Fort William and Glen Coe

The head of the loch

The village of Kinlochleven (literally the head of Loch Leven) is a great base for hikers. It's ten miles round the loch from Glen Coe and geographically isolated since Ballachulish Bridge provides a short-cut across the mouth of the loch for through traffic. A one-industry town, its future was threatened when the aluminium works left recently, but it's now seeking to supplant that one industry with another: outdoor leisure.

Distance: 4.78 miles
Ascent: 296 metres
Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes

Walk 4: Mamore Lodge

This walk headed up the West Highland Way from the village to an old track 250m up the hills. A little way along the track the Mamore Lodge Hotel provided the perfect place to stop for a cup of tea and take in the view.

Shortly after starting the descent back to the village the path crossed Allt Coire na Ba, a stream it returned to 200m lower as the river tumbled over the Grey Mares Tail waterfall. The waterfall was well worth a look, but would be a disappointing day out on its own: it's set too far back in a narrow, wooded gorge to be seen well.