Day 70: 01 Jun 2014; Strathcarron to Kinlochewe

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	70
Date	Sun 01 Jun 2014			Start to end time	06h 32m
Start point	Strathcarron			End point	Kinlochewe
Miles today	18.85			Cu miles	1,288.24
Ft today	2,061			Cu ft	180,440
Route miles left	218.18			Route ft left	24,652
Today’s weather	Overcast, drizzly and humid most of the day. Brighter in late afternoon. Light Southe Westerly breeze. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“The trouble with walking north east when you’ve got a light south westerly breeze behind you is that it enables anything in the atmosphere to travel effortlessly along with you. In my case this morning that was midges, and as I set off from Strathcarron, I soon found myself immersed in my own private bubble of pain. I hoped that either wind would pick up so the midges would overtake me, or die down, so I would leave them behind as I walked. But neither happened so I had to don protective gear again, and sweat it out till I reached a suitably windy spot later in the walk, where, finally, they were blown away.

Midges aside, today’s walk was a pleasant and reasonably straightforward excursion over the hills to Kinlochewe, though the overcast skies and general murk mean the views weren’t as spectacular as they have been over the last few days. And the walk had a bit of a sting in the tail – and also a bit of a whatever the opposite of a sting in the tail is called, too.

As I was walking along the banks of the Carron river, I spotted a herd of red deer. Other walkers I’d met spoke of seeing “hundreds” of deer, but these were the first I’ve encountered. Their numbers are, actually, a bit down on normal as a result of last winter’s weather. A local had told me that many had perished in the mild wet weather – deer apparently find it harder to cope with the wet than with cold snowy weather.

The route I’d plotted after the river headed up into forestry commission woodland, before aiming for the Coulin Pass. I immediately hit the first obstacle – the path was closed due to “ongoing forestry operations” (i.e. chopping trees down) so I was forced to take an alternative route. Fortunately the diversion was well signposted and reasonably clear on the ground, so it didn’t cost me too much time.

Once over the pass, I descended to the Ghairbhe valley and then down the single track road to Kinlochewe. On the way down, I was treated to spectacular views of Ben Eighe and Liathach – beautiful and imposing bulks, brooding on the skyline. Again, the road walking was easy, and the road itself was fairly quiet. I prefer to walk on paths in the hills if I can, but now I’m quite keen to complete the hike as quickly and painlessly as possible, so rather more road-walking than normal features in my itinerary.

In Kinlochewe, there is a nice caravan park which advertises itself as not accommodating tents. There is a rough semi-wild camp for tents (i.e. a field with a tap) two miles further up the road at Taagan, and that was where I’d planned to spend the night. But on passing the caravan site I thought I’d take a chance and see if they happened to have anywhere I could pitch my tent. And lo and behold they did – there are five spaces for 1 man tents (which they don’t advertise) and I got one of them. So I had 2 miles less to walk today, 2 miles less tomorrow, 2 miles less to the pub this evening, and hot showers to boot. This was the “opposite of the sting in the tail” to the day. What’s not to like!

The sting in the tail, though, is that I have just realised that my destination for tomorrow, the Dundonnell Hotel, is not the “Dundonnell Ho” shown on my map. The “Ho” stands for “House” not “Hotel” and the “Ho” I want is 2 miles further on. Just as well I saved 2 miles today, then!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

The fishing spots on the River Carron all have their own names. “Big Anne” obviously held a special place in the affections of whoever named this particular one!	At Achnashellach railway station. This tiny line conencts Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh and takes visitors to the Isle of Skye. Today, being Sunday, it was quiet but the “waiting room” provided a great bit of shelter to have lunch!
Rhododendrons grow in profusion on the hillsides. Beautiful, but just like Giant Hogweed, a foreign introduction which has become a pest, as it chokes out native wildlife	Looking down towards Ben Eighe from the Coulin Pass
Native Scots Pines growing near Coulin. When you see them in serried etiolated ranks in forestry commission woodland, you cometimes forget that, if left to theoir own devices, they can grow into “proper” trees, too	Farm at Coulin – this is available to rent, apparently, as a holiday cottage. Stunning views
Panorama over the Torridon hills – Liathach in centre left, Ben Eighe to the right

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 69: 31 May 2014; Ardelve to Strathcarron

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	69
Date	Sat 31 May 2014			Start to end time	06h 57m
Start point	Ardelve			End point	Strathcarron
Miles today	16.52			Cu miles	1,269.39
Ft today	2,801			Cu ft	178,379
Route miles left	236.55			Route ft left	27,040
Today’s weather	Dry, warm and sunny until mid afternoon, then light cloud. Light Westerly breeze. About 18 C at coast
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“Four cheers for today!

