River crossings, along with midges, will become the bane of your trip. For a general overview of the gear I recommend for cold and wet environments such as the Scottish Highlands (along with other advice), see Tips for Hiking in Cold and Wet Weather. 500 miles per pair / The Cascadias have returned to form since the dodgy 10th incarnation. This also means you often wont be able to pick and choose your supplies, as not every store youll encounter will have lightweight meal options, for example. You might even want to spend an extra day or two in this area to climb Ben Nevis, Britains highest mountain! A few tips? Iain has found a good balance between guiding the reader in rough terrain and offering challenging or safer alternatives. Last year I hiked the CWT (Knoydart variant) and really enjoyed it! PLANNING. Despite not being an officially recognised National Trail it has grown to be one of the most highly regarded backpacking routes, attracting hikers from around the world. Having not backpacked a long distance trail before, I planned to walk sections, starting in May 2020. When in spate, the rivers can flow at full force up to your thighs, hips or waist. Im amazed at you hiking always in shorts. The weather for the walk was mostly pleasant, which was lucky for April. Exped Thunder 70 A big pack that still manages to keep the weight down. Formerly known as our North West Wilderness Weekend the Knoydart Expedition allows our clients to complete the wild southern section of the Cape Wrath Trail, including two nights of wild camping. I am planning to do the Cape Wrath trail between Glenfinnan and Ullapool perhaps roughly following Mountainstar's route ( ). Its like a healthy, long-term relationship; you wont truly know where you stand with someone until you have passed through difficult times together. Any thoughts on advantage/disadvantages of moving up to a Duomid for the past few trips? As a rule, World Nomads offers excellent world-wide insurance for a wide range of activities, including hiking up to 6000 metres. Theres an Estate Office in Archfary where you might be able to pop in and enquire about the river conditions up to Rhiconich (walking south to north). Now this can be a tough one. The Cape Wrath Trail is a challenging route from Fort William to Cape Wrath. I don't want. Some of the very basics you'll need while out on the Cape Wrath Trail. Noticed you in good old Ozzie shorts-What was your poison on the little feckers? Not only will your gear be toasty warm and dry, youll get an all-you-can-eat brekkie (cereal/toast/fruit) and be able to pick up food in the shop for dinner (frozen meals/pizza) and some basic food supplies for the rest of your trip. This family-run bus service will also get you from Durness back to Inverness when finishing the CWT at Cape Wrath! Which is what I did; never let it be said that Cameron James Honan stood in the path of young love! Regards, Jamie. (Or maybe my feet had just had enough.). Did you have any time to dry out? And for good reason. 9 top tips for hiking the Cape Wrath Trail No.9 is the most important Gear and food reviews Exped Synmat UL Winter M An extremely comfortable winter sleeping mat. ~Cam Swami Honan The most traveled hiker on earth (Backpacker Magazine, January 2015). Kendal mint cake, which is 98 percent sugar, also works a treat! OMM Rotor Vest An ultralight synthetic vest, ideal for layering in winter. They obviously hadnt expected company any more than I had. My trip has been supported by the following food brands: Firepot Bl Band (via Base Camp Food) LYO Expedition (via Base Camp Food) Expedition Food (via Base Camp Food) Summit to Eat (via Base Camp Food) Duplex I cant personally comment about the storm worthiness of this shelter. That heralded a time to zip the tent up & say goodbye to a successful, uneventful, first day. I pick up a different SIM in each country and pay local rates. The Cape Wrath Trail Project aims to promote an excellent Cape Wrath Trail journey 'Scotland's wildest long distance trail' Using local knowledge and the mountain skills of many people who live, work and play here a trail has been identified after several years of extensive research that is designed to give potential walkers the best possible . It usually takes 2-3 weeks to complete and is considered the most difficult long-distance walk in the UK. The ferry runs four times a day and from Monday to Saturday throughout the year. Cheers. Just a wee note about the post about the Carnoch bridge (at the head of Loch Nevis, crossing into knoydart proper).. theres a shiny new one!! Train tickets from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Fort William vary between20 and30 for a one-way trip. Summary: The Cape Wrath Trail, reputed as the toughest long distance walk in Great Britain, is a hiking route that runs through the Scottish Highlands and along the west coast of Scotland. The scenery can be spectacular even when its veiled in mist. Do squats, a lot of them. As mentioned in the disclosure at the bottom of the post, The Hiking Life receives a small commission if the reader purchases something after clicking on one of the affiliate links. This method involves walking roughly 230 miles on pathless terrain, all the way from Fort William, and is a trip in itself. What was your route through the latter? