There I was to camp for the night before tackling the serious challenge of a 19km hike to Shiel Bridge, crossing over the Cape Wrath Trail’s highest point just below the Forcan Ridge. The Cape Wrath Trail takes you to beaches, glens and mountaintops that see very few humans pass by in a year. The short story I told in Trail’s September issue is simple: I hurt my left knee after falling on snow below the Forcan Ridge, having decided – madly – to try to complete two of my planned days in one. I paused to stab my trekking poles into the frozen lake at the high point, and slushy ice gushed out of the hole. You can connect the two endpoints by hiking over any trails you want, even hiking cross-country or a mix, if it suits you. they don’t collect their advanced food parcels. Even to start it is to participate in an incredible adventure. It goes through ten places that could loosely be termed towns or villages in its entirety, but few of these will coincide with the end of a day’s trekking. Cape Wrath (Schottisch-Gälisch: Am Parbh, An Carbh in Lewis) ist ein Kap in Sutherland, Highland, im nördlichen Schottland.Das Kap stellt den nordwestlichsten Punkt der Insel Großbritannien dar.. Der Name Cape Wrath (auch englisch für Zorn oder Wut) stammt vom altnordischen Wort für "Umkehrpunkt". The Cape Wrath Trail The Cape Wrath Trail is not an official long-distance route. The Cape Wrath Ultra® is Scotland’s finest multi-stage ultra running event. It usually takes 2-3 weeks to complete and is considered the most difficult long-distance walk in the UK. I walk alone out of choice I take a Personal locater Beacon and I also use a Garmin Inreach to allow a pre formatted message to be sent to my wife ; ‘saying I’m ok’ every day, the message contains a link to a map giving co-ordinates. As it happened, the crossing was straightforward: the water was rushing just below knee-height, and was so clear I was able to see my footing with ease. I was planning on completing the West Highland Way, which I did, and then hoped to do parts of the extremely difficult Cape Wrath Trail. You will then receive an email that helps you regain access. Here’s what to expect: 1.Wet feet. Hi Ken – thank you for the kind words. Hard to imagine having the presence of mind to enjoy all of that if I had a companion with me. All of that – my hopes, my enthusiasm and my self-confidence – lay rotting in a snow hole, high on a hostile mountain. As night deepened, Bob and I stood in front of the cottage beneath a coal-black sky fretted with pinprick stars and the faint arc of the Milky Way. Right now I’m planning my next (mini) Lakeland adventure: a two-day hike across 14 eastern Wainwrights in November. In my keenness to make progress I ignored my pre-hike caution and paid no attention at all to the likely difficulties presented by a mountain climb on top of an already taxing day. Hiking the Cape Wrath Trail – Part 5. The route is unmarked and there is no official line. They dry out quicker IMHO, Will be doing the SNT again later this year (subject to corana etc), Hope to see you on the CWT or even the Scottish National trail, Thank you so much for the kind words – we only succeed if we learn from mistakes, and I think it’s important to share those lessons. There's nothing else in Britain like it. Looking back over my experience, I think I can offer four pieces of advice to the would-be Cape Wrath Trailblazer. Hi Andy, I enjoyed your article, in part I guess because I just had a similar experience to your, as I backed off from the CWT at Kinlochourn at the back end of Sept after a fall. Thankfully the injury wasn’t as serious as it felt at the time; after six weeks or so of rest I was back in the hills. The following day – supposedly my rest day – I realised I couldn’t risk pushing further into remote terrain, and made the agonising decision to withdraw from the Trail. I did the Scottish National trail in August 2018 which encompasses the CWT and then I did the CWT again in 2019. Approximately 230 miles in length, most people take 2-3 weeks to backpack the trip. Hi Andy I really enjoyed your account of the CWT. This is a variation of the Cape Wrath Trail which normally starts at Fort William. A comprehensive guide to the Cape Wrath Trail, one of the most challenging long distance walks in the UK, published by Cicerone and now in a fully updated Second Edition. The path is not waymarked and has many variations. It's often touted as Britain's toughest long distance walk, due to its pathless sections, remoteness, and Scotland's fierce weather. Having left Bob with some of my nonessential kit to post home, I strode out into the drizzle. The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest hiking route in the United Kingdom. „Trail“ in diesem Fall mit „Weg“ zu übersetzen mag aber bereits irreführend sein. I felt happy to have the bothy’s warmth. Travelling through the wild and rugged landscapes of Morar, Knoydart, Torridon and Assynt, it will test the limits of your endurance. But if you put some effort forward, you'll see some pretty spectacular scenery and get a damn good taste of the Scottish highlands. As best as I can recall, my logic went like this: “Yesterday I managed to walk 33.5km, including a serious climb; if I press on to Shiel Bridge, I’ll be walking 3km short of yesterday’s distance; and if I manage to rest up for a day, I’ll be all the stronger for the next stage of the trail.”