No, the CWT is challenging because it will take you across some of the most wet, marshy, pathless, wild and generally difficult terrain the northwestern highlands have to offer. My base weight for the Cape Wrath Trail was 9.2 lbs (4.2 kg), and the total weight came in at 12.3 lb (5.6 kg). You could go stoveless on this trip if you wanted to. It's often touted as Britain's toughest long distance walk, due to its pathless sections, remoteness, and Scotland's fierce weather. Hi there! Cam. Most thru-hikers will usually be hauling out between two and four days food between resupply points (depending on route choices). 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! Excellent beanie / Not too thick / Stretchy enough to fit my noggin / Doesnt seem to be available in the US at the moment. Above the animal grazing line you wont need to filter or purify the water, but if youre in lowland areas, use a filter or purification tablets and fill up into a bottle. After a couple of years of using my phone, I bit the photography bullet and upgraded. But please take care to dowse your fire when leaving and to leave no trace. Snacks - Dried fruit and nuts. Lets get you started! Since the CWT is somewhat of a lengthy trail, bringing all the maps that cover the CWTs route can result in quite a pile of paper. The way to Cape Wrath is not an official national trail at all, more a loose collection of old stalkers' tracks, drovers, and coffin roads. Another option that is easier and cheaper is to buy the special Cape Wrath Trail maps made by Harvey Maps. Thecalorie content should be well above your normal daily intake. I thought the first half from Cape Wrath to Kinlochewe was the most picturesque (I walked north to south, get the itinerary), but then again there are different routes so maybe I just picked the worst one from there south! 2. It rained so much we actually took a break, bussed down to Inverness for 2 days, then restarted at Furness when the sun came out and finished in the opposite direction! Take lightweight diving or pool shoes with a strong grip on the soles and a secure fit around your feet. Chocolate Digestives or Hob Nobs. Getting ready to descend into Coire Caol, after a wet and windy crossing of the Forcan Ridge. 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. On the seventh day of my CWT hike the weather was mostly clear. We didnt move, the midges were attacking everyone, but had they not have been, she would have made sure everyone relocated. Spitting the dummy- or chucken a tanty! The Cape Wrath Trail is a challenging route from Fort William to Cape Wrath. Hop over to Ullapool (I went from Inverness bus station) and get an afternoon bus at about 16.00-17.00-ish from Ullapool to Durness or go direct from Inverness to Durness at 10.00 or 17.00 (route 805 for the latter time). Having not backpacked a long distance trail before, I planned to walk sections, starting in May 2020. Here is a typical day of food on the trail, usually totalling around 3500-4000 calories. Add weight to your squats after a while! Day 1 - rain and sunsets. 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. 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. 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. 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. Join me and another Andrew as we meet the midges and moody Scottish weather and find ourselves in the beautiful Knoydart wilderness. Frameless backpack of choice for almost a decade. Always make sure to thoroughly check your insurance plan, as conditions may vary for your nationality or itinerary. What would you say about going CWT in this time of year and the shelter for this hike? 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. Ive never hiked with a real camera before so Im about nervous about keeping it dry! Chances are, you've no option to do this on your current trip anyway. Chocolate Bars. Sign up for occasional email updates with news and updates from the trail. 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! I brought a few days worth of beans; 2. I find it appealing because I love the idea of being out alone on the trails in such a wild part of the country. I didn't book any accommodation and wild camped every night. After not more than a few minutes had passed, the young couple now fully clothed came into the other room and apologized profusely. Especially at that time of year; its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. If for whatever reason you decide you cant go on anymore, at least youll know where to go to get back to civilisation! 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 was to camp a little shy of Okyel Bridge and then head to its namesake hotel the following morning for a big breakfast. Having no experience with Scottish winds, do you think that a Tarptent Aeon Li is suitable or do I need something more storm-worthy? Kindlings:Dead bracken, Dead heather, Birch twigs, Feather sticks. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. As it cannot be omitted from any hiking guide, heres a list of must-have gear on the Cape Wrath Trail! Thanks for the kind words. Thanks for your message. We just did the section from Ullapool to CW this September and all your advice was spot on! 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. Smother them in white tiger balm and hey presto, youll have some relief from scratching like a flea-ridden dog. Brilliant thank you for the reply! Had it repaired and sewed up. 1C to 5C combined with driving wind, rain. I also just noticed that youve listed your umbrella for this trip? Ultimately, it might depend somewhat on transport/accessibility options from the various trailheads. 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. 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) The biggest decision youll make is whether to take the Knoydart variant or the Great Glen variant of the trail. As I headed back out into the storm I broke out into a wry grin. The WHW and the Cairngorms are very different experiences, however, both are great in their own way. Overnight te https://t.co/h8vrc5D90S, A comprehensive guide to the Cape Wrath Trail, Contact the author or inquire about advertising on the site enquiries@capewrathtrailguide.org, Watercolour of Sourlies Bothy, Knoydart by Anthony Harper I was wondering how you went about protecting your camera from the rain? 