Fort William to Kinlochleven
(14 miles/797 metres ascent)
As I was sandwich making I saw Willie, who'd been able to replace his glasses the day before and had stayed in the YH the previous evening. We chatted for a while, and I then went to pack my things together.
It was another of those mornings when it takes me ages to get simple things done, and it was after 9.30 by the time I was off and out. Walking back towards Fort William, in search of a way over to the West Highland Way track up the side of the hill, two blokes who'd seen me struggling towards the YH with my pack and bags the night before stopped to ask what I was up to. I told them, we chatted for a while and then they took a piccy of me with my camera. Smile :-)
Not long after that, though, I realised that I'd lost my laminated map, which was meant to cover both this day and the next. I walked all the way back to the YH and searched the building for it, speaking to the cleaner, the bloke on reception and everyone else I ran into. Despite my best efforts, though, I couldn't find it. It must have fallen out of the side pocket on my trousers at some stage earlier in the morning. That was potentially disastrous, but fortunately I also had the full 1:50k maps in my bag, in case I needed to change route. I therefore dug out the appropriate map, folded it into the map case and set off again.
By now it was after 10.10am, but the bloke on reception had told me how to get through to the path without walking all the way back down to the campsite. It therefore wasn't long before I was established on the West Highland Way route in reverse, toiling up the steep hillside in hot, early morning sunshine. I could see right over towards Benn Nevis from the path that I was walking, but I wasn't high enough to see the top. The two blokes I'd chatted with lower down were planning an ascent, though, and I was glad I wasn't aiming as high as that, today, with a large and heavy pack!
As I reached the top of the first climb I took a photograph back down the hill towards Fort William, and it looked very peaceful in the sunshine.
It was cool, lush and green inside the wood...
...with clusters of beautiful primroses all over the floor.
I enjoyed wandering along at an easy pace, stopping frequently to inspect small flowers and interesting trees. On one such occasion a group of three men flew past at a considerable pace, wearing bum-bags and determined expressions and making loud whooping noises! Soon afterwards another passed by (no whoops, though), and over the course of the next couple of hours I saw several more - some individually, and others in small groups - making their way along the path in the direction of Kinlochleven.
The day was sunny and warm, and I enjoyed the feeling of sun on my arms and face as I emerged from the woods and onto the hillside.
I sat down for a coffee and a snack on some dry looking boulders (the sort of place that ticks would presumably not flourish, I hoped), and checked my phone messages, sent a couple of texts and read a little bit of my book. Meanwhile a few more walkers passed me by, all of them with a friendly greeting of some sort or another.
Soon afterwards I got up and walked on, and saw Lochan Lunn Da Bhra in the distance...
...and not long after that I came to a gate where a couple of very tame little birds alighted on a post, and then the ground, to pose for me! Judging from the wing markings, I think they must have been male and female chaffinches, though I thought the little brown one was a sparrow at the time... (blush...)
By the time I began the long descent from the hillside, Little Peewiglet was tired in his side pocket and wanted to get out for a better look.
We had to press on soon, though, and eventually Kinlochleven came into sight below.
I was tired by the time I got down the hill and began to make my way through the little back lanes towards the Blackwater Campsite, and when I passed the Tailrace Inn, and saw all the walkers from earlier in the day standing outside having a drink in the hot sun, I was tempted to go straight there. I didn't want the spectre of having to find the campsite and erect the tent to hang over me in the pub, though, and so I pressed bravely onwards, over the bridge, and was rewarded when the campsight came into view only 5 or so minutes later. Phew! The reception was closed, but one quick phonecall later I had permission to put up the tent, and I did so on the very attractive span of flat, green grass to the side of the bunkhouse. A quick wash later, and I made my way back to the pub with my notebook, camera and book, a cold, refreshing drink very clearly within my sights :-)
I went in, ordered a pint of cider and took a look at the menu. I'd been to the Tailrace once before, when I walked the West Highland Way with my sister in September 2001, and not much seemed to have changed since then - the contrast with the bright sunshine outside was very striking. It felt more than cool, and I wasn't quite sure just what might be lurking in the stygean recesses at the corners of the room, and so I decided that perhaps the night had come to indulge my Chip Shop fish and chips fantasy, since I'd noticed a fine looking chippy across the road. First there was rehydration to take place, though, and so I made my way towards the door with my drink.
On the way out I bumped into one of the blokes from the group of walkers now clustered around the table in the sun: the people who'd passed me earlier in the day. We said hello, in the way that one does with fellow walkers, and he explained to me that he and his pals were a group from a hospital somewhere in Scotland, embarked upon their annual traverse of the WHW. He invited me to go and join them, and so I did.
It was fun sitting outside and chatting in the sun, particularly considering that it was only a couple of days since my feet had spent so long in soaking wet trail shoes that I thought I was developing trench foot! One of the nicest things about long walks (or so it seems to me) is being able to relax in the evenings, when the walking is over for the day and the chores are done, and relaxing outside in the sun is just about as good as it gets! Anyway, the group said that afterwards they were going to The Antler for a pool tournament, and invited me to pop in. I said I might well do so, and eventually we went our separate ways for food.
I made my way back to the campsite first, as the evening had grown chilly as the sun went down. I grabbed my warm jacket, and made my way back to the chippy, where I ordered fish and chips. Yum! :-) The chippy was quite busy, and everything was cooked fresh, so it took a while for my chips to arrive. That wasn't a problem, though, as it was lovely standing in the queue watching the other meals appearing from the vat, and soaking up the heady smell of salt and vinegar. There were a few tables in a room next door, and so I was able to retire there with my meal and eat it with one eye on the happenings and conversation in the main room.
It was probably about 8pm or so by the time I'd finished - maybe a little later - and I decided I'd go and take a look in The Antler. The alternative was a night alone in the tent, and it seemed a pity to do that when there was the chance to get out and have fun meeting some new people. I therefore made my way over to the pub, opened the door and looked in. As soon as I opened the door it seemed clear that this was a blokes' pub - all smokey, dark and filled with men - and I wasn't quite sure whether to stay or not. Just as I was thinking of leaving, though, I heard someone call my name, and when I looked over it was one of the blokes I'd been chatting with earlier. I went in, settled down and went on to have a great evening chatting with a whole bunch of very diverse people, some of whom turned out unexpectedly to have a penchant for dropping their pants for photographs! :)
It was tremendous fun, though, and if any of you are reading - many thanks for a memorable evening!
It was late when I got back to the tent - sometime after midnight - and it didn't take me long to fall asleep. That may have had something to do with the cider and Drambuie I'd drunk earlier, but, whatever the cause, it was very nice to go straight to sleep.
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