Cape Wrath Trail Expedition 02.05.2025-17.05.2025

Glen Dickson and Beinn Wright. 3^rd year, Adventure Education Students, Expeditionary Skills Module, UHI. For Neil Mackenzie Trust who donated £150 to our Expedition.

Glen and Beinn on the Durness bus.

Day 1

Beinn and I met at Fort William bus stop ready for a day of travelling north to Rhiconich hotel.

Both our bags were too heavy with 10 days’ worth of food along with everything else necessary for a self-contained expedition: tent, air mat, sleeping bag, jet boil, spare clothes, first aid suncream, etc, etc.

The bus to Inverness was quick enough but we had a long 3 hour wait before the Durness bus arrived. When it did arrive it whizzed down the single-track roads that put me slightly on edge.

The forecast had been for dry sunny weather all week but as we arrived in Rhiconich it was raining heavily, and the ground was saturated. Our first walk in after the bus was only about 5 kilometres to a flat bit of ground just before a river crossing.

First day campsite and river crossing.

Day 2

The weather had improved slightly with passing showers in the morning.

Breakfast consisted of a river crossing with wetsuit boots on to get to the other side. But this was only shin height and not a trouble to get to the other side. Thankfully the faint path along the loch and through a boggy section to a 4×4 track was drier than expected and clear enough to follow.

We pushed up over Ben Dreavie and met up with a French man walking the same way as us for a similar length of time. An unexpected thing as most people walk the trail south to north to finish at the Cape Wrath lighthouse on the northwest tip.

We were lucky we didn’t start there as the ferry across had been cancelled for 3 days due to the high winds, this we heard from gossip on the bus, so we were thankful we had chosen to start a day and half south.

In the afternoon the weather improved, and the sun was out, with very light rain showers passing through quickly. We made good time and pushed on to the Bothy at Glendhu.

After a quick wash in the river lots of people turned up from all directions and the bothy got busy with 8 people staying inside and more camping outside. At least someone brought firewood, and we shared the heat.

I slept outside and was surprised by how cold it was overnight. Only bringing a summer sleeping bag, I had to put on my down jacket. Waking up to snow on the mountains was a surprise.

Glendhu Bothy.

Day 3

Our intended campsite today was high up near the lochans of Beinn Uidhe, after the beautiful Chual Aluinn waterfall, but we could see thick snow on Ben More Assynt behind and decided to push further and camp at Inchnadamph, low and sheltered and hopefully warmer than high up. It was also our first meet up location with our tutor who was assessing our expedition for our module Expeditionary Skills in a changing world. Planning for, writing a dossier/blueprint and spending a minimum of 7 nights and 7 days on the expedition was necessary to pass the module.

On the ascent up and over the Bealach we were met with snow and cold winds and bumped into the French man again who had chosen to push ahead of us the day before.

We met lots of walkers coming the other way, I was a little jealous as they were going downhill and I was going up, and my bag was still not light enough to be comfortable yet. I had also found out my new boots were too small, and they were causing blisters! Very disappointing as I used the brand before and no issues with sizing.

It is a good time of year to walk, with Cuckoos, orchids and other flowers out and no midge, I could appreciate where I was more and not just walk head down in the rain.

Chual Aluinn waterfall.

Thankfully it was sheltered at the bridge near Inchnadamph when we got down, but unfortunately it was riddled with ticks. I was too tired to care, and the spot was near a small waterfall which the white noise from it helped me to sleep.

Day 4

Our tutor walked with us for a while asking about the previous day’s walking and then we broke off to head up to the Bealach between Conival and Breabag Tarsainn, leaving her behind to meet us at the end of our walk in 6- or 7-days’ time.

 Another hot day but a pretty stream ran through the bealach when we levelled out after the steep climb up, a good source of clean water.

We dropped down the other side of the bealach and picked up a faint but boggy path leading down towards Benmore lodge. Probably the worst hour so far, or so we thought.

