This is the second part of the Iona to Cape Wrath Trail, from Kilchoan, following the north coast of Ardnamurchan then over Ben Resipole and up Loch Sheil to Glenfinnan.
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91 km and 2262 meters of ascent. 4 days.
Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan Point, Sanna Bay, the north coast of Ardnamurchan,Sining Sands, Acharacle village,Ben Resipol, Polloch, Loch Shiel and Glenfinnan.
Day 6 continued
The Ardnamurchan peninsular sticks out west on the mainland of Scotland and takes some determined driving to get to, along miles of single track road. It is so far west that it is the most westerly part of the mainland of Britain. My first target was the Lighthouse at that most westerly point and then to follow the coast east.
At the end of this part I had a resupply arranged in Glenfinnan but I think it is probably better to jump on a bus or train to Fort William from Glenfinnan. It would be a small detour which makes logistical sense. There are plenty of shops for a variety of foods and some cheap hostels so you could to take a break from the trail, and have a night out of a tent, maybe down the pub.
But today had more road walking across the peninsular to Ardnamurchan Point. First the road winds through a small strung out village which to my joy has a community cafe, open, with soup and cakes and coffee. I now have a full belly and am happy, with pleasant weather, and only the occasional car to disturb the peace, I was again on my own, walking in the most beautiful landscape. I started to see the change in rock, the subtle forms of geology that make each region different. This is a continuing joy as the miles pass and I curse my lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of geology which would add much interest to my journey. Likewise a basic knowledge of the plant life, native animals and the history of this land would be useful. Half way along the road is a small stall selling home grown vegetables. They look fantastic but I have already stocked up on a packet of spinach leaves and some broccoli stems. I should maybe plan less and let the journey provide. I have already passed by a few farms selling eggs, mostly with honesty boxes, a great way of boosting my diet, but I avoided on Mull as I did not have the gas to cook the eggs nor the change in my pocket to leave money.
A few hours later, I am approaching the Lighthouse. I arrive just as the visitors center and cafe are closing but the staff are friendly and fill up my water bottle for me. At the Point, overlooking the sea I have another of those significant meetings, a conversation with a man who has made a great effort to reach this viewpoint. Stretched out before us under a blue sky are the Islands of Rum, Eigg and Muck and behind them the Island of Skye. We take in the view together and though our meeting is brief I won’t forget him for a long time. Life is short, and whatever it throws at you it is important to journey with optimism and experience this world as beautiful.
Soon I am off the road and onto a traditional path which I hope will take me most of the way around this coast. For traditional path read; boggy, convoluted, missing and frustrating. Also read; stunning, sublime, adventurous, and fun.
I can see Sanna Beach and beyond a rocky coast. In one hour here you can be struggling across an exposed hillside, then stooping through a miniature wood or swing round a corner to a secret bay with its own sandy beach and breaking waves. Otters live around in these parts though I did not see any. There are plenty of deer, and on a smaller scale frogs and dragonflies. I stretch my legs to reach Sanna Beach where camping is easy and there are many places for a tent on the sandy grassland near the shore and amongst the dunes. The sun sets as I stroll down to the beach, but really I am now too tired to enjoy anything but a brief explore. Food and sleep is all that I want after another of those most amazing trail days.
As I am alone the only other character in this story of the ICW trail is the Path itself. It is sometimes there, sometimes absent, it is indistinct, it guides and frustrates, it is fractured, notational. It is dictated by the land, its features and faults. Some paths have been in existence for hundreds, or thousands of years.
Possibly as many as 4000 years. I know very little about the pre historic timelines including Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic or what the studies in Archeological finds reveals. If a pass exists between two mountains then a path will follow that line. Ancient dwellings and villages would be present in much the same way as they are today and there are only a few ways it is efficient to travel through rough and complex mountain landscapes. For me the paths become a way of reaching beyond this time and into a more universal experience of time.
The Lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point
Without local knowledge, the paths between villages can be difficult to find. The map is not always accurate and my map reading far from perfect. I was able to ask some locals where the path to the next village was and only lost about half an hour getting on the right track.
