Saying goodbye to the West Highland Way and Waywalkers, Scotland under a heatwave, views of lingering snow, the Great Glen, and looking north

Continuing from the last post, from the top of Glencoe, under the towering Buachaille Etive Mor, the rest of the evening was spent round a campfire with two dutch friends. We talked and sang and drank whisky and tea and when we finally went to our tents at midnight there was still light in the north sky. I will always be grateful for that day and evening. And my coat still smells of bonfire.
The next day took a long path along Glencoe to Altnafeadh. The landscape is so big that you can walk for an hour and feel as though you are in the same place you started. I don't think I've had a day where I could still see my campsite two and a half hours after I left it. The first two photos are from the Devil's Staircase - the last view of Glencoe and Rannoch Moor, and the view north to the Mamores. A steep descent to sea level and Kinlochleven became warmer and warmer as Scotland started its heatwave. The last day of the WHW, over to Fort William, was hot. I walked fast to get to the shade and was treated to a full clear view of Ben Nevis. It really looks like the biggest mountain in the UK. The third photo is Ben Nevis from the forest road down into Glen Nevis and Fort William. From my pint in Fort William I watched the walkers come in, hot and tired, and kept having to remind myself that this time I hadn't finished. The fourth photo is the Lochaber Schools Pipe Band amidst their regular weekly performance in the town. They were good!

The last two days have been on the Great Glen Way, to the busy, touristy FortAugustus, in intense heat, along the wide, silky, deep blue Caledonian Canal. The fifth photo is of Ben Nevis, still visible after miles, with snow in its gullies, reflected in the River Lochy. And the sixth is of the canal looking back down to Loch Oich. 

I have company now. My dad is walking with me up to John O'Groats. 15 days to go. The last couple of days have presented no navigaton issues and I realise my thoughts are turning back to Leicester and work and people. But the next 15 days will require much concentration and energy. My bag is heavier than ever as we don't pass through many settlements. Wild camping  and plotting our course along old tracks and ancient drove roads ... it doesn't feel so anxiety provoking now that I'm here. But I am a little bit relieved that it's only another 15 days! I'm not sure how much I'll be able to blog from now. But I'm on my way!