We had a quick chat and they went off to use the other room in the bothy. I stopped and dried everything out in the sunshine, enjoying finishing early for once. After the river crossing the path turned sharply north. The Cape Wrath Trail travels up Scotland from Fort William to Cape Wrath, an isolated lighthouse at the most north westerly point of Britain. My wild camps had been so good that I wasn’t keen to camp around other people again, plus it would mean paying! As followers of this blog may be aware, I’m currently working on a replacement for the venerable North to the Cape to be published by Cicerone next year. I've used a traditional leather boot which never really dried out properly and caused rubbing problems. A new Cape Wrath Trail route alternative for Assynt. It was strange to feel so fearless all of a sudden. There are very few trees. The route is roughly 230 miles, and it took me 15 days to walk it north to south. This was a significant decision as now I had resupplied with a week’s worth of food, my rucksack weight was back to around 18kgs or so. However, they can be quite monotonous but I have found buying a range of different meals from different manufacturers helps to alleviate the repetitiveness. If you have gone off-route to achieve this crossing, this is when you should study and plan your new ongoing route to get back on track as fluently as possible. I was inadvertently snapped out of this by coming across a young chap at this point, who was walking the Cape Wrath Trail south to north. I knew that at the end of such a challenging walk, I would want to get home as soon as possible, and this was easier to arrange from Fort William. Water Height: Groin Deep Special Techniques: Participants SHOULD NOT CROSS rivers that are groin deep unless under the supervision of the Event Safety Team. I sat watching the lights of Unapool across the loch in the distance, and missed Max’s company. It suddenly felt very remote again as I followed the path towards Loch Glendhu. Once he was safely on his way, I set off alone along a fairly rough path following the Rhiconnich river. I always over-equip myself for safety and peace of mind, so I could perhaps have saved some weight, but I always prefer safe to sorry. It’s also available in a 2 person if you want more space. Rather than backtrack down the track to re-join the road, we followed the river around the hill which joined the road to the Cape Wrath lighthouse further up. We would rather that you become competent at shallower crossings than risking deeper immersions. This was a lovely spot, but I did have the noise from a small hydro works all night. Perfect. This is what I think has happened on the Pennine Way, and I feel that walk is now the poorer for it. Cape Wrath Trail *walking* insights - River Crossings Cape Wrath Trail *walking* insights - River CrossingsThese three videos were recorded in September 2014 when Shane Ohly (Event Director) and his wife, Heather, completed the Cape Wrath Trail. The trek was pioneered in the early 1990s by David Paterson who, in 1996, published a book entitled The Cape Wrath Trail: A New 200-mile Walking Route Through the North-west Scottish Highlands. They spent 15 days walking the route, much of which has also formed the Cape Wrath Ultra™ race route. However, when river levels rise, there is an increased danger of serious injury and drowning. The Cape Wrath Trail is an amazing walk for the experienced and I loved every minute of it. I have loved every minute of the Cape Wrath Trail, and his comments made me realise that you have to take the bad bits as well as the good bits of any long-distance walk. Do not pressurise or draw fellow participants into danger: We all have different thresholds for river crossings. Looking back, I realised that I need to eat to keep going. I dived into the tent as soon as I’d pitched it and stayed there. Here's how it went, plus a few photos. I imagine that Maol-bhuidhe can be a bleak place, but it looked great in the sunshine today. Read my surprise Gore-Tex refund. A number of times I didn’t think I was going to make it, even though the ground was good with nice grass to walk on. You’re required to sleep and eat in the wild for much of the adventure, because the ends of each day’s walking do not coincide with guesthouses—or indeed with anything at all. I must have been exhausted not to have spotted it! A Mountain Safety Team that may be despatched to known trouble spots and/or known workaround routes. The minibus driver will even drop a bag of coal for you at the junction with the road. However, I soon lost that path too so I followed a compass bearing to a four-wheel-drive track. Some participants will be unpractised and fearful of some