TheCape Wrath Trail - Day 11
Kylesku to Kinlochbervie
Distance 40km
Tuesday 20th April 2010
At breakfast when everyone is sitting politely talking to each other. I got into conversation with a couple of bikers from Southport, who was touring around the western side of Scotland. I remembered them passing me yesterday as I came onto the road 4km South of Kylesku. After they left talking to another couple who were up there on holiday. It turned out they were from Gosforth and came up to this area quite a lot. I mentioned that I thought I was getting too old to punish myself like this and Mrs said of course I was not.
They were planning on trekking to the Everest base camp later in the year for a 60th birthday. I thought when you are on your trek you will have Sherpa’s carrying your kit. I was carrying everything myself. Anyway I wish them well and hope they did it, as individuals we all of us each have our own goals and challenges. Mr had walked a lot in this area and so he showed me a number of interesting places on my map. It was good to talk to him.
From the hotel I walked West along the side of the loch and up some steps to the road bridge. The road bridge was relatively new and had replaced a number of ferries that crossed from Kylesku. On the far side of the bridge there was a memorial for all the people who had died sailing in midge submarines. The area had been a training ground during the war and the Kylesku Hotel had pictures of many of the crews hanging up in tribute to their bravery.
I stayed on the main road to Kylestrome where after passing the end of a small wood I turned right onto a track that was a steep climb from the start. The track headed in a North East direction towards Achfary Forest. Going over the track it was very windy and cold I had every kind of weather but the wind was a constant, mainly blowing in my face. As I looked behind I could see Kylesku becoming smaller.
At Achfary Forest the track drops down into the relative shelter of the trees before arriving at the main road A838 near Lochmore Lodge. Turning left at the main road I headed North West. I had originally planned that at Achfery I would take the track called Strath Stack but decided when looking at my maps the previous evening to just stay with the road. I tried to ring home from the phone at Achfary but it would not take coins only card, strange I thought. Who would have thought of buying a phone card in the middle of nowhere.
Anyway walking along the road at times the wind was that strong I could not see where I was going as I had my hat pulled down to protect my face and my hood fastened around my head. Many a time I stood and shouted at the wind to stop and give me a break. There were snow showers, sleet showers, rain showers and sunny spells. Sometimes I would get all of them at once. I was now on my OS map 9 Cape Wrath that one of my sons had bought me for Fathers Day the previous year.
At Lochstack Lodge I had previously planned to turn off the road and walk round the bottom of Sail Mhor. However due to the struggle and weariness I still felt from the previous day I thought it would be sensible to stick to the road although this was not what I had wanted to do. The road was an easy route to follow, turn right at Laxford Bridge and follow it to Rhiconich.
Looking back on the day it was a good day walking especially after the problems I had had the previous day. On this day I needed to reach at least as far as Rhiconich. So instead of walking off route and overland as I had planned, I stuck to tracks and roads. It was not what I had wanted to do but this was the only way I was going to finish in the time I had set myself.
Walking on the road was hard on my feet but I was at least covering the distance. At one point when I stopped at Laxford Bridge I felt the eyes on me again and as I looked around I saw a young deer looking at me over a ridge.
I could not believe it when I arrived at the Rhiconich Hotel in time for an evening meal. Today I had eaten plenty of food and felt well rested and the troubles from the day before were only a memory. As I ordered my food three young walkers came in and we discussed The Cape Wrath Trail. They said they had passed me in the car, and had read my note in the Knockdamph Bothy and said they were walking the Trail. Which I found hard as how could they have passed me in their car if they are walking? Strange but as I say we all have our own challenges and deal with them in our own way.
They had planned to stay in the hotel that night but as it was still light and the weather was pleasant now that the wind had died down I decided to move on a few extra km. As I crossed the road to take the B801 towards Kinochbervie a warden from the John Muir trust pulled up in his van and offered me a lift. I politely refused it as it would not have been right to take a lift. Anyway I carried on and planned to wild camp somewhere along the road.
The sunlight was beautiful as it lowered in the sky and the views were stunning. I looked at a couple of places to stop but for some reason or other I did not. Before I knew it I was in Kinlochbervie just as the light faded and headed up towards the hotel with an idea that I would ask if I could pitch my tent there. As I was walking up to the hotel, I saw something flash across the road in front of me, it was a deer, within seconds the John Muir warden was pulling up in his van. He suggested a place where I could pitch my tent but it meant I would have to go in his van and he took me back down the road. On reflection I am sure he just wanted me off the roads in that area.
He told me that deer had been causing problems in that area and he had already shot one and wounded the other. Apparently that was the one that I had seen. I think he had just wanted me out of the way of any further shooting. Never mind I pitched my tent tied it to a couple of large stones as the wind looked like it was getting up again and settled down for a good night sleep with the thought that tomorrow I would reach Cape Wrath. I had covered 40km in about 11.5hrs.
More to follow
Boz North
Details correct at time of walking.
Details correct at time of walking.
If you have enjoyed reading my walk or found it useful you may also like to read other walks I have done on The Cape Wrath Trail or other areas. Please check out the links on the right hand side.
Follow link to previous - Day 10 Grid NC 346 184 to Kylesku
Follow link to next - Day 12 Kinlochbervie to Cape Wrath
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