From then on I used the map to identify landmarks where the path went or if it disappeared I would use the phone map to find my exact location and a feature or place where I might intersect a new path and walk to that point. After a couple of miles of road the next path cuts up and across rocky ground. It becomes a long remote trek through rough country. I started looking for a place to camp but the ground was rough everywhere. It is a constant surprise that there were so few places to pitch a tent in the Scottish Landscape.
I could not find a place to camp until I came down to a forest where a small area of long grass was flat enough. I was getting very tired, I needed to stop, but the next day a short distance further there was a sign for a road to a beach, the Singing Sands, which would have been a beautiful place to camp. I missed an opportunity there. To carry maps for all the route is expensive and heavy. To work from a phone screen means sometimes the bigger picture of the route is missed, this was one such case . An important part of this blog and the accompanying vlog is to identify campsites so the trail is easier to follow.
The day had started fair but had drizzled throughout. Lots of midges came out tonight as soon as the tent was put up. In a lot of the north of Scotland the midge swarms will congregate around you only when you stop moving. This is if there is not sufficient wind to disperse them. If you put up a tent then you have made a perfect wind break and the midges can accumulate in and around it. So an inner tent is important for this sort of long journey. Bivies are better at the top of hills where you can guarantee a wind but even then you should keep your fingers crossed. When the midges come the only safe space is the inner tent and it has to be zipped closed. Cooking and going to the toilet will result in hundreds of the little blighters being able to enter the inner tent. This is not great as you end up having to kill the ones that are trapped with you.
I try to avoid killing anything and also its just a chore to do this. When you go out they will land on your clothing and when you come back in they will be there with you.
So it is better to minimise any activity outside the tent once you are camped. I use a plastic cup with a screw on lid that I have added an insulated jacket to for food prep. This allows me to pour boiling water onto my food and leave it to soak until it is cooked. This method lets me keep the tent inner closed as much as possible. I also started to use a Pee bottle, which was the lesser of two evils and so I could stay in my inner tent from the time I camped in the evening till the time I packed up in the morning.
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Lots of midges combined with long grass and uneven ground all meant if I did not concentrate and dropped something, at best I would spend a long time searching. It was too early in my trip to loosing tent pegs or pen knives. It is difficult to explain how distressing midges can be without experiencing them. Some people have allergic reactions to just one bite. Camping in the North of Scotland is then not a practical ambition. But most of us can be bitten hundreds of times without any harm, so why all the fuss, the bites are noticeable but not painful? They are small easily killed animals and cause no appreciable harm. However they are annoying to the point of distraction. Being distracted is not good when camping. All my equipment is very strong if used in the right way, but very weak if not. Standing on a stove can put it out of action. A tent peg can go straight through tent material and rip it very easily.
So it is fortunate that there are measures you can take to prevent midges from getting to you. When there are hundreds and thousands of the little bitty things repellant does not work. You have to cover up. A midge net hat is essential. Clothing that covers the rest of you is essential. I was using disposable plastic gloves at one point, but I learnt they don’t affect my fingers so my normal fingerless gloves or sleeves with thumb loops worked well. I wear close fitting trousers and socks which overlap to prevent tick bites so no midge ingress there. Now properly covered from head to toe, I can work systematically and carefully to break camp and get on my way. It still takes a little self control with them flying around in great numbers Once I started moving the midges dispersed.
Fine weather and a beautiful stroll along a forest road, stony and dusty, then along the side of a lake where the morning sun and beautiful views took my breath away. The feeling of being very lucky to be here was with me. The tent was wet from dew and because of the midges I had not had a proper breakfast so I found a rough piece of ground and put the tent up all baggy and loose to dry. I made some cold coffee and sat by the lake in the sun for half an hour. The weather was forecast to get worse by the next day and I had a hill to climb over.
It has a rocky summit, so there was a decision to make. Should I press on through this glorious day and try to get over Ben Resipol, also enjoying the spectacular views or by having an easier day risk having to traverse the rocky peak tomorrow, with limited visibility. Putting it like that to myself I decided to press on. A few miles further and my toe started to hurt, something was wrong.