crossings – even if they are not deep. Great boots but I’m struggling with the Gore-Tex linings failing so soon, while the boots are still good. (In my defence, it was a really big tree). Intervene and go to intercept when a fellow participant appears to be isolating themselves on a solo endeavour or journey. My route took me along more rough ground before finally picking up a path along Loch a Garbh-bhaid Mor. The rain had turned up, but I finally made it to A’ Chuil Bothy where I made use of all the hooks and clothes lines in the biggest room to dry my gear. We would be extremely grateful if you could consider using our links when you next need to buy something from our advertisers. This saved us half a mile or so and it was a nicer walk. This can be completed with any larger number of participants. These will be your options to consider. In February 2019, I hiked 299 miles from Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath, the north-westernmost point of mainland Britain, mostly following the Cape Wrath Trail. I dropped down into the valley and had to join the A832 for a very short time before climbing out of the valley and back into the wilderness again. Thank you so much for your support. While we really enjoyed the trek and found the beauty and the remoteness of the trek intoxicating, others before me have sufficiently described it, and have a much better way with words. However, as the gully levelled out, a camping spot appeared with lovely flat grass right by the river. It was then a steep descent into Kinloch Hourn, which is a very remore hamlet. Several things make the Cape Wrath Trail Britain’s toughest. Starting at Fort William and heading inexorably north to the northwestern tip of Scotland, the Cape Wrath Trail is 230 miles long, with around 12,000m of ascent. Today’s weather began cloudy, but brightened up later. The wicked headwind didn’t help either and we struggled on to Kearvaig bothy, arriving there exhausted. Once there, I found a B&B for the night and organised my train journey back home for the next day. Some dry wood to light a fire would have been great! This walk is part of a segment to walk the Cape Wrath Trail between Fort William and Strathcarron. Once I had finished lunch and was ready to head on, the rain stopped. Cape Wrath Trail *walking* insights - River Crossings. The walk took 15 days. I often double-checked I still had it in my pocket and the GPS mapping I had on it was reassuring across this terrain. There are longer UK trails, but none avoid civilisation to the same extent. Follow my progress as I attempt to walk the length of the UK, from Dover to Cape Wrath, wild camping every night. This was another spectacular location, and only accessible by foot or boat. This is a beautiful stage of the Cape Wrath Trail, with generally good conditions underfoot and few real navigational challenges. If in a group or with other runners in proximity, should you be together, checking upon each other, and are you all okay? A great end to an amazing day. In 2020 I also walked a major part of it south to north on my Dover to Cape Wrath walk. I passed a chap cutting some pristine grass at Benmore Lodge, but otherwise there were no signs of life. The Cape Trail route up to the Forcan Ridge bealach doesn’t have a path, so navigation became far more demanding. This section was stunning, and climbed high after the bothy to eventually join a path down to Glencoul Bothy. Who’s to know? This was followed in 1999 by a separate publication (North to the Cape: A trek from Fort William to Cape Wrath) by Denis Brook and Phil Hinchliffe. This can lead to a fall and injury – wet feet are tolerable. Selection of crossing location: Be very selective on location. There were three river crossings (you only need to do two, see the bullet points below). As followers of this blog may be aware, I’m currently working on a replacement for the venerable North to the Cape to be published by Cicerone next year. Due to the colder temperatures and high risk of snow and ice, I will be hiking in boots, not trail shoes. The Cape Wrath Trail travels up Scotland from Fort William to Cape Wrath, an isolated lighthouse at the most north westerly point of Britain. The water came up to my knees which meant boots off and Crocs on, which was a pain so soon after getting comfortable from the bothy! Our Cape Wrath Classic takes in some of the best sections of the north western part. My route was now a well-made forest track which I followed instead of staying by the river, thinking that this might be drier and less overgrown than the river route. Often these better locations can be found within just 100 metres of your position. 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