Recovering Grant's car from Kinloch Hourne, where we'd parked it before walking across Knoydart. This 23 mile single-track road was becoming flooded in places.
Film
Allt Coire a Mhusgain, near Glen Nevis
Glen Garry
Knoydart
Mallaig
Rum
Glen Nevis
Glen Coe
Maps
Click image below for detail
Slideshow
Ben Nevis
Slideshow
Allt Coire a Mhusgain
Glen Nevis Youth Hostel = Madhouse
After the boat from Rum finally made landfall at Mallaig, the gang boarded a train for a spectacular train ride to Fort William. To keep costs down, Duncan booked a few days in the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel. Unfortunately, this hostel has become overwhelmed by pretend mountaineers - chief among them the so-called Three Peakers (see here for there antisocial nature) - but also total tourists, suffering from the Everest Effect, a chilling condition only observable by those not suffering from it.
Having arrived at Fort William, Duncan persuaded a taxi driver to drop Hermione and a load of hastily acquired food shopping at the hostel, before driving Duncan, Ian and Grant back to the car at Kinloch Hourne in a heavy downpour. The last stretches of the road to Kinloch Hourne was becoming flooded with the road saturated on either side and the rivers in tumult. The video of the journey made back from Kinloch Hourne documents Grant's skillful driving and will be of no interest to anyone except Ian, Duncan and Grant, should they ever wish to relive the trauma.
It continued to rain very heavily all night. By the morning River Nevis was overflowing its banks towards Fort William. We declared the day for rest and recuperation.
Ben Nevis
The next day we decided to 'bag the Ben'. Hermione suffered a leg spasm at the very beginning of the walk, so she and Duncan turned back. Ian and Grant went on. Ian turned back at the snow line but Grant was one of the few that day who made it to the summit.
Ian Departed
Ian was missing his girlfriend too much and decided to cut the holiday short. The day after his adventures on Ben Nevis, he headed south by train. After dropping him at the station, Grant, Hermione and Duncan walked up the path of Allt Coire a Mhusgain, which is a side glen to the south of Glen Nevis and one of Duncan's favourite walks. At the beallach at the top, Grant looked down upon the West Highland Way and some old memories.