Return to the Cape Wrath Trail

Having had, as I assume did others, all of my hiking plans ruined for 2020 by Covid, and also having abandoned my LEJOG hike at Carlisle, I find that the pull of the trail is getting ever stronger as the months pass. Whenever I picture myself getting back on the trail, it is invariably to the Cape Wrath Trail that my attention turns.

Camping alongside the River Oykel

Since my superb 2015 hike along the Pennine Way and the continuation from Kirk Yetholm the following year to Strathcarron during which I followed the first half of the Cape Wrath Trail, I have encountered many problems while hiking.

Loch Ailsh

In 2017, I was forced to pull out of the following section of the hike from Strathcarron to the Cape with illness. Although, I successfully completed the Coast to Coast walk and the South Downs Way the same year after recovering, the start of my Land's End to John O'Groats hike in 2018 ended in Hay on Wye after a catalogue of unfortunate incidents. This bad luck carried over into 2019 when I re-started the hike from Hay on Wye and I eventually finished this section in Carlisle, having walked around 400 miles on each section. 

Loch Ailsh

As I stated in a previous post, I have now decided that my LEJOG walk will become my 'England End to End' walk as I feel that the long delay and uncertainty surrounding the Covid virus, coupled with the many other delays, has compromised the integrity of the hike. Which brings me back to the Cape Wrath Trail.

Climbing above the Oykel River

I first encountered the hike in 1999 when Phil Hinchliffe, one of the authors of the first guidebook, 'North to the Cape' gave a talk for our local ramblers group. Having completed the first section across the tough, remote Knoydart peninsular, I pulled out of the hike feeling unwell.  This retreat has always rankled with me and I looked forward to finally reaching the Cape in 2017 as the finale of my hike from Derbyshire to Cape Wrath but was thwarted yet again around sixty miles from the end with a virus.

Approaching Conival 

With the current situation surrounding the Covid virus, firm plans are impossible to make but I am hoping to return to Fort William in Scotland in May 2021 to restart the Cape Wrath Trail from the beginning.

Looking down to Loch Assynt & Inchnadamph

My last encounter with the trail before retiring with illness in 2017 was a superb day of hiking from Oykel Bridge, having resumed the hike from Strathcarron. Thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon so I set off from my campsite on the riverbank of the Oykel River opposite the hotel after a night disturbed by constant coughing where I had found sleep difficult. I set off at 5am and hiked in superb weather to Loch Ailsh where I was rewarded with a loch so flat and calm, the surrounding mountains and sky reflected a mirror image on the still water.

Looking back towards Conival 

There then followed a long uphill, trackless hike, towards a pass below the peak of Conival where I had stunning views down towards Loch Assynt and Inchnadamph. I camped alongside the River Traligill at Inchnadamph after a stunning day of hiking through the mountains of the North-West highlands. Here, I spent a really uncomfortable night coughing and shivering and it was this that convinced me I needed to call a halt to the hike, which was particularly galling as I was only around 60 miles from the Cape. These photos were taken on this last day from Oykel Bridge to Inchnadamph. 

Southern Upland Way Memories

LEJOG Hike 2020 Update

I have now decided that I will resume my LEJOG hike on Wednesday April 15th next year from Carlisle where I finished in May 2019. I always find that once a date has been decided upon, the rest of the planning becomes easier as the walk somehow seems to become more 'real'. I have been buying one or two new pieces of kit and the purchase of a couple more is planned before the start of the hike. I am looking to keep my base weight down below seven kilos this time so will be returning to using my Trekkertent Stealth 1 tent, which weighs in at around 600 grams without pegs. I made this decision based on a combination of weight considerations and also the failure of the door zip on my Geertop Pyramid tent last time out while I was camping at Coniston Water.

Trekkertent Stealth 1 on the Cape Wrath Trail 2016

I have also purchased a new Berghaus Fast Hike 45 litre rucksack for this trip. Although I was reasonably happy with the Montane Ultra-Tour 55 litre I have used on my last few hikes, there were one or two things I didn't like and the Berghuas remedies these issues. I haven't walked with it yet but am looking forward to doing so as it seems to be an excellent lightweight pack, albeit very slightly heavier then the Montane. The shape of the Berghaus is maintained by a wire frame and foam pad, something that the Montane doesn't have. I found that packing the Montane had to be done very carefully for it to maintain it's shape and for it to feel comfortable. I also wanted more and larger external mesh pockets, which the Berghaus has. At 920 grams, it is around 100 grams heavier than the  weight of the Montane, although with many removable components, it can be reduced to as little as 530 grams. 

Berghaus Fast Hike 45

Another new item will be my shoes as for this hike, I will be walking in Altra Olympus 3.0's. I recently made a video explaining why I was giving up walking in my preferred La Sportiva Ultra-Raptors that I have used since 2015. I have come to the conclusion that my feet have changed shape. At first, I thought I was imagining it but having spoken to other walkers about this, it would seem it's not uncommon. My feet appear to have spread wider, which has caused me problems on my last two hikes. After a little research, I discovered Altra shoes. These are different to many shoes in that they have zero drop soles and more importantly, an unusual foot shaped toe box, meaning that the feet can spread out as much as necessary. I originally purchased a pair of Altra Lone Peak 4's, which although being extremely comfortable, didn't in my opinion have enough cushioning for a long hike with a pack. The stack height of the sole on the Olympus is a full 8mm more than on the Lone Peak, which should give plenty of protection over any terrain. I am planning to make video reviews of all three items in the near future. 

Altra Olympus 3.0

Foot Shaped Toe Box

Cape Wrath Trail (SNT 4) 23rd to 27th May 2017 'The best laid plans and all that '

River Carron

The aborted take-off from Luton Airport should probably have served as an omen that the trip was not going to go smoothly. I was heading for Strathcarron to resume my walk across Scotland along the Cape Wrath Trail, having started in Kirk Yetholm the previous year, but now found myself sat on the runway along with all of the other passengers wondering what was going on.  I had relaxed back in my seat as the plane lurched down the runway and the engines roared into life when suddenly the power was cut and an announcement come over the tannoy saying that the take-off had been aborted for 'technical reasons'. This slightly unnerving news was followed by a wait of around an hour on the tarmac while the problems were dealt with, which was very annoying as the flight was already almost an hour late taking off. We eventually took off nearly two hours late and I was soon sitting with my rucksack at the bustop at Inverness Airport waiting for a bus into the centre of the attractive Highland capital before taking the opportunity in joining three women in a taxi-share, which certainly saved time and as there were four of us, probably didn't cost any more than the bus. I was staying in Inverness overnight as I needed to get various items for the trip plus I didn't fancy starting the walk during the afternoon, which it certainly would have been after the delayed flight.