9th May 2019
Loch na Leitreach Wild Camp
With re-stocked rucksacks we left Kintail Lodge in sunshine. The temperature had risen and we caught our first glimpse of the wee beasties (midges). The old road skirted the Loch avoiding the roar of traffic on the A87, we paused to watch a couple of young seals play. As always they soon stop and watch back inquisitively. The flat road walk into Morvich got our legs warmed up again after a rest day and we were soon leaving the forest for a well made path up to Bealach na Sroine.
There was some tension all morning as the path around the Falls of Glomach is described as dangerous with rock steps in a precarious position.
After descending to the hanging valley above the falls we saw the line of the path and after a quick snack we picked our way down past the falls to find a patch of lawn on which to pitch for the night.
Distance: 13.5km
Ascent: 646m
10th May 2019
Maol-bhuidhe Bothy
It rained for much of the night, and since it was still wet in the morning we snoozed until 10am. We eventually got going in sunshine at nearly midday, considerable snow had fallen on the tops and large numbers of deer had descended to the track passed Iron Lodge. Having seen the benefit to indigenous trees where deer have been excluded, we pondered the need for re-wilding Scotland. If wolves were to be introduced, however, we wondered if they would just gorge themselves on sheep as an easier catch.
After a steady climb over a bealach, we eventually caught site of the lone bothy in the most spectacular setting. Newly whitewashed and with a good roof, we found our own wood panelled room, there were several others staying and 2 that had brought in coal so we were pleased to have a fire for the evening.
We were surprised and amused to see a small bag of nuts with a note addressed to us. It was from Pete and Warren who we had been overlapping with in the last few days, they clearly took pity on us for our meagre rations!
Distance: 13km
Ascent: 428m
11th May 2019
Bendronaig Bothy
Maol-bhuidhe Bothy is described as a lonesome homestead, the first recorded occupants were the Renwicks in the mid 19th Century, we are staying at a B&B owned by Marie Renwick in a few days at Loch Boom- maybe her family are descendants? It was a perfect place to stay. After a clear night, the sun continued to shine for much of the morning before hail showers reminded us we were in Scotland. Some rough trackless ground skirted the south of Beinn Dronaig before picking up a stalkers path which gave us our first fine views across to the crenellated Cuillin on Skye.
The Bothy, maintained by the Attadale estate, was familiar to us and was where we had very first considered this journey, after a 38km and 2 Munro day.
We sat having our food as the sun set before lighting the wood burner to enjoy another Bothy night chatting to a couple from near Edinburgh. When they heard we were staying at Gerry’s hostel the following night they recounted amusing tales of the previous owner’s ghostly figure dressed all in white white with eccentric habits.
We have approached this journey in a relaxed style while most others complete two or three of our days in a single stretch. It occurred to us that stoves take on the character of their owner a persistent problem with ours means it coughs and splitters it’s way to a simmer while the fast and furious Cape Wrather’s cook set roars to a fast boil.
Distance: 8.5km!
Ascent: 173m
12th May 2019
Gerry’s Hostel, Craig
The most glorious morning awaited us with clear blue sky, zero wind and not a midgie to be seen. The huge road building in the Attadale estate for the hydroelectric schemes have left their mark so we were glad to get off the large gravel tracks and up passed Loch na Laoigh where an excellent stalkers path took us much of the way to Bealach Bearneas.
At the pass, we passed under 2 Munros we were still to climb before descending to a new vista of the Torridon hills. The hostel is now run by Gerry’s son Simon who welcomed us with some much needed food for the evening as well as provisions for future wild camps. We sat listening to Eric Sati on vinyl in this quirky hostel with a lamp shade made from a washing machine drum. I read a great article by Hamish Brown mountaineering writer and first to complete all the Munros in a single journey using only bicycle and ferry. He wrote about Bothy’s and in Knoydart he said he made repeated attempts to get Ordinance Survey to remove a bridge symbol on the map of Knoydart as it was giving walkers false hope in crossing the River Carnach. After repeated requests, someone from OS eventually went out to verify his claim and the bridge marker was subsequently removed from future maps. A few years later someone built a bridge, which has now washed away! You could have some fun at OS’s expense I think.
