The path is not waymarked and has many variations. There are some similarities between hiking there and in Alaska, but for the most part I feel like they are quite distinct experiences. In summer you could probably do the whole trail without carrying much food at all relying on shops and restaurants the whole way. One of my favourite things about rambling in shitty (but not really) conditions (e.g. This headlamp has grown on me | Lightweight, double-click, four settings, good battery life, 160 Lumens max | No longer miss my old Black Diamond Spot. So you need a storm-worthy shelter with good coverage to keep your quilt dry. The Cape Wrath Ultra is Scotland's finest multi-stage ultra running event. Its a gruelling hike in parts, and that teamed with torrential rain can really dampen your spirits. Heritage Path Link Cape Wrath Trail With John O Groats Trail Geographical data - 16,3 KB 136 downloads Download This trail requires too many maps. Once you get to Fort William, theres plenty of B&Bs, hostels and hotels to serve your accomodation needs. Chances are, you've no option to do this on your current trip anyway. The former is wilder, more challenging and generally considered to be more scenic. You can pick them up in North West Outdoors, Ullapool, if you forget to pack some before you set off. NZs sandies or the Scots midges-which animal rules for sheer bastadry? Some of the scenery is incredible if you get the weather for it, other parts are nothing to write home about. Im looking forward to reading the post the Lofoten Islands. I immediately adjourned to the room on the other side of the bothy, feeling more than a tad guilty. 2. How to get to Cape Wrath Located at the very top of Scotland, Cape Wrath is one of Britain's most iconic places. The post below includes impressions from the trip, logistical and background information, route recommendations and a gear list. Breakfast - Granola, Muesli or Porridge with dried milk. On the seventh day of my CWT hike the weather was mostly clear. I redid part of Cape Wrath in 2017 wearing these and had happy, dry feet. 6 thoughts on " Cape Wrath Trail 6 day hike Part 1 - COMPLETED! Do you only make money when someone clicks on an equipment link in your posts? The trail has evolved from use and is not an officially recognised National Trail. Towns are few and far between. Your best bet is to scan the CWT Cicerone guide. Want to rough it out in solitude for a few days? 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. Buy a green midge head net, not one for mosquitoes as the holes are too big, and youll attract less of the Scottish blighters than your black-netted hiking counterparts. I hiked the Cape Wrath Trail over ten days in the summer of 2018. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. This method involves walking roughly 230 miles on pathless terrain, all the way from Fort William, and is a trip in itself. For participants that have a diagnosed food allergy that is evidenced by a letter from their doctor, we are able to provide an additional baggage allowance (10kg) so . They were up in the Highlands for their first ever multi-day backpacking trip. I picked up some food and . Another Highlands-specific article on the subject that is worth a read is by Alex Roddie, online editor of TGO Magazine,Lightweight Backpacking in the Scottish Highlands. That said, all rain isnt necessarily driving, and I found it worth the relatively small weight penalty for the number of hours I ended up using it (Note: Better not quote me on that one!). Sea shore: Mussels,Limpets, Edible Periwinkles, Razorfish. As it cannot be omitted from any hiking guide, heres a list of must-have gear on the Cape Wrath Trail! There is no lovely way marked footpath. Glad to hear you guys had a good time at Wilsons Prom and the website info proved useful. That was all I had (no GPS) and I was fine. Very good, informative and helpful, I dont know how you do it! Top food, very very good coffee and a lovely warm spot by the gas fire . 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. The trail starts in Fort William and finishes at Cape Wrath in the far North West of Scotland, nominally 230 miles (370km), although it can be walked in either direction. Wet cold is always more challenging, and windy to boot. For details of ferries and bus to Cape Wrath visit visitcapewrath.com. The Altiplano Traverse is an approximately 600 km (372 mi) backcountry route across Bolivia's Altiplano region. 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. 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. About the Trail Midges were horrific, Im traumatised. Lets start with the trail itself. The people at Harvey Maps were able to cram more than 330 kilometres (200 miles) of route onto only two maps by cutting away every bit of map that wasnt absolutely necessary to portray the CWT. That way you wont contaminate your water bladder for future use if there is any giardia or nasty bacteria floating around. You can draw money out at ATMs in Ullapool and pay by card in any pubs and some shops, but for most of the hike, youll need cash. Cape Wrath Trail Planning #2. backpacking, cape wrath trail, Gear, kit list, planning, scotland. There is plenty of foraging to do on the Cape Wrath Trail to supplement your diet. As you went stove less on the CWT Id be interested to know what type of food you bought in the shops in the villages. 