marched on with determination. 

While it might seem like I'm including a lot of pictures here, they are really the only ones we took this day - my fingers were a bit numb so it was hard to work the iPhone camera. Lara and I did try to put on a happy face for the kids when we could. 

It was about this time that we were heading down to cross a wooden bridge and came upon a muddy downhill slope. I slipped badly and my knee bent more than it has in years.  It was a scary moment given my knee surgery a year ago. While I was in a bit of pain, I wasn't going to let this stop me from finishing. And, on the bright side, seeing their father in pain put an end to the kids' complaining about the conditions for a while. I might have milked this a bit to extend the complaining drought.  :-) 

We started to see the shore and could tell we were nearing our destination. At this point though, Jonah was very cold and wet (no jacket) and had developed a rash between his thighs that made each step uncomfortable. Ouch!  He was struggling mightily and, this time, it was Olivia who was there to boost his spirits and help him through. We all were eager for this day to end. 

Thinking we were near the end point as we came through a glorious tree-lined trail, we did have a little more pep to our step.

Then we came to John Muir Country Park and could smell the finish line!

And then we came to a rough realization - the end was not when we got to the water in Dunbar, but actually when we reached Muir's birth home. When we came to the water though, we did do our traditional Coast to Coast ritual of throwing the pebbles that we had brought from the other coast and dipping our toes in the water. 

And then it was back on the trail for what turned out to be a few more wind-swirling, rain-soaked miles along the coast. We walked a broad concrete esplanade around the beautiful Winterfield Golf Course.

Had this been a sunny day, today's hike would have been glorious. There were beautiful trails, and diverse terrain, and a spectacular view for the home stretch. Unfortunately, our experience was all about grit and determination. The gusting wind was starting to break Jonah's spirits even though we were just a mile or so from the finish. I took Jonah's pack and engulfed him in my raincoat to lighten his load and give him some warmth as he gutted it out to the finish line.

And then we reached our destination at 2:30- what a sense of accomplishment!  While this was an easier trek than the one we did two years ago across England, the finale definitely made up for it! We went inside to warm up and received certificates of completion. The woman at the desk asked me to write down our names so she could fill out the certificates properly. I tried, but my hands were so numb that I was unable to write anything - I dictated the spelling instead.

While we had originally considered exploring Dunbar before heading back to Edinburgh, we obviously changed directions after the day we just had and walked directly to the train station to catch a 3:12 train. 

Fortunately, we caught a direct train and arrived at the Edinburgh train station within 25 minutes. And the rain had stopped so things were starting to brighten up inside and out! Our lodging for the night was just a block away. We passed Juice Warrior, a vegan juice bar/ cafe, on the way so Lara popped in to pick up some lunch while the three of us continued to the end of the block to check in.

While the Premier Inn is middle of the road as far as quality, after the day we had it felt like a 5-star hotel!  Showers. Warmth. Clean clothes. Relaxation. Food- tasty quinoa salads and some desserts. And, of course, my customary post-hike shave.

A few hours later, we were hungry again.  The kids didn't want to move - very understandable. We just ordered them some veggie burgers, salad, and fries from downstairs. Lara and I wanted to get out and have a little grown-up celebration. We walked over to the Lucky Pig vegetarian restaurant and bar for some drinks  

and some food. The service was really slow, but that was mainly because two unfortunate waitresses had to handle the food and drink orders for the entire packed place. It happened to be graduation day so people were out even though it was a Tuesday. The food, on the other hand, was great. We had a chipotle mac-n-cheese, meatball Po' boy, and hot dog (all vegan, of course!) And the waitress was extremely apologetic and discounted our order for the service issues. After the day we had, we were grateful for some good food, great company, and dry clothes! 

Back at our room, the kids were watching TV.  We all stayed up until about 11 and then crashed hard.  No energy to write my blog, so I am doing it this morning. Our hike has officially come to an end, but we still have a few days left of our trip, so I'll continue to blog with what we are doing, some thoughts of our hike, and some insights from the kids about their experience on this hike.  Thanks for reading! And if you have enjoyed the blog and want to support our cause (Institute for Humane Education), you can do so by clicking on the donate tab on our www.c2c4compassion.com website.

Love and peace to all,

Mark

DAILY STATS
Distance: 15.1 miles

Time: 5 hrs. 39 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.6 mph

Total Ascent: 847 ft.

Total Descent:  849 ft.

Day 9 - July 3 Cockenzie to North Berwick

In the words of another good buddy, Dennis DeYoung, "These are the best of times." And today certainly felt like that. We unanimously voted today the very best day of hiking of the trip so far.  We still rank yesterday's hike up Arthur's Seat as the best portion of the trip, but as far as full days are concerned, nothing touches today: beautiful weather, very little asphalt, and diverse types of trails.

We woke at 7:30, made some cereal, veggie sausage links, and bananas for breakfast, and were on the road by 9 am.

For the first bit, we walked on a paved path alongside the beach - beautiful views.   

Within a mile we were greeted by a pleasant narrow path with twists and turns along he beach among the foredunes.  There were also lots of large concrete blocks next to the path that we later discovered were remnants from World War 2 - invasion defense anti-tank blocks. 

The majority of the hike today was either on paths along the beach, or a little in from the beach on wooded paths.

We eventually started to move inland a bit to farmland roads and paths.  The combination of beautiful trails and weather, along with the fact that we were all in great spirits for the entirety of the days hike led this to be a perfect day for the Heimann four. 

Once we reached Saltcoats Steading, we started to walk on a trail with a verdant golf course to our left.  This area is famous for its golf courses.  Golf has been played in this area since 1854 and one of the local courses, Muirfield, is famous for hosting the Open Championship.  As we left the course, we came to a welcoming bench in the town of Gullane -  a perfect place to take a snack break! 

Shortly after leaving Gullane, we entered Archerfield Estate.  As we followed a path through trees and across this field, Olivia decided it was time to dive back in for some more Shakespeare, so we added a new monologue to her repertoire.  

We skipped most of the stops along the way today - a few minor castles were in the area - because we were enjoying our hike too much to stop.  We didn't stop again until we started nearing our destination.  In Yellow Craig, we happened upon a quaint playground and found it to be the perfect location for our lunch break.  

We spent about half an hour relaxing in the park and playing on the playground. 

Then it was time for our final 2-3 mile push of the day.  We headed across a large field with many options for trails to follow, any of which would take us in the right direction. 

