Devils Staircase Reversed - Against the Flow of Traffic

Day 22 Walking, Thursday, June 27.

Edencoille Guest House, Kinlochleven to Kingshouse, Glen Coe to Kinlochleven. 

9 miles, 5 Intense Hours, Steps 27135

Human Walkers:  219

Human Runners (crazy people):  4

Human Bikers:  1

Dogs:  3

Breakfast buffet was bounty with too many choices. There was even a hot from the oven scone.  It was okay.  I choose well. 😀

One of 6 shelves of rabbits here at Edencoille.  Every room is stuff with collections.  

Set off feeling great with no real weight on the body as all the HEAVY stuff was left back in the room to be tonight’s home again. 

Departed Kinlochleven past the campers at the Youth Hostel. Some were using funny little barrel type buildings and others had tents set up on the grass.  

Climbed up next to the power house and walked along side the 6 MASSIVE pipes bringing water down from the Black Reservoir.  

During WWI demand for aluminum rose and smelter works were expanded   500 British soldiers and 1200 German Prisoners of War were brought to Kinlochleven. They built 5 miles of pipeline and stayed at a camp near the dam.  

Made the long sweeping loop up from sea level at Kinlochleven to the summit pass at 1797 feet. This is the highest the WHW reaches. 

Yesterday’s trail left center on the opposite mountain range, and today’s is lower center foreground.  Yesterday required walking way way to the left then circling back to the right below those peaks.  

A group crossing a stream.  

Met people constantly (219) which made for a lot of Hellos.  After number 100 began to tell people how many were ahead is them.  No wonder it is difficult to get a place to sleep this time of the year. 

Lady #29 had a lovely perfume scent coming off her in passing.  Kind of embarrassed to wonder what scent was coming off Lois.  

At the Summit. 

Aluminum - here pronounced - all loo men oo um. These British/Scottish 🙀

Many of the West Highland Way walkers appear to come from far away.  Europe, Australia, South America, and a few Canadians and Americans tossed in. 

Talked with a couple who guessed correctly that I am from the Midwest.  What a great identifying accent I must have. Not even aware of an accent at all compared to a southern drawl, or a New England accent.  And let us not even go near a British or Scottish person speaking English.  The couple was from Toronto. 

Devils Staircase was difficult to descend on loose rocks with quick steep drops.  Walked carefully and was aware of every foot placement, in between the constant need to smile and say Hello (219 times). 

Reached “ground” level and realized there was still 3 miles to go over a meandering path of slight up and downs and rockiness underfoot. Had forgotten that distance.  Checked the clock and found I had been overly confident in arriving at the designated pickup (Kingshouse Hotel) by 2 pm.  Had counted on arriving early enough to have a quick rinse off in a restroom, and have some lunch.  Speed walking mode set in.  There was no time to think about that wounded heel.  It was forced to perform.  Made it to the spot at 1:59.  Water pouring off me and probably smell pouring also.  Sammy my driver was waiting.  

It is only 9 miles up and over the mountain on the path by foot and sweat, but 25 miles around for the car.  Sammy will drive me back in the morning. 

Driving past the community of Glencoe and the Loch Leven.  

Not any real wildlife here.  Too rugged.  Only sheep and even they are not many as profits from the baa bass is limited.  No rabbits at all.  Sorry Gary and Olivia. 

Fishing in the rivers and lochs here is available for anyone.  A license is about £20 for 7 days. Trout, mackerel, and salmon and other fishies!

Salmon are a migrating fish that start life in the fast clean rivers such as about here before moving out to sea.  They return to the rivers of their birth to lay eggs, and possibly get caught on some fisher-persons hook. 

Kinlochleven grew out of 2 hamlets that had their origins on the large shooting and fishing estates in the area.  Jobs mainly were for the estates or crofts in the villages or on hillsides.  Crofts were stopping points for the cattle drovers, which seem to have been driven/drove off the lands here.  

On the information sheet about tonight’s B&B the name listed is Elsie.  So far I haven’t seen someone with that name.  The two men dealt with on my previous visit and this one seemed a bit strange.  

The older one possibly because Scottish is his main language and he doesn’t understand me very well, or might not hear very well. The other man is very large, very very large, and whenever I spoke to him he appeared a bit ‘slow’.  The larger guy, Sammy, was my driver today and we had almost a half hour to chat. 

Was reminded again of the phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  Sammy is a really sweet guy. Got his degree in Law from University of Edinburgh.  Practiced a bit, but decided to return home to help his aging parents run their guest house.  Felt sorry for the soft spoken man who has become quite a bit overweight in his current profession of assisting parents.  Looks like tomorrow we will have another visiting session.  

Fish (haddock) and Chips with lots of salt and vinegar.  

“Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.”  Jacqueline Woodson