Day 8 – To Ardgour

Tuesday 4th May

The worst of the storm hit overnight, bringing snow to 400 metres, and winds up to 40 mph, rocking the van around a bit, but in a pleasant, lullaby, sort of way.

The mwis forecast was for it clearing but some hefty wintery showers for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. It was spot on.

I was at Kinlochleven to walk up to Blackwater Reservoir, following a chapter I had read in Patrick Baker’s Unremembered Places, for which I will add a review soon (it is on my Goodreads page also), and following that book, one from his bibliography, Children of the Dead End by Patrick MacGill. They both concern the plight of the Irish navvies who built the dam, the pipeline, the hydroelectric station and the aluminium smelter in 1905. The smelter and the power station followed, in the years either side of the War, and conditions down at the town were much better. None perished due to the work, but the Spanish Flu killed many in 1918, before it was finished. Conditions up at the dam were dreadful however. MacGill’s novel is an autobiographical one, at 12 years old he arrived into Scotland slept in ditches, ate rarely, and from word of mouth, arrived to work at Blackwater.

The first part of the walk is up the track, almost a road, for 7 miles. Something of a trudge, if it wasn’t for the views over the surrounding ranges, and back to the sea. The dam in at about 300 metres above sea level, so it’s not a huge climb.

The only guy I saw all day was at the top. He was with his dog, walking what he usually would trail bike, as there is an event usually at this time. It has unsurprisingly, been postponed, but he had booked accommodation already. He took pride in telling me he was 170 kgs… down from 210 a few weeks ago, quite a young guy also.

The descent is much more rewarding, and I can see an argument to go up this way also. There’s many spectacular waterfalls, lochans and streams, very atmospheric in the snow and sleet of the early afternoon.

Baker describes the atmosphere at the cemetery wonderfully well in his book. I won’t even try to compete, but it is a very special place, and as his title suggests, sadly unremembered.

Then onto Fort William to pick up some supplies, which include a takeaway from Spice Tandoori.. and back out to the Corran Ferry. I had an eye on the Inn at Ardgour, which is one of those pubs that offers free campervan stopovers. It’s immediately off the 500 metre ferry ride.

Once settled, I joined a group stood outside for a few Gobhar Reamhar’s (translates as the Stout Goat, at 6.5%), with a temperature of about 5C. These were outdoor industry workers from South Wales, who had just finished a course, with adults, and had a day off before the next. We had plenty in common, indeed two of them had cycled the Carratera Austral. All in all, a top day.