Saturday 26th February 2011



This is a very rough approximation to the
route I will be taking in April

I think I ought to explain a bit more about the route I am taking.
There have been many restrictions on possible routes, mainly connected with "getting away" from Cape Wrath itself.

The problems have arisen because:
1. The route from Sandalwood Bay to Cape Wrath is sometimes, and unpredictably, closed due to military operations in the area
2. "The minibus and ferry both run (to get you away from Cape Wrath to civilisation) , tides and weather permitting, from May to September". - this is a direct quote from p. 199 of Brook and Hinchliffe's book "North to the Cape". I am walking in April.

It seemed that unless I got lucky it would take me at least 3 days to get home to Salisbury from Cape Wrath, assuming I managed to get there without being blown to smithereens. Additionally, the final leg of the walk to Cape Wrath has been described by several walkers as boggy, pathless and uninspiring.

So I thought:
What the hell; it's supposed to be a holiday. I don't want to kill myself yomping at speed through the glens and dodging bullets in order to reach an uninspiring place I can't get away from, then run out of food, and not even get time to have a beer to celebrate. If there was even a trace of a pub at Cape Wrath. No.
And then of course if I was three days late for the start of term I would get sacked from work and I rather like my job even though it is prettty remorseless at times.
So I decided not to go to Cape Wrath, and in fact, due to my desire to stay at the remote Youth hostel at Glen Affric (which doesn't open until mid-April), I am doing the whole route in the opposite way to that dictated by convention i.e. I am walking from the north to the south. It should do wonders for my sun tan (wind burn)
But at least I will finish at Fort William, and I KNOW there is a pub to be had there. I have also discovered that a set dancing friend of mine will be starting her walk at Fort William on the day I finish mine, so I might even be able to have a drink with her!



One of two food parcels weighing about 1.5 kg

I will be sending on food parcels to the bunkhouse at Camusluinie and the B & B at Ullapool

The contects of a food parcel, including porridge mix and other lightweight treats