Once we connected with the main path it turned into road, which on a hot day was not comfortable. This then led into the Oykel estate and a very long 4×4 track to the hotel at Oykel Bridge. In the heat of the day, it seemed to go on forever, especially with my feet at their worst today. 30km later we were sitting in the hotel for lots of cold drinks before pushing on towards Schoolhouse bothy. We never made it. 2km short we setup tents near a water source, tiredly, and ate before falling asleep quickly after a big and unplanned 40km day.

Looking back to Benmore Lodge and Ben More Assynt.

Day 5

Today was going to be my favourite day, passing the haunted bothy at Knockdamph. (A bed and mattress in the upstairs room and ghost stories) and walking through Glen Douchary, my favourite Glen on the whole of the Cape Wrath Trail.

The bothy had been renovated since I was last there and the beds fixed, and the old mattress disposed of. Although plaster did fall off the wall while we made a coffee and talked about it being haunted. Likely a mouse.

Glen Douchary did not disappoint. Old Birch and Pines are dotted along the steep sided Glen with slabby rocks jutting out of swimming pools and waterfalls all along it. It has an energy to it that made me feel like a kid again. As most people divert to Ullapool to restock, they miss this fabulous place. Part of why we carried 10 days’ worth of food instead of less, so we wouldn’t miss it.

The start of Glen Douchary.

We camped at some ruins and found enough dead wood lying around to have a small fire, a good chance to bond as I did not know Beinn that well and thankful to have an easier day than the previous days, which let my feet heal and to rest my tired legs.

With more time to explore I was able to see some of the upper Glen that I had not explored before, adding to my love of this area.

Enjoying a rare fire and shorter day.

Day 6

We had seen deer the night before, keeping their distance from us due to the fire and us being up wind of them. At 2.30am I was abruptly woken by a stag barking at me from outside the tent. I was in his spot presumably.

This went on for a while and I got out the tent to pee. This was enough to scare him off, as I could hear him barking at me still, but slowly further and further away.

I went back to sleep and awoke to a lovely sunrise and no midges again.

We headed over the next hill and down to Inverlael linking up with the coffin road and the steep ascent and descent towards Corrie Hallie and into the shadow of the mighty An Teallach. With cows and sheep frequenting the farm here we pushed on in the heat of the day to a flat area of Birch Forest, near a river and a few kms east of Shenavall bothy. No point in adding kilometres to get to Shenavall when we knew it would be busy, and we would have to retrace our steps in the morning to continue our route.

I rinsed my hair in the river which was warmer than expected.

Starting up the coffin road.

Day 7

Today was going to be another long walking day, but with the thought of a lunchtime stop by a river and a proper swim, it spurred us on. As it was approaching midday the idea to push onto Kinlochewe came to mind, this way we could get a cheese toastie at the cafe for lunch. Walking consistently makes life simple- wake, eat, pack, walk, eat, walk, setup camp, eat, sleep, repeat. Anything outside that seems luxurious and helps you to appreciate the small simple pleasures of life. Dehydrated meals are great and warm, but it doesn’t hit the same spot as melted cheese does. We marched into Kinlochewe and stopped at the post office for an ice cream and 2 cans of juice. Then onto the cafe for food. The resting time was appreciated but we knew there was a boggy and overgrown section to navigate next. It was the hottest day, and the uphill overgrown section sheltered from the wind made it even warmer. The heather and small trees growing over the path made route finding difficult and made me question my choice of shorts today as the heather whipped my knees and shins.

Thankfully it came to an end and opened out into a good forest track with amazing views over to the Torridon Munro’s. We wandered downhill towards the Coulin Lodge and a flat grassy spot by the Coulin river, out of sight of the two houses there.

We put down our packs and found a deep pool close by and instantly got in. We had foregone the swim at lunch for treats in the village, probably a good thing as the steep climb up and over to here had made us even more sweaty and dusty. We both expected the river to be freezing cold, but as we got in, we were surprised by how warm it was. (in comparison to other flowing Scottish rivers) I looked at Beinn and both of us had a face of pure joy. The first proper swim/bath in 7 days!

