Important Info

Planned kilometres: 18 (cummulative 1394)

Kilometres walked: 18 (cummulative 1466)

% Completed: 80.6%

Weather: Overcast with one short rain shower

Pubs visited: Tailrace Inn

Pints: 1 (cummulative 171)

Kms per pint: 8.6

Blisters: 0 (cummulative 4)

 

Glencoe Resort to Kinlochleven

I was glad I was in a hobbit hut last night as around 9pm a storm arrived with strong winds and lashing rain. I could hear the wind buffeting the hut and was very happy inside with the heater going to keep me warm. When I looked outside in the morning the storm had passed and the day looked okay.

 

According to an online guide, Black Rock cottage (white stonewashed cottage) is one of the most photographed buildings in Scotland. I made sure I took a photo to keep up this reputation and took the standard photo of the cottage with Buachaille Etive Mor in the background.

 

As I walked the pathway to the start of the ‘Devils Staircase’, the cloud covering the top of Buachaille Etive Mor cleared and I managed to get a clear photo of the mountain.

 

It was then time to climb the ‘Devils Staircase’ which is scarily named but wasn’t as bad as it sounds. It was a 305-metre climb to summit at 550 metres and it was good to get the only big climb of the day over and done early. In the photo below the pathway zigzags up to the top of the hill in the middle of the photo.

 

View from the summit back down to the road (small line in middle left of photo) where I started the climb.

 

From the summit the trail that I needed to take could be easily seen in the distance.

 

The town of Kinlochleven used to have a large aluminium smelter that used water supplied by large pipeline from Blackwater reservoir. At the top of the pipeline Kinlochleven town could be easily seen at the bottom of the valley, however the walking route took another few kms to get descend the 300 metres. It was one of those deceiving walks where the town looked only 20 minutes away and I expected to be finish quickly but it took me at least another hour to finally arrive in the town.

 

As I headed into town, it was just after lunch and too early to check into my hotel, so I stoped at the Tailrace Inn to have lunch and a pint. On the way to my hotel from the pub, I notice that someone in Kinlochleven has a passion for gnomes as this is the most I have ever seen in one front garden.