In the distance we could see the North Berwick Law, a conical shaped hill that rises 613 feet from the sea.  Jonah actually called out that if we arrived early enough, he'd like to climb it!

As we approached North Berwick, we passed through this final field with tall crops - not sure what they were.   

And then we entered an affluent community.  It's understandable that this region would be a hot commodity.  The town is beautiful, and the proximity to Edinburgh is ideal.  Jonah has been really into cars lately, and there were plenty of nice ones parked in front of the town's mansions for him to ooh and ahh at.

One final golf course along the water brought us to the main part of the town.

And from there, we were just a few blocks from our destination, the Nether Abbey Hotel.  We arrived at about 2:30 pm.

To top off our best day, we are staying in our most luxurious lodging.  The room is spectacular, the view incredible, and the bathroom (with shower and plunging bath) is about as large as some of the rooms we've stayed in along the trek! 

Everything about this place is top notch.  The staff took our laundry and had it cleaned and dried within a few hours.  And the owner had already let the kids stay free (it would normally have been an extra 30 dollars) because we are doing a charity hike - first class!  The owner and staff were in agreement that the one thing that they would definitely recommend doing while in town was climbing the Law.  The ladies were already relaxing in the room, but the Heimann boys decided to give it a go.  Even though Jonah had said earlier that he wanted to, I did have to coax him with some Oreo cookies to secure my hiking companion.

While the walk to get to the base of the Law was about 1.3 miles, the actual climb up was fairly quick.  That was in part because we decided to take the fast route right up the side rather than the more gentle circular route that wraps around the cone.  It only took about 15 minutes to climb up.  The views from the top were well worth the climb! 

And we got back down we took one extra congratulatory selfie with the Law in the background.   

While we made our own way through town to the base of the hill, we saw that the JMW trail does in fact go past the base of it, so we followed signs through parks and trails to return to our lodging. All in all, this jaunt added 3.7 miles (not included in our daily stats.) 

We returned to find our ladies still relaxing in the room.  Jonah and Olivia wanted to watch a little TV.  It seems that the only shows that are ever on in Scotland are the Big Bang Theory, New Girls, and How I Met Your Mother.  We weren't really familiar with any of them, but have enjoyed them after a long day's work!  Lara wanted to take a walk to the town center, so I accompanied her for a little more exploration.

And we realized that she hadn't done a handstand photo for the day, so figured Why Not now! 

This second excursion added an extra mile to my day's hike, bringing the grand total up to 18.5 miles - not a bad day!  By the time we returned to the hotel it was almost time for dinner.  We had high expectations given the quality of everything else here, but didn't expect to have a menu created just for us!  Misspelled name aside, this was above and beyond! 

Dinner was as delicious as the description sounded.  Yum!  After dinner we relaxed in the room and then called it a night fairly early, knowing that we would have to get up for an early start in the morning.  I was too exhausted to write my blog before bed so decided to get up even earlier than everyone else to do it.

DAILY STATS
Distance: 13.8 miles

Time: 4 hrs. 39 min.

Avg. Speed: 3.0 mph

Total Ascent: 491 ft.

Total Descent:  446 ft.

Day 8 - July 2 Edinburgh to Cockenzie

In the words of my good buddy Chucky D, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." That's how I would describe our day today - the early part of the day was the highlight of the trip so far, and then the next part was our least favorite. So it balanced out to a pretty good day and one that we are thrilled to have enjoyed.  We met in front of the inn at 8:45 and took one more morning shot with a view of the castle in the background. 

Not wanting to be shut out of a table at Henderson's Vegan cafe again, we made sure we were there when it opened at 9 for breakfast. 

And a glorious breakfast it was!  Most people tend to eat late dinners here and then sleep in, so we ended up having the place to ourselves.  While everyone glowed about their respective meals, I can only personally attest to the magnificence of the Tofu Florentine that Lara and I each ordered - pure heaven. 

We ordered some avocado/tomato bagels to go for lunch and, before leaving, had to take a photo in front of this awesome door sign!

The first 3 miles of our hike today were actually not on the official JMW.  We walked through the city to get to a merging point with the path and on the way almost made a spur of the moment purchase.  Maybe next time!

Jonah had first complained about a stomach ache and headache at breakfast, but we had urged him to take it one mile at a time since we knew he could do it and would be disappointed to have come this far only to skip one of the last stages.  He continued to complain as we walked through the city, and Lara realized that he was probably dehydrated - he hadn't had much water the day before. We neared the base of Arthur's Seat, which would be the only real climb of the day, and didn't know what to do. The official trail actually skirts around the edge of it, but we had heard so many wonderful comments about it that we felt we would be silly to skip it.  We were lucky to have Alex and Kate with us for another day of hiking; Alex put Kate's daypack on his front and Kate relieved Jonah of his pack for the day.  Since Jonah didn't have the pack and since he and Olivia usually thrive when we get to mountain climbs, we took the gamble that he would turn a corner and fortunately he did.  As soon as we started to climb, Jonah forgot about his internal pains and was a newly invigorated mountain goat.

Arthur's Seat, which is 823 ft. high, is an ancient volcano whose rocks were exposed by glacial erosion.  There are various prehistoric and later settlement and defense sites on the summit and slopes.

With each step we climbed, we were reminded of how much we all enjoy mountain climbing - and the views were spectacular! 

I need not even mention what picture we had to take at this point! 

As we neared the top, the wind really picked up.  Olivia played 'Trust' with the wind and the wind didn't let her down. 

We reached the top and took in the glorious panoramic view.  We all felt grateful for having this experience.

The sun continued to shine as we started down the other side in the direction of our destination out of the city.  The terrain on this side was less rocky and more grassy.  Olivia and Jonah LOVE running down these sections. 

As we neared the bottom, we passed a local half Iron Man competition.  Olivia and Jonah cheered on some of the competitors. 

And we stopped to have our to go bagels from Henderson's and take in a little of the competition before continuing on our way.  Unfortunately, we had to juxtapose the high we felt of climbing and descending Arthur's Seat with the low of several miles of city walking as we continued to merge toward the JMW.  The Heimanns are clearly not meant to be city folk!  As we neared the suburb of Portobello (love the name!), we knew we would soon be leaving the city streets behind. 

Once we did, we still had paved walkways but at least we weren't surrounded by traffic.  It felt much better to have the beach on one side of us as we met up with the Firth of Forth. 

