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Kinlochleven to Fort William

· 4 reviews · Hiking route · United Kingdom

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Macs Adventure

End of the West Highland Way
Photo: Fraser MacRae, Macs Adventure

Anna Kinne
on the June 02, 2022

This is a beautiful walk and a perfect end to the West ...

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The final section on the West Highland Way: follow a track through the beautiful forests of Glen Nevis to gain excellent views of Ben Nevis before entering Fort William.

moderate

Distance 24.2 km

7:00 h

504 m

509 m

332 m

7 m

The initial sharp climb out of Kinlochleven into the Mamores is compensated for with fantastic views. Once over the top you follow a wonderfully remote valley past deserted sheilings towards Fort William. Enter a beautiful area of cultivated forest and follow a narrow winding track into Glen Nevis. Towering ahead is Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, follow a wide forestry road down to the Visitors Centre. The final two miles are along the Glen Nevis road, bringing you to the official end of the West Highland Way at the main street of Fort William, where your adventure comes to a close.

Author’s recommendation

The West Highland Way is a spectacular walk, however the last couple of miles of the official route are a little under whelming as the route follows the pavement along the A82. For the purists who wish to follow the exact route of the West Highland Way from start to finish this is the way to go. If you would prefer to be away from the road, there are a couple of alternative options, with the turnoffs for both options marked on the map. The Peat Track option includes a steep climb over Cow Hill before descending through the town to the finish, while the easier "Around Cow Hill" option follows a trail in the same direction as the official walk, but is away from the road.

Author

Macs Adventure

Update: February 17, 2020

Difficulty

moderate

Technique

Stamina

Experience

Landscape

Highest point

332 m

Lowest point

7 m

Best time of year

Jan

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Track types

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Safety information

As you near Fort William please be aware there is often logging being carried out by the forestry commission which results in the path being slightly re-routed. The last part of the West Highland Way follows the pavement along the busy A82 road. Please be careful and aware of the fast moving traffic.

Maps

If you wish to carry a hardcopy map, we would recommend buying the West Highland Way map from Footprints. Alternatively, you may wish to print the daily maps directly from our app.

Guidebook

If you wish to bring a guidebook, we would recommend Trailblazer's West Highland Way: Milngavie to Fort William by Charlie Loram.

Macs Adventure Blogs

Using our decades of experience we have written several blogs containing helpful tips, daily wildlife information, lunch stops, where to eat, FAQ and more. Please follow the link below to read our West Highland Way insights:

https://www.macsadventure.com/walking-holidays/category/walking/west-highland-way/

Tips and hints

Noted on the interactive map are a couple notable points of interest. Click the icons on the map for more information.

Start

Kinlochleven town centre (14 m)

Coordinates:

OS Grid

NN 18736 62041

56.714758, -4.963304

DMS

56°42'53.1"N 4°57'47.9"W

UTM

30V 379831 6287356

w3w

///direct.awakening.wanted

Destination

Fort William main square

Turn-by-turn directions

*** To help you follow the route with confidence we have provided these route notes to help you. The West Highland Way is well waymarked, but we strongly suggest that you follow the GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone app to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable and problem-free day. The daily maps can also be printed from the web version of the app should you wish to take paper copies with you. ***

In Kinlochleven rejoin the trail from outside the Tailrace Inn and follow the road (B863) north out of the village passing the bus stop on Lochaber Road. The road curves left and in 500m bear right off the road onto the West Highland Way path leading into the trees.

Ascend gradually with the slopes of Am Bodach and Mullach Nan Coirean (Munros) to your right as you follow the Way along the valley floor and descend until you see Lochan Lunn Da-Bhra on your left at 11.70 km. From here the trail passes over undulating terrain for 5.70 km to reach a saddle-point overlooking Glen Nevis. Follow the path west to descend towards Fort William along the forested slopes of the glen.

As you near Fort William from the east you can choose to turn right at 20.30 km and follow the traditional route or take a slightly more scenic route by continuing straight on the path above the town for a further 1 km before emerging from the forest and turning left to follow the Way into Fort William’s centre via road and pavement walking. Follow the A82 until reaching the roundabout at around 23.50 km where you’ll turn left and follow the pedestrianised main street through Fort William’s central shopping area to reach the statue of the walker on a bench marking the end of your West Highland Way. Congratulations!

Coordinates

OS Grid

NN 18736 62041

56.714758, -4.963304

DMS

56°42'53.1"N 4°57'47.9"W

UTM

30V 379831 6287356

w3w

///direct.awakening.wanted

Arrival by train, car, foot or bike

Equipment

Sturdy hiking boots, warm clothes and a waterproof/wind-break layer are all required. The weather can change quickly so be sure to take all equipment even if the weather looks okay. A waterproof cover for your rucksack is also useful.

Ensure your phone is fully charged; if you doubt the battery will last throughout the hike, it would be beneficial to bring a power bank.

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Questions and answers

Question from Roy Scobie · August 23, 2021 · Community

How can you download gps maps to this

Answered by Linda Cruickshank · August 23, 2021 · Community

If you have the routes added to your favourites on the app. Go to Memo and select the route section. At the bottom of the screen there is option for map.

Answer

Rating

4.8

(4)

Anna Kinne

June 02, 2022 · Community

This is a beautiful walk and a perfect end to the West Highland Way. The climb out of Kinlochleven wasn’t as bad as we expected and the long, fairly flat stretches after that were really pretty. Like many of the other days, the scenery changed from morning to afternoon. The views of Ben Nevis are spectacular and much better than from Fort William. We stopped at the Ben Nevis Bisitor Center and had an ice cream bar - it was the perfect boost before the last two miles. As on almost every other day, the mileage guides were short and actual mileage was over a mile longer.

When did you do this route? May 19, 2022

Comment

Adrian Smith

April 02, 2022 · Community

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Graeme Cruickshank

September 19, 2020 · Community

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Reviews

Difficulty

moderate

Distance

24.2 km

Duration

7:00 h

Ascent

504 m

Descent

509 m

Highest point

332 m

Lowest point

7 m

Scenic Cultural/historical interest 'Healthy climate' Fauna Linear route

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Waypoints

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6 Waypoints

6 Waypoints

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