. There is a direct correlation between pack weight and giving up. Other resources online make it sound incredibly hard, but I think it is manageable for any prepared hiker. I usually hike alone. So for those of you interested in walking to Cape Wrath, it’s time to dust off those map-and-compass skills! I’ll be walking again next March – plenty of posts on here in the coming weeks to explain how I’m going to go about it. In it, I saw an opportunity to better my exhilarating hike along the Pennine Way, and to create new stories for myself about my own confidence and resilience. Some of the comments below give good advice for anyone considering an attempt. That’s still better than taking the risk of a mountain rescue callout – or worse – because of the desire to push on even when body and mind are saying “enough!”. As I walked between the quiet houses scattered around the valley floor, the sense of isolation started to bear down on me. The Cape Wrath Trail is regarded as the toughest long-distance route in Britain and offers unparalleled freedom and adventure to the experienced and self-sufficient backpacker prepared to walk for many days in remote wilderness. Read on and watch my short film about the walk before you decide if it’s a plan to be borrowed…, A roaring fire welcomes hikers at A’ Chuil bothy. I reached Lochan a’ Mhaim in good spirits, and paused to appreciate the gentle hiss of rainfall in the slate-grey water. I have always been drawn to those remote and hard trails – maybe it is my need to feel that I’m on the edge and pushing my survival limits – so the Cape Wrath Trail became my goal in the UK. You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools, or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence. From Kinloch Hourn the path lofted high into the wild terrain of Kinlochourn Forest, leaving behind the mineral scent of the sea loch. Gilad Nachmani says. For information on the trip’s background, check out this blog post. It came to prominence in the mid-1990s due to various publications, but there is no one recognised path, and it certainly isn’t waymarked like, for example, the Pennine Way. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send". Disappointment and failure are bitter, and it took some time for me to start seriously reviewing what had led me to my accident. Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 3 million WordPress sites. For what it’s worth I completed the CWT in 14 days ln February /March 2015 solo and unsupported – I will be 85 this year. Kinloch Hourn marks the penultimate stage of a really tough few days’ walking; I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s where most would-be trailblazers have to drop out. We shared whisky and mountain tales, huddled around the fireplace. That said, April’s mishap reminds me that the Pennine Way was also helped by spending some time trekking with a fellow wayfarer over a storm-blown Knock Fell, and on the final marathon to Kirk Yetholm. I guess my misanthropy is softening…. A little further along, at Sourlies, a herd of deer thundered across the beach at the head of the sea loch. Gales Force winds and rain combine to exacerbate difficult terrain perhaps break stages down into smaller sections when this happens. My yell of pain reverberated around the corrie, sank into the snow and died, unheard. The general idea is to make your way from Fort William to Cape Wrath at the farthest NW corner of the UK. I look forward to seeing you make it all the way. Do you always hike alone? General gear considerations . It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a blog post. It had been a beautiful walk, high above the twinkling Loch Hourn. (EVERY day in Knoydart is tough.) I also find that 2500 calories per day for trips under about 21 days is perfectly adequate. Ultralight gear list for myself who hopes to attempt it next Spring then take a bus to Portree Kyle! Idea is to make your way from Fort William to the walk out post home, I have near-final. You ’ ve been there you know there ’ ll be striding back towards the hills a little along! 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