West Highland Way July 2022

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Thursday 14 July 2022, Day 10, Kinlochleven to Fort William. 16.4 miles 7 hours 15 minutes, 2000 elevation gain.

This is the last and longest day on the WHW. The Tigh Na Cheo BnB where we spent the night started breakfast at 0730. It was a bit of a hike up the driveway to haul our bags to the drying room and storage for pick up and delivery by the luggage transfer services. It was also around 0.3 miles back to the start of the WHW trail that we had left yesterday afternoon. Again it is only Jo and I. Karen, Norma, Lee and Sandy all took the bus from Kinlochleven to Fort William. After much searching I have found Tigh means house, Na the article for nouns starting with a consonant and Cheo meaning Mist. Thus the house of mist. We have our starting photo at the B&B.

We had only gone about 0.5 miles when the trail turned steeply up the hillside. This began our almost continuous climb for 1100 feet. The mist and rain and wind made it cool but with the climbing we warmed up quickly. There were several views back of our lodging and also the village. After about 2 miles the trail leveled off to a more gradual climb along an old military road. These were built in the early 1800 by the British General Wade to help quell the Clans of Scotland and allow troops and equipment to move more easily across the rugged terrain. This greatly increased our speed although the rough gravel and rocks required constant vigilance as to where one was walking.

The terrain above the timberline for the most part was wet moors and occasional rock walls. We were passed by about a dozen men age 30-40 from Glasgow. They had started in Milngavie and this was their last day. One told me about how rough the trail on Loch Lomond had been. One of their group had fallen and broken his wrist. Confirmation again of the difficulty of that section. We continued to climb on the undulating military road until we reached a cairn marking the 1100 feet high point for the day. However, that did not mean our climbing was over.

At mile 7.7 we stopped on some rotting tree stumps to have half a sandwich and some crisps and apple juice. We also started seeing those who had started in Fort William and were doing the WHW from north to south. After a 20 minute break which was refreshing we were on the walk again. We passed a couple of old ruined stone houses given names of some long ago clan and then came to some livestock pens which the path diverted around through the mud. Only a short distance more on the road and we left the road for the path that again climbed more steeply. The ups and downs in this section added another 900 feet of total elevation gain for this section. We also saw the markings for the battles of the Campbells and MacDonalds, and other Scotch and English encounters. Then an information sign with a map showing we are not just exactly half way. Ugh!

After 11.5 miles we rejoined the road. Now it is much better for walking and we start our descent into Glen Nevis. We have been passing or being overtaken by several groups that we have gotten to be acquainted with over the last several days of walking. At mile 12 we had our first view of Fort William and Glen Nevis. The guide book said today was a 15 mile day. I told Jo it would be at least 16. We reached relatively level ground. We picked up the pace along the main road and were walking 3 miles an hour. Then we had to find our way through Fort William to the End point of the West Highland Way at the Foot Statue. All Trails navigation was all over the place and not on route with WHW signs or the guide book. Our guide book said just follow the far and few between signs. We turned up the main pedestrian walk in Fort William in the direction of our lodging and were near the end when we saw the group. I had sent a Whatsapp text message when I guessed we were about 45 minutes away. It turned out to be fairly good timing.

After the obligatory photos we went to the nearby pub in an old church building for a beer and pizza.

Our lodging in the Myrtle Bank Guest House is fantastic. More on this later. We have two rest days before starting the Great Glen Way.

Silvertoes notes:

We leave Kinlochleven the same time the intrepid travelers are leaving for their ‘big climb.’ We catch a Shiel bus and head back along Loch Leven toward Glencoe Village. We have another young driver, fortunately not in the kamikaze mode this morning. He just likes to speed up on the short straight -a-ways on the road and again I find myself searching for my seatbelt.

We round Loch Leven and stop in Glencoe Village where we alight from the Shiel bus and wait for our familiar Citylinks bus. It is a lovely day and we enjoy seeing the different boats on the loch. This area is noted for waterfalls.

Ft. William is one of the Highlands best known resorts with thousands of tourists overwhelming its 10,000 residents.They come to ski, walk and enjoy the scenery. It is known as the Outdoor Capital of the UK.

I alight from the bus as I have decided to find the hospital and have the metal clips removed from my temple. Sandy has been sending frequent pictures of my face to her nephew, a paramedic, in Florida. Looking at the pictures he is amazed that I appear to have a head that is still intact and keeps asking if I am o.k. One has to go to a clinic or hospital to have the clips removed with a special instrument. I ask a gentleman in a hotel where the hospital is and he tells me it is at the far end of High Street—as he says, “our only street.” I manage to navigate the street without looking in windows and reach the end only to find myself facing a sporting goods store, the underpass leading to the train station and a sign saying this point starts The Great Glen Way! Into the sporting goods store and he tells me to circle his building, risk my life crossing the maze of roads at the intersection and look for the ugliest building on my right.

He is right—it is a white edifice, trimmed in blue. I walk up a ramp and right in front of me is the ‘accident and emergency’ entrance. On with the mask and into a miniscule waiting room. The receptionist gives me a form, one of their masks and I give her the paperwork from the Loch Lomond Rescue Group. Within five minutes I am called by a nurse who examines me, takes off the bandage and says I do not even have metal clips but paper butterflies! Good thing there are no metal clips as they cannot find their little special instrument for their removal. She cleans the area up but keeps asking me if I am o.k. Even at 10 days out my face is a mess-I avoid mirrors and seeing my reflection in windows! I ask the charge for services and she says there is none as national health covers ‘accident and emergency’ situations. This is a very small regional hospital but rated highly, particular for their ability to treat accidents—remember, this is the Outdoor Capital of the UK!

Ah—and now the lovely Myrtle Bank BnB. It is rated 4.8 but we would all six rate it a 5+! It is an 1890 Victorian villa that has a supreme location beside Loch Linnhe. It lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, and is just five minutes to High Street- the town’s only commercial street.

Dora runs the show and has done so for 41 years! She is a petite little blonde and full of energy. Lee, Harlan and I are in the house next door. All activity there goes on under the eye of Jean who has been with Dora over several decades. The charming woman who helps Jean in the kitchen and takes care of all the rooms is Margarita from Galicia, Spain.

Jo, Norma and Sandy are in the main house. Initially one is blown away from the spectacle of the house being lovingly surrounded by flowers, flowers, flowers. The walk up to the front door has flowers that are so vivid that in some cases they are almost neon in intensity. No shrinking violets here!

Our room is one of the most elegant and peaceful rooms that we have experienced. Beautiful furniture with drapes and linens that must have cost a king’s ransom. One wonders where you would have gone shopping for such items. The main stores in Ft. Williams are outdoor sporting goods stores! My guess is that decorators would have come in from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

There is a dining room with bay windows that overlook the loch. Of course there are fresh flowers on the tables, picked by Jean that morning. Lovely paintings of local scenes. We all agree we could stay here for the rest of the trip!

After our celebratory dinner for the two hikers who have completed the West Highland Way it is off to bed and Highland dreams!

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Comments

[Home and Away]

Congratulations on finishing the WHW...
after completing the CF, and now you are walking the Great Glen Way! That is a lot of walking!!! I leave for Scotland on 22 Aug, but I'm renting a car to visit castles, abbeys, and battlefields.

[subman]

Scotland by car
We rented a car in Inverness and drove to Isle of Skye and Oban. Lots of really interesting places and history in Scotland. Did not go to Couladin but read much about the Jacobite rebellion and the following genocide of the clans..