Blackwater Reservoir, Kinlochleven

This circuit explores the industrially-exploited but today very beautiful and peaceful Glen Leven, including a visit to the bleak Blackwater Dam.

Terrain

Good paths and tracks for most of the walk. There are a few boggy sections and the section of the walk below the dam is pathless and rough.

Public Transport

Regular buses to Kinlochleven from Fort William

Winter Safety

Please note that hillwalking in winter conditions - which is whenever there is snow lying - requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly, and to judge which routes are safe for the conditions and your party in winter. Please see our Winter Essentials for details.

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Kinlochleven. Map and directions.

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Walk Statistics

Distance: 17.5km/10.75 miles
Time: 5 - 6 hours
Ascent: 550m (Profile)
Grid Ref: NN029634

Maps / GPS

Accommodation

Walk Description

Stage 1

Park at the car park at the rear of the Kinlochleven Visitor Centre and Library. The centre is well worth a visit before undertaking this walk, as it tells the story of the town's history and the Aluminium industry, and will help make sense of much of what you see whilst out on the route. Begin the walk by heading back to the main road and crossing the bridge over the River Leven. Turn right once over the bridge onto the West Highland Way footpath. This follows the wooded river bank, passing opposite the impressive surging waters flowing out of the hydro power station. The path then emerges on a street; turn right along it.

Photo: J M Briscoe

Stage 2

The street becomes a track and passes a large green shed as it heads into the woods. A short distance on the track (still the West Highland Way) bends right and crosses the river. Don't cross this bridge, instead turning left onto the lower of the three small paths sloping uphill. This path is rough but clear to follow and after a short steep climb reaches a better path at a t-junction. Turn right here. From here on the walk follows the delightful glen of the River Leven, which is lined with beautiful and peaceful deciduous woodland. The river itself is hugely reduced in volume due to so much of the water being diverted down to the power station via the giant pipes seen on the hillside opposite, and is little more than a large stream flowing over a wide, bare rocky bed.

Photo: Richard Webb

Stage 3

After a kilometre and a half the path crosses a wooden footbridge. A short distance further on there is a viewpoint on the left for a fine waterfall on the tributary stream. Continuing, there are some concrete bases and other remains of a series of buildings hidden in the woods. These are the remnants of a Prisoner of War camp dating from the first World War. German prisoners from the camp built the road from Glencoe to Kinlochleven as well as the pipeline (visited later on the walk) supplying the Blackwater reservoir from Loch Eilde Mor.

Stage 4

Continue on the path, which is rough and occassionally a little wet but generally good. It crosses a further stream below a fine waterfall, and later on a third stream where there are the remains of a wrecked and dangerous footbridge (it is usually easy enough to cross the stream just above), situated in a small gorge. Above here the path begins to climb up out of the woodland and onto the more open moor; the River Leven flows down a series of waterfalls over bare rocks as it issues from the Dubh lochans.

Stage 5

The path keeps well above the lochans and is here at its boggiest. This section doesn't last too long however, as it soon reaches the pipeline mentioned earlier. Turn right on the path alongside this old concrete pipe, which is still in use; it leads to the north end of the great Blackwater Dam. The dam was completed in 1909, built almost entirely by hand by a huge team of navvies who lived in a camp on the bleak moor. The vast reservoir is over 13 kilometres long, supplied by the pipelines as well as rainfall in its own area, and the dam itself is almost a kilometre across. All this was built to provide the enormous amount of electricity that was needed to operate the aluminium smelters in Kinlochleven.

Stage 6

The gate on top of the dam is locked, and to get to the track on the far side it is necessary to carefully descend the rocky, broken ground beneath the dam, or through the trees a little further back. In normal weather conditions the wide areas of water shown on the OS map do not exist on the ground. Once a little over half way across the ground beneath the dam, the area where the water emerges into the concrete culvert which carries it to the power station is reached beneath the tower. This area is fenced off but it is usually straightforward to head round well below the fence. The culvert itself is covered with concrete, and there is a track running beside it. Turn right onto the track. Soon you pass a cemetery (on the right) where the navvies who died during the construction works were buried - a sad spot. Many perished when trying to walk back to the site over the Devil's Staircase following an evenings drinking at the Kinghouse. The track now follows the culvert for several kilometres, high above the south side of the valley; there are terrific views across to the Mamores. The track crosses over the culvert several times, and in places the culvert crosses aqueducts over streams flowing down from the moorland. After around five kilometres, the West Highland Way joins in from the left.

Stage 7

A short distance there are a series of buildings situated at the end of the culvert. From here the water flows into the series of giant pipes seen earlier, which carry it straight down into the valley, gathering a tremendous force to power the turbines at Kinlochleven. The track curves round to the left and descends in a series of more gentle zig-zags. Keep to the main track and West Highland Way, ignoring smaller tracks off to the right and left. Once down in the valley the track comes alongside the pipelines and then crosses them on a bridge. Once across this bridge, turn left between the river and the old Aluminium factory to return to Kinlochleven.

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