Distance: 17.4km
Ascent: 526m
13th May 2019
Kinlochewe Bunkhouse
We chatted to Simon over a rather unorthodox breakfast of sausage roll and tinned macaroni cheese. He mentioned that Hamish Brown was booked to stay- I assume he and Gerry, Simon’s dad were mates, he then pointed out that many of the records on the shelf once belonged to Hamish, sure enough most of them were marked up “HB”.
A brief encounter with the A890 brought us to the old pony track up to Coulin Pass. This route was used by James Hogg, poet and novelist during his tour of the highlands in 1803. Once on the big forestry roads we were able to settle in to a good pace and admire the unfolding scene of the Torridon hills and beyond, first the mass of Liathach, Beinn Eighe and then Slioch.
A lot of the forest we have passed is going the through a big transformation, not just felling for cash but a 200 year vision to remove the lucrative conifers, fencing to keep out the deer and let the land return with native species. The stark contrast in vegetation in and outside the fencing is remarkable and it is a credit to the group’s that are working on this project.
After a day striding on big tracks, the last 2km wound it’s way through woodland but took forever, these last 2 days are not the normal route for Cape Wrath Trailers, in fact we have seen no others as most go through the Torridons it was nice for us to grab a new view of these familiar peaks.
Distance: 17.5km
Ascent: 478m
14th May 2019
Lochan Fada Wild Camp
Yesterday we sat in the sun by a river and tried to work out how many lunches we needed to carry after Kinlochewe- such is the burden of decision making! The store and Post Office had everything we needed so we set of this morning with a much heavier load. It was the warmest day so far and as the broad track faded to path, the “Fisherfield Six” came into view.
These unfamiliar peaks comprise of 5 Munros and a Corbett and is in an area described by Wainwright as The Great Wilderness. We meandered in to the eastern end of Lochan Fada, set up camp at about 2:30pm and and soak up the splendour of our position.
This must be the most perfect campsite yet, arriving early gave us plenty of time to have a dip in the loch before cooking and watched the glorious sunset unfold behind Slioch. Today was half way in terms of days.
Distance: 12.9km
Ascent: 405m
15th May 2019
Shenaval Bothy
Another very hot day, we had a fantastic sleep and didn’t get going until nearly 10. We encountered a hare in amongst the peat bogs, it sat motionless pretending we couldn’t see it before scampering off. The short climb to the Bealach na Croise was punctuated with a stop at a waterfall complete with infinity pool!
Each stop is made longer by our desire to remove boots and socks to bathe and cool our feet, we don’t particularly have any problems now but the renewed feeling of freshness when we set off again is great- this was a 3 “boot-off stop” day! Shenaval seemed to take a long time arriving but was worth the wait, this justifiably popular Bothy is in a stunning location. We started to have concerns about the occupants we would encounter when footprints gave way to horse hooves and bicycle tyres but when we arrived there were just Munroists and Cape Wrathers. The hut book revealed the story behind the horses as the previous day had seen 3 riders with one pack horse, they had slept comfortably that night but woke the following day to find their horses had decided to make their own way home leaving the riders with saddles but without horses! They did, however, make candles from deer fat- that would have been an interesting group to talk to in the Bothy. Our self-sufficiency on this trip pales to insignificance compared to the MacDonalds who were the first residents in 1891. They grew vegetables, fished in the Loch, took venison from the hills and only twice a year went off to buy fuel, tea and sugar. There is such a great sense of history when walking in these hills and seeing the ancient dwellings, on days like these it must have felt like a true paradise but must have been a harsh existence for much of the year.
Today we reached halfway by distance, about 200km.
Distance: 15km
Ascent: 288m
16th May 2019
Clachan Farm B&B, Loch Broom
We woke to a leaden sky and a good few midge, rain was forecast for later so we made an unusually early departure of 8am. We climbed the track at the back of Shenaval and as we rounded the shoulder of Sail Liath the true splendour of An Tealach emerged.
Sue recalled her ascent of this giant and having to apply a one handed Bowline knot on a particularly tricky section. The muggy start gave way to a cooler breeze as we ascended and 2 lofty traverses gave us great vistas of the hills we have passed and those yet to come. With the aid of 1:25,000 maps on our phone, we found a sneaky descent to Loch Broom and avoided an otherwise unpleasant descent. The rain never arrived and the sun shone, we settled into our B&B where Marie, our host cooked us the most amazing meal.
Distance: 17.9km
Ascent: 718m
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