Spectacular!

Sunday 1 July – Kingshouse to Kinlochleven – Day 68

Sometimes what looks like an ordinary day can instead yield a big surprise. Today was one of those days.

On paper, it didn’t look a lot: a short 18km day with a level bit along the busy A82, then an uphill bit (scarily labelled the Devil’s Staircase), over a saddle, and down to the village of Kinlochleven, described in the book as an ‘ugly, modern village’. Hmmm…

After a delicious breakfast – such a contrast to yesterday’s – and a short 14km taxi ride, we were back to where we’d been picked up yesterday, by the skifield turnoff in the middle of Glen Coe. We crossed over to join the way, going past the still-closed Kingshouse Hotel (which looks like it will be impressive when the makeover is finally done). The Way did indeed parallel the road, but at a respectful distance, and the scenery around us was well worth it, dramatic hills to both sides.

After 6km the Way met the road, and a busy carpark full of cars. We could see many walkers in the park and going up the track; being a Sunday and brilliantly sunny it was clearly the place to go! Ahead of us we could see perhaps a couple of dozen people, the party near the top appearing like minute multicoloured ants.

Our route now took us away from the road and up a steep bit of track largely following the old military road. The top part, the Devil’s Staircase, while steep wasn’t as bad as the name suggested, though the hot morning sun did make it a bit unpleasant. In a remarkably brief period we’d reached the top, at 440m the highest point of the West Highland Way.

We turned around, facing the way we’d come, and WOW!

In all the walking, the only view that was as grand and took us as much by surprise was High Cup Nick along the Pennine Way. This one was just as breathtaking. We were high on a ridge overlooking the great glacier-carved valley of Glen Coe, mountains well over 1000m high lining both sides. In the valley far below was the A82, the vehicles at this distance appearing tiny. Directly opposite, to our right, was the great 1100m massif of Buachaille Etive Mor, a narrow steep trail up its flanks just discernible. To our left, to the east, lay serried ranks of other mountains, way into the distance. Just gorgeous!

So we did the obvious – lots of photos and – we have to admit it – even a selfie!

After that, the rest of the day was a bit of an anti-climax, the trail taking us northwards across the pass to the adjoining valley. It was a bit rough in places and we had to pick our way carefully, but were rewarded with yet more great views to the north and east. In the distance was the Blackwater Reservoir, stretching many miles to the east, built for a hydro scheme in 1909 and the largest in Europe at that time.

Descent was relatively easy but it also reacquainted us with the pesky horseflies, so we were glad to reach the end of the day, the small town of Kinlochleven at the head of Loch Leven.

The town was originally built in the early 1900s to house workers at the aluminium smelter, the reason for the hydro dam. While the smelter closed in 2000 the village has successfully reinvented itself as a centre for all sorts of outdoors pursuits. The guide book described it as ‘ugly and modern’ but in fact we thought the place had quite a lot of charm. We wish it well.

With a couple of hours to fill before our bus back to Glencoe we treated ourselves to cold drinks and coffee at the café in the former smelter building, now full of abseiling walls and high-wire courses and even an ice face in its own freezer room for those willing to wear crampons and brave the cold!  It was quite entertaining watching a bunch of young lads work their way around the circuit. The bus trip back to Glencoe took us high above Loch Leven, with yet more great views down the loch.

All in all, a Grand Day Out!

Distance today: 18km / 11 miles.

Buachaille Etive Mor (at left)

Descending the trail to Kinlochleven