The first cheer is because the sun shone all day. It was a lovely, warm, day, and Scotland was looking its best. It was a delight to be out in the sunshine, not feeling the need to put a fleece or a cagoule on all the time. In fact, I think I might even have got slightly sunburned!

The second cheer was because today’s route was really a stab in the dark. I’m now on a route I’ve made up entirely myself, just from looking at Ordnance Survey maps. Today I was not following any roads or long distance paths, and given yesterday’s difficulties in following a track on the map that wasn’t there on the ground, I was apprehensive that this walk could turn into a tedious drag through ten miles of upland bog. I’d Google-Earth-ed it last night and was pretty sure that there was a track on the ground, but it looked faint and I wasn’t confident about finding it. But come the hour, the path was there, it was easy to follow, and had recently been traversed by mountain bikers. There was absolutely nobody about today, so I had the moors to myself, and with the calm warm air and the cuckoos singing, it really was a delight.

The third cheer was because, as I crossed the high point of the walk, the Torridon mountains – Ben Eighe, Liathach and Ben Alligin, started to come into view. This was good, because I’d been on holiday to Torridon in the past and it had always seemed like it was a very remote, Northerly spot. So I felt as if, at long last, I really was in the Northern stages of my journey.

The fourth cheer was because close to the end of the day, my route passed through the stately Attadale Gardens. I paid a nominal fee to get in but it was a small price to pay to be able to go to the “do it yourself” teashop where I was able to buy two cups of very welcome tea, and a piece of cake. The gardens themselves were beautifully laid out and, yes, will go on the list of places to visit again at a more leisurely pace in the future. The gardens were rebuilt in the 1980s by Ewen and Nicky Macpherson and bizarrely in this remote spot, the gardens even have their own railway station.

From the gardens it was just a short road walk to the Strathcarron hotel where I am staying tonight (yes I admit it I am finding I am needing more and more of these “proper” beds to get me through the last stages of this walk!). My guidebook, again, spelled out the horrors of walking this section of the road, but I didn’t find it difficult at all – not too busy, wide grass verges, and spectacular views over the Ben Eighe range. Geologically speaking, Ben Eighe is complex and interesting – some of the oldest rocks in the UK are found around here, and Ben Eighe itself has an unusual white quartzite summit, making it almost look snow-capped.

So a great end to a great day – here’s hoping tomorrow is as good!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

I think the tide in Loch Long must have been exceptionally high this morning as this grass and thrift (pink flowers) were submerged in seawater but seemed to be quite happy about it. Most unusual	This scary looking plant is not man eating but is another insectivorous specimen – sundew.
Occasional orchids. Like this one, made their appearance in the bog	On the path down to Attadale. The Torridon mountains are visible in the background, behind Loch Carron
Towards the end of the walk were formal gardens in the grounds of Attadale House. Joy of joys – there was a tea-room	The tide was out by the time I reached the shores of Loch Carron. The massed blooms of sea-thrift had turned the fore-shore pink. Never seen anything like it.
Panorama over Loch Long. The closest thing the UK has to a Norwegian Fjord I think. Good job there was a bridge from Dornie to Ardelve or else my LEJOG “rules” would have demanded a 15 mile detour round it!

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 68: 30 May 2014; Shiel Bridge to Ardelve

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	68
Date	Fri 30 May 2014			Start to end time	06h 35m
Start point	Shiel Bridge			End point	Ardelve
Miles today	13.51			Cu miles	1,252.87
Ft today	2,897			Cu ft	175,578
Route miles left	246.66			Route ft left	28,607
Today’s weather	Warm and sunny all day; more cloud by mid afternoon. Light variable wind. About 18C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“If I’d ever thought that I needed reminding why it’s not a good idea to rely on tracks shown on maps to actually be there, today’s walk provided that reminder. It was supposed to be a gentle, short walk through level woodland down the loch from Shiel Bridge to the campsite at Ardelve, near Dornie. So I’d had a bit of a lie in (well, till 6:30) and got up slowly, and was away by 8:30 am. I only had about 12 miles to walk, so I didn’t rush. The shop at the campsite was shut when I left, so I added in a detour to another campsite, at Morvich, a couple of miles down the road, where I’d heard from other hikers that there was a small shop. I bought a couple of litres of skimmed UHT milk (the next best thing to strawberry milkshakes) and then set off into the woodland, where my map showed that there was a good forestry track leading down the loch in the direction of Dornie.

I was keen to follow this track, because the alternative was to walk down the busy A87, which I wanted to avoid at all costs. The path started out well, and gradually climbed into the hills above the loch, giving fantastic views of the loch glittering in warm sunshine. But I soon became aware that the track was climbing higher and higher and there was no trace of the track branching off to the left which I had planned to take, to connect my route to a narrow by-road that would lead me the rest of the way to Dornie.