We saw a beach stand with non-dairy ice cream. Even though we weren't really hungry, we couldn't resist!  I think it is virtually impossible for a vegan to see such a sign and walk by.  And we're glad we didn't.  It turns out that the owner, Julia, is a Philly gal who moved here in 2008 and began this business when her daughter introduced her to veganism.  Yay!  Our hearts and stomachs were very happy to have found her. 

It felt like we were walking on the boardwalk in Santa Monica - not a bad afternoon's stroll! 

As we continued on our way, we could see Arthur's Seat in the background, a reminder of our glorious morning. 

Soon after this picture we parted ways with Alex and Kate.  They needed to get to the train station in the next town and make their way back to the Edinburgh airport.  It has been an absolute joy sharing these past two days with them.  It takes a special person to join up with the Heimann fearsome foursome for a couple of days of hiking.  And these two not only held their own, but actually were a wonderful boon to our experience.  And they joined us for the perfect two days - these happened to be the two days of the 10 that we went off path most (b/c we were heading in and out of Edinburgh) and really needed cell service to plan our route.  A big extra thanks to Alex for helping navigate the alternate route!  And there was no big sad goodbyes because we will see them again in a couple of days in Birmingham!

As we crossed the River Esk, we saw a game of swans in the water.  It seems that they love hanging out in this area so if you ever do the path, you'll probably see them too!

As the path left the coast for a short while, the clouds started to roll in. The path came back around to the water , but the storm clouds remained. And time started to be a challenge.  Since we took time on Arthur's Seat, we had lost track of time.  And I knew that we had to check in by 4 pm, before the person left for the day.  So we picked up the pace to avoid any potential rain and make it to our destination on time. 

Unfortunately the time/weather concern coincided with my left shin flaring up.  It seems that staying off of my cracked heels and favoring the balls of my feet has finally caused pain in another area.  Each step became painful.  I just hope that with a good night sleep, the pain will go away in the morning - we still have about 30 miles to hike before we get to the end!  We reached Prestonpans at about 3:25. While we didn't have time for much of a break, we had to stop to take a picture by one of the town's many murals.  Here I am next to a painting of our path's namesake, John Muir. 

Finally, at 3:45 we reached the Cockenzie town sign!  It was a relief to know that we were going to make it to our destination before 4.  And we also learned that we had been being vulgar Americans, putting emphasis on the first syllable of the name.  Fortunately, a local mentioned the town name and we discovered that the emphasis is actually on the second syllable - much better!

We reached our lodging, the Cockenzie House at 3:53 with 7 minutes to spare! The lodging is different from any of our other places.  It is actually a full cottage with two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. The house is a unique 17th century Manager's house, built in 1670 by the Earl of Seton for his manager to look after his mining, salt making, fishing, and trading interests, is hidden by trees and a clinker wall. It is a welcoming lodging to come to after what turned out to be a long day - plenty of room to spread out! Only down side is that there is no food included, so we needed to go out to the store to pick up food for breakfast and also go across the street and bring back some Thai food for dinner from Tiger In.  Given our long day, we were happy to be able to eat dinner in our own space. 

After dinner, we took naps and then hung out for a bit and watched some of the James Bond DVD Skyfall before calling it a night.  Now just finishing this blog before crawling in to bed for a well-deserved sleep!

DAILY STATS
Distance: 13.8 miles

Time: 5 hrs. 31 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.5 mph

Total Ascent: 1,123 ft.

Total Descent:  1,373 ft.

Day 7 - July 1 South Queensferry to Edinburgh

Alex is a die-hard rugby fan, and today was a HUGE day in the world of British rugby.  Every 12 years the British/Irish Lions play a three-game series against the New Zealand All Blacks, the best team in the world. The Lions had lost the first game, so this second game, which was played in New Zealand at 8:30 am Scotland time, was essential.  So it went without question, that we would spend the morning learning about rugby and getting a later start.  We went over to Orocco Pier, which was showing the match.  We wanted to get there in time for the famous New Zealand Haka dance right before the start of the match.  Incredible display of fortitude and intimidation. 

We then went back across the street for breakfast and returned to watch the second half with Alex and Kate, who met us there after spending the night at a different hotel a few miles away.  Alex patiently explained the nuances of the game - really wonderful sport!  And fortunately, our time watching paid off - the Lions won game two!  It was a good omen for the day to come.   

By the time we checked out, it was just after 10:30 am. 

Jonah and Olivia had a little extra pep in their step because Alex and Kate had joined our party.  Here the boys are just as we are leaving South Queensferry in front of the original Forth Bridge, which opened in 1890 and has carried the main railway ever since.  It was the world's first giant steel bridge and in 2015 was inscribed as Scotland's sixth World Heritage Site.

Having Alex and Kate with us has brought the purpose of our hike back to front and center.  While we are having some great family time, we are really hiking to raise money and awareness for Humane Education. Thanks to all of you who have already made a tax-deductible donation to the charity via our website, and if you haven't done so yet but still want to, there is still time!  Humane Ed. in a nutshell is about teaching the interconnectedness of everything - humans, other animals, the environment....  And Alex's project, Trash Tagging, was our environmental focus of the day.  He started a movement in which people from around the world take 5 minutes to collect trash anywhere there is litter, and then post a video or post about it.  So as we walked today, we carried a bag around and collected litter. I'm sure we have passed litter along the trail over the past week, but until we actively thought about it, we hadn't noticed how much we actually saw over the course of the day.  It felt great to help keep the trail on which we were hiking clean.  You can find out more info on Alex's TrashTag facebook page. 

About 3 miles into our hike, we passed the Dalmeny House, the home of the Earl of Rosenberg, a Tudor Gothic mansion that was completed in 1817.  Lara and Alex were so happy to see it that they decided to celebrate! 

It was an absolutely brilliant day (Alex and Kate clearly started to rub off on us - I have never described a day like that before!). The weather was perfect and the terrain pleasant.  It felt great to be off of asphalt towpaths.  Sometimes we were on narrow paths

and other times we traversed country farm roads. 

And we passed over several old bridges, like this one. 

One of the day's highlights was meeting Niki, who had been shot in Greece as a puppy (because she was a stray).  Instead of dying, she was paralyzed.  She was rescued and brought back to the UK.  She now lives in Scotland with a caring family and goes on nice strolls like this one.  

As we got closer to to Edinburgh, we walked through a very upscale neighborhood with a beautiful golf-course and some stunning modern mansions.  When we passed Dunvegan Court, I decided to rename it. 

