Kinlochleven to Fort William - the last day on the WHW

June 9:  We made it!  It was a long day with just over 15 miles of walking.  Most of us were foot weary and dragging a bit by the end line, in downtown Fort William.  All told, I and others recorded a total 12 days of walking and just about 120 miles from Glasgow.  Most amazing is the fact that it did not rain a single drop on us for the entire trek, an experience most WHW walkers never know.

We started the day and hit the trail early and had an immediate 800-foot climb up out of Kinlochleven.  We leap-frogged with lots of other people who were also completing the hike today.  After getting to the crest of the hill, we walked along the north, undulating, side of a wide glacial valley, following a small river.  The opposite side of the valley was the steep, north side of Glencoe Valley.  We stopped for 'elevenses" and again about 1 pm at the "most perfect lunch spot" ever.  We sat on a hillock with a broad view into several valleys, sheep pastures, and the steep southwest face of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK at over 4,400 feet.

After lunch, we passed through several past (i.e., clear-cut) and current forest plantations to reach Glen Nevis.  The route went mostly downhill but had a couple of steep, short ascents, intermittently in shade and hot sun.  We then dropped down on a gravel track to the valley bottom, passing a large Youth Hostel complex, campgrounds, and several hotels.  We had a clear view of what is called the "tourist route" up Ben Nevis, which most people use to summit.  It is a series of large zig-zags.

The last mile of the walk was along the main road leading into Fort William and then onto a pedestrian mall to the finish line - a very long 3/4 mile.  After pictures were taken and congratulations shared, we retired to the Ben Nevis Pub for 're-hydration.'  Several of our group ran out of water just as they finished.

We walked back about 1/2 mile to our guesthouse for the night, cleaned up, and walked out again, albeit slowly, to the Crannog Restaurant on the village pier for a celebratory dinner.  We congratulated ourselves on finishing the walk but as importantly, Carolyn and Ron were both celebrating birthdays.  We all toasted their new age with a bottle of Prosecco and one candle in their desserts. Betsy had an amazing dinner of local langoustines, which are partway between a crab and a lobster.  They had tough shells but very sweet meat, and a plateful of 5 made a very rich, if messy, meal.  Phil helped crack shells so the meal didn't go on forever.

We made it back to the guest house and collapsed into bed.  Our guest house proprietors had bought the guest house just 3 months ago and provided very attentive service and information.

Plans for tomorrow were made.  I have been suffering from planar fasciitis so I passed on climbing Ben Nevis.  See tomorrow's blog for what others did.