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Old friends

It's been nearly since three years since we last saw Hannah and Jon, so today's unexpected opportunity to catch up on a walk was a real delight.

And because you asked nicely, Hannah, here's an update to the blog. I hope more will follow shortly. Sorry for being so sporadic of late.

Fort William and Glen Coe

The head of the loch

The village of Kinlochleven (literally the head of Loch Leven) is a great base for hikers. It's ten miles round the loch from Glen Coe and geographically isolated since Ballachulish Bridge provides a short-cut across the mouth of the loch for through traffic. A one-industry town, its future was threatened when the aluminium works left recently, but it's now seeking to supplant that one industry with another: outdoor leisure.

Distance: 4.78 miles
Ascent: 296 metres
Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes

Walk 4: Mamore Lodge

This walk headed up the West Highland Way from the village to an old track 250m up the hills. A little way along the track the Mamore Lodge Hotel provided the perfect place to stop for a cup of tea and take in the view.

Shortly after starting the descent back to the village the path crossed Allt Coire na Ba, a stream it returned to 200m lower as the river tumbled over the Grey Mares Tail waterfall. The waterfall was well worth a look, but would be a disappointing day out on its own: it's set too far back in a narrow, wooded gorge to be seen well.