New Walk

It isn't easy being tasked with suggesting a new walk. There is a fear that it may be too muddy, too steep or there are too many other people already with the same idea.
I'm pleased this idea ticked all the boxes. We walked along the side of the aluminium smelter (which doesn't sound very glamorous) then followed a well made Land Rover track in zig zags up the side of the Melantee above the "Portals" to reach the "Surge Chamber".
Anyone who has driven through Fort William cannot fail to see the 5 large penstock pipes emerging from the mountianside before plunging steeply to the smelter powerhouse below. The Portals are the two buildings straddling the top end of the pipes. The Surge Chamber structure sits about 65 metres higher again. Wisely secured from public access the SC is a shaft open to the air dropping vertically to the tunnel below. If the power house turbines did not draw any water then the SC water level would balance with that of Loch Trieg 15 miles away at the other end of the tunnel. As I understand it the SC acts as an engineering  control mechanism for the scheme. Caley found it all fascinating.

We are looking down to the Fort William suburbs of Inverlochy and  Caol.