cape wrath trail food

Choice of maps is a particularly important decision when planning an expedition on the Cape Wrath Trail. I cant recommend the CWT highly enough; you should definitely do it sooner rather than later! Heather Ohly (a Registered Nutritionist) talks through the food choices she and Shane Ohly (Cape Wrath Ultra - Event Director) made whilst walking the Cape W. Theres a whole load of bog trotting to be done on the 199-mile hike so invest in gaiters to keep the splodge out of your boots. Day 2: Kearvaig Bothy - Sandwood Bay In fact it's only 200 - 250 miles. Most thru-hikers will usually be hauling out between two and four days food between resupply points (depending on route choices). 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! And we heeded the same advice going in the opposite direction. One of the few bothies to have a working power grid! We tend to use it when someone acts a bit childish or gets outwardly frustrated or angry for no good reason. ~Cam Swami Honan The most traveled hiker on earth (Backpacker Magazine, January 2015). As a general rule, you should eat around 1kg of food a day while hiking otherwise you will lose weight. Great baselayer / Not too thin, not too thick / Spot on for shoulder season conditions. Green tents, on the other hand, are not immune to the midges advances. Overall I was happy with my gear selections on the Cape Wrath Trail. Plot a course thatll have you visit the many small towns hugging the western coastline. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Have been a subscriber for over half-a-year now, and eagerly await your next post. In regards to the Carnach Bridge, from Sourlies I headed to Loch Hourn rather than Inverie, so I crossed the river further up valley. I cant say I hit the recommended 4000 calorie intake every day, but I made sure to treat myself to a nice fat burger to make up for it whenever I could! 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. 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). Pack light. Hoorah! 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. 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 . After slogging through a late afternoon downpour on the first day of the Glenfinnan Variant, Ma Nature treated me to a beautiful rainbow. The Cape Wrath Trail runs from Fort William to Cape Wrath on Scotland's northwest coast, for approximately 280 miles. 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. Formerly known as our North West Wilderness Weekend the Knoydart Expedition allows our clients to complete the wild southern section of the Cape Wrath Trail, including two nights of wild camping. The Cape Wrath Trail. Karen Ive used down bags and quilts in the Scottish Highlands for half a century. Youve been warned. Day 1 - rain and sunsets. I just get too chilly. Last year I hiked the CWT (Knoydart variant) and really enjoyed it! Grid: NC 259 746 Its the wind and driven rain thats the real danger it can get extreme with little warning. 16.95 16.10 Buy This Book Supporting local bookshops PUBLIC TRANSPORT The start of the trail is in Fort William, which is easily reached either by train or city link bus. That way you wont contaminate your water bladder for future use if there is any giardia or nasty bacteria floating around. BUT it isnt always open during term time as geology students book the whole place out to study the nearby Lewisian gneiss. Subjective Participant or Objective Observer? 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! Midges prefer dark colours to light ones, so why they make black head nets (and more to the point, why I bought one) is a mystery. Thanks for the kind words. Nature was wonderful with singing cuckoos everywhere! But probably not, itll mess up her lawn! Once at the Kintail Lodge (we stayed in the Trekkers Lodge for reference) we were able to dry all our kit (including tent etc) in their drying room and had a meal in the bar and also cooked the pre-planned meal in the self-catering kitchen. I picked up some food and . Here is a list of things to look out for. Just dont forget to check the ground in front of your feet every now and then. Cape Wrath Trail Overview Map (Cicerone Press). There are some similarities between hiking there and in Alaska, but for the most part I feel like they are quite distinct experiences. Lastly, youll need to plan your route. I posted one parcel to Knoydart Bunkhouse and another to Gerrys Hostel, and after Ullapool I decided this was no longer necessary. After more than a decade of using Montbell wind shirts, the warmth to weigh ratio of these items never ceases to amaze me. We didn't start walking until almost 2pm, and it had started raining. Thecalorie content should be well above your normal daily intake. Walking to Cape Wrath, Day 29, June 8, 2022. Couldnt resist! We sensibly did the route to Inchnadamph instead. Good to know you are still exploring this amazing world on foot. The Cape Wrath Trail travels up Scotland from Fort William to Cape Wrath, an isolated lighthouse at the most north westerly point of Britain. 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. Sealskinz waterproof socks are equally as magic, being the one thing that keeps the water out. Thanks for the kind words. No worries. Sea shore: Mussels,Limpets, Edible Periwinkles, Razorfish. Compare and read about the various routes. Id recommend taking one for each pole you have. 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 terrain is often boggy and almost always soggy, so if you have an aversion to wet feet, you may want to look elsewhere. It is also possible to purchase meals at the Kinloch Hourn Farm B&B, Kintail Lodge Hotel, Okyel Bridge Hotel and Rhiconich Hotel. Snacks - Dried fruit and nuts. Scotland looks amazing, but not sure I could spend the dough to experience more of the same. I was young once upon a time. Because its not. In both versions the trail begins in Fort William and ends at Cape Wrath lighthouse on the northwest tip of the Scottish mainland. Sanctuary at the end of Cape Wrath Trail. 