Day 5 and what was to be our final day of our 2011 WHW Adventure. We set off from Kingshouse at around 8am as we knew we had another big day ahead of us, plenty of miles and plenty of accent.. Just the way we like it 
the first section from Kingshouse to the foot of the Devil’s Staircase is pretty easy going, to be honest I was that mesmerised by the views I forgot to post a position beacon to Social Hiking… Whoops . The Devil’s Staircase is not that Devilish if truth be told, a good climb but nothing that will kill you. I remember the first time we did this after being warned by others and reading stories of how tough it was, the guide book warned us about it too but we found it a thoroughly enjoyable little climb with amazing views.. If you have climbed hills then this will be a breeze to you as it was to us, I’m lead to believe that it was named by the soldiers that built the path in terrible weather conditions, which is fair enough as it can become particularly terrible here at times .
As I mentioned before the views from the Devil’s Staircase are breathtaking. The view back in the direction you have cone from are particularly nice. Buchaille Etive Mor looks magnificent from this angle and we savoured the moment with a snack and picture.
the walk down in to Kinlochleven is pretty easy going with fantastic views northwards to the Mammores and east up to the reservoir. We decided to stop for a spot of breakfast when we arrived in the town as we had left as early as possible this morning.
After breakfast we called in at the co-op to buy sone treats before we set off on the final leg of the way. The climb out of town and up the Lairig was over fairly quickly, in previous WHW trips this had cemented itself in our memories as being a tough little climb… This time however it didn’t hurt at all, my fitness levels have improved vastly since the last time I attempted this so I was pretty pleased with myself.
This section of the way is another highlight as you climb up through the valley and bend around towards Glen Nevis. The forests are vanishing more and more every time we come, I remember being absolutely soaked last time at this point and just having my head down pushing on. Not today, the weather was reasonable and all I felt at this moment was happiness as we had almost completed it again, mixed with a little touch of sadness that it was nearly all over for another year.
The final drop down in to Glen Nevis didn’t take very long at all, we were feeling really fresh even after such a big day. We chose to drop our kit at Glen Nevis Campsite, get showered, changed and then walk the rest of the way in to Fort William.
Before we knew it we were there, at the end of the West Highland Way once again. The finish line had moved so this was the first time we had seen the new WHW official end. A rather impressive piece of artwork runs along the floor detailing the places you pass along the way and there is a nice sculpture sat on the bench near bye. The Weary Walker sits silently watching the world pass by.
Well, that is it for another year. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our WHW Adventure 2011 as we certainly enjoyed doing it. There were times when I felt tired but this year has been the best yet. For the majority of the time I felt full of energy and really benefited from having improved my fitness levels. We will be back again I’m sure. Maybe next year we’ll attempt something different like the coast to coast or our own version of the TGO challenge.. One thing I do know for certain is, I’ll be day dreaming and plotting the next adventure on the drive home.. We will be back!