It is easy to get a bit carried away when you only have to convince yourself of a change of plan! Hi Peter – I hope you’ll forgive the delayed response. Looking forward to reading more of your travels. I had hoped to be on the trail again – right now, in fact, I should have been enjoying a rest day in Morvich – but coronavirus put paid to my plans. they don’t collect their advanced food parcels. A 2nd opinion can sometimes stop us from making silly errors. I navigated most of the first week using just this book and a Silva compass. The route is unmarked and there is no official line. The CWT is a tough trail in and of itself made more so if you dealt a bad hand by gales force winds and rain. The Cape Wrath Trail doesn’t exceed 750 metres of elevation at any point – but you’re not in for an easy ride. Deep down, I know I should have rested overnight at Sourlies. In 2020 I also walked a major part of it south to north on my Dover to Cape Wrath walk.. I've used a traditional leather boot which never really dried out properly and caused rubbing problems. The Cape Wrath Trail does not offer hikers the luxury of certainty: flexibility is a critical part of the trailblazer’s mountain kit. A’ Chuil bothy, a key stop on the Cape Wrath Trail in Glen Dessarry. Approximately 230 miles in length, most people take 2-3 weeks to backpack the trip. The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial long distance trail and as such it is very remote and rarely walked. Looking back over my experience, I think I can offer four pieces of advice to the would-be Cape Wrath Trailblazer. T he Cape Wrath Trail is the best long-distance hike in the UK. He had been hoping for the minibus off the Cape, and wasn’t looking forward to the walk out. A little further along, at Sourlies, a herd of deer thundered across the beach at the head of the sea loch. The Cape Wrath Trail is a long distance walk from Fort William to the northwesternmost point of mainland Britain, Cape Wrath. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send". From Kinloch Hourn the path lofted high into the wild terrain of Kinlochourn Forest, leaving behind the mineral scent of the sea loch. We shared whisky and mountain tales, huddled around the fireplace. I lived and learned. Hard to imagine having the presence of mind to enjoy all of that if I had a companion with me. The next day dawned dreich. Gales Force winds and rain combine to exacerbate difficult terrain perhaps break stages down into smaller sections when this happens. My variant - taking in the Beinn Eighe alternative & the roadwalk to Ullapool - was roughly 360 km. Our rain gear and tent worked, and we were never cold, so at any given time the weather was not an issue. Gilad Nachmani says. in Coastal, ... not least at Sandwood Bay where the forecast downpour finally arrived and pelted onto my tent for hours. The following day – supposedly my rest day – I realised I couldn’t risk pushing further into remote terrain, and made the agonising decision to withdraw from the Trail. Hope your knee has fully recovered. Ahead of me I had to follow a long path clinging close to the edge of a steep drop – but the path had been buried under what was left of the winter’s snow. Kinloch Hourn marks the penultimate stage of a really tough few days’ walking; I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s where most would-be trailblazers have to drop out. I did the Scottish National trail in August 2018 which encompasses the CWT and then I did the CWT again in 2019. One week ago I completed the Cape Wrath Trail, a unofficial & unmarked route from Fort William to Scotland's most North-Western point, Cape Wrath. (HTTP response code 503). Shortly after I returned from Scotland, Trail magazine commissioned me to write about mountain safety. Hi Andy I really enjoyed your account of the CWT. Here’s what to expect: 1.Wet feet. I crossed Knoydart. The previous day’s exertion was all the evidence I could need for Knoydart’s hostility, and for the need to be conservative in my approach to the next stage. Here I felt truly alone: the path stretched on into a landscape of intimidating bleakness, with only the light trickle of a track-side burn to relieve the deep and unfamiliar silence. Only two days were “mostly sunny”. But here’s where things went badly wrong. I usually hike alone. Der Cape Wrath Trail ist ein ca. There I was to camp for the night before tackling the serious challenge of a 19km hike to Shiel Bridge, crossing over the Cape Wrath Trail’s highest point just below the Forcan Ridge. Thanks Ionna. In my keenness to make progress I ignored my pre-hike caution and paid no attention at all to the likely difficulties presented by a mountain climb on top of an already taxing day. It’s not actually a trail though, but a route. We found the bothy attended by a 71-year-old MBA volunteer (Bob, who had stoked a roaring wood fire in the cottage’s stone hearth), a group of German geology students and their husky, Aisa. I stood beneath the Milky Way, looking out over a dark and silent glen. The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest hiking route in the United Kingdom. „Trail“ in diesem Fall mit „Weg“ zu übersetzen mag aber bereits irreführend sein. From Laggan Bridge the routes are identical, insofar as they are routes at all. A month has now past and I’m back in West London thinking about how and what I’ll do differently next time. Which is basically my plan. I walked the Cape Wrath Trail in the summer of 2017. This is a variation of the Cape Wrath Trail which normally starts at Fort William. The clear skies had filled with dirty grey clouds, and the glen’s shades of russet and green had been watered down into a solid muddy grey-brown. My Cape Wrath Trail took me the better part of 8 months of planning and preparation. The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site. When planning my Cape Wrath Trail trip this year I expected to walk it ultrapacking ... and water is 7.5kg including a proper double skin tent. As best as I can recall, my logic went like this: “Yesterday I managed to walk 33.5km, including a serious climb; if I press on to Shiel Bridge, I’ll be walking 3km short of yesterday’s distance; and if I manage to rest up for a day, I’ll be all the stronger for the next stage of the trail.”