Once we reached the outskirts of the city, we departed from the actual JMW, which actually doesn't go in to the heart of Edinburgh, and made our way to our night's lodging.  On the way we passed some beautiful churches and other buildings - we didn't know all of the names of them, but did take some photos! 

And then at 2:45, we finally came to our destination for the night, the Premier Inn on Princes Street right in the heart of town.  By going into town rather than around it, we actually cut off a few miles (as our mileage tally for the day can attest to.)

However, we more than made up for that lost mileage with the 5-6 miles (not logged) of walking we did around Edinburgh for the rest of the day.  We can't recommend any sites in particular, but as the following description will clearly demonstrate, we quickly became experts on the best vegan eating spots in town!  After checking in and refreshing a bit, we made our way to NovaPizza for a late lunch.  OMG - best pizza ever.  There are pages of options for omnivores, then vegetarians, and vegans too.  The options were endless.  We had some salads, pizzas, calzones, and gnocchi.  And the kids followed up with vegan chocolate Oreo cheesecake that was mouth-watering good. 

We then parted ways for a few hours with Alex and Kate, dropping off the kids back at the room.  Lara and I strolled through the West Prince Street Gardens and up to the Edinburgh castle and around the Grassmarket area, which is filled with some splendid architecture.  We definitely logged some serious mileage as we chatted and took in the city.

By the time we returned to the room, it was about 7 pmand time to head out for round two of our eating exploration.  This time we made our way to Henderson's vegan/vegetarian restaurant, which has been around since the 1960's!  We saw this sign right outside and couldn't resist. 

The vegan restaurant is a couple of doors down from the older sibling vegetarian restaurant.  Since the smaller vegan place was completely packed with no room for us, we went to the vegetarian place that did have  a table available.  Alex and Kate met us there.  Lara has been nursing a swollen pinky toe for a day now, partly because of the hiking, and partly because Jonah accidentally stepped on it yesterday.  Then today Jonah stepped on it again, and I did too.  And to top it off, when we got to our table, Lara accidentally stubbed that toe on the table leg.  She has a high threshold for pain, but this is pushing it to new limits.  Fortunately, our food took her mind off of her toe. We all had a delectable vegan Pad Thai with noodles made out of carrots and zucchini instead of pasta.  It was so good that we asked for, and received, the recipe. 

There were also some desserts that we had to try.  We shared a blackberry pie, chocolate mouse, and chocolate cake. Yum!  But we couldn't end the night with just that because we had heard of a place in town that has the best vegan ice cream in the country, and possibly the world.  So we walked to Affogato's and were not disappointed.  All the hiking we have done has not brought us to our knees, but this unbelievably delicious vegan ice cream finally did!  We were in heaven.  And for those of you who haven't been keeping track, that is 5 desserts for the day!

We didn't return to our room until shortly after 10 pm and finally called it a night at about 11.  And this is the glorious view of Edinburgh castle from our room, not bad for what is the equivalent of a nice Best Western. 

By the time I sat down to write the blog, I was just too tired to focus, so I decided to wake up early and do it when I would be more awake.

DAILY STATS
Distance: 11.9 miles

Time: 4 hrs. 8 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.9 mph

Total Ascent: 1,381 ft.

Total Descent:  1,142 ft.

Day 6 - June 30 Bo'ness to South Queensferry

We had an early breakfast this morning at 7:30 am - our typical hiker's breakfast with the addition of some porridge.  It was a family style breakfast, which gave us the opportunity to meet some of the other guests, including a nice young couple visiting from Cambridge.  By the time we packed up and started our day's journey it was 9:15. 

Olivia wanted to learn a new monologue today, so as we walked through the Kinneil Wood we chose a new monologue for the day. 

Shortly after we started, we passed by James Watt's Cottage, which was built in 1768 and used by him to work in secret on improving the design of his steam engine.  The engine was originally used to improve the pumps used at the local mines. 

Just past the cottage is the Kinneil House, the country home of the influential Hamilton family.  It was saved from demolition in the 1930's by the discovery of its remarkable Renaissance painted rooms. 

We had been told before we left the B & B this morning that today was the biggest day of the year for this area -the Bo'ness Fair Day- with parades and celebrations.  We could hear music and marches throughout the morning as well as signs on quite a few houses like this one, celebrating the children who were named as fairies and royal members.   

Then we hiked for quite a few miles along the coast of the River Firth.  While it was a paved path, it did offer some incredible views. 

And it gave Olivia an opportunity to work on her MOO talk too! 

Eventually we could see the Blackness Castle, built in the 15th century by the Crichton family.  It was a fortress and prison known as 'the ship that never sailed' because from the sea it looks like a docked ship. 

And, of course, it was a wonderful spot for Lara's daily handstand shot.

Shortly after the castle, the path enters the Wester Shore Woods.  While we liked the water views of the earlier stretch, we much preferred this section with its dirt path and secluded feel. 

We spent a few bucolic miles hiking through the woods before alighting on the Hopetoun House, completed in 1707 and regarded as one of Scotland's finest stately homes. We didn't go in the house, but the trail did wind it's way around and through the estate. 

It was another day that Olivia found difficult.  She is definitely our mountain goat, thriving on steeper terrain.  The flatness of this trail doesn't inspire her as much - so we promised that our next trek will include more mountains! 

A couple of miles past the estate, we reached our destination for the day - the Ravenous Beastie in South Queensferry. 

We arrived a little past 2 pm and were excited to have the afternoon to relax.  My feet were especially thrilled.  Unfortunately, the days of hiking in the rain in sandals caused some cracking on the skin of my heels. That doesn't make for the most comfortable hiking, but in the scheme of things it is minor so I don't worry about it.   

The owner of the Beastie wanted to make a donation to our charity by doing our laundry for free!  What a kind gesture and one that we kindly accepted.  We ordered some lentil soup and vegan nachos for lunch - those were brought up to our room to enjoy.

We ate, showered, and relaxed.  Lara and I took a nice 1.5 hr. nap while the kids read, wrote in journals, and watched some TV.  We awoke refreshed and got ready to go to dinner at Orocco Pier, a great restaurant with a vegan menu option right across the street.  

We had planned to spend the next two days hiking with an amazing couple whom Lara and I had originally met on Little Corn Island in November. Alex and Kate were there on their honeymoon and we were on one of Lara's yoga retreats.  We made plans then to meet up to hike for a few days in Scotland and also to spend a couple of days with them after the hike in Birmingham, where they live.  So they came right to the restaurant from the airport and we had a wonderful evening catching up with them.  We are thrilled that they will be joining us for the next few days.

