{"id":11753,"date":"2022-03-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=11753"},"modified":"2022-03-23T15:51:53","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T14:51:53","slug":"village-in-the-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2022\/03\/08\/village-in-the-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Village in the mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BUDGET WALKING WEEKENDS<\/span><\/p>\n\n

STAY: <\/strong>Kinlochleven, Highland<\/span><\/p>\n\n

VILLAGE IN THE MOUNTAINS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Unwind in a Norwegian-like valley among old woods, great peaks and glinting lochs, says Daniel Graham<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
A hiker savours the view of rippling blue Loch Leven and the distinctive, jutting peak of the Pap of Glencoe overlooking Kinlochleven <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

G<\/span>arbh Bheinn is a slumping brute of a mountain, shoulders bare and beaten, the colour of February rain. Kinder in character is Mam na Gualainn, softly ridged and rambling with a simpering south face. And then there is Sgorr na Ciche \u2013 the unmistakable Pap of Glencoe \u2013 its peak hooked, dusky and ominous, like the fin of an orca rising above the waves.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

These high, burly mountains demand attention, yet there is something about Loch Leven beneath them that lures the eye. Perhaps it\u2019s the patchwork of silver and blue, created as the wind chases ripples across the water, or the way the half reflected mountains are held on the surface as if their weight means nothing. What is certain is its beauty, and on a sunny day in mid-April there are few better places to be.<\/p>\n\n

SMELTERS AND STROLLERS<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

At the far-eastern end of Loch Leven is the busy little village of Kinlochleven. More than 100 years ago it was the site of an enormous aluminium smelter that employed some 700 workers. Today, it is the popular 96-mile-long West Highland Way that provides vital support to the local economy. Around 85,000 people take on the hike every year, and most of them spend their final night in Kinlochleven. Additional biking and walking trails, as well as Ice Factor \u2013 the National Ice Climbing Centre \u2013 provide further temptations for outdoor enthusiasts. No surprise, then, that there are numerous places in the village to seek shelter for the night; MacDonald Hotel and Cabins is my top pick.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

READY TO ROAM<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Once settled, it\u2019s time to explore. Experienced walkers can head for the big peaks, but there are plenty of low-level adventures to be had, too. Take the short, steep path from St Paul\u2019s Church to the vivacious Grey Mare\u2019s Tail Waterfall. If you have energy to spare, continue north from the cascade to Mamore Lodge and its sylvan estate, or to make it a six-mile walk, head north-east beside the soaring Mamores to 350m-high Loch Eilde M\u00f2r.<\/p>\n\n

For a more leisurely day out, take a 20-mile circular drive around Loch Leven. The road hugs the shore and there are plenty of picturesque stopping points. Walk the short, flat Lochan Trail at Glencoe, dip a toe in the brackish waters of Loch Linnhe or dine al fresco with mountain views at Lochleven Seafood Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n

MacDonald Hotel and Cabins: Affordable, comfortable and friendly with fine views of the loch. Camping (\u00a320 for two), cabins (\u00a345 for two, \u00a370 for four), hotel (from \u00a3115 for two). macdonaldhotel.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Daniel Graham stayed at MacDonald Hotel and Cabins while walking the West Highland Way.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Photo: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unwind in a Norwegian-like valley among old woods, great peaks and glinting lochs, says Daniel Graham<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":11751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"90","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"90","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_90-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_90-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"April-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"April-2022","purple_external_id":"April-2022-90-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"April-2022-90-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000084054||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000084054||","purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"91da22fd-9e7f-40d1-a93f-fc46e9516d91","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-03-09T11:42:41Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"906c5889-62be-4525-85b7-2b9b4b4bc86a","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-03-23T14:51:59Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AkGxYiWK-RSWFtyubS0vIag","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[30],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59.jpg",2048,1709,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59-300x250.jpg",300,250,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59-768x641.jpg",768,641,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59-1024x855.jpg",800,668,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59-1536x1282.jpg",1536,1282,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/fa948d86-5652-4102-90d6-2e2b7c792a59.jpg",2048,1709,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Unwind in a Norwegian-like valley among old woods, great peaks and glinting lochs, says Daniel Graham","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11753"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11753"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13362,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11753\/revisions\/13362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}