Vanlife Road Trip - Part 9: Loch Tulla, Glen Etive, Kinlochleven, Fort William and Glen Roy
22 - 29 August 2021
With a heavy heart we left Glen Orchy and our avenue of waterfalls, and headed to the A82 and the Bridge of Orchy. After less than 45 seconds on a main road (agghhh scary!) we were on a new single track road driving around the beautiful Loch Tulla to an epic park up in the central highlands.
We arrived to a busy carpark where many walkers were heading back from their day in the mountains, and so we parked up and settled in for a quiet night watching movies, drinking Disaronno and hoping the mountain rescue helicopter wouldn't land on the van roof!
The next morning it was time for a bath, as we both thoroughly stank, despite having been swimming a lot since leaving Luss and the hot showers of the campsite! It was a really hot day, despite the clouds, and although we would have loved to explore the mountains surrounding us and the stunning waterfalls plummeting from the hills, it was just too warm for the dogs to walk too far in the conditions; so we headed off along the Abhainn Shira river towards a burn running from Stob a' Choire Odhair, hoping to find a suitable bathing spot. The walk was just beautiful, and the views indescribable; I felt like I had stepped out of the van in to the Alps. After a little bridge dance (just had an urge!), we hiked along the river's edge, mesmerised by the scenery all around us, we were even lucky enough to see two herds of stags grazing and basking in the sunshine just meters from the track; it was so special and we couldn't believe we were just mooching around an easily accessible part of Scotland with absolutely no one else around...
We arrived at the branch in the river, where a small bridge spanned the burn running off the mountains high above, and a tiny hut (possibly an old bothy) sat abandoned to the side of the path. There was a small pool below suitable for a bath, and so we pootled down to the pool, whipped our kit off and grabbed the soap (eco and water friendly, don't panic!). The water was heavenly. We washed our bodies and grubby hair, lounged in the cool water, giggled a lot and the dogs joined in chasing balls and stones and cooling their feet. Soon it was time to get out of the sun and start heading back towards the vans for lunch.
As we were walking back we decided to walk around the side of the Loch, and I'm so glad we did, as we were rewarded with the most picturesque scene of a still Loch with the hills and sky reflected on it's mirrored surface. It was stunning and seemed rude not to have a little swim. We got in to our swim kit and made our way in to the Loch to find it was pretty shallow and full of weeds (George's favourite thing!), so we had a little float and got back out avoiding the midges starting to gather on the Loch's edge.
We felt a bit grubby after the swim so walked back up to Victoria Bridge (scene of my dancing!) and jumped in the clear river for a float as it wasn't deep enough to swim in. Finally, we returned to the vans exhausted but exhilarated and ready for food and the next stage of our adventures, as we were about to head towards Glen Coe and the epic passes featured in many movies and iconic of Scottish landscapes.
The drive from Glen Orchy to Glen Coe is quite possibly the most stunning drive in the UK... The road winds through scenery that takes your breath away. There are great mountain ranges all around, their summits causing you to get your nose up against the van's window to see their tops, beautiful lochans are dotted around the grassy plains, the sun and clouds reflected in their glassy water, like something out of Tolken's Lord of the Rings; waterfalls cascade down the side of the glens in to fast flowing rivers that look like they'd cause you to freeze if you were to dip your toe in, and tourists pull over on the side of the road to re-enact famous scenes from Skyfall. In simple terms, it's one of the most beautiful roads I've ever driven...
We thought about stopping overnight on the road, as there are plenty of park ups, but it was heaving with motorhomes and we prefer somewhere a little more secluded/hard to get to!
We approached some temporary traffic lights and a tail back and I thought 'sod it, let's turn left'... What a fantastic result. We ended up driving on an awesome single track road right through Glen Etive, and the views were simply phenomenal. The mountains hugged us on either side and the river ran down the valley on our left, constantly alternating from a steady flow, to still pools, and then to rapids that cascaded over large rocks creating perfect waterfalls. It weaved through small forests, large gorges, under new bridges and through private estates, all the while picking up more water from the burns running off the hills, as it made its way to Loch Etive where it turned in to a stunning infinity looking Loch that reflected the mountains and sky on its surface and whose end was beyond the naked eye, as it headed further in to the mountains before joining the sea.
We drove down the road constantly looking for the perfect park up, but it was busy with people enjoying the glorious weather, and after over 30 minutes of driving we arrived at the end of the road and the mesmerising Loch Etive. We had a walk to stretch ours and the dogs legs before dinner by the Loch and debated pitching the tent overlooking the water. But after being eaten alive by the consistently present Scottish midgies, we decided not to(!!), and waved cheerio to the campers at the Loch and headed back up the road in search of a night time park up. We found a large pull in about 10 minutes back up the road, and swung in and settled down for the night, not really sure what we would see in the morning...
The next morning we were rewarded with beautiful views of Stob Coire Sgreanhach and the waterfall flowing from its summit. The rock face was immense and you could imagine climbers scaling its face under the beautiful summer sun. We took things rather more laid back though, and cleaned the vans before a mooch up the small river in front of us for a wash and swim. I even got my tools out and pretended to be a handy plumber - with the all important pink gaffer tape!