The kids walked back to our lodging a little before 9 and we hung out for another hour before calling it a night.  It's now almost 11 and I'm happy to be finishing this blog and joining Lara and the kids for a good night's sleep!

DAILY STATS
Distance: 12.6 miles

Time: 4 hrs. 30 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.8mph

Total Ascent: 705 ft.

Total Descent:  1,042 ft.

Day 5 - June 29 Falkirk to Bo'ness

As expected, we woke up at 7:30 to rain, and it continued throughout the day.  Fortunately, what the Scottish consider 'heavy rain' is not what we would consider it to be - the rain was consistent but not pounding.  We had our regular breakfast, with the addition of vegan sausages, and by the time we checked out it was 10 am.   

Since our lodging was a bit off the JMW path, the first 1.5 miles of our day were spent winding through Falkirk to meet up with the official path.  Fortunately, this gave us the opportunity to walk through the town center, which is a beautiful mix of old restored buildings and modern ones.

We met up with the official path as we turned into the vast property of Callendar Park and House.  The park is a historic designated landscape with well-maintained facilities including a play park with 5-6 beautiful carvings done right into the stumps of old trees. The rain stopped just long enough for Lara to get in her daily handstand photo!

We then moved on to the actual Callendar House, the main part of which resembles a 19th century French Renaissance chateau.  We spent an hour touring the house, including its maintained 19th century kitchen.

By 11:30, we were back on our way, continuing to wind through Calendar Park.  Once again, I wore my trusty Xero Shoes Z-Trail sandals, which were comfortable and allowed me to keep my other shoes dry.

We soon met up with the Union canal and spent the next 6 miles walking on its towpath.  While we are not big fans of hiking on towpaths, it is an efficient way to get from point A to point B.  And time efficiency is definitely appreciated when it is raining!  

The kids did great today and were not bothered by the weather.  To make the time pass, Olivia decided to learn another monologue - the girl has an incredible knack for memorizing!  And Jonah seemed to have caught on too - without our being aware, he actually had learned it too!  It's a good thing that I brought enough Shakespeare stuff to go over - didn't realize that it would be such a big hit!

Soon after we left the canal, we came to the Avon Aqueduct, which was completed in 1822.  At 810 ft. long and 86 ft. high, it is the longest and highest aqueduct in Scotland and the second longest in Britain.  The water is carried in a deep and wide cast iron trough.  We walked along the path, which is on one side of it.

We then descended from that path to follow the River Avon Heritage Trail, which first runs high above the river and then goes down to run alongside of it.

While on that path, we approached the enormous 26 arches of the sandstone viaduct that has carried the Glasgow-Edinburgh mainline railway since 1842.

After walking up through some farmland paths, at 3 pm we came to our lodging for the day, the Bo'mains Farm House B & B.   

While our room wasn't ready when we arrived, we were able to put our stuff down and take showers (we're all in the same bedroom tonight and our bathroom is not in the room.)  After cleaning up, we called a cab to take us in to the town of Linlithgow to see the sights and grab some dinner.  Because it was still lightly raining, we limited our sightseeing to a visit to the Royal Palace, where Mary Queen of Scots was born and lived. 

After a stop at a local bookshop to pick Jonah up a new book to read, we went to Cameron Cafe Bistro for a vegan dinner!  It turns out that the cafe just started offering exclusively vegan dinners as of this past Monday (during the afternoon it is not exclusively vegan).  What a treat!  Great food - Mac-n-cheez, pizza, veggie burgers, nachos, and plenty of delectable desserts left us STUFFED! 

We decided to walk the 1.8 miles back to the B & B to work off dinner and dessert (this mileage was not included in our daily stats.)  I think that the day's walk in the rain and the full dinner really took a toll on Jonah.  On the walk back, it was evident that he was completely pooped. After a short pit stop, we made it back to our abode for the night and have been relaxing, journaling, watching a little TV, and reading ever since.  Jonah and Olivia decided it was more fun to hang out in the same bed than to do so separately - so much fun to see our kids bond like this on vacation. 

It is now 10:30 and time for all of us to call it a night.  See you tomorrow!

DAILY STATS
Distance: 11.3 miles

Time:4 hrs. 6 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.7 mph

Total Ascent: 1,000 ft.

Total Descent:  723 ft.

Day 4 - June 28 Auchenstarry to Falkirk

A hiking day without rain in Scotland is a good day indeed!  Each day so far, however, has had its challenges.  The first day was hiking with jet lag. The second day was the distance: 18 miles.  The third day was hiking in the rain. And today was hiking mostly on a towpath.  Seems easy enough, but it is a bit tedious compared to other hiking options, so it was hard to keep enthusiasm going on the long stretches - as soon as we would make our way off the towpath, the hiking felt easier and time passed quicker. After a hearty breakfast, we were on the road, or rather the path, by 9:30 am.   

The Boathouse isn't actually on the John Muir Way, so we first had to find our way back to the actual trail.  Somehow in doing so we actually headed in the wrong direction.  Often the JMW lists directions (East and West) on its signs to make things easy, but sometimes those directional clues are not listed as was the case with the ones we saw.  The good news is that our mistake allowed us to head up to Croy Hill and see some more Roman remains and it also took us off the canal towpath and provided some change in elevation - so this is the glass half full.  Glass half empty reading of the situation is that taking this scenic diversion actually added an extra mile or so to our hike today.  Fortunately, it wasn't a long day and the weather was pleasant so the extra mileage wasn't a big deal.  We were concerned that this error would be a bit crushing for Jonah, who tends to like to get to the finish line as quickly as possible - we are still working on enjoying the moment!  But today, Jonah was a champion - he led the way pretty much from start to end. 

Eventually we made our way back to the JMW in the right direction and caught back up with the canal path.  Not too much to report about the next 7 miles.  We did pass a few interesting boats like this one. 

In general though, it was walking a straight flat path for a bunch of miles.  From the very start, Olivia had been dragging.  It was just one of those days - she was exhausted.  Her fatigue was more mental though than physical; her body wasn't worn down from the hiking, she was just tired.

Clearly Lara wasn't feeling quite as tired.  Or maybe she was.  She'll do a handstand anytime and anywhere, especially on a nice day with a beautiful backdrop. 

Finally after mile 8, we left the towpath and crossed.the Radical Pend, a historic low passage under the canal. Radicals who were taken as prisoners in the Battle of Bonnymuir (1820) went through this pend on the way to Sterling Jail.  