So I retraced my steps to where the junction should have been, and I thought I could discern the track in the woods. So I dived into the undergrowth in an attempt to follow it down. It was one of those situations where I should never have started, because once I did it was virtually impossible to go back. The undergrowth got thicker and thicker, and more and more impenetrable. Eventually, I did make it through to the by-road, but I was coved in scratches and cuts, and – worse – ticks. So as soon as I could, I found a secluded spot do a full check and to removed them all. So I survived, but at a price! In such situations in the future I simply must bury my pride and retrace my steps to find an easier route, rather than ploughing on and becoming increasingly committed.

Suitably chastened I followed the by-road up high above the loch, and was rewarded with stunning views in all directions. From the lookout at Carr Brae, the Isle of Skye came into view, with fine vistas of the Cuillin hills and of the new bridge at Kyle. As the road dropped down, the Eilean Donan castle came into sight. It’s a brilliant castle – built on an island and looking just like a castle should. There has been a fort or settlement of some sort here for around 1,400 years but the castle itself was built some years later, but then destroyed in the Jacobite rebellion in 1719. It was finally rebuilt in 1932 by a private benefactor.

Needless to say as soon as I arrived at the campsite I had a very long and thorough shower, and have now retired to the pub to lick my wounds. I have consoled myself with dinner of fresh local langoustines, which were absolutely excellent. The next task is to check tomorrow’s route on Google Earth to make sure it is actually there…”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

The petrol pump looked like it belonged in a different era – time moves slowly up here..	Just round the corner from the petrol pump was this post box, miles from anywhere (apart from the petrol pump), stuck in the middle of the wall. Next collection – this afternoon!
Yellow flag (iris) just starting to come into bloom in the marshland. Brightened up the landscape	Looking North West up Loch Duich. At the bend in the distance, it is joined by Loch Long from the right, and becomes Loch Alsh, heading West from Dornie. Got that??
Iconic Eilean Donan castle; the fuchsias growing in profusion in the hedgerows are testament to the effects of the Gulf Stream up here	The LEJOG hiker always has to be ready for the unexpected but this is one hazard that I wasn’t prepared for
Panorama over Loch Duich from Shiel Bridge this morning. Beautifully calm – but that means there’s no wind and that in turn means there are midges!

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 67: 29 May 2014; Kinloch Hourn to Shiel Bridge

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	67
Date	Thu 29 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 21m
Start point	Kinloch Hourn			End point	Shiel Bridge
Miles today	11.51			Cu miles	1,239.36
Ft today	3,350			Cu ft	172,681
Route miles left	262.79			Route ft left	31,128
Today’s weather	Overcast all day. Dry. Cool in morning, warmer later. 16C in valley. Variable light wind
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

This was the last of the four “big” post-WHW days: it was a relatively short hike from Kinloch Hourn to Shiel Bridge, but it traversed a high mountain pass and the route covered largely featureless moorland with no paths.   Well, at least that’s what my guidebook to the “Cape Wrath Trail” said, and this was indeed the latest long distance path I was following for this section my journey North.

I sometimes wonder if guidebooks make the hikes they describe deliberately sound difficult and dangerous, in order to deter people from doing them (that might not be a bad thing, in fact, in the case of the Ben Nevis hike).   But, although the route today was a bit tricky in parts, it wasn’t too difficult.   Actually, I really enjoyed it – the hills were blissfully quiet compared to the West Highland Way, and I only saw three or four other hikers all day.   I’d had a good night’s sleep in the excellent B&B at Kinloch Hourn so I was refreshed and made good time up to the Bealach at 2300 ft, reaching it in about 3 hours.

The path was rough to start with, then disappeared altogether, so I just made my way across the moorland in a direct line to the top.   I was very fortunate with the weather – cool with a light breeze to dispel the midges – and dry so the ground underfoot wasn’t too boggy.   The route also crossed a couple of rivers and I managed to get across by boulder-hopping and didn’t get my feet wet.   But if they’d been in spate, I think it would have been a different matter altogether.   I could see from the riverbanks how high they could get and I imagine after heavy rain they’d be pretty much impassable.

As I descended into Glen Shiel, hazy sunshine came through the clouds and the views back up to the Forcan Ridge (well known to climbers and hill-walkers) and across the glen to the Five Sisters of Kintail (a mountain range…) were stunning.  It seemed to be a pity to be passing through so quickly – there is so much here to see and explore, like so many places I’ve seen on this journey, it demanded a return trip.

Tomorrow it’s an easy day – a short, level hop round the coast to Ardelve.   So I’m planning on having a bit of a lie-in; maybe even until the breeze has picked up and the midges have blown away.   Well, you can always hope..