9 top tips for hiking the Cape Wrath Trail No.9 is the most important Gear and food reviews Exped Synmat UL Winter M An extremely comfortable winter sleeping mat. No worries. 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). Hi there! Chocolate Digestives or Hob Nobs. April/May 2018. Learn how your comment data is processed. See you on the Trail! Your best bet is to scan the CWT Cicerone guide. If you are wildcamping, Id recommend you choose to camp near a woodland area which will provide shelter, fuel and better drainage. Thanks Geoff. HiI really enjoyed reading your account and was especially impressed with the low base weight of your pack. 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. Click the time links for respective bus timetables. 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. A few tips? Ill go into more detail in the chapter appropriately called The Route. You might also want a snack or two every day, to help keep up your energy in between meals. Do squats, a lot of them. Well done on completing the CWT. Despite some wet and wild weather, I was never uncomfortable during the hike and felt prepared for any meteorological scenario that may have occurred. Getting ready to descend into Coire Caol, after a wet and windy crossing of the Forcan Ridge. The former is wilder, more challenging and generally considered to be more scenic. 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. Mother Nature had other ideas. Stakes Mix of sizes & styles (8) / Mostly. 367 km / 228 miles. As it was Winter, there were not a lot of resupply points so posting food parcels to strategic locations along the route was necessary. Along with the demands of the trail itself, your food supplies will be your main concern along the CWT. Cheers, The annual exercises are usually completed by Easter but this year the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) added extra dates at short notice. The Durness bus can provide onward transport. All-time favorite liner gloves. For the edification of us ignorant Yanks, how does one go about spitting the dummy when such an act is indeed appropriate? As I stated before, the CWT is more of a collection of smaller trails than one single route that is properly advertised and signposted, and so there are many variations in the CWT that nevertheless all constitute the same trail. It turned out they were students in their late teens/early twenties from Bristol. Cheers, This is probably the most important part of this guide. Brilliant thank you for the reply! My name is Roel Zerner, a Dutchman with an aversion to luxury resorts and a passion for all the wild places! Towel, neck/face protection, condensation wipe, convenience store holdups when low on cash. Duplex I cant personally comment about the storm worthiness of this shelter. The Altiplano Traverse is an approximately 600 km (372 mi) backcountry route across Bolivia's Altiplano region. And as I stated before, youll have to be able to carry it all with you. 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. Odds are, youll be soaked through by the time you get there anyway.. Hey Cam, Im hoping to do other hikes too and I wondering your opinion on West Highland Way vs. Cairngorm National Park? This probably doesnt sound too exciting, but it still is a vital part of the journey. Unless you are in a rush or looking to ease your way into the trip, go for the Knoydart route. I only used one 230g canister and a bit of a smaller one. I took mainly dried, long-life food with me on the Cape Wrath Trail. When its wet here it doesnt get all that cold. For the planning of Cape Wrath Trail, I use a similar approach to Te Araroa. All the gear. My concern is getting a 40kg German Shepherd over them. See the, : There arent as many resupply options on the CWT as there are on Britains more popular long distance rambles. Length 233.9 miElevation gain 43,467 ftRoute type Point to point. Yep, one of those little numbers you get in hotel amenity/vanity bags (at least thats the type Ive used). Go digital! I can only show you a rough estimate of the costs you can expect to make. It had gained legendary status by the time we arrived there, with every hiker we passed raving about it. The melancholic murmurs of Heathcliff's voice from Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse,' sends shivers down your spine, as you can almost hear them upon beholding the famous Cape Wrath Lighthouse. Like a straight up shower cap? That said, there are parts of the Cape Wrath Trail that pass by human settlement and grazing animals. Not as good as new, but still functional / From what Ive seen, the latest models have a different design, and arent in the same league as the old ones. Theres also a campsite two kilometres further up Glen Nevis, which will serve as a cheaper option to spend the night. That about wraps up my practical guide to the Cape Wrath Trail. Or plot your own route! My base weight was 10.5 lb (4.75 kg), and total weight was 14.4 lb (6.5 kg). Your first order of business will be getting to Fort William to start your adventure. Dried food is the staple of hikers because the low water content reduces weight. The book 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. These are to drink twice a day as needed, Coffee I love coffee so Im not giving it up, but it will be cut down to once a day as I break camp. There are days when its deadly dull, days when your body protests, days when the rain will turn you into an amphibian. 