MY WALKING WORLD David Preston

MY BACKPACKING TRIP TO CAPE WRATH  27/07/08

It has always been one of my plans to visit Sutherland at the north west corner of Scotland, I knew it would be a long way to travel but it was just something I had to do, I wanted to see this wild and fascinating place. I was not disappointed, it was superb. I based myself at Ullapool about 60 miles south of Kinlochbervie , Ullapool is a great pace to stay, a lively fishing port with a good camp site, plenty of pubs and  cafes. Superb scenery, friendly people  and ferry services to the Hebrides.  After the long drive up from Macclesfield on the Saturday morning ( 8 hours) I pitched my tent on the Broomfield Holiday Park and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the village and generally having a rest.

Next morning I packed up and drove north to Blairmore which is north of Kinlochbervie. There is a good free car park at Blairmore with clean toilets and good tap for topping up your water supplies. I set off walking north up the track to Sandwood Bay and then headed up the coast through really wild country that was trackless. I camped the night at Cape Wrath lighthouse and then returned the next day. A great 2 day backpacking experience

The start of the walk from Blairmore to Cape Wrath

 Looking north from near Sandwood Loch. There are no tracks or paths, just grass, heather, boulders and bog. Its wild and you have a great sense of wilderness. In two days of walking I saw no-one after I left Sandwood Bay except the lighthouse keeper at Cape Wrath.

I enjoyed finding my way along this route but it was very tiring

This was the Keisgaig River

One of the other rivers I crossed was Strath Chailleach which was around 20 feat across and required a detour inland of around ½ mile to find somewhere to cross

I was offered a cup of tea by a man who I assumed was the lighthouse keeper.

One of the best cups of tea I have had and very much appreciated. Thank you

I asked if there was anywhere I could camp and he suggested I would be fine in the walled garden by the lighthouse

All packed up and ready to leave next morning. MY rucksack is a 35 litre Lowe Alpine Walkabout

Probably slightly small for this type of walk and I had to strap my tent to the outside of the rucksack. However at 65 years old I need to keep my pack weight to a minimum. The restricted room forces me to pack carefully and keep weight to a minimum.

A view of the lighthouse in the clear morning air. The siren is visible behind the wall on the left of the picture.

On the way back, there was still some mist drifting around.

The Keisgaig River, I had just scrambled down the bank on the right. The way out was to cross the river on the bend and follow the side valley on the left for about 100yds where it was easy to climb up the steep sides.

The boundary fence for the MOD land looking back to the Keisgaig River. The fence was new and there were various flagpoles along the fence which I assume would have had flags raised by the military as a warning. I saw no evidence of nay military activity apart from this.

I used my GPS to keep close to my route of yesterday. Its the first time I had used my GPS for this purpose and I found it very helpful in keeping reasonably close to the route I used yesterday across this trackless wilderness.

The straight line is the direct route back to my car but obviously you have to take account of the terrain and the various routes that are available around hills, lochs and boggy bits

It shows I was heading south and the straight line distance to the car was 9.17 miles

Very useful but always carry spare batteries and carry a compass as well

I paused for a rest on the bank of this loch by the outfall. I was very thirsty and I filled my water bottle here. I was pretty sure it was safe to drink but as a precaution I boiled the water and had a refreshing cup of tea

Ullapool

Looking up Loch Broom from Ullapool Harbour

Ullapool from the ferry

A great place to stay

A view from the ferry while sailing across to Lewis

This is a few miles north of Ullapool

My home for most of the week