Day 5 - Inveroran to Kinlochleven

View from Victoria Bridge

Forest Lodge

If Day 4 was less challenging, the West Highland Way certainly made up for it on Day 5.  A full breakfast was followed by donning of the raincoat, although the overtrousers stayed in the rucksack to start with.  The rain was a little on and off for the first mile but then, as I passed Forest Lodge it started much heavier and so I stopped under a tree and slid the waterproofs on over my walking trousers.  At this point I was spotted by Angela who had stayed at Bridge of Orchy the previous night.  We walked together for the rest of the day.

 

Rannoch Moor before us

The path was along military roads which meant that the terrain was a little rocky but allowed a pace slightly above 3mph.  We gradually climbed up higher, past forest plantations until we crossed over the River Ba and a couple of miles further on we went past the cairn marking the highest point of this section and started the gentle descent towards Glencoe ski resort and Kingshouse.

Development work at Kingshouse

It was here that the sheer size of Rannoch Moor was realised.  As far as the eye could see there were small lochs, surrounded by marshes and peat bogs.  Wandering off the path would have been foolhardy, so we didn’t.  Kingshouse was the halfway stage for the day and with the rain still undecided as to whether it would shower us or skirt us I was looking forward to a brew at the cafe.  I knew Kingshouse hotel was being refurbished (amid much controversy about the design) but what I didn’t know was the promise to keep the Climbers Bar open during the refurb had been disregarded.  Needless to say all I could do was refill my water bottles in the toilet block (which was thankfully still open) and press on.  It wasn’t ideal as there were no other facilities until Kinlochleven, another 10 miles on.

Stob Dearg

We hadn’t gone much further when the Running Man (and Chinese movie star) himself, Scottish John, came past.  He decided he would walk with us for a while and take on some fluids.  Out came a can of Old Jamaica Ginger Beer which he proceeded to spray everywhere.  Running 12 miles with a can of fizzy pop in your bag and then opening it was asking for trouble.  After his performance, reminiscent of winning a Grand Prix, he set off again, determined to pass a couple of other runners a few hundred metres ahead.  They obviously didn’t realise they were in a race because they let him pass without protest.  A little later we saw him in the distance as he ascended the Devil’s Staircase.  At the top he turned round and shadow boxed, just like Rocky at the top of the steps of Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Except without several hundred kids following him.  He really is a film star, albeit a Chinese film star.

Looking back at Devil's Staircase

 We continued up towards the head of Glen Coe, with the mountains to our left looking very impressive and then we veered away from the road and started the ascent of the Devil’s Staircase.  It was hard going and from the bottom it looked a very long way to the top.  Indeed I had to use the walking poles in order to help get my body up to the summit.  It was slow progress but eventually we both made it to the top and celebrated reaching the highest point of the WHW with a High 5 on Day 5.

Heading down towards Kinlochleven

From the highest point, surely it would all be downhill to Kinlochleven from here ??  How wrong can you be??!!  The path dropped down for a while then started to rise again, so more climbing necessary.  The Way seemed to tease us, around each corner would be another bit of ascent followed by some steady descent.  We got talking to an Austrian guy called Ivan (pronounced Eeevan) and discovered he was wild camping his way round Scotland for the next 30 days.  Wow – much respect due.  We all 3 walked together pretty much right into the centre of Kinlochleven.  We did see one guy who was sat down by the track.  We asked if he was OK and he said yes, he’d just left his girlfriend behind and was waiting for her.  Ten minutes later he passed, without his girlfriend and strode purposefully towards Kinlochleven.  Given his lack of gallantry, later that evening we questioned if they were still together.  I then wondered if she hadn’t just been made up on the spot to throw us from the fact that he got caught having a little rest……..

