Shirley and I are just finishing a three week vacation. The first 10 days we were in Ireland with the kids, and last 10 days we’ve been in Scotland with Jen and Mike Stedelin, friends from Penn State. It’s been a fantastic trip featuring perfect weather and countless memories.

Today, we are in Port William, Scotland, and I had a chance to hike a stage of one of Europe’s great trails, The West Highland Way. The WHW is a trail that runs north from Glasgow to Fort William. It’s about 100 miles long, and it generally consists of 8 stages. Over 100,000 people walk all or part of the WHW each year. (For more info on the WHW check out this site.)

The stage I hiked started in Kinlochleven and finished in Port William. This route is the 8th of the 8 standard stages. So when I finished my hike today, it was alongside many people who were finishing their 100 mile, 8 day journey.

This last stage is about 16 miles long and covers over 2000 feet of climbs. The route is completely in the mountains, so there were no towns or infrastructure, just a well maintained trail, and a days-worth of beautiful views. Since the hike was so remote, I had to carry food and water for the day.

Kinlochleven, Scotland. The start of the stage was in the center of town. Immediately after leaving town I had to climb upwards for about two kilometers. This picture was taken about halfway up. (Thanks to Mike Stedelin for driving me to Kinlochleven to get started.)

After the climb, the hike flattened out and I walked gradually upward through this beautiful valley.

This picture is taken after about two-hours of hiking, looking back over the ground that I just covered.

The trail is easy to follow, and where it does make a turn, sign posts are present. The white icon is the logo of the WHW. The yellow arrow indicates a turn, and reminded me of all the yellow arrows that mark the Camino in Spain.

Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland. Views of this mountain dominated much of the second half of the hike.

The final descent into Fort William. Fort William is blocked by the distant mountain on the left, so I had to walk down this valley a few miles, then turn left behind that mountain to approach the city.

The main street in Fort William. The end of the hike is a few hundred meters ahead of this point.

This statue (and the plaque behind it) mark the end of the WHW. My feet were definitely sore. I’ve been training for the Camino, but a 16 mile walk with a lot elevation was a big challenge. My legs were worn out.

This pizzeria/brew pub is located right at the end of the trail. We ate dinner there tonight, and it was full of hikers celebrating their completed hike. As friends finished their hike, people cheered from the bar. Every hike should have one of these at the end.

Sorry, no cows today, but we’ve seen a ton of cows on our trip. In Scotland, we’ve especially liked the Highland Cows. Shirley took this photo of one a few days ago on the Isle of Skye. I never thought I’d utter (or udder) these words… This is a beautiful cow.