Friday, May 17, 2024
West Highland Way-Stage #7-Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse
Today’s Miles: 12.5
Total Miles: 77.1
Remaining Miles: 26 approximately

Our seventh day of walking started out with a climb up from the Bridge of Orchy Hotel over a mountain’s shoulder and down into a pretty valley (glen). It was a good morning climb and we paused at the top to celebrate our achievement and to enjoy the beautiful views.

Here’s us celebrating.

A morning view over Loch Tulla.

A big estate on the Loch.

From the valley we headed back up hill on a drover’s road to reach and cross Rannock Moor. These drover’s roads were established centuries ago to move livestock to markets in the south. The roads were reinforced for carts and wagons by the British military when they were clearing the Scottish highlanders off their lands.

Our travel across Rannock Moor was one of the days I was most looking forward to. I love being out in wild where there are no signs of civilization anywhere in sight (well, except for lots of other hikers). We were wonderfully fortunate in having good weather. This part of our hike could have been miserable in the wind and rain because it is completely exposed for the entire day. But it was sunny with a light breeze to keep us cool and I loved the scenery.

Here is a picture as we enter the moor on the drover’s road.

Here are a bunch of pictures from Rannock Moor.

Here is another sight I have been looking forward to the whole time we have been planning this trip. This is our first view of Buachaille Etive Mor. The name means Great Herdsman of Etive. On the right side of the mountain runs Glen Coe and on the left side runs Glen Etive. It is massive hunk of rock jutting up from the valley. It is huge and changes as the light on it changes. As we climbed out of Rannock Moor, we turned a corner and there it was, in all its grandeur and command.

Towards the end of our day’s walk, we came to the Glencoe Mountain Resort. It is a ski resort in the winter and offers mountain biking and camping in the summer. We road a chair lift up the mountain for fun and it was pretty. All the workers wore shirts that said “Coe Crew.” Wish I could have gotten one.

Our wonderful day on Rannock Moor was coming to an end, but it was a wonderful end. We are staying for two nights in the very nice Kingshouse Hotel. Tomorrow we get a day off! Yahoo! Laundry! Naps! Book reading! More naps! Hard cider on tap! Naps!

We were very lucky to score a really nice room. We enjoyed gourmet lamb and duck breast for dinner.

And a wonderful day of hiking closes with these pictures of Buachaille, looking first down Glen Etive and then down Glen Coe. Simply beautiful!

Thank you, Lord for the opportunity and health to be able to do this walk and for this amazing experience of your creation.

God bless,
Coe