As we walked alongside the huge pipes that carry the water from Blackwater Reservoir down to the HEP station at Kinlochleven, we passed some glamping pods (lifted, by the look of things, straight from Hobbiton).  Suddenly out popped Bilbo Baggins, sorry, I mean John, post-run cigarette between his lips and presented us with a strawberry and banana smoothie each.  First time I’ve ever had one (and it was alright to be honest) – maybe he was giving a subtle hint as to how to hone my body into that of an athlete.  I did decline a cigarette from him, though – I don’t want to be too much of an athlete.

By now it was approaching 4pm – we had covered 20 miles in 7 hours over some tough ground.  I was very pleased with that performance and also that my knees and feet were still in very good shape. 

We headed to our respective B&Bs, leaving John to watch a girl struggle to put her tent up in the wind and rain right outside his pod (which apparently looked just like a Tootsie Roll – his pod, not her tent).  He told us later he did consider offering to help her but instead just sparked up another tab and watched her weep gently in the rain, her shelter for the night failing to become the tent she was hoping for.  Life is full of quandaries.  Sometimes the opportunity to help a fellow human being presents itself.  Usually the voice in our head urges us get involved, whatever the cost.  Sometimes, though, the voice whispers “why not just have a cigarette instead?”

The Tail Race - our evening venue

We arranged with John to meet at the Tail Race pub in town at about 6pm for food, drink and to swap more stories.

Arriving at the pub at about 6.20pm there were a good number of us.  Taylor and MC from DC were sat in a booth and John was there with some new friends he’d made.  One of them, let’s call him Lewis ‘cos that’s his name, was slightly merry and mumbled on about him being on his afternoon off and having spent it drinking.  He was a bit slurry but quite able to engage in debate about EU Fisheries policy.  He was however unable to walk in a straight line to the toilet and kept bouncing off people and things.  As John introduced him to us he asked where I was staying.  I told him (probably safer not to say where, for the purposes of this blog).  "Oh, I own that place" he said.  I immediately though he was joking (or simply very confused) but then he whipped his phone out and proceeded to tell me what my surname was.  Brilliant, I thought, Scottish Fawlty Towers.

This caused quite a bit of amusement for everyone concerned, the exception being me.  I ordered some food at the bar and sat down with Taylor, MC, Angela and kept a space for John too.  Our food duly arrived but as we were eating “Lewis” came up behind me, cupped my head in his hands and kissed me on the top of the head.  A very attentive landlord, no doubt about that.  At this point I was trying to remember whether or not my room had a security chain on the inside.  Lewis then offered by buy a drink "for the ladies".  3 margheritas was his suggestion.  Now I’d been in the Tail Race less than an hour and even I knew it wasn’t the type of place to sell margheritas (except maybe the pizza variety).  Lewis headed off to the bar and wasn’t seen again.

By this point we’d been joined by 3 American lads, Will, Ross and Ned, who we’d all seen at various stages of the walk.  I passed them on Day 1 as they were trying to work out how a kissing gate operated.  I came past them, through the gate, and almost heard that lightbulb moment of realisation.  It turned out they have been making a film over the course of the walk.  It’s quite a highbrow film, I think, as they expect a certain degree of viewer intelligence to work out what is going on rather than you being spoon-fed the plot.  Target audience is ‘Trail Folk’ which basically means anyone who has hiked on any trail anywhere for at least a day.  They said they still have a lot of post-production  work to do in order to get something that works.  I will be credited as Random Man (given they apparently filmed my approach to the kissing gate on Day 1).  I enquired about royalties but, as a non-speaking extra, there won’t be any.  On the plus side I will probably be invited to Cannes next year for the premiere.

We were then joined in the pub by Kieran who had, once again, been snubbed by the very friends he had come all the way from Germany to walk the Way with.  Unable to fully participate in his group’s hike, he had been turned into a pariah.  By this time, though, we had adopted him into our group and welcomed him into the circle of friendship.  I believe he was genuinely touched.

Eventually it was time to think about bed so we agreed that for all of us our rendezvous point for the next day would be the Great Glen Inn, a pub right by the finishing line statue. 

So with one last day to cover the 16 miles to Fort William everyone parted in good spirits.