Fort William to Corrour - 1

Introduction
Day Two - Mamore Lodge to Meanach
Day Three - Meanach, Lairig Leacach and Staoineag
Day Four - Corrour

West Highland Way, Fort William to Kinlochleven

Day One, Sunday 2nd July, 2000

It was the chance of a few days away to Scotland after Susan completed her A-level examinations - bit of an extended weekend really. We drove up on the Saturday and pitched for a single night at the large site in Corpach, just west of Fort William. We opted to do some walking to explore the interior of the region rather than spend the time claiming just the tops and high ridges.

After a quick look around on the Saturday evening we opted for a fairly early start, leaving the car parked in front of the railway station in the town. The aim was to pick up the line in the heart of Rannoch Moor and return to our starting point by use of the train. The first target was to take the first (or is it the last) leg of the West Highland Way from the foot of Glen Nevis back over to Kinlochleven. From there we planned to leave the waymarked path - and the crowds of walkers - and head west into the glens south of the Grey Corries.

It was still quiet and relatively early on the Sunday morning and realising that we had a long day ahead of us we took the easy option and invested in a £5 ride in a taxi to the starting point of the walk. The path starts by striking across a field to reach a forest track in the trees above. This is followed south behind the camp sites and other facilities that are located in this section of Glen Nevis. Cloud level was around half-way up The Ben across the valley and there was already a steady string of people starting up the Tourist Path to the high shoulder. The WHW path follows the track until this dog-legs up the hillside and it then strikes off to cross the ridge. Here we crossed the first of a whole series of high stiles at the deer fence. A branch in the path is signed off left to Dun Deardail - we started off down the path but decided that it was too far out of the way at this early stage in our walk.

Back into the trees following a good path descending to cross one of the streams. By a large boulder the stream is bridged by a significant structure, beyond a wooden staircase climbs up the slope on the far side. The WHW, like many of the 'official' long distance paths, benefits from major investment in wooden structures to cross obstacles - if 'benefit' is the right word. Whilst this may not be to everyone's taste, the sheer weight of numbers walking the route makes it essential that key sections are protected in this way.

A short break between two plantations of trees - two more enormous stiles at each forest fence - gives a view north west to the open hillsides on the opposite side of the valley. By now we were meeting walkers coming in the opposite direction and there was much 'How far are you / have you / going / come from' etc. Many were just carrying day sacks, others, like us, carrying a full backpack. Afraid to say I found it all too popular and I looked forward to leaving all this and getting into the wilder and less popular routes.

Out of the trees and then back in again as the path drops to reach the road end at the River Kiachnish. Here we stopped for lunch settling down for a brew on a grassy knoll beside the path. We were almost exactly half-way between the start of the days walk and Kinlochleven.

Back on our feet and we followed a hard forest track for a further one and a half kilometres before finally breaking free of the trees and getting out onto some open terrain. The track takes the route of the Old Military Road as it follows the valley south then east to the house at Lairigmor - now a demolished ruin. The weather was reasonably bright and sunny, the gradient was easy going but the track was rough and hard in places and I (Simon) was starting to suffer from sore feet. This is a bit unusual as I do not usually have any problems. I stopped and changed socks but this did little to relieve the problem. Later experiments indicate that my soles were being aggravated by the rubber inserts that I always fit to my boots. These footpads are excellant at reducing the impact on the heels and balls of the feet brought about by a heavy pack and hard surfaces (not to say excess body weight) and I have used them successfully for a number of years. However, they were causing soreness now and by the time we finished walking for the day I had two very severe blisters on my feet.

The track follows the wide valley, passing the ruin at Tigh-na-steubhaich where we paused to chat to a group who had just descended from the Munro ridge above. A group of pony trekkers passed us making for Kinlochleven. We had walked this section of track a couple of times before, starting from Mamore Lodge above Kinlochleven and getting to the high watershed overlooking the valley. These walks were done in the winter when snow covered the hillsides - a very different prospect to the sunshine on this July day.

It is a long 5 km along the track that runs across the hillside, staying well above the river valley. We ignored the path that drops down the hillside to Kinlochleven and eventually reached the transmission mast sited beside the track. Soon after this we reached the hotel and bar at Mamore Lodge, a large white painted building high above the village of Kinlochleven at the head of the loch below. It had been a long and hard day, particularly as it was the first day out with full packs. We gratefully settled into the bar and drank a most refreshing pint - and more - before opting to book in for the night. We showered and ordered supper. All very pleasant and we looked forward to the next couple of days when we would leave the 'crowds' behind and explore some new and wild country.

In the rooms we consulted the emergency procedures notice: Guests are specifically requested NOT to take their car down the drive in the event of a fire as this would seriously hamper the arrival of the fire brigade. Visitors who have been up to Mamore Lodge will appreciate the reasoning behind this somewhat novel request. The drive is steep, one and a half kilometres long and very narrow in places.

Introduction
Day Two - Mamore Lodge to Meanach
Day Three - Meanach, Lairig Leacach and Staoineag
Day Four - Corrour