West Highland Way - Kingshouse Hotel to Kinlochleven

When we were having breakfast this morning, James pointed out a little snow bunting skipping about on the grass outside the hotel. Its back was black and it was all white underneath; it looked very cute. This was Day 7 out of 8; we were to walk about 17 km from the Kingshouse Hotel to the tiny village of Kinlochleven, leaving Glencoe via a steep incline called the “Devil’s Staircase,” a name which struck fear into my heart!

We walked for an hour before reaching the foot of the hill, during which James heartlessly kept singing “it’s the Devil’s Staircase” to the tune of  Europe’s “The Final Countdown” and then I put my carefully thought out plan into action. Firstly I removed my jacket for maximum coolness, and secondly I used my Apple AirPods for the first time in the holiday so that I could distract myself with music. I rarely use my AirPods when out walking because I prefer to hear birdsong and enjoy the scenery undistracted, but this morning I wanted to take my mind off my nerves.

I don’t know what I was so worried about! Yes, the Devil’s Staircase is quite steep but not remarkably so, and it’s short - only about 200 metres. I plodded up while listening to songs by Madness, and in no time I reached the cairn at the top and rewarded myself with a cup of coffee and an energy bar. I did enjoy listening to the music and it did calm me down so I would try that again in similar circumstances. 

We still had a long way to go and it was down, down, down a twisting and gentle track all the way to Kinlochleven. It kind of reminded me of a ski trail! We could see that back of the mountains of Glencoe and plenty more besides, including the Mamores and the Blackwater Reservoir with its dam and huge pipes heading down the hill. Eventually we arrived in Kinlochleven which is very small and quiet, and had a late lunch at the Tailrace Inn before checking in to our guest house, which has fabulous mountain views. The rain, which had been threatening all day, came on in earnest so we had a cosy afternoon reading the Sunday papers. 

Update later in the evening: We had dinner in the friendly Bothy Bar which has stunning views up Loch Leven. The sun was setting and the water was golden. A red deer waded through the shallows of the loch just in front of us; James was the first to notice and then other people in the restaurant noticed us looking, and soon nearly everyone came over to the window to watch the deer. There were more deer further away, silhouetted against the bright water; it was a beautiful sight.