Alarm bells rang and I stopped immediately to investigate. Drat my toe nail had grown and due to the walking rubbed its way into my skin. Lots of curse words to an empty field. Now get out the scissors, find the first aid kit, deal with it straight away. I used my some of my precious water washing my foot then a wee snip and some antiseptic cream and a paster, then another to provide some padding. What I was missing was one or two toe dressings, little tubes to protect a sensitive area. (Note to self for next time). The environment of the shoe, after seven days constant walking, was not a good environment for the healing process. I carried my sore toe until Skye. I wasn’t limping but suffered the occasionally twinge reminded me, and thankfully that was the only pain I was suffering.
Back to being determined to climb the hill. I could see in the very far distance, Ben Resipol. It is 845m high. A Munro is 914m or above 3000ft so Ben Resipol just a wee bit short but the path rises fro sea level and stands alone. It is prized for its panoramic views and dramatic rocky summit. The village of Acharacle is on my way and it is near lunchtime. There is a shop, a good general store. What do I fancy after over a week of constant walking; hummus spread on a hot cheese pastry and a coke (I never drink Coke). I also buy some olives, some chocolate bars, a couple of rolls and a lump of cheddar. I forget my toe and concentrate on the slightly queasy feeling in my stomach, but the road has few cars to worry me and I push on, full of calories to burn. 6km of road walking is not ideal. I had thought it would be possible to turn off the road at Salen and head along the side of the forest to connect with the Ben Resipol path further up the hill but it is pathless, rough way and there is no clear way to access the slopes from the road. The A861 is not busy nor annoying to walk on.
I had poured over this section of the ICW trail more than any other. From Acharacle you can reach the bottom of Loch Sheil. But how to get to Polloch? From Archaracle to Polloch along the loch side looks bad; marshland, bogs, craggy and forested all at once. I asked a few locals who I met on the way and they confirmed there was no good path that way. I think a nicer idea would be to hitch a ride in a canoe up the loch if you knew someone to do that with. To bypass Ben Resipol on the east side is unnecessarily long and more road walking. The path up the hill would be well established and apart from the elevation not difficult. A trail should really look for the easiest way through a landscape but sometimes the easiest way is straight up and over. Continuing on over the peak to intersect with the Ardnastaing to Polloch path, the old ‘Coffin trail’*, is all downhill so even without a path it should be manageable. The only worry then is how craggy Ben Resipol is at that point. The path leads down through a new forest to Polloch. (*A ‘Coffin trail or path’ is where communities would take the dead from to the consecrated ground of the local kirk or church.)
I reach Resipol village which is at sea level and find a path behind the campsite office. I think you could turn up earlier along the east bank of the stream and join the path that will take you to the summit and save 10 minutes walking. I look up and estimate two hours to climb to the summit. It is a very pleasant walk, steep enough, with a picturesque waterfall and the rocky summit above. I am now into my rhythm eating and drinking at the right times, hydrating well with powdered food supplements and today an isotonic tablet. I eat a couple of oat bars, better to have the energy now in my muscles than at the summit or the way down. My pack does not feel to heavy but two hours later it looks like I have another hour to go. The weather is still lovely, sunny and fair. I met a couple on their way down and swapped stories. We are high enough that I can point to the Ardnamurcan peninsular to show where I have walked from. They seem impressed and the summit appears closer.
I stretch my legs and the last few meters are all rocks and the summit views just amazing. Wow, very few mountains stand alone like this in this region so the views are worth the climb. On the one side the sea, peninsulas and Islands, on the other sides lochs with rows of mountains in the background. I test my phone signal just for fun and incredibly there is reception so I can share the moment with my family and friends.
Now I need to walk east along a ridge which on the map looks rocky, possibly craggy. It is better to approach craggy ground from below so you can see where the dangers are. Descending through this sort of terrain can be tricky. It is the main reason I wanted to get here today with such good visibility. There is a path, comforting, which takes me along the ridge. It kind of peters out but I find the ground easier than expected and in no time I am onto steep grassy ground away from any crags. Probably safe enough in the mist with proper navigation skills. I have bought a very small monocular, more like a child’s toy and it comes into its own now as I try to spot a direct route down to Polloch but it seems more difficult than the way ahead, so I continue east to intersect with the coffin path and edge into the forest on this.