The walk up to the swim spot was picturesque with the mountains rising up in front of us and the woodland to our right and clear water coursing down to the Loch to our left. The sun was blazing down on us and the water was cool, providing a welcome refreshing dip after a morning sweating whilst cleaning! The small pools below each of the tiny falls created a natural waterpark, and we swam and played in the falls, using them as waterslides, bouncing over the smooth ricks in to little plunge pools... We giggled and enjoyed the peace and quiet and the feel of the water, until we realised there were tiny leeches in the water - cue quick exit and body checks!
We headed back to the vans, grabbed some lunch and, before we knew it, it was time to make our way back up the road past all the campers and continue on towards Glen Coe. Normally we may have stayed put for a few days but time was pressing on and we had plans in a few days time... So onwards with the road trip and to our next destination; Kinlochleven.
We passed more amazing scenery as we made our way through the Pass of Glen Coe and our eventual arrival at Loch Leven. Waterfalls thundered through narrow gorges, the river Coe snaked down the glen, huge mountains towered above us and woodlands hugged the road near the bottom of the valley. As we arrived in Glencoe village, we took a right and drove up the side of Loch Leven to our park up for the night. We treated ourselves to some groceries and fish and chips (absolutely delicious) before taking a stroll to see yet another epic waterfall... Grey Mares Tail. This was our second Scottish fall of the same name but this one was huge in comparison to the one we swam in at Black Loch weeks before, but not as large as the third of the same name to be found on the Scottish Borders near Loch Skeen! Very confusing; I think someone needs to create new names for waterfalls in the UK! We strolled up the lovely maintained path to the thundering fall, that plummeted 50meters down a narrow tree lined gorge in to a deep pool below. This is certainly a waterfall to visit; you can scramble right up to the bottom of the fall using the planks and steps placed by the canyoning groups who come to climb up the gorge using a series of steps, ropes, ladders and platforms, before an epic abseil back down the waterfall. Alas, I was in flip flops and not with a group, so no climbing for me, but I scrambled up to the pool to see if it may be suitable for a morning swim. However, after looking at the huge amount of tree and stone debris, we decided this was one left to a day with ropes, a wetsuit and helmet in the hands of the local guides. It certainly wasn't safe enough for a dip on our own.
After a quiet night in Kinlochleven, we walked the boys and packed up to head to Fort William. We drove down the far side of the Loch, which was so peaceful and beautiful; the Loch was still and the morning light created a picture postcard image. We basked in the beauty of this place before entering our first proper town since leaving Cumbria; Fort William and the joys of a McDonalds breakfast!! An admin day was on the cards, and after a naughty breakfast, a spot of shopping and filling our water etc, we pulled in to Inverlochy and a fantastic park up right by the castle (we will visit here many more times on this trip, as it's a great place to park, there's a lush swim spot AND it's right next to the Highland Soap Company who do the BEST products (and coffee!!)!).
Now, Fort William is a bit touristy, what with Ben Nevis on its doorstep, but everyone we encountered were super friendly, town has everything you need (Morrisons also let you fill up your water for free), there's a world class mountain bike centre within a 10minute ride and some of the best walking around. The best part though, is that you still feel like you are out in the wilderness as soon as you leave the town centre as you are surrounded by mountains, forests and rivers in every direction. In fact, I love the area so much I think I'll move there... alas, I'm broke and live in a van, but hey, I can dream! But for now, let's relive our first few days visiting this gorgeous area of Scotland.
So, after settling in to Inverlochy and establishing it as 'our spot', and spending too much at the Highland Soap Co (everyone needs honey and whiskey soap in their lives!), we decided on a little evening swim in the river... it was fabulous. Great swim spot and the sunsets looking down the river and then the sunrises over Ben Nevis were really gorgeous.
The next day we decided to head out for a little stroll... 'it's just a couple of miles' I said to George. You know, 'ish'!! We set off out of Inverlochy past the distillery to the woods, where according to the map, there was a nice little bimble route for us, circling back to the road again. However, as regular readers will know my little strolls often go slightly off-piste, and this one turned in to quite an adventure, including a rather large river crossing and a hill so steep, I had to clamber up it on all fours. But it was a gorgeous day out, the sun shone throughout and we saw some of the area we wouldn't have seen if we'd kept to the boring map route!! We even strolled back along the Caledonian Canal; which would make a lovely adventure in itself. Maybe one for another time...