We then headed up about a mile to the Rough Castle Roman Fort, another one of the forts along the Antonine Wall.  We spent a bit of time exploring the beautiful grounds before heading on. 

Me and my gal in front of remains of Roman ruins.

Walking the beautiful path through the historic ruins. 

A quarter mile past Rough Castle, we caught back up with the canal and the famed Falkirk Wheel.  It links the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.  The wheel helped reopen both canals in 2002 by bridging the 115 ft. vertical gap between the two canals.  It is the world's first and only rotating boat lift. 

We then moved on to the Wheel House (the sister restaurant to the Boat House) for lunch.  By this point it was already 2 pm.  While eating, we started figuring out how we would get laundry done: since this was our fourth day of hiking, we definitely needed to get our clothes cleaned.  Upon discovering that our lodging for the night (the Premier Inn, which is similar to an EconoLodge) doesn't have laundry services, we found a laundromat.  Unfortunately, it closes at 6 pm so we wouldn't have time to walk the mile to our lodging and still get everything cleaned.  So Lara and the kids took a cab to the laundromat to get things started and I got back on the path to finish the day's trek.  They still had to walk from the laundromat back to the lodging and back again to pickup the clothes, so all in all (and with the extra mile we did early in the day), they more than made up for the lost mileage at the end. 

We actually met back up on the canal as I was nearing the lodging and they were coming from putting in the wash.  After checking in, Jonah decided to rest in the room, Lara and Olivia opted to go back to dry the clothes, and I decided to go for a run to see another of Falkirk's famed novelties.  Running without a backpack feels a lot easier than hiking with one!  And I love running in my new Xero Shoe Z-Trail sandals!  I had done a 10-mile run in them a few days before this trip and felt great.  And I brought them along as my rain shoes; I used them yesterday so that I wouldn't get my other shoes wet. It felt great to go for a 2.5 mile run down the towpath in them to the famed Kelpies, which, standing at 98 feet and weighing about 300 tons, are the largest equine structures in the world.  Everyone whom we had passed had mentioned that they were worth visiting, and they didn't disappoint.  I only wish I could have seen them at night when they are all lit up, but it doesn't get dark here until after 10 PM, which is too late for us.

As I was running back along the path, I was thrilled to see this swan and her cygnets.

The girls were getting back just as I returned.  We all showered and relaxed.  I crashed for a nice hour long nap.  Then, while the girls ate food that they had gotten while out for the laundry, Jonah and I went next door for some veggie burgers.  Now everyone is asleep as I finish this blog. Time for bed.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a wet day, so we need to be well rested to handle the elements.  Good night!

DAILY STATS
Distance: 13.4 miles

Time:4 hrs. 42 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.8 mph

Total Ascent: 848 ft.

Total Descent:  907 ft.

Day 3 - June 27 Strathblane to Auchenstarry

Knowing that the weather forecast called for heavy rain early that would taper off as the day went on, we decided to take our time in getting started.  So we slept in until 8. Fortunately, Lara's not feeling well was short-lived: she woke up feeling great! We had our typical hiking breakfast of cereal (the Kirkhouse staff was prepared with soy milk for us!), mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, potatoes, beans, and toast, and got started at 10 am. It was still raining, but not too heavily.

It rained on and off throughout the day, but never pounding rain.  And of the days so far, this was the best one to have to deal with inclement weather. Today's hike had very little in terms of change in elevation - mostly flat until the last mile or two - and it was also mostly paved paths.  A majority of the time was spent on a rail-to-trail path, the Strathkelvin Railway Path. 

We passed quite a few pastures with cows and sheep and even a few horses.  Within a kilometer of our departure, we passed Dunglass, a dramatic volcanic plug. 

While we didn't do any Shakespeare tales today, Olivia did decide to learn a Shakespearean monologue as we walked. She and I spent a few hours working on Juliet's 'Gallop apace' monologue, something she needed to learn anyway for her Shakespeare intensive program at the Stratford festival in a few weeks.  What an incredible memory she has - it is a LONG monologue, and she nailed the lines. She said that focusing on the words helped her not think about any pain she was feeling in her feet and legs.  While we were working on that, Jonah and Lara were behind us singing songs.  

The kids also wanted to spend some time without the folks, so they continued making up songs and walking to their own beat.

And Lara and I had a great time too.  Even though we were walking in the rain, we were so happy being together as a family and away from the complications of regular daily life that we weren't bothered by the weather.  We passed by and under some interesting structures, including this train tunnel. 

After we left the rail-to-trail path, we joined the Forth & Clyde Canal path for about 3 miles.  The kids started getting hungry while on the path, after we had walked for about 9 miles, so we took a snack break, which fortunately coincided with one of the few breaks we had from rain. 

After a few more miles we made our way up the only climb of the day, and we reached Bar Hill Fort and the Antonine Wall.  It was built in 140 AD and represents the northernmost part of the Roman Empire.  The wall was 39 miles long, 16 feet wide, and 10 feet high!  It included 19 forts and was abandoned by about 210 AD, 

Remains of the headquarters and baths are still visible.

We all like hiking this part best because it brought us off paved paths. Even the increasing rain didn't dampen our mood.  We hiked our way down to our end point for the day, The Boathouse in Auchinstarry. 

Another wonderful inn with great rooms and food.  Another night with separate rooms, though the kids said that they are looking forward to being all together again, as we will be for the next few nights.  After showering and relaxing, Lara and I walked a mile into the main town of Kilsyth to pick up some supplies - snacks and hand sanitizer. Recommendation - always remember to bring hand sanitizer on these coast to coast type trips!  The rain started to pick up as we walked back to the Boathouse - not a problem though since everything seems easy when we are walking without our hiking packs. (We didn't list these two miles as part of our mileage total.)

We went down for dinner at about 6.  The hostess, Lorraine, was so sweet and accommodating - she made sure that we were taken care of as far as vegan meals.  Wonderful!  Our first night with something other than Indian food - a welcome change.  And after dinner we retired to our respective rooms to read, write in journals, blog, relax, and eventually to sleep.  After a slight nap, I wrote my blog and actually lasted until almost 10 pm before calling it a night.

DAILY STATS
Distance: 13.3 miles

Time: 6 hrs. 46 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.7 mph

Total Ascent: 785 ft.

Total Descent:  756 ft.

Day 2 - June 26 Balloch to Strathblane

Since I passed out so early last night (and as it turns out, so did everyone else), I expected to be up before dawn. But thankfully, Lara and I didn't stir until 7 am!

