Day 4 - Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven

Another perfect day weather wise - no rain at all and plenty of breeze during the 34 km (21 mile) hike. Attempted to have an early start today and got going with breakfast around 7:30 am. Malcolm is vowing to go vegetarian on us for the rest of the trip and we had a hearty meal with good veg sausages. Tactical error then ensued as we realised that none of us had placed an order for packed lunches! This increased the motivation to get to Kingshouse for a pub lunch as it's about the only place between here and Kinlochleven. Crossed the Bridge of Orchy and were promptly attacked by a swarm of midges around 8:30 am. The "Off" seemed to be working, though not before a few bites were suffered. Proceeded 750 m up the trail before hearing "hold on lads, I've found something in my pocket" - Dad promptly shot off back to the hotel to return his room key before Malcolm or I could offer to back track - though neither of us were that keen, to be honest. Some 15 minutes later Dad reappeared having now crossed the BoO three times muttering "all that wasted energy!" much to our, and our fellow hikers' amusement. We then proceeded through a brief wooded section to Inveroran followed by a sharp climb to breathtaking views of two valleys. We subsequently argued for a while about where, exactly, Glencoe was. Subject still unresolved, we proceeded down the hill past the Inveroran hotel and climbing again onto the moors. Spectacular scenery rewarded our toils up the hillside for the next 2 and a bit hours. The highest point of the morning was 445 m (1460 ft). Malcolm placed a stone for Dad and me on a grassy knoll some 50 m higher up. Dad and I were grateful for the rest, followed by a shot of schnapps from our Austrian friends (see accompanying article!) before descending down past the Glencoe ski centre and Blackrock cottage to the Kings House Hotel. After the Bridge of Orchy, this was a bit of a let down but a good lunch was had by all and we got a break from the sun for a bit. After the break, we set off again bound for the Devil's staircase, a steep climb back onto the fells an hour further up the track. Dad was very worried about the climb, but he doggedly fought his way to the top and we thought that we were home and dry at 548 m - the highest point on the WHW. This was about 5 pm. It took us another two hours to get down to sea level again back to Kinlochleven. As has been the pattern for the past few days, the last hour or so of the walk seems to never end. As we write this report, we're sitting back at 0 m enjoying a pint of guinness and catching up on the world cup. Only 14.5 miles to go tomorrow - all of us are exhausted but determined to get to FW.