Author: DanielleWatson

Ratagan to Maol Bhuidhe

Last night I felt very privileged to have the whole dorm room to myself, so I had a great night’s sleep! I was ready and raring to go, back along the Cape Wrath Trail.

I started off by taking the road back to Sheil Bridge, before continuing along to Morvich. As I walked along the road, a nice couple offered me a lift “along the tarmac”. It was very kind of them to offer, but I politely refused. I’ve walked this far, I don’t want to skip a section, unless I really have to!

From Morvich, I took the path towards the Falls of Glomach. The path was a lovely path, and really varied. It started through woodland along the river, before opening out into fields, then through some timber woodland, before opening out into the moorland.

There were beautiful views as I continued up the glen. The steep sided valley was really dramatic.

Once it flattened out at the top, I found a rock to sit on and enjoy my lunch. I also had some phone signal, so I rang my sister and we chatted.

The Cape Wrath Trail takes you to the top of the waterfall, and then around the side of the valley. The views from the top were beautiful.

I dropped down slightly and got views of the waterfall, before continuing along the path.

This section of the path is notorious for mountain rescue call outs, and there sadly have been some fatalities on this section. Walk Highlands describes it as “hair raising” and the guidebook describes it as “treacherous”. In reality the path is quite narrow with a steep slope to the right hand side and a couple of scrambling sections. This is a photo of the worst one. I turned round and down-climbed it. There were plenty of good foot holds. I took my time, and carefully made my way over the wet rock. I could see how a slip could end badly, and the path definitely commands respect, but I did feel that the descriptions over-exaggerated it a little. There is also a river crossing, but thankfully there had been a little less rain this morning, and I crossed that easily.

I felt really proud to make it confidently over this section. It made me realise how much my confidence on steep ground has improved. From going into shutdown whilst down-climbing on my ML training, to down-climbing over the wet rock with a quiet self-assuredness, felt like great progress. I now really enjoy scrambling and the wild connection to the hill that it brings me. I enjoy the tactile feeling of the rock and the mental puzzle to find your way up/down.

Once at the bottom, I crossed over a very fancy, double footbridge, before following the track along Loch na Leitreach. The track was well established and it was nice to make good progress along this section.

The track continued up the glen. The cloud had lifted and I had beautiful views of the dark green hillsides around me.

On the way up the track, I passed Stevie and Gordon (who I’d met in Barisdale Bothy). We’d worked out that we would probably cross paths again as they split the Barisdale to Morvich section into two days. It was nice to see them again, then I continued on my way. The path down to the bothy was a lot boggier, but after the light relief of the track, I felt like it averaged out! Eventually, I could see the White bothy in the distance and I had a destination to aim for.

I arrived at the bothy, having had another really great day. I’m really enjoying the variety, scenery, remoteness, challenge and bog that the Cape Wrath Trail brings. It’s just what I hoped for from this section.

I was greeted in the bothy by the German couple that I’d met just before Sheil Bridge. We had a chat, whilst they ate their tea, then they decided to press on a little bit further. Then Stevie and Gordon arrived shortly after me. Followed by Ella. Ella is from Australia and is walking Land’s End to Cape Wrath. She had been reading my bothy book entries on the way up. Stevie and Gordon had told me that she was behind me and it was nice to meet each other. We geeked out over routes up the country, and shared our experiences of the footpath network. It sounds like some of Cheshire’s footpaths are comparable to Wiltshire’s!

I shared the bothy with Gordon, Stevie and Ella for the night. We tried to get a fire going, however it was short lived due to not having enough dry wood. It’s been nice to meet fellow hikers on the trail, and it is definitely a really special part of bothy culture.

A Rest Day in Ratagan

Today I had a rest day in Ratagan. To think that today is my penultimate rest day, feels quite incredible! It’s hard to comprehend how far I’ve come and that I’ve been travelling since the 1st March. The fact that it is June, blows my mind!

I started with a lazy start, resting in bed until 8.30. I also needed to resupply, so I walked to Shiel Bridge, to get the bus to Kyle of Lochalsh. As I was walking back along the road, I spotted someone’s bike that they’d covered in crochet. Even the peddles were covered! It was amazing. I loved the crocheted mushrooms and snails accompanying it too.

I got to the bus stop and was joined by two locals. Unfortunately, the bus was running an hour late. So I sat on the wall, and wrote a couple of blog posts and chatted to them, whilst I waited.

An hour later, the bus arrived and I was on my way to the Co-op. The bus was very posh, it was a double decker and had swanky coach style seating (there were even seat belts!). Plus, it was only £2 – bargain!

I got off the bus, and completely forgot about the resupply mission, when I spotted the fish and chip shop. I enjoyed my fish and chips, whilst looking out to the Isle of Skye. Unfortunately, there were no views of the Cullin Ridge, as it was covered in clouds, but I could at least dream of climbing it one day!

With a full and very happy tummy, I reverted back to the original plan and went to the Co-op.