The sunset did not disappoint either, with it going down between Beinn Eighe and Liathach.

Unfortunately, the midge did come out at sunset, but it was time for bed anyway and 1 night out of 7 was not bad. I just wasn’t looking forward to waking up in the morning and having to pack my tent away with them out.

Sunset camp at Coulin river.

Day 8

When I woke, I was relieved for the breeze that kept the midge away. I packed up hurriedly praying the wind didn’t stop.

Each day on the Cape Wrath trail involves a lot of ascents. With Bealachs and other hills to navigate over, some days can have 1000 metres of ascent in them and of course the descent on the other side, all made more difficult by a bag weighing about 14kg. Today was one of these days, luckily it was broken into 3 separate chunks: the Coulin pass, Bealach Bhearnais and Coire na Sorna up to Loch Calavie, with other little ups and downs that all add up to a big day roughly 30km today.

Some sections are pathless and boggy too, but at least the drier weather was making things easier going with 60% less bog than usual.

This section was very busy with lots of walkers coming north on the Cape Wrath Trail, always good to get and give information on the route ahead or behind you.

 We had also wandered into the middle of the TGO coast to coast challenge with walkers going in all directions. Chatting to one of the walkers I realised their walk was even more challenging than ours and it gave me a chance to slow my pace and enjoy someone else’s company, while discussing The Appalachian Trail, which I want to do in 2027.

Our aim today was to get to Maol Bhuidhe Bothy, one of the remotest bothies in Scotland. We would camp outside but it’s sometimes nice to cook inside, dry our clothes if wet and hide from midge. The river crossing here was low and easy to hop rocks across. In 2022 when I had come this way the wade with 2 poles and hip height water shows the difference timing and weather makes. The cooler breeze here meant no midge and when I came out of my tent after a rest, later in the evening I was surprised by how many tents were setup around us, for a remote location it was one of the busier spots.

Pushing to this location and camping here meant we had shaved a day off our route leaving only one day left to get to our intended finish at Morvich campsite and our meetup with the tutor for the final interview, getting that tick of approval that we had passed the module. Knowing there was only one day left I made sure to tell myself to enjoy it.

Enjoying a much-needed coffee at the wire bridge before the ascent to Bealach Bhearnais.

Day 9 (Final Day)

Our pace each day was not always the same, so we would walk individually about a kilometre apart listening to music on headphones, passing the time and spurring us on. As it was the final day, I made sure I had no music on, that way I could fully immerse myself in my surroundings and not miss anything.

Today would be a good day with a walk-through Glen Elchaig and past the Iron Lodge, providing stunning views, lochs, semi ancient trees and deer along the route. All culminating in a thin path and scramble up to the Falls of Glomach for lunch.

After a lovely soak of the feet in river above the falls and our last lunch on the trail we set off up the serpentine spine of a hill to the bealach above. From here it was all downhill to the campsite at Morvich, which was further away than expected. Our tutor could not meet us at the campsite but was only 5 minutes further down the road. This gave us an opportunity to grab one more ice cream before our debrief and a lift back to campus in Fort William.

Overall, we covered about 230km of the Cape Wrath Trail in 9 days averaging about 25km a day, although one day was a shorter rest day at Glen Douchary and one day was an epic 40km day at Glen Oykel. The whole trail is about 400km depending on if you go all the way into Knoydart and out again, with about 10,000 metres of ascent and descent across it.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather, mostly no midge, less boggy, low river levels but I pulled at least 10-15 ticks out me across the 9 days.

Wearing the wrong size boots, getting sore feet and having too heavy a bag made the walk harder, but I still enjoyed it. Scotland is a beautiful country and a magical place. Maybe I will come back one year in the future and walk it south to north to see what it’s like!