Note – full size pictures available now – originally I had to compress them owing to network connectivity limitations

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

About to set off from Kinloch Hourn this morning	Looking back towards Kinloch Hourn – a beautiful, remote, glen
Vivid green mosses evidently thrive in the damp climate	Looking up towards the Forcan Ridge, running down from The Saddle
The path down from the pass at Bealach Coire Mhalagain	This was one of the better stretches of the path – not easy on the feet!
Panorama over the Kintail mountains

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Day 66: 28 May 2014; Invergarry to Kinloch Hourn

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	66
Date	Wed 28 May 2014			Start to end time	08h 20m
Start point	Invergarry			End point	Kinloch Hourn
Miles today	25.95			Cu miles	1,227.85
Ft today	3,204			Cu ft	169,331
Route miles left	273.53			Route ft left	33,968
Today’s weather	Overcast and dull most of the day; sunny evening. Humid, very little wind. Abpout 16C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

This update is brought to you courtesy of a satellite uplink..

“Today was the third of the four “big days”, post-West Highland Way. It involved a 25 mile road walk from Invergarry to the very remote hamlet of Kinloch Hourn – the “dead-end” of the road, with nothing but sea and mountains beyond. As it turned out, as with many of the events that I’ve expected to be challenging for straightforward reasons – in this case the sheer length of the walk – it was challenging but not in quite the way I’d expected. In fact the hardest part of the day was right at the start – in getting up and packing away my gear.

I could see the midges massing themselves outside the fly-screen in my tent, and they went on the attack the moment I stepped out. Despite full protective gear, they were truly awful – probably the worst I’ve ever experienced. There were clouds of them everywhere (to the extent that when I unpacked my bag this evening, a large number, which I’d transported with me from the start, flew out again).

I packed and got moving as quickly as I could – once you’re walking, the slight breeze you create seems to dispel them, I kept my insect-proof gear on for as long as I could stand it – rapidly becoming drenched in sweat and discovering that Gore-tex is actually about as breathable as a hermetically sealed plastic bag.

The majority of the walk was along a narrow single track road which skirted loch Garry and then Loch Cuaich, both of which are reservoirs linked to hydroelectric schemes. The going was straightforward, and what little traffic there was on the road soon dropped away, and I pretty much had the road to myself.

Despite the overcast and generally rather gloomy skies, it slowly brightened up and the views, particularly to the remote mountains to the west, became increasingly impressive. The road got lonelier and lonelier, as the views got better and better. Along the way I encountered engineers building additional hydroelectric schemes; smaller ones, to complement the main one attached to Loch Cuaich.

The reservoirs themselves were pleasant enough to look at, but they do have a slightly unnatural look, with stark shorelines eroded as the water levels go up and down. They are definitely a reminder that hydroelectricity does come at a bit of an environmental price. I’m staying tonight at a B&B – café at the head of Kinloch Hourn. It’s a real gem and although it’s only 2 days since my last B&B I don’t feel too guilty about it, having walked 53 miles in the interim.

Tomorrow is the last of these 4 “big days” – the remote trek over the mountains to Shiel Bridge. I reckon it will take about 7 hours, bit will be making an early start, to allow plenty of time. So an early night tonight beckons!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

These innocent looking specks of winged dust were readying themselves to pounce as soon as I got out of my sleeping bag.	At the start of the long walk in to Kinloch Hourn. Looking slightly apprehensive as it’s a very long way…
I spotted this brightly coloured moth in the undergrowth as I was having lunch. Looked as if it was made of lapis lazuli	On the road to Kinloch Hourn, alongside Loch Cuaich. The remote Sgurr na Ciche range is centre left in the distance
It seems that the smaller and more innocent looking the insect, the more unpleasant it is. I strongly suspect this thing crawling over my leg in search of a grazing spot was a sheep-tick. It and its friend on my other leg were hastily despatched	The B&B and teashop at the end of the road in Kinloch Hourn where I am staying. A real gem in such a remote location.
Panorama looking West from above Kinloch Hourn

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 65: 27 May 2014; Fort William to Invergarry

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	65
Date	Tue 27 May 2014			Start to end time	08h 56m
Start point	Fort William			End point	Invergarry
Miles today	27.21			Cu miles	1,201.90
Ft today	2,934			Cu ft	166,127
Route miles left	313.38			Route ft left	42,210
Today’s weather	Fine and sunny in morning, overcast in afternoon. Rain in evening. Mild 16C. Light easterly breeze
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

Yesterday, for me, was one of the best – achievement of a significant goal, good company, and a night in an excellent B&B. So it was hard to see how today could be anything other than a bit of a disappointment in comparison. Plus the fact that this was going to be the second of the four “big” post-WHW days, with a hike of at least 25 miles.

