Dan's Adventure

Between Kinlochleven and Fort William there is absolutely no where to stop for food or drink so before setting off on the final 14 miles of the West Highland Way I made sure to get some food for lunch and snacks to keep me going throughout the day. I should also have bought another bottle of water to take along as my Sigg bottle was empty about 3 hours before reaching Fort William.

The day began with a steep climb out of Kinlochleven affording great views over the village with the mountains around the Devil’s Staircase in the distance. After almost a hour of walking I spotted Clare, Iona and Emma, part of the group from Hamilton, standing on top of the top of a small hill. They had left early to get a head start on that first climb so were now waiting on the rest to catch up. They were all getting a mini bus back to Hamilton that evening and since a couple of their group had dropped out at Bridge of Orchy, they had spare seats which they were kind enough to offer me and I gladly accepted. I was planning to spend the night in Fort William and get the train back in the morning, but the thought of getting home to rest my feet that night was much more appealing. The rest of their group soon caught up and we all set off to walk the rest of the West Highland Way together.

I had spent the majority of the West Highland Way walking on my own. I liked being able to walk at my own pace, stop when I wanted to and just enjoy the solitude, but having the company of eight others on that final stretch was appreciated. Lots of laughs helped to forget about the pain in my feet as we pushed on towards Fort William. This final section was through a valley and had lots of ups and downs, many of which were steep and very taxing on the knees.

As Ben Nevis came into sight we knew we were close to Fort William, everyone felt a sense of relief. By now everyone was aching and we had all ran out of water, well everyone apart from Sarah who had the sense to bring a large Camelbak with her. We were soon out of the woods and walking on a pavement for the first time in days. I thought it would be easier to walk on, but the hard surface was making my knees ache as I walked.

Around every corner we were all hoping to see the sign marking the end of the West Highland Way. It eventually appeared as we approached a roundabout on the outskirts of Fort William. Starting in the middle of Milngavie high street and ending at a roundabout is not exactly what you would expect from such a scenic walk. This may have been the end of the West Highland Way, but it was not the end of my adventure…

The mini bus arrived at 5pm, everyone was dying to get going and happy for the bus to drive straight to Hamilton without any stops. We got going and most people fell quickly to sleep. The road south passes many of the sights we had passed over the last week, giving us a completely different perspective of them from the road side view. The road along Loch Lomond is narrow and winding, with a drop into the loch on the south bound side. Its a road that requires a lot of attention when driving, especially since its full of coach tours and trucks driving in both directions. Those that were sleeping were awoken by shouts of “What are you doing?”, “What’s going on?”, “Stop the f*$%ing bus!”; the driver had first swerved to the right, almost into the crash barrier, and then to the left stopping short of the drop into the loch and was beginning to go right again. As he slowed down, Sarah and Clare between them managed to pull on the handbrake and remove the keys from the ignition.

Shocked and shaking, everyone got off the bus. The driver was completely spaced out. Before leaving Fort William he mentioned that he had recently undergone a heart bypass operation, so we all feared the worst and an ambulance was called. It turned out that he was actually diabetic and was extremely low in blood sugar, hence him being dizzy and shaking. The driver really should have insisted on stopping to get something to eat on the way back as he knew he wouldn’t last all the way. This may all seem like an over reaction, but if something had of been coming in the opposite direction whilst he was swerving, a collision would have been unavoidable and we may have become just another statistic of that road. John stepped up to drive the rest of the way as no one was prepared to get back on the bus with the original driver.

The West Highland Way was a fantastic experience. It did hurt, it was tough, and at times I did struggle to motivate myself to continue, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I can’t think of a better way to see what has to be some of the most beautiful areas of Scotland. Before walking the West Highland Way, I had only ever seen the mountains, and Loch Lomond from afar, but seeing them up close has left me wanting more. At some point in the future I would love to walk it again along with the Great Glen Way, another long distance walk which goes from Fort William to Inverness. My thanks go out to all those that I met during the walk, there was a real feeling of camaraderie as everyone was going through it together and spurring each other on. Special thanks go to the guys from Hamilton for the laughs on the final day and the near death experience on the way home!

• West Highland Way Part 1
• West Highland Way Part 2
• West Highland Way Part 3
• West Highland Way Part 4
• West Highland Way photos