WHW Day 7 – Kinlochleven to Fort William

September 13, 2021

At the end of the day, I would be in Fort William. It was hard to believe that my time on the West Highland Way was quickly coming to an end. This last day would cover 15 miles of remote trail and would end in Fort William. It also ended up being my favorite day!

The weather gods had smiled on us once again as it turned out to be another absolutely gorgeous day. I set out about 8:00 that morning and walked through Kinlochleven to where the WHW climbs up and out of the valley. I absolutely loved this little town! It is so picturesque nestled down in the valley alongside the river. I hated to leave it behind!

The first mile or so out of town was a fairly steep climb until we reached an old military road that would lead us to Fort William. It was a bit breezy in the exposed landscape and this was the first time I actually felt chilly while on the trail. The trail was mostly flat but it was difficult walking on the road due to the larger rocks that comprised it. There was no smoothness to the road so I found myself switching from side to side trying to find the best place to walk.

At about the halfway point, the trail goes by the ruins of an old house that is seen in many photos of the WHW. (The photo at the top of this page.) It was almost a surreal moment to walk past it myself. There was a couple of sheep grazing on the far side of it which just made it more picturesque.

The WHW spends a good part of the time either passing through sheep pastures or next to them. I think I saw more sheep in that one week than in the previous 20 years of my life! After miles of exposed countryside, a nice treed area appeared that was a perfect spot for lunch. By this time, the sun had come out and there was barely a cloud in the sky so the shade was a welcome sight.

The trail eventually turned into a single track and we saw the first glimpses of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. My original plan was to summit Ben Nevis the day or two after I finished the WHW but my knee issue put a stop to that plan. I’ll be back for you another time Ben!

After shedding a layer or two, we eventually came to a logging road that we would follow down to the foot of Ben Nevis and into Fort William. Once we were down in the valley, the last few miles were a road walk along a busy road into and through Fort William. At one point in time, the WHW ended on the edge of town but it has since been moved another mile into the city center.

As I made my way into Fort William, I lost the other walkers that were near me so it was a solo journey to the end. Fort William is the biggest town I’d been through all week so it was quite jarring to suddenly have traffic all around and other non-hiker pedestrians.

The waymarking for the WHW pretty much disappeared but I had a vague idea of where to go and made it to the pedestrian streets of the city center. The official end of the WHW is at the far end, of course. Finishing was rather anti-climatic as there were no other walkers around, just people out shopping and enjoying the day. I took a photo of the weary hiker statue and that was it! There wasn’t even anyone around to take my picture with the statue. Oh well, I was ready for some food.

I found a nearby restaurant that had room for me and ate almost an entire pizza. I’d be staying in Fort William for 3 nights so I could see some sights around the area so I splurged on an Airbnb. As I walked back across Fort William, I felt so accomplished for having finished an amazing adventure and also a bit sad that it was now behind me. Many walkers immediately head back to Glasgow upon finishing their walk but I’m glad I decided to spend another week in Scotland. I wasn’t done yet!