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. I certainly will. Heaving across them in boots and gaiters will just mean one thing sodden boots and wet feet. Tent setup / Fencing practice during breaksTokyo 2020 here I come. From south to north there are stores at Shiel Bridge, Strathcarron, Kinlochewe and Kinlochbervie. I must admit, not completing it hadnt occurred to me, but with gales that had lifted tents from campsites and continual rain only four days before we set off, it was easy to see why. I posted one parcel to Knoydart Bunkhouse and another to Gerrys Hostel, and after Ullapool I decided this was no longer necessary. This is the second of three posts related to the planning process for my Cape Wrath Trail walk, in May 2019. donkeys years). Grid: NN 104 742 Plus code: RVCV+925 Fort William Finishes at: Cape Wrath Nat. As a rule, World Nomads offers excellent world-wide insurance for a wide range of activities, including hiking up to 6000 metres. 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. The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the UK's toughest long distance walk. . Some of the scenery is incredible if you get the weather for it, other parts are nothing to write home about. If you need to dry out as I did (my boots let me down and I half expected to develop trench foot) then youll be dreaming about the dry room at Inchnadamph Lodge. I meandered around the rolling hills North from the bothy and it was not a tiresome walk at all. The writer travelled to Scotland by Caledonian Sleeper . Ive hiked the Skye during August but had no time for the highlands. I dont want this hike to sound like a washout, but it is in the wettest area of the UK. Grid: NN 095 750 RVHG+3HC Gaul/Camusnagaul, Fort William Nat. A 250g gas can lasted me the whole journey and proved more efficient than alcohol. 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. The ferry runs four times a day and from Monday to Saturday throughout the year. Hikers planning to take on the Cape Wrath Trail should be experienced hikers, able to fend for themselves in terms of personal safety, food and supplies and navigation. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Required fields are marked *. I cant recommend the CWT highly enough; you should definitely do it sooner rather than later! 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!! Theres nothing better than fresh mountain water and theres certainly no shortage of it. I dont think humidity is an issue in the Highlands. Food and alcohol prices . Enter your email address to subscribe to The Hiking Life and receive notifications of new posts to your inbox. Will upgrade to. While you will encounter a number of towns large enough to have proper stores, you wont be able to resupply very often, so prepare to carry at least a few days worth of supplies. This goes to show it really doesnt need to be an expensive trip, as long as you take care to watch your spending a little bit! 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 . The Cape Wrath Trail travels up the west coast of Scotland, beginning in Fort William, and ending at Cape Wrath which is the northernmost point of Britain. The Cape Wrath Trail is not way-marked at any time and often you will find yourself in pathless terrain. I pick up a different SIM in each country and pay local rates. The Essential Guide to Frameless Backpacks, The Cape Wrath Trail: A 200 Mile walk through the Scottish Highlands, Lightweight Backpacking in the Scottish Highlands, Katabatic Alsek 22 (Long 900fp Hyperdry Goose Down), https://www.thehikinglife.com/2015/03/how-to-ford-a-river/, https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57523. Iain has found a good balance between guiding the reader in rough terrain and offering challenging or safer alternatives. Maybe if I wimped out and stayed in the B&Bs. Ok, the lack of views are a bummer, but if you spend enough time in the boonies over enough years, things have a way of evening themselves out on the scenery front. Although equipment choice is intensely personal, it's always good to know what other people use and I've picked up some excellent tips over the years from fellow walkers that I'd otherwise have missed. Sounds like you had a real Cape Wrath trail experience! 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. 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. Whenever possible Id pack out boiled eggs and fruit/veggies from resupply points. 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. I think its fair to say that keeping your feet in good order is THE most important aspect of any long distance backpack. 50g of sugar will offer some extra boost to the hot drinks if needed, Extra meal extra breakfast, two more oats bars and a high (1000) calorie freeze dried meal by Expedition Foods. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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The highlands Ullapool to CW this September and all your advice was spot on would have made sure everyone.... Dead heather, Birch twigs, Feather sticks Gerrys Hostel, and, in this particular case,.... And pay local rates to dowse your fire when leaving and to leave no trace make! Days worth of beans ; 2 north from the Trail, usually totalling around 3500-4000.! Around the rolling hills north from the Trail hiked with a real camera before so Im about nervous about it. You cant go on anymore, at least youll know where to go get... Ll need while out on the soles and a passion for all the wild!! To CW this September and all your advice was spot on, at least youll know where go! Stored in your browser only with your consent do this on your current anyway. Is considered the UK & # x27 ; ll need while out on the Cape Wrath experience. Eggs and fruit/veggies from resupply points ( depending on route choices ) gas can me.