If the bus had not been an hour late, I would have been able to get a bus back one hour and ten minutes later – perfect timing. However, that bus had come and gone whilst I was eating my fish and chips. The next bus was not scheduled for another couple of hours, and it would be the late bus on its return journey, so it would likely also be an hour late!

Instead, I decided to treat myself to a taxi. Alan from Alan’s Taxis of Lochalsh, kindly picked me up and took me back to the hostel. It was lovely to chat with him along the way. He’d originally said he would be ten minutes, it turned out that it was so he could finish watching Bargain Hunt! We chatted about the show, my challenge and what life is like in the area. I was very touched, that when he dropped me off, Alan gave me £10 off my trip! It was such a kind gesture and I was very grateful.

The rest of my afternoon was spent resting. I had a two hour nap and wrote a couple more blog posts. I managed to get five posts written throughout the day, but I’m still a few behind. I’ll hopefully catch up on my next rest day. With a stretch of six days of wild camping, I need to preserve my phone battery, so unfortunately the writing will have to wait.

I’m really looking forward to this section, another five days on the Cape Wrath Trail. I can’t wait to see what it has in-store for me next! (Probably wet feet!)

Barisdale to Ratagan

I had a lovely night in the bothy and set off, just as the clag was covering the tops of the hills.

I started the day by taking the path along the edge of Loch Hourn towards Kinloch Hourn. The views across the Loch in both directions were beautiful, and it felt very atmospheric with the weather.

The path wound its way along the edge of the loch, up and over the headlands. Walk Highlands describes the path as a rollercoaster, but also as one of Scotland’s finest paths! They were definitely right about it being a rollercoaster, but I think whether it is one of Scotland’s finest depends on what you look for in a path. For me I definitely think that the Grey Corries is the Scottish highlight in my walking career so far! Don’t get me wrong though, the path was lovely and I can imagine that the views are even more spectacular in good weather.

As I got towards Kinloch Hourn, the path went through a tunnel of rhododendron bushes. You can’t quite see it in the picture, but the loch side is less than 2m to the left! It felt like another world, as though I was climbing through my own wardrobe into a new Narnia.

As it turned out this new Narnia was Kinloch Hourn, which featured a road, a few houses, a tea shop and a campsite! Unfortunately, the café didn’t open until midday, and I was one hour early!

After no tea for me, I took the track up the woodland. Parts of the path were particularly steep, but at least it got the elevation over and done with!

I left the woodland and the track continued up and into the hills. It was so lovely to be up high, with the hills around me.

I followed the path into Mullach Gorm, where the Cape Wrath Trail then takes a pathless ascent up to Bealach Coire Mhàlagain.

It was a really enjoyable climb. With the fog coming in and out, I got my compass out and followed a line between the rocks. I particularly liked these two rocks, which from a distance looked like a rubber duck!

I made it to the bealach and was rewarded with views back down the glen. My way beyond was shrouded in fog and I could just see the small lochans at the top.

As I made my way to the path, that goes underneath Easter Buttress, the clag lifted and I could see a faint line of a path around the hillside. The path followed a rocky wall, contouring onto the spur that is at the back right of the image. With rain earlier in the day, the rocks were wet, so I took my time coming along the path, being careful not to slip!

The path took me onto Meallan Odar, where I got a glimpse of a rainbow! I then dropped down into Coire Caol. This was probably one of my least favourite “paths” so far. The path was pretty indistinct to start with, and was quite steep in places. Coupled with the rain from the past few days, it had become very boggy and I did end up sliding onto my bottom a few times! Thankfully the bog was a soft landing!

The path then became more path-like as it continued down Allt à Coire Chaoil. It was lovely to turn around and look back up to see where I had been!

Along the way, I met a German couple who were walking the Cape Wrath Trail. They spotted Ziggy (my donkey), I then introduced Harvey and Sally, to which they exclaimed “You have a whole zoo with you!”. They were planning to wild camp by the river, so we had a brief chat, then I continued on my way.

My final challenge of the day was to cross the river. With the rain, the rivers have been in spate, meaning some of them are deeper than planned! I did end up with water up to my mid-calf, but at least it wasn’t long until the hostel and I could dry my feet!

After following the track to Shiel Bridge, I took the road to Ratagan hostel. I finally had good phone signal, so I rang my sister, whilst I walked along. It’s been great, having the remoteness and everything that comes with it. It’s what I wanted when I was planning this leg of my journey. I love the challenge and the feeling of having to rely solely on yourself. It was also hard not talking to my sister for a few days, so it was so nice to catch up with her as I walked along!

Ratagan hostel is 2km off the Cape Wrath Trail, but in my planning stages I decided it was worth it for the drying room and comfy bed. After today’s wet weather, I was definitely glad that I’d made that decision!

I soon arrived at the hostel and found my dorm. I have a rest day here tomorrow, so have booked for two nights. I started by getting some kit admin sorted, so that I can rest in the hostel tomorrow.