Blackwater resevoir, Kinlochleven

About trip

Stage 1 Park at the car park at the rear of the Kinlochleven Visitor Centre and Library. The centre is well worth a visit before undertaking this walk, as it tells the story of the town's history and the Aluminium industry, and will help make sense of much of what you see whilst out on the route. Begin the walk by heading back to the main road and crossing the bridge over the River Leven. Turn right once over the bridge onto the West Highland Way footpath. This follows the wooded river bank, passing opposite the impressive surging waters flowing out of the hydro power station. The path then emerges on a street; turn right along it. Stage 2 The street becomes a track and passes a large green shed as it heads into the woods. A short distance on the track (still the West Highland Way) bends right and crosses the river. Don't cross this bridge, instead turning left onto the lower of the three small paths sloping uphill. This path is rough but clear to follow and after a short steep climb reaches a better path at a t-junction. Turn right here. From here on the walk follows the delightful glen of the River Leven, which is lined with beautiful and peaceful deciduous woodland. The river itself is hugely reduced in volume due to so much of the water being diverted down to the power station via the giant pipes seen on the hillside opposite, and is little more than a large stream flowing over a wide, bare rocky bed. Stage 3 After a kilometre and a half the path crosses a wooden footbridge. A short distance further on there is a viewpoint on the left for a fine waterfall on the tributary stream. Continuing, there are some concrete bases and other remains of a series of buildings hidden in the woods. These are the remnants of a Prisoner of War camp dating from the first World War. German prisoners from the camp built the road from Glencoe to Kinlochleven as well as the pipeline (visited later on the walk) supplying the Blackwater reservoir from Loch Eilde Mor. Stage 4 Continue on the path, which is rough and occassionally a little wet but generally good. It crosses a further stream below a fine waterfall, and later on a third stream where there are the remains of a wrecked and dangerous footbridge (it is usually easy enough to cross the stream just above), situated in a small gorge. Above here the path begins to climb up out of the woodland and onto the more open moor; the River Leven flows down a series of waterfalls over bare rocks as it issues from the Dubh lochans.