So, that was the West Highland Way.
The day started with a big ascent immediately from our hotel after our final full Scottish breakfast. Not good for thew digestion but it was good to get the climb over before the day got hotter which it did. Although a tough ascent with a good number of brief rest stops, we are much fitter than at Conic Hill on day 2 and our breathing under stress and the distance before legs complain is pretty good.
The top opens to wonderful wide brochure and film set highland and much of the day continues a comparatively easy if not long walk through this. After 3 x 10 mile days, everything seems to go on for a long way but it's another sunny bright day and it is a delight to be up here.
Whilst walking the Way, there is a wonderful camaraderie where everyone acknowledges each other and you spot and pass backwards and forwards many others. Today we kept exchanging places with an extended German family and 3 ladies who we hadn't seen before but were very jolly to greet repeatedly.
There is a significant attrition rate on this walk, we had heard of a young German girl with a party of 3 lads who had trapped a nerve in her shoulder and was in severe pain. Yesterday we saw them descending to Kinlochleven and she seemed on the verge of collapse with miles to go. The boys were looking after her well, carrying all her camping gear as well as their own and constantly checking. Today we saw the 3 young guys minus the girl, clearly she had reached the end of what her body could take. Everyone thinks of the impact on feet and legs but even with day packs for 8 days, shoulders take a battering and full camping gear is a serious load. Many people are clearly struggling on valiantly in the face of severe pain in one location or another.
About 3/4 through the day reveals the first sight of Ben Nevis. I was surprised to find a great significance in seeing this bruiser of a mountain, having been up with Lynne twice around 30 years ago, I found it offered a purpose and achievement to approaching Fort William which in my book is sadly a disappointing town.
We again face a long descent toward Fort William which is still about 5 miles after you first see the outskirts eventually reaching the road in Glen Nevis. From here, it is simply a road walk into town which seems incongruous after days of being away from traffic and tarmac.
Being in a town after so many days remote feels very strange, the size and motion of cars feels a little threatening and people are dressed in normal cloths rather than boots and week old outdoor clothes. The feeling is changed, people don't say hello to every stranger passing and there is no shared experience with them. We are wondering about other walkers we have shared this and where they are now.
We carry on through town and eventually along the high street to the far end and the new finish point. There are very few confirmation signs and you feel a little isolated as you walk among shoppers and ambling tourists, however, walkers coming back from the finish to the hotels or to the pubs greet you and "Well Done" is repeatedly exchanged. We also encounter Carol and John who we have met repeatedly and been in the same B&B twice. The recommend the beer in the Grog and Gruel and had enjoyed a couple already.
At the finish, we are greeted and cheered by the 3 ladies mentioned earlier as we cross the silver line in the pavement which is lovely. Photo's taken with the walker sculpture, we walk the pattern of the Way which is etched into the paving before heading to the Grog & Gruel for our final passport stamp and our certificate. We sit contented and down a fine pint before wandering happily back to our lodgings for the next 2 nights.
Track distance includes traversing Fort William to the new end point and again to our hotel the far side of the rail station.
Day 8 GPS track - Dist: 17.3 Miles Total Ascent: 2137 ft
So, that was the West Highland Way.
Whilst walking the Way, there is a wonderful camaraderie where everyone acknowledges each other and you spot and pass backwards and forwards many others. Today we kept exchanging places with an extended German family and 3 ladies who we hadn't seen before but were very jolly to greet repeatedly. 
About 3/4 through the day reveals the first sight of Ben Nevis. I was surprised to find a great significance in seeing this bruiser of a mountain, having been up with Lynne twice around 30 years ago, I found it offered a purpose and achievement to approaching Fort William which in my book is sadly a disappointing town.
Being in a town after so many days remote feels very strange, the size and motion of cars feels a little threatening and people are dressed in normal cloths rather than boots and week old outdoor clothes. The feeling is changed, people don't say hello to every stranger passing and there is no shared experience with them. We are wondering about other walkers we have shared this and where they are now. 
At the finish, we are greeted and cheered by the 3 ladies mentioned earlier as we cross the silver line in the pavement which is lovely. Photo's taken with the walker sculpture, we walk the pattern of the Way which is etched into the paving before heading to the Grog & Gruel for our final passport stamp and our certificate. We sit contented and down a fine pint before wandering happily back to our lodgings for the next 2 nights.
We really liked Kingshouse Hotel last night, good food and atmosphere and fantastic location. We headed off toward Glen Coe which in the gentle mists and ever present haze looked it's sultry brooding self.
The main ascent this morning took us up the Devil's Staircase which, if encountered earlier in the week, would have been a killer but we are now pretty fit and muscles and lungs put up with a lot more. That said, it was hard work but it finished suddenly and satisfactorily so was rewarding with a real feel of height gained looking down to the road and Buachaille Etive Mor towering the other side of the valley. Here we reached the highest point on the Way marked by twin cairns and left the Glen Coe and Etive valleys behind.
It has been another sunny warm day but again the haze has faded the surrounding mountains to mere hints and shadows. The shoulder of Ben Nevis was barely detectable from the summit of our climb.
Kilnlochleven is smarter than I remember it 30 years ago. I remember it feeling as if RTZ had only just walked out and left the area run down and messy. It's now quite a pleasant small town though we're away from the centre of town just on the Way as it leaves for Fort William tomorrow.
Well, we considered rain, mist and even snow as problems for this section which we had looked forward to but never considered the obstacle of a warm sunny day on which haze would fade out the far hills. Really can't complain I guess and the close views were gorgeous on this wild open upland section. We did have 2 or 3 drops of rain as we cleared from lunch but nothing more.
The Inveroran Hotel was lovely and we set off immediately into the day's open vistas. The walk today was largely on old disused roads with compacted rock surfaces, a nightmare for those pushing on through the pain of blistered feet. These roads were built by Thomas Telford replacing the old military roads further up the hillside. Telford had the advantage of bridge building technology so could stay lower crossing wider streams and smoothing the contours whilst the old military roads ran between fordable points on the streams higher up. 
Sorry - should have written 'Burns' instead of 'streams' there as we're in Scotland.
We saw deer a few times today. the Inveroran Hotel leave food scraps out and have a large female visit constantly they have called Daisy. We saw her last night when we ventured out. We saw some truly wild on the hills and then several male and female around the Kingshouse Hotel were we are staying tonight who also feed them scraps. Wonderful looking creatures.
Managed to break my new camera from Christmas; a clumsy bit handling while walking and I dropped it and as with toast butter side down it had to fall screen side down and the lovely big view screen is now a spiders web of cracks and no display at all. Fortunately, we have my previous camera in the main luggage about which for several days we have asking why we were carrying that additional weight; well, now we know.
An easy satisfying day and we can't be in too bad nick because we ambled down the road a little after our showers and stood taking in the hills and the light by a babbling byrne.
For the first time we have not gone down again losing all the height gained which is satisfying and easier on the knees. From not much above sea level we reached a peak at about 1200 ft but only dropped back down to 800 ft. We have also celebrated passing half mileage as well as tonight being half way time wise.
Last night, we stayed and ate in the Drovers, a very characterful hotel best summed up as built a long time ago and little done to in since. A band was on later but we were very tired but we did nip over for three numbers and it was a classic bagpipes, banjo, mandolin and drum ensemble which had the bar banging the tables and whooping. Rather good actually but we needed sleep.