Day 9 West Highland Way - Kinlochleven to Fort William

 Tuesday, July 5, 2022 Kinlochleven to Fort William, mile 96, 16 miles 

We fixed ourselves breakfast down in the hostel kitchen. I kinda like the hostel thing. It is affordable and you meet interesting people from all over the world. All the hostels I've experienced on this trip have had a laid back vibe. Our four person bunk room had bunk beds in it but tall people must struggle. Each bunk was barely six feet long. There are not many advantages to being short, but being able to fit onto almost any bed is one of them. It also would have been a tight fit to have had two additional people in that room. It was really nice to be able to hang out things everywhere to dry without worrying about any other roommates.

My tent in the hallway had dried over night and we packed my gear and quite a bit of Pounce's into my backpack. I took the detachable lid off and used it as a fanny pack for the day. I carried my fleece, food, Garmin and water bottle in it. Pounce had her pack but without all her gear it was almost like a day pack.

full pack ready for transport by Ginger Routes

We signed the chalkboard in the hostel kitchen and got our passports stamped. By 9:00am we were on the trail since we had a 16 mile day ahead of us. We were excited to do this section without our heavy packs. Many people do this trail using a daily baggage service. They book their lodging in advance and just carry a day pack with their food, beverages and extra clothes. The advantage of this is they know where they will be staying each night and their luggage is waiting for them at their hotel when they arrive. The disadvantage is that there is no room for spontaneity and the lodging is typically not refundable if you get injured or need to change your hiking plans. You also miss out on great camping opportunities and it costs a lot more money. But with how rainy it is I would maybe go with a luggage service and prebook my rooms if I was to ever do this again.

I don't get it, the trail looked so flat on the map

I signed the date the European way

When the board gets too full they take a picture of it, post it below the wall and start over

Starting the final day

climbing up out of the valley

The day started with a steep climb. It was probably just as steep as Devil's Staircase, but nobody really talks about this section. It was no problem without my heavy pack.

Kinlochleven behind us

The two small white buildings on the hills are where the trail started to descend to Kinlochleven yesterday

It spritzed rain and after we made it to the top we began the drover or military road to Fort William. It was nice and wide and in pretty good shape. The sun came out and the layers came off until I even zipped off my trousers bottoms. In Scotland we call them trousers not pants. Pants mean underwear here.

the layers are coming off

It was beautiful moorland with hills, green and sheep. There were tons of hikers today that we kept leapfrogging and views for miles! After the first rain of the morning it was sunny and warm the rest of the day.

puddles on the trail

Tigh-na-sleubhaich

It is not advised to wild camp inside this old derelict farm house, but just past it are some rock walls of a former sheep pen that provide shelter form the wind. We did not stay here but it looked good.

Lundavra /Lochan Lunn Da-Bhra

This little lake was where the real McBeth lived at one time.

Looking back towards Big Pass and Lundavra 

It felt like we were walking in The Sound of Music scenery

Gazing at Ben Nevis the highest point in Scotland

Ben Nevis

Descending to Fort William

We arrived at Fort William in the late afternoon. It was jarring to be walking the last few miles on concrete sidewalks next to busy traffic so when we saw a side trail to the city we took that instead. It gave us beautiful views of Fort William and I do not understand why that is not the official trail, other then they want the hikers to go through the commercial part of Fort William and spend money. 

We rejoined the West Highland Way for the last mile or so. The final part was on a brick road that passed lots of tourist stores.

I am done!

The end of the 96 mile West Highland Way

Day 8 West Highland Way - Ba Cottage Ruins to Kinlochleven

 Monday, July 4, 2022 - Ba Cottage Ruins to Kinlochleven at mile 80.8 12.5 miles 

There was water in my tent at midnight so I had to go outside in the rain and check my stakes. The crooked one that I found had loosened in the wind so I got my one good remaining stake and re-staked it. I used my pink towel to try to dry the inside of the tent, but water had also gone under my sleeping pad which made it difficult. It was super windy and rainy all night and I did not get much sleep.

We packed up in the rain in the morning and all my stuff got wet. I still do not have the skill of packing up in the rain and keeping my things dry. We were cold, wet and tired and we pounded out the four miles to Kingshouse in the rain and wind in record time. 

A faint rainbow ahead

Kingshouse in the distance

Kings House Hotel was originally an 18th century drovers' stop. It has been upgraded and is a pretty posh hotel now. They have a hiker's bar where you can get food and charge your electronics. We used the restroom and then got coffee and sat and charged our cell phones while we warmed up and dried out. Pounce booked us a bunkroom at the Blackwater Hostel in Kinlochleven since all of our things were so wet. We splurged to rent the entire four person room for 100 pounds which was 50 pounds per person. Pretty cheap, really, for a room with its own bathroom as well.

Kingshouse

Stob Dearg

As we hiked away from Kingshouse we walked parallel to A82. On the left was a large rocky crag called Stob Dearg. We ended up walking past it for most of that route. I could see white sheep or goats on the side. We then turned right for Devil's Staircase. It was steep but probably similar to Conic Hill in difficulty. At the top is a large rock cairn. 