So after a good night’s sleep, and in clean clothes which I’d been able to wash out the night before – and get dry, I set off from Fort William with relatively low expectations. But how wrong could I be! I’d done some major route re-engineering so today I followed the Great Glen Way alongside the Caledonian Canal, in the general direction of Inverness. My original plan had me heading into the wilderness to the North West into largely pathless moorland – and that option seemed considerably less attractive to me “in the field” than it did when I have planned it from the comfortable remoteness of home.

I stepped out of the B&B at about 7:30 am into a fine morning, with a clear blue sky and bright sunshine. I skirted round Fort William and quickly joined the Caledonian Canal. This is a magnificent piece of engineering, completed in 1822, and built by the gifted engineer Thomas Telford (he also built the Menai suspension bridge to Anglesey, and much of the A5 road). It joins the North Sea at Inverness to the Atlantic at Fort William, cutting out the journey round the north of Scotland. It’s well maintained – gardeners were hard at work mowing the grass alongside the canal as I walked – with impressive hydraulically-operated locks. I joined at Neptune’s Staircase – a flight of 8 such locks, and continued to follow it until the path reached Loch Lochy.

The Great Glen Way, or GGW, skirts along the northern shore of Loch Lochy, having crossed from the Southern side at Gairlochy. This was a significant moment – crossing the Great Glen geological fault and moving into the Northwest Highlands. One thing I’ve noticed about this walk is that, slightly depressingly, you are always at the “southernmost” point of something. After nine days walking in Scotland, for example, I reached the southernmost distillery. Then the next day I reached the southernmost Munro. And now, I was at the southernmost point of the North West Highlands. It would be nice, one day, to think I had actually reached the most northerly point of something!!

Walking along the shores of Loch Lochy was really enjoyable – a good track, relatively level, and excellent vistas to the south, back over to Ben Nevis. The sun shone, and it reminded me a lot of the walk along the shores of Derwentwater to Keswick, only drier. I stopped off at Laggan for a bacon sandwich (no rolls) in a floating pub, then rejoined the canal and finished off the walk to Invergarry with a short road-walk. I normally avoid road-walking when I can, but today I had no option as I needed to visit the shop at the “Well of the Seven Heads” to get provisions for tomorrow – as this is the last shop on my walk for 45 miles, until I reach Shiel Bridge.

The curious name reflects a gory history – seven murderers were captured and beheaded here in 1665, and their decapitated heads washed in the nearby well. The monument to their demise is interesting in itself – a sort of Rosetta Stone, with inscriptions in Latin, French, English and Gaelic.

I arrived at the campsite after 27 miles walking, making this by some margin the longest day of the hike so far (the first day, surprisingly, was the previous longest). I was quite tired when I arrived and tempted just to put the tent up and go to bed. But I remembered the experience of Chepstow where I’d skipped a meal and suffered the next day as a result, I made myself walk the mile and a half back to the pub for a decent meal. Hard work – and I’m not looking forward to the hike back – but essential as I have another 25-miler tomorrow.

But all in all, a great day, unexpectedly enjoyable.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

At the “original” end of the West Highland Way this morning. The “new” end is further down the road, in the centre of Fort William	I must admit I find Gaelic nearly as indecipherable as Welsh, but at least it makes use of vowels
The northern cliffs of Ben Nevis. We were standing just feet from these at the summit, yesterday	At the swing bridge over the Caledonian Canal – the only remaining “original” bridge over the canal. Only the local farmer is allowed to use it.
On the shores of Loch Lochy, so good they named it twice	The multi-lingual monument at the gory Well of the Seven Heads
Panorama looking North over the Caledonian Canal, just above Neptune’s Staircase

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 64: 26 May 2014; Glen Nevis to Fort William

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	64
Date	Mon 26 May 2014			Start to end time	08h 41m
Start point	Glen Nevis			End point	Fort William
Miles today	11.92			Cu miles	1,174.69
Ft today	4,962			Cu ft	163,193
Route miles left	324.72			Route ft left	42,768
Today’s weather	Overcast and humid at start. Light cloud on summit, sunshine in afternoon, rain by evening. About 2C on summit. Very little wind
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“My route has four “big days” after finishing the West Highland Way, and this was the first of them. The ascent of Ben Nevis – highest point in the UK, and the sixth of the eight “milestones” on the LEJOG route (the others, already completed, are Lizard, Land’s End, Snowdon, Wigan-halfway, and Scafell Pike; only John O’Groats and Dunnet Head remain now). The next three days are also “big” because they involve 25 mile-plus hikes, or traverse pathless mountain ranges.

I was lucky to have company, again, on today’s hike in the form of our younger son, Rob – a former Scout and participant in the Sweden Jamboree. He’d just finished his year 1 exams at University and was able to make the journey up to Fort William to join me. So, just as on Scafell Pike, I had company which made the climb that much more enjoyable.

