This was my first day on the West Highland Way, the most popular section of my walk.
Sunday 7th August 2016
Barely slept due to strong winds (and rain). Went to Glen Nevis cafe for buffet breakfast and wifi. Packed up in rain and left on the West Highland Way. This was a long (well not relatively) walk in the rain, but at least the path was good.
At Kinlochleven I checked at the hostel, they were full. They had camping pitches but they were on a tiny strip of grass, all lined up.
I found Kinlochleven too commercial. Being offered a tiny spot of grass for £9 was a sharp contrast to my journey so far. Previously I had been free to set up camp almost anywhere.
I went to a bar which didn’t serve tea, had half an IPA, and decided to go wild camp.
By the time I reached Kinlochleven, I was thoroughly drenched. I didn’t particularly want alcohol but was willing to drink anything to escape from the rain!
I found a spot 100m up about a mile on. Since I was at the end of a stage, no-one would wake me.
This needs a little explanation. The West Highland Way is extremely popular in summer, and I had already passed hundreds of walkers on my first day. However, almost everyone walks it going north, and they will tend to split the walk into stages ending somewhere with some facilities (near a village, pub, or campsite). I was stopping a little south of the village but I knew that most people would have stopped in the village, and the early risers would be walking northwards the next morning (so not past me).
Distance: 15.1 miles [view on map]
Spending: £11
Along the whole of the West Highland Way I did not take photos. This must have been in part because the weather was miserable most of the time. Perhaps I was also aware that so many people walk the route that my photos wouldn’t be anything special. If you are only reading for the photos, you can skip the next few days!