Monday 18 May 2026 - The Grey Mare's Tail and West Highland Way

Today was supposed to be a rest day for Sue, but the poor weather that had been forecast was postponed, so it was another Munro bagging day for her, bringing her tally to 20 since 26 April, only 4 of which she had been up before.

A 45 minute drive saw us parking up in the Grey Mare's Tail car park in Kinlochleven (£4.30).

Sue soon zoomed up towards the 1056 metre summit of Na Gruagaichean, whilst I went to a viewpoint for the next picture. 

The Grey Mare's Tail was just visible ahead.

I soon entered Via Ferrata country. Not today, thanks.

Before long I was below the waterfall. To give perspective, the next picture shows the full drop of 50 metres.

Bluebells were abundant and I caught the songs of at least eight bird species in a small section of woodland.

Blackbirds can be added to this list.

The Pap of Glencoe stood out in the view down Loch Leven.

The metropolis of Kinlochleven was now far below. This was home to an aluminium smelting operation employing up to 800 people before its closure in 2000. Now it's a tourist town - the West Highland Way passes through and the Ice Factor, the world's biggest ice-climbing wall, opened in 2003, now welcomes over 150,000 visitors a year.

Numerous rhododendrons were passed on the steep climb to the former Mamore Lodge Hotel, suggesting a throwback to an earlier era when such specimens were brought back from distant regions such as the Himalaya.

The mountain on the right below is Beinn na Caillich, near the summit of which I enjoyed an idyllic campsite on 17 May 2010, before descending to the Mamore Lodge Hotel to pick up a resupply parcel on my 4th TGO Challenge.

Today the house sitter I met has long gone and the once splendid shooting lodge (and latterly hotel) dating from the late 19th century is now surrounded by a high fence and in a dilapidated state.

I wonder what happened to the full size snooker table that I noticed in one of the impressive rooms when I passed by in 2010?

A little further on, I met an elderly gentleman who was helping with some field studies for second year geology students who were littering the place. His response to my question "were you a teacher?" was in the affirmative and accompanied by a lecture on the local geology that had me thinking that he was possibly a retired professor from Imperial College, on a mission to help the students on their first foray outside the lecture room, which he described as 'challenging'.

We sat on a bench chatting, and admiring the wonderful view down Loch Leven.

Soon after that I joined the West Highland Way path, not overly busy today, and walked all the way back to Kinlochleven with two mountain bikers who were walking in order to avoid any mishaps with the numerous run off ditches for rainwater. 

The lady was due to complete a 550 mile route around northern Scotland later in the day at Tyndrum. Her friend for the day was a more confident local mountain biker with whom I had a good chat on the way down.

On reaching the road at Kinlochleven, I admired a nice sign pointing walkers to Fort William. This was just off the well signposted West Highland Way route.

By the time I got back to the car I'd walked 5.7 km, with 280 metres ascent, taking a leisurely 2.5 hours.

Sue arrived back a couple of hours later, having happily got a view from her 1056 metre summit.

Sunday 17 May 2026 - Around Loch Cuaich

Our home for a few days - Craiglea Cottage in Fort William.

On a showery day, Sue and I headed towards Glen Quoich so that she could climb Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach.

There's a parking spot just next to where the stalkers path up Gleouraich starts through a tangle of vegetation. 

Sue set off in the rain, and after a while I went for a stroll along the road, reaching the Glen Quoich bridge after 2 km. I passed lots of bright yellow gorse and was followed by a black redstart at one point.

Major roadworks are in progress here. Luckily they don't work on Sundays, so we avoided delays.

There's a good view from the bridge, down Glen Quoich to Alltbeithe and the South Kintail ridge.

(Though the actual ridge was doused in cloud.)

The western ramparts of Sue's hill were clear, though I suspect the top was in cloud.

A short way along the Glen I turned around and headed back towards the bridge, not wanting to be late for Sue. Here's the view back from my furthest point along the Alltbeithe road.

Back at the bridge, there's a friendly sign broadcasting onward paths from this point. 

The path does however suffer, a few metres further on, from a locked gate and an obnoxious sign. Walkers certainly don't require authorisation to pass along this ancient route.

