Day 17: Fort William to Kinlochleven
Distance: 13.62 miles / 21.92 km
Weather: Rain for most of the day
Start: 08:23
Finish: 14:25
Today marked the beginning of a new chapter in the journey – I’m officially on the West Highland Way. And with that came proper hill walking for the first time in a while. No gentle meanders or roadside strolls here – this was real terrain, real scenery, and, naturally, real rain.
After about an hour of dry-ish weather, the skies opened up and didn’t let up for the rest of the walk. In true Scottish fashion, the rain decided to relent exactly when I finished – by the time I was back at the campsite it was blue skies and sunshine.
I walked the entire route with Jacky (who I finally get to introduce properly in the video below!) Having someone to share the miles with made a wet and wild trail pass quite quickly. We passed around 70 or 80 people heading toward Fort William – a reminder of just how popular the West Highland Way is. We also met a walker called Nathan along the way, who’s wild camping his way to Land’s End,
We’re spending the night on a stunning campsite right on the banks of Loch Leven. It’s beautifully kept, and the view is a peaceful contrast to today’s soggy hills. In a lovely gesture the campsite owner waived our fee – so I’ll be putting the usual camping costs straight into the fundraising pot.
Tomorrow it’s a shorter walk on paper – just 10.56 miles – but it comes with 2,600 feet of ascent, including the infamous Devil’s Staircase. It’s going to be a climb, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Glencoe has in store.