On our final day parked at Inverlochy, I abandoned George as she was busy editing videos, and headed out on Liz to explore the Nevis Range trails. There are loads of cycle paths around the area, so it's really safe to cycle over to Nevis Range. I took a slight detour on the way and rode through the woods near the foot of Ben Nevis where there are some smaller trails (the old Witches Trails) and a track that links you with the main Nevis Range centre. There's also a fabulous car park here (North Face) that at the time was on the Stay the Night scheme, right in the heart of the forest. It's the perfect launch point for the trails or to climb the Carn Mor Dearg Arete route up Ben Nevis. Anyway, I entered the main car park at Nevis Range and headed out to explore some of the trails accessed from the centre. I didn't want to get the gondola up to do the big boy runs on my own and the new blue run wasn't yet open; so I set off up the forest road to take in the first blue run, Voodoo. Grateful of Liz and her extra power on the uphill climb to the start of the run, I then flew down this lovely fun single track run that weaves through the trees. It's a simple run and was over too fast for all the uphill in my opinion, but a great run for families or people starting out. Next I climbed back up and did Blue Adder; now this is a fun little run. It's fast and flowing, there are opportunities to add in small features and you leave with a smile on your face! It felt like time for an overpriced coffee at the café, which was lovely, and I sat outside and watched the guys in full face helmets and padding whizz down the bottom section of the World Cup run. Good choice staying at the bottom of the mountain! I then went off in search of a red run I had heard was a lot of fun... I climbed back up the forest road and made my way across the Puggy Line enjoying the epic views before I got to a final climb up to the mid way point of the World Champs run. This run starts further up the mountain with quite a steep initial descent but from the mid way point you set off through the trees taking in some fun but achievable features and lots of fast flowing single track. It's a proper 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' experience and I loved it! After this it was time to make my way back to George and the dogs, so I hopped on to the Broomstick Blue back to the North Face carpark and on to Inverlochy. An epic day with lots of smiles had... We finished the day off with a swim in the river and then we moved our vans to the North Face carpark, where we must have been joined by a large climbing group who had a bit of a rave before they all crashed ready for a early climb in the morning.
We also got up early (not as early as the climbers), grabbed our bags and set off to watch the sun rise over Ben Nevis. We hiked up through the forest, the sounds and smells always so much clearer at sunrise. The mist hung low, leaving a moist residue on our hair and creating an eerie but beautiful setting for our walk. We arrived at the viewpoint just as the mist rolled down enough to expose Ben Nevis, creating a full ballerina's skirt around the mountain's base. We sat and enjoyed a drink for a while before heading on up to the dam and weir where we admired the mountain and turned around leaving the climbers to continue their ascent up towards the CIC Hut. We weren't out to climb the mountain today, and instead we decided on a little swim in a nearby river pool to cool off (it was bloody cold FYI!) before we walked back through the woods past waterfalls and deer grazing to the vans for a well deserved spot of lunch.
Next it was time to find our last park up together... Should it be at a waterfall? In a riverside glen? Or, up a mountain with 360 degree views? Just too many decisions... so after a little game to decide (normally rock, paper, scissors!), we headed off to what was promised to be a stunning park up.
The drive was once again beautiful, and as we climbed up another single track road, we were rewarded with stunning views down the valley of Glen Roy. This is another spot not to be missed if you are in the area. Don't be put off by the long, steep, narrow road, it is totally worth it for the views from the carpark at the top of the hill. We pulled in and chatted to another van who was already there and set up for the night, before deciding to venture off in up the Glen to a waterfall, as it was bath time once more. We jumped in Buttercup and drove to Easan Bhrunachain waterfall. There is an amazing spot to park up here, and if we had just one van, we certainly would have spent the night here by the river in the middle of the Glen as it was breath taking. But anyway, we grabbed our swim stuff and soap and headed for our swim and wash. The waterfall was rather disappointing but if there had been any rain or snow melt then I can imagine the River Roy would be entirely different as it crashed its way down to Spean Bridge and onwards to Inverlochy. However, it proved to be perfect for our bath, and after a little slipping and sliding down to the river we were in. It was gorgeous and I could have spent hours just swimming up and down the lovely river. But it was getting later, we needed to drive back to the carpark and dinner was definitely on my mind! Alas, the blasted midgies were once again out in force, so we were confined to quarters, despite a burly Scotsman next to us sitting outside his van all night looking as if midges were nothing but little faeries not causing horrendous itching and annoyance!!
The next morning we woke to a glorious sunrise over the Glen, and headed off for one final waterfall before we packed up to go our separate ways. As we sat looking over another series of beautiful falls and pools (no time to swim today) George and I couldn't help but reflect on all the adventures we had enjoyed in such a short amount of time... and we still weren't up north or on the NC500!! If the bottom half of Scotland could be so epic, would I even cope with the beauty of the north? Well we would soon find out.
...and as we waved goodbye to each other at the turn off for Dalwhinnie, I was once again alone on my little adventure; just one girl and a van.
As always, thank you for reading and I hope you're enjoying the adventure. If you fancy seeing the Vlogs that accompany our Scottish road trip, please visit George's YouTube channel for more craziness!
Fort William: WILD SWIMMING in FORT WILLIAM - YouTube
Fort William Walkies: Well this was NOT PART of the PLAN!! - YouTube
Inverlochy and North Face Carpark: Time to head to BEN NEVIS - YouTube
Time to Say Goodbye: TIME to SAY GOODBYE - YouTube
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