We were down at breakfast shortly after 8 and were greeted with a LARGE meal.  Fruit, cereal, hash browns, roasted broccoli, carrots and mushroom, and toast.  Since it was more food than we could possibly eat, we took all the leftovers for lunch.  By the time we finished packing up and heading out for day 2 it was shortly after 9 am.

Knowing that this would be the longest mileage day of our trip, we started off at a quick pace.  The early part of the path followed the lake, which provided Lara and Olivia with a great photo op!   

And then we winded our way up to Balloch castle, a beautiful but derelict 13th century structure replete with 200 acres of landscaped gardens.

After the castle, we spent quite a bit of time walking paved country roads.  While we prefer being more in nature, we could cover more ground quicker on these roads - not bad news for such a long day's hike.  Eventually we veered off the road onto wooded paths and farm trails.  We even came across a herd of cows and I was able to utilize a skill we first had discovered almost 20 years ago, when Lara and I biked across the USA.  I seem to be able to speak 'cow' and can draw them close with my sonorous 'moo'.  Since then, I have come to be known as The Moo Man and have spoken Moo with cows all over the world.  I worked my magic again with this crew in Scotland and they started coming from across the field to greet me!

Soon after, we split in pairs, with Jonah and I taking the lead while the girls had some mother/daughter time.  Jonah wanted me to tell him the story of Romeo and Juliet, so we spent the next several hours on and off going through the tale.  Tomorrow he wants Midsummer's Night Dream!

Lara said that she and Olivia had a great time talking, with Olivia pointing out how much she enjoyed spending time with her brother and just being able to be kids and goof around. I'll walk 18 miles any day for the gift of hearing my child say something like that!

We had decided that we would stop for lunch when we got to the 11-mile mark of our hike - fortunately that provided us with a great view of the Burncrooks Reservoir, which we had hiked most of the way around by the time we stopped.

Jonah had been getting a bit tired leading up to lunch, but that break seemed to revive him and he started off again with quite a bit of energy.  That boost lasted for a few more miles, and then we hit a breaking point for both kids somewhere between miles 14 and 15.  They were physically spent and didn't feel like they could go any farther.  Olivia was a bit faster than J-man at this point, so Lara went ahead with her and I stayed with Jonah, each of us encouraging our respective child partner to push through to the end.  I even offered to carry Jonah's bag, but he wanted to hold on.  We eventually came to a sign that listed our destination town within a few kilometers - this seemed to give Jonah a little boost.

But the last mile and a half were tough - for all of us.  The kids definitely had their moments, but, with encouragement, pushed on.  We discussed the old adage of 'Mind over Matter' and that mental fatigue precedes the physical threshold.  We had confidence that they could fight through and make it to the end, and they did.  And we felt grateful that our longest day of hiking turned out to be a dry one - this tough day would have been awful if we hadn't been blessed with nice weather.  Still, today was definitely one of those that Lara has dubbed #TSBT, also known as 'This Shit Builds Tenacity!'   And it does.  We'll need to get shirts made up as it is so fitting.  We're proud of Olivia and Jonah - and the reward was getting to stay at the beautiful Kirkhouse Inn, which was fortunately right at the beginning of town.

This was our longest hike day (as far as mileage) in two Coast to Coast treks, and when we finished it at 4:30 pm, we were happy to be pampered with a great lodging. The kids were thrilled to have their own room, and we didn't mind that either!  Nice bathrooms with towel-heating racks added a nice touch.  After some much needed rest and showers, we went down for dinner at 6.  Some potato wedges and a green curry with vegetables and basmati rice entree hit the spot.  Well it did for 3 of us.  Something didn't sit right for Lara - not sure whether it was the food or the hike, but we're hoping with a good night's sleep she will be feeling better in the morning. The kids then departed for the night and we did too.  Once again, I crashed fairly quickly, this time at 8 pm.  I'm usually early to bed, but this is getting ridiculous!  And again, I woke up after a few hours to write this blog.  Having done that - it's now time for bed. See you tomorrow!

DAILY STATS
Distance: 17.7 miles

Time: 6 hrs. 46 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.6 mph

Total Ascent: 2,170 ft.

Total Descent:  1,954 ft.

Day 1 - June 25 Helensburgh to Balloch

While our flight out of Newark left an hour late, that actually worked in our favor - it gave the sleeping meds time to kick in and allowed us to crash quickly as soon as we took off.  I was awoken mid flight to a good omen - a vegan option for dinner. (And I was looking for good omens, because just before we left I had checked the forecast for our trek and it called for 7 days of rain!). Actually there were 3 meal options for everyone: omnivore, vegetarian, and vegan!  Two thumbs up to United for being so forward thinking!  The Chana Masala, salad, and vegan chocolate chip cookie hit the spot!

We arrived in Glasgow at 7:30 am local time and spent some time rearranging our bags and filling water bottles, and collecting my checked bag - the other 3 packs were carry-ons. (Hiking poles are not allowed to be carried on planes, so we always have to check one bag for these trips.)
After leaving the airport, we grabbed a taxi for the 20 minute ride to the Queen Street train station in Glasgow. It was a bit overcast, but no rain yet, so I was feeling hopeful. We were right on time for our 8:54 am train to Helensburgh Central station. Another good omen! But one thing that we have learned from all of our travel, is that nothing goes completely smoothly. There will always be some bumps in the road. Who wants a boring smooth road anyway; those don't make for good stories! About 2/3rd through our 45 minute train ride, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the train would be terminating at the next station - several stops shy of our destination. There was a casualty on the tracks ahead. We never got the specifics, nor did we want the kids to hear them. A sad way to start and definitely put things into perspective for us - any bumps and pain that we would be feeling along the way would be minor comparatively and we were thankful that we had each other.  The announcement also made me grateful for being in an English speaking country. I remember when I traveled through Europe 25 years ago and was at a German train station in a small town waiting for hours for a train. An announcement kept coming over the loudspeaker, but I didn't understand it. I eventually learned that the announcement was saying that no trains were running that day because it was a holiday! At least this time, we knew what was happening and could figure out alternate plans. The conductor had no idea how long the track would be closed - and there were no taxis to be found - so we just waited and hoped as we watched our train pull away, heading back in the direction from which we had come. Within 20 minutes, another train pulled in and we got on and waited in our seats for the situation farther down the tracks to be cleared. It didn't take long for this train to continue on its way. It wasn't going to Helensburgh Central, which is a block from the start of the hike, but at least was getting us to Helensburgh Upper, which only added 3/4 of a mile hike to get to the starting point - not bad.

