West Highland Way Part 4
The Devil’s Staircase had been built up to be the most challenging part of the West Highland Way. It’s situated just passed the King’s House Hotel, around 13 miles from Bridge of Orchy where I had spent the night. Not only was I about to cover the most challenging climb, but it would be the longest walk of the week at 21 miles.
I limped away from Bridge of Orchy at around 7.30am, making my way towards Rannoch Moor. The first few miles were along a minor road, a nice change from the military road that I had been following for the last two days. Wild camping is prohibited along the majority of the road and a poignant reminder of the dangers of campfires was displayed as the road passed through a wooded area, “That which burns never returns”.
Just beyond the Inveroran Hotel, the path joins an old drover’s road which leads the way through a forested area with views of Loch Tulla. A long, gentle climb leads the way up to the moorland. Suddenly the trees clear and you are in a scenic wonderland.
The mountains of Stob Gabhar, Stob a Choire Odhair, Beinn Toaig, Clach Leathad and Meall a Bhuiridh, a range of mountains known as the Black Mount are to the left. To the right is Rannoch Moor, a wilderness of scrub and bog stretching for miles. After six miles the path climbs to a pass between the mountains beyond which is the area known as White Corries. To the left is the mouth of Glencoe and a chairlift to reach the ski area and to the right are the fringes of Rannoch Moor. Descending towards King’s House one thing captures your attention, the lump of rock that is Buachaille Etive More. It dominates the skyline.
Despite my injuries, I made it to the King’s House Hotel in around four hours so I had all afternoon to walk the remaining 8 miles to Kinlochleven and conquer Devil’s Staircase. At King’s House I met a few familiar faces. One guy that started having hip problems the previous day and decided to stop when he got to Tyndrum, he was now getting the bus between places to wait on his wife and friends, and an older guy who regaled stories of walking the West Highland Way in all weathers over the years. I had been talking to both of them the previous night in the bar at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel.
Shortly after leaving King’s House I met Kevin who was running the West Highland Way. This was day five for me but for him it was day three and he intended to finish it that day. Running the West Highland Way was actually only a small challenge for him, it was day 28 of his run from Land’s End to John O’Groats. He told me that he was expecting to reach John O’Groats six days later, which should be today. Running an average of 30 miles a day, wild camping and living off chocolate for a month, it really put my efforts to shame. We walked together for a while along a path that was zigzagging back and forth. The path was climbing slowly until suddenly the gradient increased and we both realised that this was in fact the Devil’s Staircase. In all honesty this climb was no where near as hard as those between Drymen and Rowardennan, I don’t understand why people make such a big deal of it. As we reached the summit, the view was spectacular, prompting Kevin to say that the West Highland Way was becoming his favourite part of the run. After walking up, he had some time to make up so he set off running down. Apparently Kevin’s next challenge is to run across the Sahara sometime next year!
Kinlochleven was in view way below, but it would take a further two hours to reach it. The descent from Devil’s Staircase was long, winding and incredibly steep in places. Walking poles would most definitely have been a good idea to take some of the weight off as I climbed down rocks and tried to run down the steeper sections. My knees are still hurting almost a week later from that descent.
All the way down there were signs warning cyclists of dangerous corners and asking them to dismount. Compare that with bike rides down the most dangerous road in the world in Bolivia, which is promoted as a tourist attraction, and it really shows the difference in cultures and differing attitudes towards public safety around the world. Still, if I didn’t need to cycle all the way up, I’d love to ride a bike down there.
I was spending the night at Blackwater Hostel in Kinlochleven which was conveniently located just off the West Highland Way. With only 14 miles left to walk I went to bed pleased that I was going to finish and looking forward to being able to rest my feet for a few days afterwards!
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hello! congratulations!
i first walked it when i was 11 with my family, and am hoping to do so again this summer, now i am 17. i was wondering if you remember where there were places to buy groceries for your own cooking ingredients etc.
if you at all can remember, i would be most grateful!
thankyou, Lewis.
ljevons@msn.com