A few days before, we had decided to start walking from Rannoch Station in order to add a bit of extra interest to the walk, but when the train drew into Corrour Halt the terrain southwards to Rannoch Station looked rather uninviting so we jumped off at Corrour Halt instead. So, to the mighty throng that were wailing to cheer us off at Rannoch - sorry!
08:22 - We alight to lovely weather - warm, sunny and with a very light breeze. We also alight to clouds of midges - we ran to the waiting room to put on our rucksacks, they pounced on us there whilst we were unaware. We were eaten alive in a very short time.
08:30 - as we set off we looked east towards the Baelach Dubh only to see that Ben Alder was covered with low cloud. We made a bright start northwards along the track beside the railway and the cool breeze was very pleasant indeed. The track was surprisingly boggy in places but we soon reached the head of Loch Trieg where we met three very fit looking (and midge bitten) cyclists at the bridge over the Allt a Chamabhreac who it seemed were cycling across most of Scotland.
10:10 - Creaguaineach Lodge (6.3km, planned time 10:35). We had our tenses here, it was an untidy place and the wool from recent sheep shearing made it look worse.
10:25 - we set off up the valley towards Luibelt, whilst the OS map shows a path on the north side of the Abhainn Rath, we followed the path on the south side starting from the Scottish Rights of Way Society signpost thus avoiding a crossing at Luibelt. The path was a bit wayward, sometimes missing and sometimes a bit of a plowter. We stopped at Staoineag for extended elevenses at an idyllic spot beside the burn and after that the path was a bit easier in places. The weather continued to be just lovely. We saw quite a few dragonfly, this seems to be a good year for them.
13:35 - Luibelt (11.3km, 12:20) after a bit of a traipse along the meanderings of the burn we were a bit late, but the midges were not. A pleasant but desolate spot for lunch but we didn't hang around for long. It was very warm and very still.
We had the tent with us for an overnight stop but considering the now omnipresent nudges and the promise of rain overnight we decided that, if possible, we would complete the walk that day. We would see how it went.
14:10 - after hurrying our lunch we moved on, the backside of the Grey Corries loomed large to our right and Stob Ban showed off its 'white peaks' as it glistened in the sunshine. We had a long haul to our next timing point and as we progressed the cloud base lowered onto the Corries and Binnein Beag on our left. We sat down on Tom an Eite which is the watershed at the head of Glen Nevis and avoided the midges for a while, we had a great kip. A group of cheery teenagers walked by on their Duke of Edinburgh's Award walk, we enjoyed their happy singing for some time, it also served to disperse all local wildlife.
We trolled or down a rather wet path, the weather was now very humid arid still, the clouds lowered further. Up ahead the Mamores and Aonach Beag were well covered but on the far horizon we could see really bright sunshine over Loch Linnhe.
17:35 - Steall ruins (19.3km, 15:08) The midges were rampant. Colin was sore. David's feet were hot and painful. The tent was heavy. Colin sat down, David was going to but the midges intervened so he stuck his head in the burn instead. After a quick bite (for the midges) we moved on. Looking back we saw the cloud lifting and the tent-like top of Binnein Mor was impressive. We passed the spectacular Steall waterfalls and the wire bridge and some poor unfortunates who were wandering around with coats on their heads whilst preparing to camp. They were an easy target for the midges, would they act as a decoy if we camped nearby? We daren't risk it.
We emerged from the Nevis Gorge onto the upper car park. Shortly afterwards a gentleman driver in a blue metro offered us a lift down to the town - we refused with thanks, David being somewhat less positive about his refusal. The weather was lovely as the cloud lifted off some of the tops, the midges still chased us. David's feet were now very sore and probably blistered on the soles in the same place as the previous weekend.
19:30 - Polldubh (24.3km. 16:48) We had lost a lot of time but we couldn't care less as we leant against the car park fence. Again we moved onto avoid the midges.
The journey down the road was a bit of a test as Colin was feeling decidedly stiff as well as sore. David got wobbling and hobbling down to a fine art. The day now cooled down and it was lovely, the midges went home (either that of they couldn't find us in the gloom) and now after about 13km on the trot we dropped down on the roadside verge for a well earned rest. Did we look old and down and out? Well a young couple in a white car certainly thought so as they doubled back in their car to offer us a lift. When we bravely declined their generous offer they said Are you sure? No we weren't!
The path and road in Glen Nevis goes up and down like the back of a thousand camels, have you noticed this? We certainly did that evening. We had a few brief roadside 'lie-downs' and after each one it got ever harder to get up and rumble on down the road.
A rescue helicopter was attending to someone on the far side of Ben Nevis, as it passed over we shouted 'What about us' - it didn't stop. Darkness descended as we passed the youth hostel and we passed a number of people walking back from the town after their night out. We were grateful for the darkness which hid our hobbling.
We had a nice long 'lie-down' just where the West highland Way joins the glen road, as we flopped down we had no idea if we were about to land on a cowpat - it appears that we didn't!
The last stretch of the road was wearisome and tedious in the dark but at. 22:10 (33km, 21:13) David came to a halt just a hundred yards or so from the junction with the A82 main road within Fort William. Without his rucksack Colin went the extra kilometre or two to collect his car and return to pick up the entourage at 22:35.
Despite numerous sore bits and pestilential midges we completed the final part of our midsummer walk with the benefit of lovely weather and inside a day. It was outstanding.
The following day we talked about our next trip, and the one after that, and ...... ........ all in the wonderful great outdoors,