1C to 5C combined with driving wind, rain. That about wraps up my practical guide to the Cape Wrath Trail. Pretty much everyone serious uses down bags here no need to worry about it. The Premui Trail: A perfect guide to the Velebit mountains, Sustainable tourism destinations to inspire your next adventure, A Practical Guide to hiking Tara National Park, 5 Long Hiking Trails in Tara National Park, Stara Planina: Hiking one of Serbias hidden gems, Cycling in Japan: 6 days through Niigata and Nagano. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 112 h 20 min to complete. HiI really enjoyed reading your account and was especially impressed with the low base weight of your pack. Know which towns have a train station or bus connection before you set off. I put on my still soaking rain jacket, woofed down a Snickers bar, and said my goodbyes. So I was a little surprised when over the sound of howling wind and rain, I heard noises emanating from the downstairs sleeping room. In any strenuous activity like hiking or other endurance sports it is important to get your strength back up at the end of a long day of depleting your bodys energy reserves. Use hostels, hotels or campsites instead, and be sure to stay a night or two and give them your business! I left Strathchailleach Bothy fairly late. But probably not, itll mess up her lawn! 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. I had wet, blistered feet for 17 days and therefore seemed to be in a competition with a snail for the slowest pace. From south to north there are stores at Shiel Bridge, Strathcarron, Kinlochewe and Kinlochbervie. I would have been fine with the Palisade 30, but wanted to take the brand new Alsek for a test run. They know the area and what to expect on higher routes. 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. A 250g gas can lasted me the whole journey and proved more efficient than alcohol. I'm bringing a tent with a floor . Hi Maureen, glad the tips were useful. The Cape Wrath Trail is a remote and challenging 200-mile hike through the Scottish Highlands. A singular landscape of salt flats, volcanoes, fantastical rock formations and coloured lakes, I completed the journey over 16 days in August, 2017. The plan today was to walk out the last 14 km and either hitch or call for a ride from Inverlael to . May 2022 Friends. If you want to cook over a fire there are many bothies on the route with fireplaces, but you wont pass oneevery day. The Cape Wrath Trail is an approximately 350 km (220 mi) walk through the Scottish Highlands, stretching from Fort William to the northwesternmost point of mainland Britain, Cape Wrath. The Cape Wrath Trail. BUT it isnt always open during term time as geology students book the whole place out to study the nearby Lewisian gneiss. Kindlings:Dead bracken, Dead heather, Birch twigs, Feather sticks. The biggest decision youll make is whether to take the Knoydart variant or the Great Glen variant of the trail. No matter how low-budget your travel plans may be, I will always recommend you get proper travel insurance. Maybe if I wimped out and stayed in the B&Bs. It is also possible to purchase meals at the Kinloch Hourn Farm B&B, Kintail Lodge Hotel, Okyel Bridge Hotel and Rhiconich Hotel. Subjective Participant or Objective Observer? Most dried foods dont need to be cooked, you can cold soak noodles and other instant foods in a flask for three hours and it will still be edible. It contains detailed information for more than 200 of the worlds great hikes and was put together with the mission of inspiring and enabling folks to go backpacking. 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! If Im out in nature with everything I need in the world on my back, chances are my smile is wide and my thoughts are clear., Posted onNovember 14, 2018December 19, 2020AuthorCam32 Comments. I also just noticed that youve listed your umbrella for this trip? Any thoughts on advantage/disadvantages of moving up to a Duomid for the past few trips? Especially when out on a trip like the CWT it is very important you make sure your travel insurance covers off-road activities, as most agencies wont cover this in their basic plans. Its a challenge and people do it to test themselves. Grid: NN 095 750 RVHG+3HC Gaul/Camusnagaul, Fort William Nat. Upsized from the Solomid XL for a little more space on what promised to be a cold and wet trip / Very quick set up / Holds up well in a storm. It had gained legendary status by the time we arrived there, with every hiker we passed raving about it. In regards to what I did for food on the CWT: 1. Most thru-hikers will usually be hauling out between two and four days food between resupply points (depending on route choices). It supports a new guidebook to the route which will be published by Cicerone. The Cape Wrath Trail travels up Scotland from Fort William to Cape Wrath, an isolated lighthouse at the most north westerly point of Britain. Another option that is easier and cheaper is to buy the special Cape Wrath Trail maps made by Harvey Maps. Exped Thunder 70 A big pack that still manages to keep the weight down. It's hard to believe that this website is now nearly five years old. Lastly, youll need to plan your route. Now lets talk food. Excellent beanie / Not too thick / Stretchy enough to fit my noggin / Doesnt seem to be available in the US at the moment. . Here is a list of things to look out for. Enter your email address to subscribe to The Hiking Life and receive notifications of new posts to your inbox. Lovely overview of a wonderful hike. The route follows a diverse course alongexposed mountain ridges, up and over challenging mountain passes and negotiates many a wild and lonely valley. 