We made an early start to ensure that we didn’t have to rush the ascent. I dismantled my tent from the Glen Nevis campsite and carried my full pack to the top – as one of my other “rules” for the hike is that I have to carry my gear all the way to everywhere I stay. It’s quite heavy so I knew I’d be slow. I also wanted to get away early as I thought the hike might be busy, this being a Bank Holiday Monday.

So at 7:30 am we started the climb, battling through a sea of vicious midges. Full body armour was required until we got to about 1,000 ft where the breeze picked up and the temperature fell sufficiently to dispel them. The good thing about Ben Nevis is that, although you start from an altitude of just 59 ft, you go straight up, all the way. There are no false summits or annoying descents which waste precious altitude. So we plodded up, and only stopped once for a snack on the way up.

The weather was pretty benign. Although the forecast had been for thunderstorms, it was mostly clear and bright for the ascent, with occasional glimpses of sun. The swirling mist revealed tantalising glimpses of the summit, so we pressed on quickly, through rapidly falling temperatures. We hit snow at about 2,700 ft at by the time we reached the summit plateau, the snow cover was pretty much continuous. It was just above freezing at the top – a stark contrast with the valley below which was about 15 degrees warmer.

The summit itself is an interesting place – the UK’s highest war memorial, a ruined observatory, and a refuge hut surround the iconic trig point. There were a few people there but it was so cold we didn’t hang around for long.

By the way, for aficionados of statistics, I completed the “Three Peaks” in 32 days, and from starting the ascent of Snowdon to finishing the descent of Ben Nevis, I walked 573 miles.

On the way down, we met an almost continuous crocodile of hikers aiming for the summit – one advantage of the early start was that we’d missed most of this. The summit-pilgrims were wearing an interesting variety of clothing – from full mountain gear with trekking poles and mittens, to those in t-shirts and shorts with just trainers on their feet. I heard one such climber, wading through thigh-depth snow in her plimsolls, exclaim “I didn’t expect it to be like THIS”. I did wonder exactly what she expected the summit of a 4,000ft Scottish mountain to be like, and what had happened to the principle of precautionary common sense.

Anyway, we descended swiftly – the ascent took 4 hours and it was 3 hours to get back. I’ve treated myself to a B&B tonight in preparation for the next section of the walk, and after a hot shower am going out to sample the culinary delights of Fort William. Celebratory battered haggis, here we come!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Preparing to set off. The midges were out in force this morning – full biological warfare protection needed!	Looking down into Glen Nevis from about about halfway up the mountain
On one of the snowfields approaching the summit. There was actually more snow than I’d expected	Anyone know what sort of bird this is?? (Subsequent expert consensus is that it is a rare late-season snow bunting)
With my son, Rob, at the summit of Ben Nevis	Solo summit pic with full Scouting regalia! The highest person in the UK, at that particular moment!
Panorama looking North West from just below the summit, as the clouds lifted

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 63: 25 May 2014; Kinlochleven to Glen Nevis

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	63
Date	Sun 25 May 2014			Start to end time	05h 30m
Start point	Kinlochleven			End point	Glen Nevis
Miles today	14.67			Cu miles	1,162.77
Ft today	2,972			Cu ft	158,231
Route miles left	335.77			Route ft left	47,229
Today’s weather	Showery in the morning, clear with sunny intervals around noon, showers in late afternoon. Light Easterly breeze. Around 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“If Friday was the day of the Massed Hikers, and Saturday was the day of the Mountain Bikers, then today must have been the Day of the Fell Runners. It seems that the West Highland Way is a sort of recreational motorway, and today it was the turn of the fellrunners to appear in their hundreds. I don’t think it was a race, as they appeared to be running both North and South on the track, but it certainly seemed to be a popular pastime. And the people doing it seemed to be a breed apart – small and wiry, and apparently at ease on the mountains with a T shirt, shorts and trainers, and little else. I admired their fortitude.

But I must admit I was glad to leave Kinlochleven this morning. The campsite is small at the best of times, and half of what used to be camping area has now been occupied by, presumably more lucrative, Hobbit Houses. Being a Bank Holiday Saturday, and with decent weather to boot, the campers were out in their droves, so I was cheek by jowl with the sweaty climbers (except I think they were sweaty mountain bikers) that I had so cunningly avoided at Glencoe. So it was noisy and I didn’t get that much sleep. It was raining when I got up, so I didn’t hang around and was away before 8. Curiously, by the way, despite the wet, there were no slugs this morning. Must be something to do with the soil. Or maybe they don’t like midges either.

I made a good pace up the side of the Glen to reach a plateau area which overlooks Loch Leven. The clouds started to lift and by late morning, the sun was shining. I managed to get to the summit, where the path starts to drop down into Glen Nevis, before the various sporting hordes arrived, and I enjoyed the solitude. As the path goes round the corner into Glen Nevis, you start to get impressive views of Ben Nevis itself, looming over the glen. Today it was shrouded in wraiths of mist and it looked like a very forbidding destination for tomorrow’s walk!

