On a clear day, this is perhaps the most dramatic section of the West Highland Way as it climbs to the highest point on the route with fabulous views of the Glencoe mountains. The high level mountain section can be exposed in poor weather but the long descent, with excellent views, to Kinlochleven is easy to follow. Kinlochleven has all services, including hostel and camping, and the Ice Factor climbing centre.
Summary
Easy to follow path but stony and rought in places, steep climb from Glencoe, then undulating section of exposed moorland, followed by a long descent on stony tracks to Kinlochleven.
Terrain
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rating
The A82 by the Kings House has Citylink buses between Glasgow and Fort William; Kinlochleven is
served by local buses.
Open Traveline Scotland
Public transport
1. Start by crossing the stone bridge over the River Etive behind the Kings House, pass the informal campsite and any hungry deer, and follow the minor road, turning left at the junction to head towards Glencoe with the mass of Buachaille Etive Mor directly ahead. You are now back on the line of Wade's military road.
2. Keep an eye out for a stile on the right and follow the rough path down the glen to the house at Altnafeadh, crossing through the fence a couple more times on the way, and always within earshot of the busy A82. From here Buachaille Etive Mor still looks formidable but the hillwalkers' route up can now be seen. The West Highland Way now crosses a bridge and begins its own steep climb to the highest point on the entire route. Turning north, away from the road, it still follows the line of the old military road to climb the 'Devil's Staircase'. Despite the forbidding name, the path is very clear and zig zags make the going easier.
3. Two cairns mark the summit at 550m, a climb of 305m in height from the Kings House. There are fabulous views of the Glencoe mountains as well as the rough terrain ahead. The path continues north descending to cross a burn on stepping stones and soon the Blackwater Reservoir can be seen to the right. The dam, almost a kilometre across, is the longest in the Highlands and 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 nearest pub was Kings House and a number of men perished trying to return to the camp battling the combination of bad weather and inebriation. The vast reservoir is over 13 kilometres long, supplied by pipelines as well as rainfall in its own area and was built to provide the enormous amount of electricity needed to operate the aluminium smelters at Kinlochleven.
4. The peaks of the Mamores beyond Kinlochleven come into view ahead with Ben Nevis looming as the backdrop. The route descends to a bridge over Allt a' Choire Odhair-mhoir and undulates until it heads down to the top of the pipeline to Kinlochleven. Here the route heads left onto a track. Soon there is an almost vertical view down to the village at the head of Loch Leven. However it is still over 300m lower than this point and the route takes a much more indirect route than the pipeline so be prepared for a fairly long walk down. The stony track leads down to a bridge and climbs slightly before levelling off with a good view of the massive pipeline to the right.
5. When another track is joined continue ahead for the steeper final descent alongside the pipes. Although the aluminum works closed in 2000, the hydro system still produces electricity for the remaining aluminum smelter in Fort William. The aluminum works at Kinlochleven was built in the early 1900's and at its peak employed 800 people and was largely responsible for the growth of Kinlochleven into the sizeable settlement seen today. Recent regeneration, much of it based on tourism and the West Highland Way, has given the village a new lease of life, with two of the old Alcan buildings now housing the Ice Factor climbing centre (useful if you have any energy left or you can just use the sauna or watch the ice climbers on the refridgerated wall) and the Atlas brewing company.
6. The route crosses the pipes and when the track bends left the West Highland Way keeps straight on along a path (if you are staying at the Blackwater Hostel and Campsite you can take the short cut to the left although this misses the prettier, riverside, approach to Kinlochleven). The stony path descends to a bridge over the River Leven, cross this and bear left. At a track junction keep left to pass a green shed to reach Wade's Road. Follow this for a short distance until a signed path on the left, opposite a bus stop, take this and follow the river downstream to emerge on Lochaber Road. The Co-op and the Ice Factor are to the left and there are many accommodation options catering for walkers.
Next stage: Kinlochleven to Fort William
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