Walk 1495 - printer friendly version

WHW - Day 5 - Inveroran to Kinlochleven Walk

Author - Peter Smyly

Length - 19.0 miles / 30.9 km

Ascent - 0 feet / 0 metres

Grade - moderate

Start - OS grid reference NN275415
Lat 56.53376276 + Long -4.806587585
Postcode PA36 4AQ (approx. location only)

On setting off today, it was a relief to escape from swarms of midges as, with a backdrop of distant mountains, the main road away from the Inveroran Hotel led past fields and over Victoria Bridge. Loch Tulla is seen briefly from the bridge but it disappears behind tree cover after that and the best view of it turns out to have been the one looking down on it the previous day. The Old Military Road passes a few tree plantations and then a sizeable, though shallow, lochan that forms a pleasant foreground to distant peaks. There were views of mountains with snow patches rising above coniferous forests beyond moorland on the left. Ba Bridge over the River Ba presents some picturesque rock formations in the river and this area is known as the Black Mount. Rannoch Moor, however, is too far away to make a clear impression this time with just a distant glimpse of it's lakes. Buachaille Etive Mor, one of Scotland's best-known peaks, stands sentinel at the head of Glencoe and looked as impressive as ever with its giant pyramid-like appearance and massive cliffs. It would not look out of place in the French Alps.

After crossing the busy A82, most WHW walkers stop at the Kings House Hotel, with its climbers' bar, a popular refreshment stop, given the hotel's isolated position from any similar amenities. The path reaches the main road through Glencoe briefly before heading up the Devil's Staircase, a grand name for a stony path that winds its was up heathery slopes to the skyline to reach the highest point on the WHW (548 metres) before continuing down the other side. The Mamores range with "The Ben" (Ben Nevis) which is often in cloud, cloud-free this time, were in view ahead in the distance while to the right, the Blackwater Reservoir could be glimpsed, looking rather grey as on previous occasions I had seen it. There is s still a lot of height to be lost as the path drops down, very steeply at times in the latter stages, through woodland, to Kinlochleven. As the long descent unfolded, the crowds of walkers at the top of the Devil's Staircase had soon disappeared in their quest to race on ahead to Kinlochleven.

Click here to continue to part 6

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