We got to the starting point and took part in the traditional Coast to Coast hike rituals: dipping heels in the water, taking the requisite photos, and grabbing some stones to bring across to the other side of our journey.And then at about 10:30 am, we began, walking up and out of Helensburgh on an overcast, but rain-free morning. Today's hike to Balloch was the shortest of the trek, but coupled with a red-eye flight and bodies that were just getting back in to the swing of things with pack hiking, it was more than enough!

About half a mile up the road, we were approached by a local who asked if we were doing the John Muir Way (JMW). She told us that there was logging/forest work up ahead on the route and that we might prefer the more scenic route along the coast that cuts in and meets up with the JMW part way through the day's hike. We would just have to walk back down through town to catch the Three Lochs Way. I looked at the kids, who had already hiked an extra 3/4 miles for the day b/c of the different train station, and realized that adding more mileage for a more scenic route would not be in the cards for the Heimann family on this day, so we thanked her and marched on. We also wanted to stay on the path, because the JMW is so clearly marked with little purple signs on posts along the way - so you don't really need much as far as navigating skills.
This being a cycling and hiking trail, we knew there would definitely be more mileage on pavement than what we had experienced in England. The cycling and hiking parts do separate quite regularly though, allowing hikers to divert away from roads often. And the roads that we hiked today were quite pretty - not like the main roads that we are used to in New Jersey.

After a few miles and one missed turn, which added about 1/4 mile, we found the turn off that split the hiking and cycling routes. We started our ascent up the small mountain. While the logging that had been done made the landscape less pristine, it did offer better views of Loch Lomond in the distance. Also, we were happy to see that the logging was being done sustainably with new-growth pine. And since it is Sunday, no work was being done, so we had the dirt path to ourselves.

And then one of our children, who will be left unnamed, had to go to the bathroom. As we waited, I was filled with pride as only a parent can be. I was happy to have raised children who would have no qualms about using nature when nature calls - my kind of kids! ;-) And I promise that this will be the only bathroom reference on this trip's blog! It was also wonderful for Lara and me to watch Olivia and Jonah, as we continued to hike up the mountain, go off ahead of us as our playful children, making up songs and stories. This time is precious, and these memories are cherished. As we continued up, the jet lag and sore bodies with new aching parts started to catch up to the kids. And just like with what happened 2 years ago, when one of them would be going through a rough stretch the other came along and gave a boost that allowed us to keep the party moving. They can raise each other's spirits in a way that we never would be able to.

We reached the top with a great view point of the water below and, of course, we had to indulge in at least one handstand shot - I am married to the handstand legend Lara Heimann, after all!

On the way down the mountain toward Balloch we passed through some beautiful wooded areas that had been left untouched. And since we didn't see any other people once we had left the main road, we really felt as though we were in a new land, on an adventure by ourselves. The clouds started to roll in and we did get some drizzle, but nothing that required us to add covers to our packs or rain gear to our bodies. We just were cognizant of the potential for rain and made sure to pick up the pace a bit. Eventually we came to a grass path known as an 'old coffin road' on which people used to carry their dead to a consecrated spot. We could see the town of Balloch in the distance. Seeing our destination lifted the kids spirits once again. Shortly after our path brought us to the paved road, we joined back up with the cycling route and continued into Loch Lomond Shores, a picturesque lake community with nice shops and friendly locals. And as though we were being officially welcomed to Scotland, a bagpiper was by the water playing a tune as young children danced near him. Definitely not in Jersey any more!

One mile down the road, we reached our destination for the night, the Balloch House, at about 3 pm.

We were all tired and a bit sore from our first day's hike, so we checked in, took rewarding hot showers, and relaxed. Aaaah! One double bed for the old folks and one pull-out sofa for the kids are more than enough for us after our long trip. After we were refreshed, we made our way to Loch Lomond shores, where we had seen an Outdoor Clothing shop, to purchase a few items that we needed as well as some snacks for the next day. Back in Balloch, we went to the Golden Star Indian restaurant, which provided us with a wonderful vegan dinner and much needed wifi! The wifi is down at our lodging, so we needed a dinner spot that also allowed us to go online. I tried to write this blog at the restaurant, but soon gave up because I was too tired and too interested in just enjoying my dinner and family.

By the time we returned to our lodging it was shortly after 7 pm. I wish I could tell you what happened next, but I can't. I just remember lying down on our bed to relax. And then I opened my eyes to darkness. Everyone was asleep. My watch read 11:30 pm. Feeling a bit refreshed, I got up and wrote my daily blog. Since there is no internet, I'll likely have to post today's blog when we get to our destination tomorrow. Time to go back to bed - good night!

DAILY STATS

Distance: 10.6 miles

Time: 4 hrs. 41 min.

Avg. Speed: 2.3 mph

Total Ascent: 1,374 ft.

Total Descent: 1,535 ft.

The adventure begins!

What a day!  No matter how early we start getting ready, it always seems that we are prepping right up until the time we leave the house!  The morning started at 5 am, dealing with tying up loose ends at work and taking care of the animals - they always seem to be able to sense when we are going away.  It was our last Coast to Coast hike, which started exactly 2 years ago today, that led to our adopting Orlando.  We wish we could bring him on this adventure, but the logistics were just too difficult, so he'll just be with us in spirit.

We learned a lot about packing for such a trip from the last go around, so felt well prepared for this one.  In fact, much of our gear is being reused this go around with a few subtractions and other additions.  We definitely packed lighter this go around - fewer clothes.  And since we are blessed to be sponsored by the wonderful Xero Shoe company, our footwear is much lighter than it had been 2 years ago.  I'm also excited to updated my blogging experience by dropping the IPad (too heavy, and instead using an extremely lightweight and foldable Bluetooth keyboard (a Jimo), which I am LOVING already! 

Lara's do-everything assistant/studio manager Missy picked us up at 4 pm as we were putting the finishing touches on our packs, took the obligatory departing photo (pictured above), and got us to Newark with plenty of time to spare for our 7:45 flight to Glasgow.  As our nutrition expert, Lara picked up some vegan Mexican bowls from Chipotle that we brought for dinner.  We are often asked about the difficulty traveling as a vegan family - it really isn't difficult at all.  It just requires a little foresight.  

We  are looking forward to starting our trek tomorrow and will be blogging each day about our adventures.  

Goodbye USA!  Here we come Scotland!