west highland way…
The West Highland Way is a justifiably popular long distance walk, taking visitors through some of the best mountain and lochs scenery in Scotland.
Arguably, one of the best sections of the west highland way is the 14.5km (9miles) from King’s House to Kinlochleven. This section, is the highest point on the West Highland Way, taking walkers on the old military road over the Devil’s Staircase to a height of 550m. Paths and tracks are consistently good, and a clear day will reward walkers with fantastic views of the Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Etive and Glen Coe. In bad weather though, this section can be dangerous to the uninitiated, as there is no shelter between Altnafeadh and the buildings at the head of the Kinlochleven pipeline (GR 202604).
The West Highland Way then descends into Kinlochleven following the water pipes from the Blackwater Reservoir. In its day this was one of the biggest construction projects in the world, spawning a huge Navvy camp, which was policed by the Army, as the workers were too wild for the police!
The water pipes formerly fed the huge Aluminium works in Kinlochleven, which closed in 1996, now they feed the Alcan powerhouse, which generates hydro-electricity for the national grid. Whilst the closure of the smelter marked the end of a century of Aluminium production, it heralded the start of Kinlochleven’s future – a destination for walkers, mountain bikers and climbers. Since 1996 Kinlochleven has become one of the main staging posts on the West Highland Way , where walkers can enjoy a range of facilities before the final push over to Fort William.
The biggest development in the village (and the biggest building on the West Highland Way) is the Ice Factor. Housed in the former carbon bunkers for the smelter, the place has become a must visit location for anyone with a passion for the outdoors.
There is a large outdoor shop specialising in walking, climbing and camping equipment. A sauna and steam room (a must for the footsore walker straight off the West Highland Way and an award winning cafeteria, specialising in mountaineer’s food.
We run rock and ice taster sessions for groups or individuals keen to try climbing without having to go on a long residential course. We can run these indoors and out.
An open three hour instructed ice course costs £45 (including all equipment)
An open one-hour instructed rock climbing course starts at £24 (including all equipment).
Prices for small groups depend on the number of people involved, just give us a call to chat about what you would like to do.
Groups should call the centre from Bridge of Orchy or Kingshouse to arrange an instructed climbing session. This is the perfect addition to your journey on the West Highland Way.
Souvenir T-shirts and Sweatshirts available – I’ve Walked The West Highland Way