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I know from personal experience having endured days of agony on long treks. BUT it isnt always open during term time as geology students book the whole place out to study the nearby Lewisian gneiss. The midges drove me nuts and stopped me having breakfast on a couple of mornings with their insistent buzzing/biting. If after all these years of rambling I can still enjoy meeting meteorological and environmental challenges, then I know that the unconditional love Ive always felt for heading out into the wilderness remains unchanged. Instead of taking yet another bus all the way to Cape Wrath, we walked about 8km along a dirt road through MOD territory to Kearvaig bothy, which is an absolutely lovely place to start your journey and is located about 3km before the official start of the Cape Wrath Trail. Always make sure to thoroughly check your insurance plan, as conditions may vary for your nationality or itinerary. Nat. As it was Winter, there were not a lot of resupply points so posting food parcels to strategic locations along the route was necessary. Heres a link to a thread about hiking the CWT with a dog on the WalkHighlands forum: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57523. Lets get you started! I wished wed come across your blog before our CWT. Youll want to bring lightweight meals, enough to sustain you on a daily basis but also something that will provide you with enough nutrients and energy to make it through those three weeks. It is approximately 234 miles in length. Seasons greetings to you all. As with my other Katabatic quilts, the workmanship is top notch. The Cape Wrath Trail is a remote and challenging 200-mile hike through the Scottish Highlands. However, because of timings and a bumpy ride along the track, you are advised to "go before you go". Good to know. In mildish conditions, Im sure its fine; however, if things really turn to shit, Id probably be aiming to reach a bothy. Top end wrapped in orange tape so I wont lose it. They were up in the Highlands for their first ever multi-day backpacking trip. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. In regards to the Midge VS Sandfly question thats a tough one. Hey Swami, Im heading up to Scotland in May to have a go at the cape wrath, Im toying with taking a dedicated compact camera as the lens on my phone camera is wrecked. One group of hikers were told very honestly that unless they fancied swimming, they should walk along the road to Rhiconich. Heaving across them in boots and gaiters will just mean one thing sodden boots and wet feet. Scottish rain and acidic bog has magical properties, it seems to penetrate the impenetrable. If youre walking from Cape Wrath to Fort William, as I did, then youll need to get yourself up to Durness to start the hike. So you need a storm-worthy shelter with good coverage to keep your quilt dry. For the sake of simplicity and the limited . When I stopped walking and the midges were swarming, Id quickly put on my rain pants, which together with the long sleeve shirt, cap and head net, kept me pretty well covered. But a gorgeous landscape! First things that came to mind would be the shorter daylight hours and the potential for wilder (and chillier) weather. Cape Wrath Trail 1st March 2017 Cape Wrath Trail 18: To The Lighthouse. I had initially . That about wraps up my practical guide to the Cape Wrath Trail. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Looking back at Sandwood bay on route to Cape Wrath | Final morning. So be prepared to do some research on the different routes available, and bring a map and compass! The annual exercises are usually completed by Easter but this year the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) added extra dates at short notice. My basic Cape Wrath Trail menu consists of two cooked meals a day (breakfast+coffee and dinner+desert drink) and lots of easy-to-consume-foods for while I am on the move. It's for fit, experienced and able walkers. And they might be right. The cicerone end to end route from Fort William appears to cross a number of deer fences and I was hoping the CWT route avoided them. All the best on the Cape Wrath! Having no experience with Scottish winds, do you think that a Tarptent Aeon Li is suitable or do I need something more storm-worthy? Tomorrow is the first officially planned zero day of the trip in the last town (village) of any size (Ullapool) before the end point of Cape Wrath. The nearby stream offers a good water . Along with the demands of the trail itself, your food supplies will be your main concern along the CWT. And as I stated before, youll have to be able to carry it all with you. Although you may be moving too fast to dedicate much time to it. First off, Scotlands Cape Wrath Trail cant really be called a trail in the traditional sense. Thanks for the kind words. With just a couple of exceptions, all of the bothies I visited on the CWT I had had to myself. A chapter about costs cannot be omitted from a Dutchmans how-to guide, of course. Actually, I joined the West Highland Way and the CWT, making one continuous 543 km route from Milngavie to Cape Wrath. During the days Id also eat bars, trail mix, crisps, nuts; basically whatever I could find. Another option is to walk the epic Cape Wrath Trail. But probably not, itll mess up her lawn! Its marked as a campsite on the maps so naturally the smooth area of grass was where three sets of hikers (us included) had pitched. The reason the mileage is approximate is because there is not an actual trail. I can highly recommend the local Durness Bus service. Top report, really enjoyed reading all the detail. Outdoors Father is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. The post below includes impressions from the trip, logistical and background information, route recommendations and a gear list. Great baselayer / Not too thin, not too thick / Spot on for shoulder season conditions. I only used one 230g