Once again, I was running early so unusually I took a detour to a “vitrified fort”, which added both distance and climbing. There wasn’t much evidence of the fort, or of its vitrification, but it made a brilliant spot to enjoy outstanding views up and down Glen Nevis.

I descended through the woods to the campsite in Glen Nevis where I am writing this. I am cocooned in my tent, sheltering from the rain which has just started and the midges which have just smelled blood. My next task is to complete the preparations for ascent of “The Ben” tomorrow. I’m both apprehensive and excited at the prospect of ticking off one of the most important milestones on my journey. Here’s hoping for good weather!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Congested camping at Kinlochleven today. My tent is in forecground	Dramatic skies as mountains emerge from the gloom south of Loch Leven (a sea-loch)
Ben Nevis (the large mountain on the right) – tomorrow’s destination!	The “vitrified fort” at Dun Deardail – built 2000 years ago but destroyed in an intense, deliberate, fire – so intense the rocks melted and turned to glass. The rocks in the picture are supposed to be vitrified but personally I wasn’t convinced..
Fell runners were the theme of today’s walk. Harder than backpacking but not quite as agonising as mountain biking, I surmised	Broom bushes were in flower in Glen Nevis. Like gorse but without the spikes. And a different smell
Panorama over Loch Leven, with Kinlochleven at the left

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 62: 24 May 2014; Glencoe to Kinlochleven

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	62
Date	Sat 24 May 2014			Start to end time	04h 45m
Start point	Glencoe			End point	Kinlochleven
Miles today	10.51			Cu miles	1,148.10
Ft today	1,729			Cu ft	155,259
Route miles left	349.09			Route ft left	49,266
Today’s weather	Fine and dry. Light cloud in morning with long sunny periods. Cloudy in afternoon. Light Easterly breeze. About 15C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“It took me a minute to work out what was odd about my tent this morning. After puzzling for a moment, I realised that it wasn’t wet. Yes, it hadn’t rained overnight and the breeze had kept the dew off. So for the first time since I set off 61 days ago (yes, really), the tent was dry when I put it away. I also realised that at 1,110 ft this was probably going to be the highest camp on the hike.

So, light headed through lack of oxygen, I set off towards Kinlochleven. I’d decided to break the walk to Fort William into two shorter sections because I knew that I had some very difficult walks ahead, once I’d arrived in Glen Nevis – so I wanted to conserve strength. It’s also a scenically spectacular section of the walk and I didn’t particularly want to rush it.

After passing the Kingshouse (where I decided it was too early to stop for a cup of tea), the route continued down Glencoe then climbed sharply up to the Beinn Bheag ridge via a path called the Devil’s Staircase. And not without reason – it zig zags sharply and painfully up nearly 1000 ft in under a mile. The summit is the highest point in the WHW and from the top there are spectacular views all round – back to Glencoe, across into the top of Glen Etive and North towards Ben Nevis. The other remarkable thing that happens when you drop down off the top is that all noise stops. The road, which cuts through the silence of Glencoe, disappears out of earshot. There are no birds, streams or people up there to break the silence. There was no wind, either, so eerie silence filled the air. It was like wrapping your head in dense velvet, as there was nothing at all to hear.

But my reverie was soon shattered, when a stream of mountain-bikers started zooming down the hill past me. I’ve never seen mountain bikes in such large numbers on the hills before and I thought that it looked like an extremely uncomfortable sport. Agonising bumps and spine-jarring drops made it look like an activity I’d probably want to avoid. I think there may have been a competition underway as I can’t believe that on a “normal” Saturday there would be quite so many of them.

Descending down the path to Kinlochleven, the route entered birch forests and I noticed that, just like the pine and spruce forests of Cheshire and Wales, these have their own characteristic smell. It’s quite distinctive, like something you’d get in an expensive shower gel, and not something I’d noticed before. There was also lots of bog myrtle growing along the pathside, especially higher up, and this also has a pungent, herbal aroma which reminded me a bit of the smell you get in those expensive health food shops in Covent Garden.