A few metres before the locked gate and it seems that the road to Kinloch Hourn, currently closed to traffic, is being prepared for something big.

The weather cleared as I found my way back to the car.

Here's evidence of my modest day out - a 'there and back' walk of 7.5 km with 120 metres ascent, taking rather less than two hours.

Sue was back down by 3:30, having set off into the rain at 10:30. She volunteered a 'snow report'.

Saturday 16 May 2026 - Cnap Cruinn

Paul and Jeanette left early to do a parkrun at Oban before going home. That left just five of us to enjoy Sue's scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast. 

Then Tom, Julie and Roger set off for home. Sue and I said goodbye to the excellent house at Taigh Mor then we headed to Fersit, just beyond Roybridge.

Sue nipped up the two Easain Munros whilst I drove back towards Inverlair, from where a track leads to the foot of Cnap Cruinn.

After a gentle ascent through woodland, serenaded by cuckoos and woodpeckers, Cnap Cruinn appeared as a brown lump on my horizon.

Other, higher, mountains were poking through the gaps.

Just beyond the last plantation, after an easy 5 km walk, I left the track and started a steep slog up to the broad summit. It was squishy underfoot but my trail shoes proved a match for that. My pace dropped from 4 kph to just 1 kph.

The 742 metre summit is marked by a small cairn, next to a comfortable and nicely sheltered rock seat on which I enjoyed my lunch. Meanwhile, Sue was enjoying her own lunch on her second summit - in the centre of the next picture.

Several pictures were taken before I left to descend via an easier gradient.

Wood anemone flowers accompanied me all the way down.

 

Inverlair is a small hamlet with nice houses and bullfinches in residence.

I was soon back at the car and chatting to a couple of chaps in the Fersit car park, to which Sue soon returned.

There was noone else on Cnap Cruinn today, nor any sign of a path to the summit, whereas Sue had paths all the way and encountered twenty or so people.

Here's my route - 15.3 km with 645 metres ascent, taking over 5 hours.

Then we adjourned to Craiglea Cottage, on the outskirts of Fort William, our home for the next few days.

Friday 15 May 2026 - A Bike Ride to Fort William and back

Today's pictures start with one from last night's sunset from our dining room.

They continue with a picture from August 1995, courtesy of Martin Whittle's wonderful scanner. I wasn't always first to be ready to set off. Dave Scruby beat me to it on this occasion. 

Today's itinerary was more modest. David went to the Lake District; Sue, Roger and Tom went to Glenfinnan to climb some Munros; Julie went to Mallaig to climb a small Marilyn; Paul and Jeanette pedalled off on a repeat of Tuesday's bike ride to Fort Augustus (I think they extended it to 100 km), and I embarked on a modest bike ride to Fort William and back, starting with a 30 mph descent to cross the canal at Gairlochy.

All the way to the series of locks at Neptune's Staircase, my route followed the good surface of the towpath.

The route I took followed Sustrans bike route number 78, missing a right turn after a weight challenging bridge that would have taken me along the Great Glen Way. Anyway, the route through housing was fine, and I passed a sculpture in memory of workers at the nearby aluminium plant.

Continuing to the harbour, I reached the Morrisons supermarket and stopped for a first lunch next to a plaque signifying the start of the Great Glen Way.

On the return journey I did locate the Great Glen Way path that follows the River Lochy, avoiding housing, and wends its way to join the towpath at Neptune's Staircase.

Some of the shipping seems to have foundered to a sad end in the Lochy estuary. 

I continued around the estuary to Corpach, from where it was an easy ride along the towpath, with good views towards the Ben, and the fragrance of coconut, to the café at Neptune's Staircase. Coffee and cake.

After re-crossing the canal at one of the locks it was a straightforward ride back to Gairlochy in continued good weather, stopping near Moy Bridge for a second lunch. Nice boiled egg.

An enjoyable morning's ride, covering 37 km in 3 hours, with just 100 metres of ascent.

There were a good number of folk doing the first section of the Great Glen Way today. Some already looked weighed down and exhausted. I hope they get the pleasure to which they've been looking forward.