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. *Disclosure:This post contains some affiliate links, which means The Hiking Life receives a small commission if you purchase an item after clicking on one of the links. For updates and more photos, follow her Facebook and Instagram pages. (Or maybe my feet had just had enough.). Hey Swami, thank you for this great write up! 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. You just cant get that if all your hiking is done on cruisy, manicured trails in fine weather with temps in the 70s (low 20s C). Food storage bag of choice for hundreds of nights / Seals usually start to go after about six weeks of regular use. Stretching approximately 230 miles (370 km) from the Highland hub of Fort William to the remote lighthouse of Cape Wrath, it is an unmarked and sometimes trailless route that passes through the wild and spectacular landscapes of northwestern Scotland. 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. Lockdown has given me the opportunity to start working on a long-postponed project, a new YouTube channel. 1C to 5C combined with driving wind, rain. Not only are there only two of them, they are durable and waterproof as well! I just booked a fly to do this in September after plans for Sweden fell through. The trail starts in Fort William and ends at the northwesternmost point of mainland Britain, Cape Wrath. If you dont have the appropriate kit they can be maddening. So plan your gear accordingly. Note in particular his comments regarding guyline length, and the modifications made to the corner struts. The way I figure it, if Ive got the right gear, skills, strength and fitness, whats not to like? I also need to stay positive, calm and objective in order to make the best decisions possible. 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! We started in Fort William with the Camusnagaul ferry and finished in Kinlochbervie, after walking off the peninsular from the Cape Wrath light house. Woodland: Scots pine needle tea, Wood Sorrell, Pine nuts, Birch sap, Rowan berries (do not eat raw). A superb and challenging route for experienced long-distance backpackers, the Trail passes through some of Scotland's most spectacular landscapes. . Yup, seven days. Approaching the Cape Wrath Lighthouse at hikes end. Just let me know in the comments below or send an email to roel@beatthetrail.com. Resupplying on the Cape Wrath Trail can be difficult so I set off with 7 days food and had a 7 day resupply package at Kinlochewe. And for those of a wayfaring disposition such as myself, I cant think of a better teacher than Mother Nature. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Join me and another Andrew as we meet the midges and moody Scottish weather and find ourselves in the beautiful Knoydart wilderness. These cookies do not store any personal information. I don't want. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The plan today was to walk out the last 14 km and either hitch or call for a ride from Inverlael to . 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. 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! 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 did bring a little dropper bottle of DEET, but didnt end up using it. For many years my rehydrating vessel of choice when going stoveless. 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. Day Four - Strathcarron to Shenavall Bothy (68.52km) Day Five - Shenavall Bothy to Knockadamph Bothy (41.99km) (Collected a food parcel in Clachan) Day Six - Knockadamph Bothy to Cape Wrath (124.79km) (Had some food at Inchnadamph and Glendhu Bothy) The journey was fantastic and the weather was rare for that time of year, with a big high . Many thanks this is an excellent report. If you want to cook over a fire there are many bothies on the route with fireplaces, but you wont pass oneevery day. About the Trail The Cape Wrath Trail is the expedition of a lifetime, traversing 200 miles of Scotland's wildest and most beautiful country. I had initially . 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. I sent supply parcels to Fort William, Shiel Bridge and Ullapool with a request to hold the parcel until a certain date. Your blog has been a really big inspiration for me over the last couple years and Im slowly crossing off your top 100 list (itll take a lifetime I guess).Thanks heaps! Theres an Estate Office in Archfary where you might be able to pop in and enquire about the river conditions up to Rhiconich (walking south to north). It's not the longest. One of my favourite things about rambling in shitty (but not really) conditions (e.g. Bog, bog and more bog. Cheers. One loch crossing on the high route to Benmore Lodge had four strapping lads linking arms and wading throughwater up to their waists. Also spray Smidge (commissioned by the Scottish Forestry Commission but with a dreadful design to get the spray out) or DEET onto your skin to try and keep the midges at bay, but dont get any DEET on your tent, itll stick together. 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. The midges drove me nuts and stopped me having breakfast on a couple of mornings with their insistent buzzing/biting. Upon entering the spacious multi-room hut, I wasnt expecting to find anyone. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 112 h 20 min to complete. Back from the dead. Chances are, you've no option to do this on your current trip anyway. Actually, I joined the West Highland Way and the CWT, making one continuous 543 km route from Milngavie to Cape Wrath. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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.
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