14 April - Knockdamph Bothy to Ullapool

Day 7: 14 April 2011

Knockdamph Bothy to Ullapool (B & B))

(12 miles          5.5 hours walking)

Surprisingly I slept well, and woke at 5 a.m. with a huge sense of relief that I had survived the night. I ate porridge, put in my Vision Express Daily Disposable contact lenses (ideal for camping), and left at 6.45 a.m. before it was properly light. It still felt warmer outside than inside the bothy! It was very quiet, misty and damp as I walked WSW along the valley with Loch an Damph to my left. I was happy to be on the move and away from the bothy. I felt as if I had survived a real personal challenge and learnt something important about myself.

(I'm still trying to figure out what it was...)

I took this photo using the timer on my camera, and attached my camera to one of my walking poles.

As I came downhill the track turned WNW and the countryside started to look more agricultural, with fences, gates, sheep and even outbuildings appearing. Still no people though.

I followed the Rhidorroch river west to Loch Achall where there was an amazing orange boathouse. I am still kicking myself that I didn’t photograph it, as the ornate carpentry and choice of colour was something I am unlikely ever to see again.

However I did photograph this fabulous old alder, whose warped and twisted nature reflected some of my thoughts of the previous night. I spent a lot of time on this day thinking about space, loneliness, freedom and choices. Even ocnophils and philobats – and only the psychodynamic counsellors among you will know what they are!

About 2 miles from Ullapool I saw my first human people – a nice couple doing a 4 mile loop from Ullapool - for about 30 hours, and it was really great to realise that I had not wandered into an empty land and lost humanity. 

I rather pathetically insisted that they take a photo of me – it made me feel more alive to know other people could see me. And if that isn’t daft I don’t know what is!

Shortly afterwards I began the descent into Ullapool and got my first glimpse of Loch Broom, the open ocean and Ullapool itself. It was lovely to see the sea.

Just after my first glimpse of so-called “civilisation” I was randomly and unexpectedly ‘herded’ by a doberman puppy called Lucy. I tried to tell her that I was not a sheep but she insisted on circling me excitedly and trying to ‘round me up’. It was a funny but rather pointless exercise (from my point of view anyway). Lucy seemed to enjoy it though, and her rather embarrassed owner told me that she hadn’t been out for a few days and was a bit over-excited.

I finally got mobile phone reception about 200 metres from the first house in Ullapool. I jest not. Talk about localised! I texted Andrew to tell him I was alive and sent a picture to my blog.I had been trying (and failing) to send a message every 20 minutes for the last few hours which was quite frustrating. Perhaps I will check out which network is best more carefully next time (I have O2).

On arriving in Ullapool my first port of call was to check out where the B & B was. I found the ‘Eilean Donan’ easily but it was only 12.15 and much too early to check in.

I looked around town a bit and found the tourist information office, where the lovelt staff allowed me to leave my rucksack for a few hours. So I bought some postcards, checked out the excellent outdoors shops in Ullapool and eventually decide to reward myself with a visit to the pub recommended by my step-mother Mary – “The Seaforth”.

So I went there and bought a pint of cider and some crisps. They were great. Shortly after I arrived a bus-load of tourists arrived and I had the comical and rather surreal experience of being surrounded by brummies who were all queuing for food at the bar. Most bizarre. And as for the accent! (I love it really)

I thoroughly enjoyed my drink and then went to ‘The Eilean Donan’ at about 3.30.

My B & B had T.V. in my room and my food parcel was there waiting for me. I had a day off tomorrow and no blisters. What could be better? What could possibly go wrong?

I had not a care in world.

This is a picture of my food parcel in Ullapool, sent to my blog via my mobile phone. So Royal Mail works. The anticlimax about receiving the parcel was that I knew exactly what it contained, and it was hard to get excited about the same dried food I had been eating for the past week!

Still – it was good to look at the next map and to think about the next stage in the journey with increasing confidence about the whole adventure.

So there I was in Ullapool on a sunny day.
So far, in 6 days' walking, I had spent 4 days without seeing a single other walker. Today, I saw 4 people (all within 2 miles of Ullapool) and on 10th April (the day of Ben More Assynt) I saw 4 people (again near the car park). This part of the world really is very remote.

I got online today and looked at my blog. It was lovely to see that my photos had actually been uploaded and to read comments from people; thanks to family, friends, Aaron and Sam for doing their sun dances and thinking of me.