canister and a bit of a smaller one. Long-term review: Bridgedale Stormsocks Ill grind my own coffee before I go and, Decaffeinated tea and sugar sometimes, especially if not drinking enough, having a couple of teas in the evening helps with getting warm and re-hydrating. No worries, I said, and we all ended up having a good laugh together. It connects with the West Highland Way, North Highland Way and part of an alternative route suggested by Cameron McNeish which follows the Great Glen Way out of Fort William before joining the main route in Glen Shiel. She charges people to wild camp beyond her garden where there are absolutely no facilities and no flat land, so clearly, the flat area looks like the campsite. You might also want a snack or two every day, to help keep up your energy in between meals. Firstly because it is more of an unofficial collection of smaller trails rather than a marked and advertised trail like the West Highland Way, for example. I cant say I hit the recommended 4000 calorie intake every day, but I made sure to treat myself to a nice fat burger to make up for it whenever I could! This comes at no additional cost to the reader, and helps to support the website in its continuing goal to create quality content for backpackers and hikers. My concern is getting a 40kg German Shepherd over them. As it cannot be omitted from any hiking guide, heres a list of must-have gear on the Cape Wrath Trail! Hi Maureen, glad the tips were useful. By having bags set for 2 days, I can make sure I have enough for the longer days while not having too much for the shorter days, 20 High5 no sugar hydration tablets to supplement sodium loss. Ah young love/lust! Note in particular his comments regarding guyline length, and the modifications made to the corner struts. Back from the dead. That way you wont contaminate your water bladder for future use if there is any giardia or nasty bacteria floating around. Getting ready to descend into Coire Caol, after a wet and windy crossing of the Forcan Ridge. Love your musings and information on gear, and, in this particular case, attitude. I took a gas canister stove, but I saw shops that sold both meths and gas along the route, (Shiel Bridge Petrol Station, Ullapool Northwest Stores, Kinlochbervie London Stores). Other resources online make it sound incredibly hard, but I think it is manageable for any prepared hiker. As for the up-sizing to the Duomid on this last trip to Scotland/Norway, it was really just to have a bit more space when the weather came in. Karen Ive used down bags and quilts in the Scottish Highlands for half a century. " lizziwake says: 21st September 2021 at 2:53 pm. Especially at that time of year; its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. So far the story of this trip. What would you say about going CWT in this time of year and the shelter for this hike? I redid part of Cape Wrath in 2017 wearing these and had happy, dry feet. When it comes to fuel foraging, take only what you need. I sent emails to hostels and campsites ahead of the parcels, to check if theyd be okay with holding a package for a few days. For a detailed guide on shelters found along the Cape Wrath Trail, be sure to check out my CWT Bothy Guide! Purchased hot meals at Kinloch Hourn, Shiel Bridge, Kinlochewe, Okyel Bridge, Inchnadamph and Kinlochbervie; 3. Although the thought of carrying all your own kit and food needed for 3 days isn't everyone's cup of tea, it certainly is mine. We had better luck with the weather too! Luckily the rain only lasted an hour or so and then it started to dry out. Essentially, Cape Wrath is used for aerial target practice - not something even a bomber 3-layer waterproof will protect you from. Cape Wrath Trail Planning #2. backpacking, cape wrath trail, Gear, kit list, planning, scotland. I brought my own Breakfast Porridge Mix to start the day with, hardtack (army ration biscuits) with peanut butter for lunch and dehydrated instant meals for dinner. Cant thank Angie and John enough for a wonderful welcome after completing the Cape wrath trail. Everyone I met for the first four days had bailed somewhere along the route by hitching or cutting their trip short. May 2022 Friends. Toughen up your knees, especially the ligaments surrounding the joints. Sea shore: Mussels,Limpets, Edible Periwinkles, Razorfish. The Cape Wrath Ultra is Scotland's finest multi-stage ultra running event. I can only show you a rough estimate of the costs you can expect to make. Food and Drink Along with the demands of the trail itself, your food supplies will be your main concern along the CWT. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. But there is poor nutritional content in dried foods. Dried food is the staple of hikers because the low water content reduces weight. In both versions the trail begins in Fort William and ends at Cape Wrath lighthouse on the northwest tip of the Scottish mainland. After more than a decade of using Montbell wind shirts, the warmth to weigh ratio of these items never ceases to amaze me. Id love to do this route before I get too old and creaky. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ill explain this further under Logistics below. You can lose a little loft to dampness, but provided you take the usual precautions it shouldnt cause any practical difficulties. Many thanks this is an excellent report. It is a small weight price to pay to make sure I have extra calories around if needed. (photo from Wikipedia). I cant do that even in the 70sF! Frameless backpack of choice for almost a decade. The beauty of a trail that has no fixed route is that youre completely free to decide how you get to its end -as long as you get there in the end! Best of luck on your trip! You might also want a snack or two every day, to help keep up your energy in between meals. This has little to do with its duration or elevation levels. A singular landscape of salt flats, volcanoes, fantastical rock formations and coloured lakes, I completed the journey over 16 days in August, 2017. Here is a typical day of food on the trail, usually totalling around 3500-4000 calories. Mother Nature had other ideas. One solution to this logistical problem is to send ahead parcels with food and supplies to locations along your route. The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial, unmarked and magnificently wild long distance route from Fort William to Cape Wrath, the most north westerly point of mainland Scotland. We then had a wonderful camp near by and had a tasty breakfast the next morning. Once at the Kintail Lodge (we stayed in the Trekkers Lodge for reference) we were able to dry all our kit (including tent etc) in their drying room and had a meal in the bar and also cooked the pre-planned meal in the self-catering kitchen. The path is not waymarked and has many variations. Cheers, And possibly in bucketfuls. With up to 6 days of food, it will never exceed 28 pounds. Not only are there only two of them, they are durable and waterproof as well! This is the second of three posts related to the planning process for my Cape Wrath Trail walk, in May 2019. Glenfinnan Viaduct and the train to Hogwarts! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Buy on Amazon More on the book The route You'll need something to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are many different ways to train yourself for an undertaking like the CWT, so Ill leave it to you to find a way to train that suits your preference. If you have love for the Great Outdoors, share a passion for travel and prefer discovering the undiscovered over lounging on a beach, make sure to subscribe, check back often and follow me on social media! View topic - Cape Wrath Trail Food Walkhighlands The Te Araroa begins with a lighthouse at Cape Reinga but ends at a less impressive signpost at Bluff. Thanks Geoff. Which brings us to another important part of your preparation: stamina. An unofficial Trail Guide as well as maps allow me to roughly estimate the times I need to walk the stages and thus planning my resupply points, which are fairly rare, and the amount of food I'll need for each stage. You could go stoveless on this trip if you wanted to. It turned out they were students in their late teens/early twenties from Bristol. A Practical Guide To The Cape Wrath Trail, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), This error message is only visible to WordPress admins. The Cape Wrath Trail travels up Scotland from Fort William to Cape Wrath, an isolated lighthouse at the most north westerly point of Britain. I hiked the Cape Wrath Trail over ten days in the summer of 2018. Hello Cam, Thank you so much for a great report as well as inspiration. Grid ref. Choice of maps is a particularly important decision when planning an expedition on the Cape Wrath Trail. Thanks for the kind words. Ive hiked the Skye during August but had no time for the highlands. Plot a route that works best for you. As it turned out Lara didn't have the most waterproof pack and my rain jacket. Now lets talk food. Great value food and walkers' accommodation on the Cape Wrath Trail It is a day's walk from Fort William (23 miles on flat loch-side terrain) is Laggan Locks. Which Direction? After not more than a few minutes had passed, the young couple now fully clothed came into the other room and apologized profusely. Dates Smother them in white tiger balm and hey presto, youll have some relief from scratching like a flea-ridden dog. The Altiplano Traverse is an approximately 600 km (372 mi) backcountry route across Bolivia's Altiplano region. We sensibly did the route to Inchnadamph instead. Stick to the eastern route variations that will lead you through longer stretches of gloriously empty wilderness. 367 km / 228 miles. This looks amazing! The route is described from south to north in 14 stages, with 6 alternative stages along the way, allowing for a flexible itinerary of between two and three weeks. Approaching the Cape Wrath Lighthouse at hikes end. I was young once upon a time. Here is a list of things to look out for. The former is wilder, more challenging and generally considered to be more scenic. Sign up for occasional email updates with news and updates from the trail. Sanctuary at the end of Cape Wrath Trail. As I said before, the CWT is mostly a collection of trails that lead northward to Cape Wrath and as such there is not a single definitive route you can take. I will mention this again: if you are not physically prepared and/or have no previous experience with (solo) long distance hiking, you should not be walking the Cape Wrath trail alone! I'm bringing a tent with a floor . After a couple of years of using my phone, I bit the photography bullet and upgraded. With all that and a comfortable bed for the night, it was the perfect pit stop for us. Good to know you are still exploring this amazing world on foot. I picked up some food and . . The other thing I love about hiking in inclement weather is that it acts as an affirmation. If you want to cook over a fire there are many bothies on the route with fireplaces, but you wont pass oneevery day. 2. The Cape Wrath Trail is often referred to as Britains toughest long distance walk.
Rent Room No Owner No Agent Fee At Tampines,
Novotel Birmingham Airport Restaurant Menu,
Articles C