. The ground was boggy and slick, and at Carn Mòr I had a shattering climb to join my original planned route. I guess my misanthropy is softening…. The clouds were usually low, seriously obscuring views of the mountains. I decided that I had to do it. Thank you for this article. Cape Wrath trail route. Posted on May 18, 2017 November 13, 2019; by Roel; In this series, I look back on my three-week solo hike along the Cape Wrath Trail: Scotland’s most challenging long-distance trail. Cape Wrath (Schottisch-Gälisch: Am Parbh, An Carbh in Lewis) ist ein Kap in Sutherland, Highland, im nördlichen Schottland.Das Kap stellt den nordwestlichsten Punkt der Insel Großbritannien dar.. Der Name Cape Wrath (auch englisch für Zorn oder Wut) stammt vom altnordischen Wort für "Umkehrpunkt". So for those of you interested in walking to Cape Wrath, it’s time to dust off those map-and-compass skills! Coupled with the two Harvey’s maps (Cape Wrath Trail South and Cape Wrath Trail North) this was all I needed to get me through the whole thing. It’s good that you got back safely. After resting at Sourlies I’d been caught up by the German team from A’ Chuil, two of whom agreed to see me safely across the river. Based on evidence from Kinlochewe Post Office approx. I was to reflect on my own accident, and interview mountain safety experts on the psychological and practical factors that can lead even the most experienced hikers and mountaineers to grief. Although 2019 had been unseasonably mild, 700m is well above the snow line in April, and the bealach was almost in winter conditions. Soon I reached the deep corrie between Mullach Gorm and Sgurr na Sgine, whose bare rocky tops glowered down at me as I pressed uphill. The Cape Wrath Trail The Cape Wrath Trail is not an official long-distance route. But if you put some effort forward, you'll see some pretty spectacular scenery and get a damn good taste of the Scottish highlands. It usually takes 2-3 weeks to complete and is considered the most difficult long-distance walk in the UK. I set foot on the Cape Wrath Trail. 2. Update, March 2020. But day after day of cool, grey, rainy weather started to feel very dank. You can see my original Cape Wrath Trail route card here, including links to my OS Maps routes. Boots One of the features of the Cape Wrath Trail is frequent river crossings, making the choice of boot particularly important. I reached Barisdale bothy well after nightfall, grateful for the bed space and a chance to demolish my pack rations. Access from your area has been temporarily limited for security reasons. I stumbled downhill to the Old Military Road, and hitch-hiked to my hostel at Ratagan. Get fit . By now I was beyond tired – weary and demoralised. The Cape Wrath Trail is challenging and frustrating, mostly because the "Cape Wrath Trail" is something that someone (probably on the internet) made up. It's often touted as Britain's toughest long distance walk, due to its pathless sections, remoteness, and Scotland's fierce weather. (EVERY day in Knoydart is tough.) I'd read tons of trail descriptions and copied multiple ones to my kindle. Thankfully the injury wasn’t as serious as it felt at the time; after six weeks or so of rest I was back in the hills. As I entered the Rough Bounds I realised my 15.4kg pack was too heavy (you can see my pack weight on LighterPack – a fantastic resource). 320 km langer Weg durch die nord-westlichen schottischen Highlands von Fort William bis nach Cape Wrath ganz im Nordwesten. I particularly admired your honesty and integrity. Do you always hike alone? Your access to this service has been limited. There’s really no shame at all in deciding it’s unsafe to proceed, even though the immediate feeling of failure can be all-consuming. Located in Scotland, it runs from Fort William, through the Highlands and Western Scotland, to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, the northwestern-most point of Scotland. I tried the ultra lightweight Montrail Hardrock Mid boot, a very light and fast drying boot. I’ll keep your points in mind when I set off again – hopefully this year…, I posted a film about a Lake District adventure, the hike that failed so horribly for me back in April, You can see my original Cape Wrath Trail route card here, but the coronavirus outbreak stalled my plans, Please don’t throw light-sticks into a waterfall, Coronavirus and hiking the Cape Wrath Trail, Kentmere Horseshoe: back to basics in Lakeland. A white-hot ball of pain erupted in my knee. Thanks Robin! There are a million different variations, directions, and ideas when it comes to this route. The book. The Cape Wrath Trail is one of the world's finest long distance walks. We don’t hear enough stories about that, falling into the horrible belief that we must press on, never quit, leading to possibly dangerous situations. Cape Wrath Trail Tip 15 – Pack One Gas Canister and Refuel on the Trip You can buy additional gas canisters at London stores in Rhiconich; Ullapool (there are two hiking shops so you can get most things inc. tent repair splints); the shop at Kinlochewe (9am-5.30pm) and the garage/campsite shop at Shiel Bridge (closes at 6pm). The days before the accident were tough. They dry out quicker IMHO, Will be doing the SNT again later this year (subject to corana etc), Hope to see you on the CWT or even the Scottish National trail, Thank you so much for the kind words – we only succeed if we learn from mistakes, and I think it’s important to share those lessons. I did not use leather boots for the CWT or Scottish National trail I use cloth based boots\trail shoes. So here, for the first time, is the full story behind my embarrassing misadventure – and how I’m already working to remedy it. Walking the Cape Wrath Trail by Iain Harper (published by Cicerone) is invaluable. The route is roughly 230 miles, and it took me 15 days to walk it north to south. We have all done it. The Cape Wrath Trail is regarded as the toughest long-distance route in Britain and offers unparalleled freedom and adventure to the experienced and self-sufficient backpacker prepared to walk for many days in remote wilderness. Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 3 million WordPress sites. The Cape Wrath Trail takes you through the finest landscapes in the Western Highlands: Knoydart, Kintail, Torridon, Fisherfield, Assynt, NW Sutherland. There is a direct correlation between pack weight and giving up. Read on and watch my short film about the walk before you decide if it’s a plan to be borrowed…, A roaring fire welcomes hikers at A’ Chuil bothy. To add to the challenging distance, the only bridge across the notoriously treacherous River Carnach had been taken down for maintenance, imposing the need for a river crossing. 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