It is better to pass the ruined cottage on the lower path. I went above it and hit rough ground for a bit. I tend to take the higher option if the path becomes indistinct but this time it was an error. The path has been change from the map as a result of the forest plantation so follow the path not the map and go downwards towards where the stream meets the corner of the open area, Follow the stream for a couple of kilometres. I look for camping spots but there are none. Tired, I can’t be bothered to stop to fill up my water bottle, could be an error and the path is now a rough road and is far from the stream in dense forest. I’ll hit the valley floor soon and find a campsite there at Polloch.
Scotland in the summer has the advantage of very long days and short nights so it is difficult to run out of daylight. If I want to take a more mountainous route to Glenfinnan, I could turn up the valley and walk to the Resourie bothy for the night. From there it would be up and over to join onto the Cape wrath Trail before Glenfinnan. But Loch Shiel is beautiful and a flat walk tomorrow suites me more. I turn left towards Loch Shiel. At an iron bridge, before I cross I see a disused road covered in grass. I walk down it and near its end is a sheltered flat area of grass. Joy and relief, a flat piece of ground at last. The pegs will be hard to put and I double up on some and wangle the rest in, but it is flat place and there is no wind to speak of. There is a stream nearby, life is good. 30km today. My tent is my home and everything is where I like it to be so I lay on my beloved Thermarest and dose. Food time and I deserve a big meal, tomorrow I should get more supplies, so I scoff all I can leaving just enough for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.
I find that lying flat is the best way to recover from a days walking. So mostly the evenings are spent doing my daily puzzle, I prefer the one where you lay down a train tracking on a grid according to the numbers on the side of the puzzle. I ripped out the harder ones from a puzzle book and it is a very lightweight distraction while my legs get a good supply of blood and nutrients with me lying flat. I review footage from my Gopro, and listen to audiobooks on a mini mp3 player. I am surprised that I am never bored, never miss the comforts of home. The environment I am traveling through is so remote and beautiful, I have met a few people in passing but not another backpacker, but I have not been lonely. Apart from my sore toe and some annoying ache in my shoulders which goes away when I massage them, all is going to plan. There is the route to think about tomorrow and I am expecting rain.
Ben Resipol Summit
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Oh surprise, it is not raining, the sun is up and it is a beautiful day. I spend an extra hour at camp washing socks, cleaning gear and drying my tent and anything else thats dampish. I even wash myself in the stream, which is icy cold. It may be mid summer but it is still Scotland. A long flat walk ahead with no route finding necessary. I put up my umbrella to protect myself from the sun and stroll along listening to audiobooks. Soon I’m on the loch side but disappointingly the path is in forest and there are no views for the first few hours.
I pass a forestry worker, and am passed by a couple of cyclists. They had cycled over the coffin path and are doing a giant loop up to Glenfinnan then round on main roads to their starting point at Strontian, in one day, Wow. It makes me feel snail like, these new fangled bicycle devises have possibilities. But I like the purity of walking too much to consider anything else and sit down to cook lunch, what luxury. Then I make coffee as well. I have a new gas canister waiting just up the path so no worries about using gas.
A easy stroll through the afternoon and I find my resupply and I have overestimated what I would need to eat so at the Glenfinnan visitors center I can ditch what I don’t need. But the packets of food I save to leave at the next bothy. There is no shop at Glenfinnan but there is a Cafe. It is well crowded and I just don’t fancy being around all these people. The main road is busy and noisy and the car park full.
Glenfinnan is a tourist destination as it is where the railway bridge made famous in the Harry Potter films resides. Too many people, so I quickly walk up the path looking for the first place where I can pitch a tent. I find a nice spot and that is the day. I have not been keen on staying in bothies so far so I don’t press on the extra km to the Corryhully bothy. I would have had I known it had an electricity supply, very unusual for a Bothy. For a small donation I could have charged my batteries overnight. It also has flat ground around where a tent can be pitched if it is crowded inside.
Glenfinnan (Harry Potter) Railway Bridge
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