The first real day of cross country walking today for the 16 miles from Fort William to Kinlochleven on the West Highland Way.  Nowhere to meet up until the destination.  Some quite tricky hills, especially the long downhill section at the end of the day.  Downhill really can be harder on the legs than uphill.  Weather was mostly kind with some light snow and one prolonged bout of hail.  Tomorrow looks much colder 😦

The walk out of Fort William was via Glen Nevis which offered some stunning views of Ben Nevis.  The closer you get the bigger it looks.  Gulp!  While I was drinking in the view the phone rang.  BBC Radio Berkshire – could we do a quick, live update on progress?  This will probably remain one of the more surreal moments; standing halfway up a mountain trail, looking at Ben Nevis, and chatting live with Anne Diamond.  Who’d of thought it?

The walk itself included some interesting aspects including an ancient fort, parts of the track that were so steep they needed steps, and a bit of a local tiff between the MacDonalds and the Campbells.

Loch Leven is very picturesque and is home to the National Ice Climbing Centre.  It is also the setting for an annual motorcycle trials event which brings thousands of people and is happening this weekend.  Hazel must have done magic to secure us the very last room in the village.