Stob Dearg

The top of Devil's Staircase

Cairn at the top

Beautiful area, especially when it stopped raining

stepping stones across the creek

These help water to flow across the trail without damaging it

As we descended the other side of Devil's Staircase the sun came out and we laid out our tents to try to dry them and within ten minutes the rain began again and we had to pack them up. In the distance we could see Blackwater Reservoir which dominated the second half of our day. The water from that reservoir goes to a power station in Kinlochleven. The wind had to be a steady 40 mph with occasional gusts to 50 which rocked me on my feet. But that section was beautiful! We were high with stellar views for what felt like miles. Eventually the trail became a service road for the power company. It was a super steep descent until we finally reached Kinlochleven.

down we go

So steep going down

Water pipes to the power station from the reservoir

My knees were barking at me when we finally reached Kinlochleven. I could have worn my waterproof socks today but my thin wool ones were just as comfortable. I didn't even try to keep my feet dry. No point. It was cold in our room but the clerk turned the heat on for us when I asked. That also helped us dry some of our things out.

We were in hostel room 10 at the end of the hallway so I set up my tent outside our door to dry and  used the blow dryer to dry the rainfly and foot print. Pounce had the brilliant idea to slackpack the final 16 miles to Fort William. She booked us a room at a hotel steps away from the end of the trail and I booked my bag online for 25 pounds and arranged to have them pick up my bag tomorrow for transport to our hotel in Fort William. 

We walked to a restaurant down the street and they squeezed us in between reservations because we promised to eat fast and not linger. As always, the food was great.

The room had a skylight with a retractable blackout shade in it. We slept so well in our dark room. I used my sleeping bag to cover up with. I don't like not having a top sheet, but it does not seem to be a thing in Scotland.

Day 7 West Highland Way - Wild Camp spot to Ba Cottage Ruin on Rannoch Moor

 Sunday, July 3, 2022 - Wild Camp Spot to Ba Cottage Ruin Wild Camp around mile 68.5, 11.5 miles 

I slept so good! The sound of the stream was very soothing. I finally got up to pee around 7:00am and since I was up decided to filter some water since I was out. The midges were also up and I got about 50 bites on my legs. Luckily they don't hurt or itch, they are just red. I heated up some water using my new MSR pocket rocket. It is so fast! I ate a protein bar to lessen the weight of my pack and the rest of my chips from yesterday. We packed up as soon as the rain stopped.

We used our pink towels to get rain off the rain fly, we let it dry in the wind and it was dry when we packed up. We hit the trail about 9:20am.

packing up

we camped in those trees

There were far fewer  hikers now on the trail. We probably saw less than 20. We got to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel who let us take our packs into the bar and use the toilets. I had a latte and scone and charged my phone. I bought a postcard and we also got a stamp for our passports. The staff were really nice there.

Bridge of Orchy Hotel

Once my phone was charged we continued on our way, crossing the famous Bridge of Orchy.

Pounce crosses the Bridge of Orchy

The trail ascended a hill, eventually reaching a rock cairn with beautiful views of Loch Tulla and the Moors ahead.

We opened and closed so many gates on this trail

Up we go!

Loch Tulla

Rock Cairn

Mam Carraigh

Inveroran ahead

We descended to Inveroran Hotel which was all by itself in the middle of nowhere. No wonder they can not find people to work here. The sign said food only for hotel guests but another sign pointed to the back to a bar so we went back and found a shed with shelves to store our packs. We went in the back and used the restrooms and then sat in the bar to warm up. I ordered a wonderful hard cider that tasted like apple juice and some chips. Then the waitress asked us if we wanted a bowl of soup! Well, yes, hot veggie soup sounded wonderful, especially since we were not expecting anything warm to eat. It also came with bread and butter. We chatted in the bar with a hiker from Switzerland who explained about the Swiss hiking hut system they have there. It sounded quite cushy.

Inveroran Hotel

We left there around 1:15pm and headed out to the Scottish Moors! Finally! I have wanted to visit a Scottish moor since reading about them as a child. We were headed into the wildest and most remote part of the West Highland Way.

Looking toward the Moors

Dover Road to Glencoe over Rannoch Moor

It rained off and on but I'm getting very fast at putting on and removing my rain gear. Compared to the torrential rain of the third day this is very manageable. This dover road was rocky because it helped the hooves of the cattle and sheep that travelled on it to market. 

Rannoch Moor was windy and felt desolate but in the distance we could occasionally see cars on the A82.  I was surprised that there was almost no wildlife to be seen and then I rounded a corner and saw a doe. The scenery reminded me a bit of Alaska. 

a single deer

gazing out across the moor

After six miles we came to the ruins of a stone house called Ba Cottage Ruins just off mile 68.5. We crowded into a small spot behind a stone wall for wind protection and it was a great camping spot. It stopped raining long enough to pitch our tents. A stream rushed down the hill near us where we filtered water for dinner and breakfast as it began to rain again.

Ba Cottage Ruins

Only stones remain in this lonely place

The view from our tents

hunkered down for the night on the windy moors

It was extremely windy and I piled some rocks on top of my tent stakes to keep my tent taut. I ate some cheese and peanuts for dinner to lower my pack weight and snuggled into my sleeping bag. I felt surprisingly good today. No pain although my feet ached a bit. My cold seemed much better, too.