In early May I walked the last three stages of the West Highland Way with my dear friend Pat. I kept a brief log of the walk, noting the scenery and the wildflowers seen along the route. What follows is effectively a transcript of my notes. Equipped for all weather and armed against midges, we were incredibly lucky to have the most magnificent weather. It had been dry for some weeks before we arrived and the pesky midges were nowhere to be seen. The soundtrack to our walk was the repeated call of the cuckoo. Not just one call in the distance but scarcely a mile passed without hearing one nearby. A symptom of the remarkably warm spring or evidence of climate change? It certainly seems that the range of these summer migrants is edging northwards. And it wasn’t only the birdlife that bore the cuckoo moniker as you will read!
9 May 2005. Arrived at Bridge of Orchy Hotel at about 4pm. Warm sunshine. Walked eastwards alongside the river (River Orchy) for a mile or so before dinner. Not following the West Highland Way route. Busy A82 on the opposite side of the river, and the railway. Water very low in the water: peaty brown colour. Heard cuckoos in coniferous woodland beside the path. And saw cuckoo flowers (Cardamine pratensis) on path verges. Anemones growing stream side: A. blanda or A. nemorosa? Or another species because very small flower and a low feathery crown.
10 May. Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse. 12 miles.
Rocky track for most of the walk: the old drovers’ trail. Stone bridges along the route built by Thomas Telford in 1802. Steady climb until route opens onto Rannoch Moor: 360° views ringed by mountains. Peaty pools dotted amidst the heather. Early on, good views of Loch Tully. Many fellow walkers on the trail, but barely a building in sight. We were aware of the A82 in the far distance for much of the route, but only in the distance until a quarter of a mile or so from the Kingshouse Hotel, when we had to cross it.
We heard cuckoos calling for much of the first half of the walk. And a few miles along the route, passing Forest Lodge, a building set in woodland, we saw an orange tip butterfly. Shortly before Ba Bridge, we found a hollow beside the path, sheltered from the breeze. A friendly chaffinch shared our lunch. It felt very warm, dry and comfortable. Not at all what I expected: no rain here for about five weeks: very unusual in the Highlands. The rocky burns looked quite low and dry in places.
There are few trees save the copses of downy birch (Betula pubescens) growing around the stone bridges crossing the burns. Their small shivery leaves remind me of aspens. The leaves are new and shiny, a reminder that it’s only a few weeks since bud break.
Flowers spotted today:
Bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatis) also called eggs and bacon become of its yellow and orange flowers.
Heath milkwort (Polygala serpyllifolia): deep violet flowers arranged in a pair of petals with a fringed ‘trumpet’ between.
Arctic starflower (Lysimachia europaea). Primrose family. I read that in Scotland it grows on acid soils, often on moorland which has supported woodland in the past.
The view from Kingshouse Hotel is stunning. The spectacular mountain is Buachaille Etive Mor, which I read is the most photographed mountain in Scotland. It stands guard at the entrance to Glencoe.
11 May. Kingshouse to Kinlochleven. 9 miles.
Wagtail and thrush on grass outside the hotel. And two deer standing in the stream at the rear of the hotel. Flat but rocky track of about two miles from the hotel to the tiny hamlet of Altnafeadh at the eastern entrance into Glencoe. Then the climb away from Glencoe up the Devil’s Staircase! Thankfully there are ‘steps’ built into the mountainside, but the views at the top of the climb are worth the effort. 360° again: northwards to Ben Nevis.
Trail busy in places. A few hardy people running! Walking on, we found a perfect spot for lunch, looking across to Blackwater Reservoir. Spotted a raptor with dark plumage at high point of the walk. Golden eagle? Cuckoos calling almost all the way along our route. The last part of today’s walk was downhill: slippery in places.
The scenery tames, becomes more wooded. Giant pipework lies across the hillside. I read later that it carries water from the Blackwater Reservoir to the now defunct aluminium plant on the outskirts of Kinlochleven. We walked the length of the plant on the route into town. Our hotel (MacDonald’s) is modest but is situated on the shore of Loch Leven: postcard perfect view along the loch at sunset at about 9.30pm*. Tranquil water, wooded banks. Reminds me of the lakes of Killarney.
Plants identified (thank you Flora Incognita!)
Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica). Small pink or white flowers. Seen at the wayside most of the day. Also called Irish lousewort. I read that it grows on the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks in County Kerry. Likes moist acidic soils.
Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea)
Eared willow (Salix aurita). Shrub growing on acidic soils on heathland and by watercourses.
Common dog violet (Viola riviniana)
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta). Erect cinquefoil. Member of the rose family. Again acidic soils.
12 May Kinlochleven to Fort William. 15 miles.
From opposite the hotel the West Highland Way rises steeply through the woods. We missed a left turn and ended on a higher path parallel with the WHW! Seeing from the map that it reconnected with the route a couple of miles further along, we didn’t need to retrace our steps! The way follows an old military road built two centuries ago across broad and dramatic Lairig Mor. We passed two sheilings or ‘steadings’: ruined stone cottages. Picturesque on our hot sunny day, but a bleak location in times past. The right hand side of the glen is flanked by the Mamores mountain range. Sheep scattered on either side, many with plump black-faced lambs.
As the route curved away to the right we entered a small deciduous and conifer woodland-many birds calling. We stopped here in the shade for lunch. According to the guidebook we were near a Lochan on an island in which Macbeth is said to have lived. After lunch we saw drifts of cuckoo flowers attracting flurries of orange-tipped butterflies. At one point a smallish white butterfly fluttered along in front of us. Fewer walkers today. The narrow path dipped into a steep-sided glen, with wooden bridges over cascading streams, downy birch on the stream banks, and an understorey of exquisite flowers: primroses, water avens, bugle, a purple orchid.
We saw a raven at close quarters, having heard his croaking call from afar for several minutes. Ahead of us loomed Ben Nevis, its face apparently folded into several massive vertical gullies. Here the path bears left and enters Glen Nevis, its woods awash with bluebells. The path widens considerably, but is incredibly stony. A boggy sided stream runs parallel to the path, the banks studded periodically with the insectivorous common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris). Small violet and white flowers grow on delicate stems rising from a lime green star-shaped rosette. This section of the WHW runs for about three or four miles before reaching Fort William. A sign reading Failte greets walkers at the finish of the walk. Meaning ‘welcome’ as in Irish Gaelic. Although we had walked only the final three of the seven stages of the walk, we still felt a great sense of achievement.
Kew Gardens, 2 August 2025
*checking later I read that sunset on that date was at 9.24pm.