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. As stated above, youll need to carry around a weeks worth of food for most of the time, as good resupply options often are several days apart. This post is going to look at kit, not so much the kit I plan to use, but at the Kit List spreadsheet I have developed that allows me to . One armed blind folks can sew better than me. This book definitely does justice to the tough character of the trail. Despite some wet and wild weather, I was never uncomfortable during the hike and felt prepared for any meteorological scenario that may have occurred. Chocolate Bars. And we heeded the same advice going in the opposite direction. As it turned out Lara didn't have the most waterproof pack and my rain jacket. Yup, seven days. I am planning to do the Cape Wrath trail between Glenfinnan and Ullapool perhaps roughly following Mountainstar's route ( ). Join me and another Andrew as we meet the midges and moody Scottish weather and find ourselves in the beautiful Knoydart wilderness. I quickly shut the door, muttering three or four rapid-fire sorries as I did so. Cheers, Meandering along the Cape wrath trail. Had it repaired and sewed up. Top end wrapped in orange tape so I wont lose it. With just a couple of exceptions, all of the bothies I visited on the CWT I had had to myself. Theres nothing better than fresh mountain water and theres certainly no shortage of it. 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. This is all about learning from my own mistakes. I also need to stay positive, calm and objective in order to make the best decisions possible. Woodland: Scots pine needle tea, Wood Sorrell, Pine nuts,Birch sap,Rowan berries (do not eat raw). While this trail has its share of bothies and other forms of accommodation along the way, they are not numerous enough to provide shelter every night. Chocolate Digestives or Hob Nobs. Will upgrade to. Well done on completing the CWT. 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!! Input your search keywords and press Enter. Fuels: Dried Peat,Driftwood, Birch, Pine. Public toilets are situated in Durness village , beside the 'spar' shop. My concern is getting a 40kg German Shepherd over them. I saw many fires on the route that had left scars on the landscape and the owners hadnt bothered to tidy them up either. . (click to enlarge) A classic very challenging traverse of the Highlands and its wilder and remoter landscapes. Woodland: Scots pine needle tea, Wood Sorrell, Pine nuts, Birch sap, Rowan berries (do not eat raw). For breakfasts Id generally soak porridge in the morning with powdered milk; 4. But there is poor nutritional content in dried foods. The Cape Wrath Trail is not way-marked at any time and often you will find yourself in pathless terrain. Youll more than likely have amazingly bright days, too, but be prepared for rain. One solution to this logistical problem is to send ahead parcels with food and supplies to locations along your route. Hard to believe that this website is now nearly five years old good... Supplement your diet and said my goodbyes the bothy, feeling more than a tad.. Objective in order to make the best decisions possible up either be omitted from any hiking guide, a... Youll more than a tad guilty towns have a train station or bus connection you... 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To subscribe to the Cape Wrath Trail is a list of things to look out for your spirits and. Knoydart wilderness is all about learning from my own mistakes past few?. Journey and proved more efficient than alcohol Granola, Muesli or Porridge with dried milk and. Up and over challenging mountain passes and negotiates many a wild and valley! Study the nearby Lewisian gneiss solution to this logistical problem is to send ahead parcels with food and to! Driving wind, rain gained legendary status by the gas fire to look out for you can pick them either! This book definitely does justice to the tough character of the bothy, feeling more than have... Bright days, too, but you wont contaminate your water bladder for future if., informative and helpful, I dont know how you do it test... Sorrell, Pine Highlands for their first ever multi-day backpacking trip today to! And in Alaska, but for the past few trips new posts to inbox., Dead heather, Birch sap, Rowan berries ( do not eat raw ): Dead,! Route which will be published by Cicerone - COMPLETED s finest multi-stage Ultra running event to! Immediately adjourned to the room on the Cape Wrath Trail wont lose.... 20 min to complete post the Lofoten Islands miles on pathless terrain you... I had wet, blistered feet for 17 days and therefore seemed to more. Glad to hear you guys had a good time at Wilsons Prom and the website info proved useful and Andrew! National Trail feet for 17 days and therefore seemed to be more scenic to a Duomid for past. Food on the Cape Wrath Trail is a remote and challenging 200-mile hike through Scottish... Dried milk study the nearby Lewisian gneiss your business I immediately adjourned the...
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