Scots Wha Hae! Part 5 - Walking the Way: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Did you read Part 4?

Getting ready to hit the trail on Hiking Day 2!

We slept well on Monday night in the Kingshouse Hotel (in the town of Kingshouse), aided by the white noise of the fan continuing to dry our wet gear from our first hiking day on the West Highland Way.  By the time we awoke, almost everything was ready, which was amazing; only a few more minutes with the hair dryer and my hiking boots, and we were good to go!  We headed downstairs with our suitcases packed, dropped them in the drying room (where they'd be picked up by the transport service arranged by the amazing folks at Mickledore Travel and deposited at our next lodging spot, the Allt-Na-Leven Guest House in Kinlochleven), and then hit up the breakfast buffet.  With this being our shortest day on the Way, we had plenty of time to lounge around in the restaurant, and we made solid work of the wide variety of breakfast options (we believe in carbo loading in this house).

Another morning, another cup of tea!

Due to the later start, I also took the opportunity to wander around the hotel's grounds and take some shots I couldn't get the afternoon prior, when it was steadily raining.

The hotel really is in a beautiful part of the country

We could see a bit more of Etive Mor this morning

Enjoying the comfy chairs in the lobby

Eventually, it was time to hit the trail, and we picked up our prepared lunches (sandwiches, fruit, chips, and sweets, provided by the hotel for an extra fee) from the front desk before heading out.  Today's hike would take us around 9 miles (9.72 by my watch) into the town of Kinlochleven by going over the Devil's Staircase and to the highest point of the Way.  We'd take about 4 and a half hours to complete this stretch, including all breaks and a fun detour at the end.

Thankfully, our weather was much nicer on Hiking Day 2.  The temperature was about the same (in the low 50s) and it was a bit breezy; however, the rain mostly held off, and we even saw the sun peek out a few times!  Truly, it was a beautiful day for a hike.

Our path started off relatively flat, and we paralleled the A82 motorway as we headed up into the nearby hills.

The path out of Kingshouse, with Etive Mor in the distance

Looking back toward the Kingshouse Hotel and Rannoch Moor

We climbed a bit as we looked out over the River Coupall and the surrounding hills.

We crossed a lot of streams while on the Way, although it was hard to tell what was normally a stream
and what was just there temporarily, due to Storm Amy

We could see the small cottage of Lagangarbh getting closer, and eventually, we were at the foot of the Devil's Staircase.  

Lagangarbh - cute, right?  Can't beat the views!

Here we go!

The Staircase itself isn't quite as bad as the name would lead you to believe; it likely acquired the moniker from the English soldiers who had to build this part of the road (and who were probably beset by rainy weather and angry highlanders while they were doing it, let's be honest).  While the hike here is steep, it's also through a very manageable set of switchbacks, and there are plenty of spots to stop and catch your breath.

You'll want to stop every now and then, anyway, so you don't miss views like this:

Switchbacks undulating below us

We also found more Scottish red deer on this stretch of the hike; at first, we saw just one set of antlers pop up, then disappear over the ridge.  Figuring we'd missed him, we were thrilled when a whole herd appeared over the spine!

The scout

A video of the herd

Before too long, we'd reached the top of the Staircase, and we chilled out on the convenient cairn pile to have some lunch.

Sandwich time!  Mine was roasted veggie, while Chris had smoked salmon, and they were both pretty good.

Legs moderately rested, it was time to keep going!  The trail starts a gradual descent at this point - very gradual.  We were at 1800 feet and Kinlochleven is at sea level, but there was still a solid 6ish miles to go.

The Trailblazer guide at this point says, "Highland Grandeur!" and it was darn hard to disagree.

Seeing blue sky was so exciting by this point.

That's the Blackwater Reservoir.

Coming down toward Kinlochleven

With a few miles to go, we dropped down into a birch grove, then onto a painfully steep fire road which brought us the rest of the way into town.

Starting to glimpse Kinlochleven in the distance

On the fire road - Chris' face conveys the amount of enjoyment we were having on this stretch

More damage from Storm Amy

Kinlochleven really boomed as a town due to the dam and aluminum smelter constructed in the mid 1900s, but by 2000, the heavy industry had mostly petered out, and the smelter closed.  Today, the town mainly exists to serve walkers on the West Highland Way (and other outdoor enthusiasts - part of the old smelter is now a climbing center), and while the selection of inns and restaurants is somewhat limited, everyone there is remarkably friendly and helpful.

We knew we were getting close to town when we started seeing the massive pipes used to bring water over the nearby ridges and into the smelter.

Looking down at town and the old smelter

Although we were close to our lodging for the night, we had one more stop to make before we checked in - at the Wee Midgie Honesty Box!  Honesty boxes are all along the Way, and the folks that own them stock them with treats, supplies (including first aid items), and souvenirs for hikers to purchase as they move past on the trail.  Hikers use cash or QR codes to pay for the items they take, and generally, they seem to work pretty well (they can be a lifesaver in the more remote areas).  Most of the honesty boxes are on the southern end of the trail, which we didn't hike on this trip, and I was so excited when the Wee Midgie opened in Kinlochleven, just a month or two before we started our hike on the Way!

It didn't disappoint!

Their Facebook page also features updates on their flock of chickens, which are delightful as well

The Midgie is named for the Scottish midge, a flying, biting insect that is the bane of hikers all across the country.

Thankfully, it was past midge season when we walked the Way.

We ended up buying an Empire biscuit, which we crammed in our faces right away,

and a cute magnet, which we did not

Detour completed, it was over the River Leven bridge and onto the main drag to find our lodging for the night, the Allt na Leven Guest House (which used to serve as Kinlochleven's village store).  Although the house held only a few rooms, it was the best appointed place we'd stay on the trip, and our bedroom and bathroom were spacious.  The owners of the house had already placed our luggage in our rooms, and after ditching our boots in the entryway (their request), we unpacked a bit before going on a quick visit to the pub next door, the Highland Getaway.

All of our damp boots lined up in a row

Time for pints and crisps!

My beer is from River Leven Ales, a local brewery

After relaxing at the pub for a short while, it was back to our room to unpack further, shower and change, and start the day's recovery process.

They didn't have tubs at Allt na Leven, so it was time to break out the foldable bucket for a foot soak!

(That's the guest house's clipboard - I know it wouldn't be out of character, but I don't actually travel with my own)

(Also, that's Nuun in the water bottle on the window shelf)

We lounged for a few hours, and eventually, it was time to walk back next door to the Highland Getaway for dinner.  I had the special steak and ale pie (which came with a huge puff pastry on top), while Chris went with the standard fish and chips; while our meals were both good, they weren't the best we had on the trip, although the sticky toffee pudding for dessert was absolutely incredible.  Full, we meandered across the street to the co-op to buy more crisps (for later!), and then back to our room to hit the hay.

Cleaned up and ready to eat!

Downtown Kinlochleven - not a whole lot going on around here, but incredible scenery

I didn't mean for this shot to be so blurry, but it does a nice job of visually representing
Chris' struggle with this packet of malt vinegar - he never did get it open.

We also engaged in an unintentional round of "stump the bartender" when I asked for a bourbon and ginger ale;

no bourbon was to be found, so I went with a gin and tonic instead.

Later, I saw the bartender frantically searching something on his phone, and I heard him exclaim:

"OH!  Bourbon is American whiskey!"

The super moon over the old smelter

Tired after another day of hiking, we sacked out pretty hard, ready to sleep well before we started our final day on the trail!

Later!

Amy