So, accompanied by the sound of a cuckoo calling out in the woods, I walked down into Kinlochleven alongside the water pipes from the hydroelectric dam at Blackwater. They looked poorly maintained to me, as several of them were fountaining spouts of water which must be wasting lots of the potential energy. The campsite I’m in tonight is next to the hydroelectric power station in Kinlochleven at the end of the pipes. It’s operated by Rio Tinto Alcan which used to feed the electricity to an adjoining aluminium smelting mill. The mill is closed now and has been turned into an outdoor sports centre. The electricity goes into the National Grid but I believe Alcan buy back an equivalent amount for use at their other aluminium smelter in Fort William. So another early finish, which leaves me a few minutes to have a look round the village before the midges come out!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Iconic view of Buachaille Etive Mor over Rannoch Moor this morning	Classic “U”-shaped glacial valley above Glen Etive
Looking down the zig-zags of the Devil’s Staircase	At the top of the Devil’s Staircase and also the highest point on the WHW (1800ft)
Mountain bikers – there were hundreds on them on the route over the Devil’s Staircase today. Looks remarkably uncomfortabe..	The pipes leading down from the hydroelectric dam at Blackwater Reservoir looked to be in poor condition – severeal of them were leaving and throwing great spumes of water into the air
Panorama from the top of the Devil’s Staircase, looking North towards Ben Nevis

The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line

Day 61: 23 May 2014; Tyndrum to Glencoe

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014			Day	61
Date	Fri 23 May 2014			Start to end time	07h 10m
Start point	Tyndrum			End point	Glencoe
Miles today	18.98			Cu miles	1,137.59
Ft today	2,734			Cu ft	153,530
Route miles left	359.40			Route ft left	50,610
Today’s weather	Bright with broken white cloud and sunny intervals. Dry. Strong North Easterly wind. About 8C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“I’d enjoyed a highly nutritious dinner of fish and chips followed by cake and beer at the Real Food Café in Tyndrum last night and then remembered that I’d lost my razor and also that my rucksack hip-belt had started to come adrift from the bag. So at 10 o’clock I started scouring the Highlands for shaving equipment and a sewing kit. Remarkably, I found both at a petrol station and I immediately concluded that in view of its two railway stations, excellent restaurant and very handy petrol station, I liked Tyndrum a lot.

I effected a makeshift repair of my rucksack then managed to get a good night’s sleep. Despite the fact, by the way, that at this time of year up here it stays fully daylight until nearly 11pm. I set my alarm for 6 am so I could get an early start this morning. I’d scheduled a long day walking to King’s House, and this involved a lot of climbing and also a traverse of Rannoch Moor. So I wanted to get away early so I didn’t have to rush. Leaving early also had the advantage of giving me a couple of hours on the path on my own. At about 10 am, every day since I joined the West Highland Way, hordes of walkers seem to disgorge themselves from their B&Bs and hotels and start plodding along the path. It’s nice to have people to say “hello” to (and one group gave me a generous donation to my charity) but I must admit I think I prefer having the route to myself. At heart I must be just antisocial!

In terms of scenic magnificence, this route probably topped the list on the LEJOG hike so far – possibly even beating the traverse of Loughrigg Terrace in the Lake District. The weather was clear with lots of sun, and the low temperature and stiff breeze kept the midges away. But the ascent from Tyndrum and then the expanding vistas over Rannoch Moor were simply magnificent. There were snow capped Munros in all directions, and at one point I think I glimpsed Ben Nevis in the distance. Very hard to beat, anywhere in the world.

Rannoch Moor always invokes awe in hikers – it’s bleak, large and remote. But this was at least the second time I’d traversed it and I’ve never found it too problematic (though generally I’ve been lucky with the weather). It’s impossible to get lost on the WHW path, and it’s very well maintained. I completed the 10 mile traverse in under 3 hours and it just flew by. Perhaps it was the magnificence of the scenery, or maybe my 1,100 mile hike has made me fitter, but I didn’t find today’s route too difficult at all. The trouble is, though, that my average speed has increased a bit so I tend to arrive at my destination in the early afternoon, which can leave me with time on my hands. I guess I should just start later in the mornings, but that would put me in the thick of the walking masses, which I’m not sure I could cope with..

I’d been planning to end the hike at King’s House Hotel and wild camp by the river. But as I entered Glencoe, I saw a sign advertising a “proper” campsite that had just opened at the base station of the chairlift which serves the nearby ski-centre. It has proper hot showers and a rather nice log cabin dining room. Given that my original plan involved wild camping and then sharing a bar with sweaty climbers topped off by getting washed in the river, I didn’t think about it for too long. So I changed my plans and have camped here, complete with stunning views of Buachikle Etive Mor – the Great Heardsman of Etive – one of Scotland’s most imposing mountains. All I need now is a midge-free evening to make the day perfect!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

The overnight sleeper from London heading out of Tyndrum for Fort William this morning	Overlooking Beinn Dorain and Rannoch Moor. Ben Nevis is I think just visible to the right of my head
The settlement and hotel at Bridge of Orchy. Not sure which came first – the hotel or the railway station	Butterwort – an insectivorous plant that traps insects in its sticky leaves then dissolves them. I think I could do with a few in my tent to remove midges
At the high point of the section of the WHW crossing Rannoch Moor – about 1,400 ft	There is a whole new vocabulary to go with Glamping. These are “Hobbit Houses”.
Panorama over desolate Rannoch Moor this lunchtime

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