Sgurr na Ciche in the background (Stage 3)
INTRODUCTION
View back to Glenfinnan
The Cape Wrath Trail is part of a vast network of 720 long-distance paths that criss cross the British Isles. Some of these are official National Trails – well maintained long-distance footpaths and bridleways administered by Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales and waymarked with acorn symbols. In Scotland, the equivalent trails are called Long Distance Routes and are administered by Scottish Natural Heritage. There are currrently 15 such routes in England and Wales and four in Scotland. Many other long-distance paths are equally well maintained and waymarked. The Cape Wrath Trail is fairly unique, combining a complete lack of waymarking and a variety of routes rather than a firmly fixed trail. The route often follows traditional drovers’ and funeral routes, dating back hundreds of years, that provided the only means for crofters to move themselves and their animals around the rugged landscape of the Scottish Highlands.
The route as we currently know it has evolved more recently, with landscape photographer David Paterson’s 1996 book The Cape Wrath Trail: A 200 mile walk through the North-West Scottish Highlands setting out a basic template. Paterson set off from Fort William with his camera and a bivvy bag and his route was initially along the Great Glen Way, hence its inclusion in this book as a route alternative. The route starting along the Great Glen Way was further popularised by Cameron McNeish, wilderness backpacker and editor at large of The Great Outdoors magazine, who suggested a more practical and less circuitous alternative to Paterson. McNeish has included this version of the route in his Scottish National Trail, which spans the entire country. He neatly summarises the trail: ‘It’s the sort of long-distance route that most keen walkers dream of. A long tough trek through some of the most majestic, remote and stunningly beautiful landscape you could dare imagine. The Cape Wrath Trail is a challenging and often remote route which, in essence, could be described as the hardest long-distance backpacking route in the UK.’ A later book, North to the Cape by Denis Brook and Phil Hinchcliffe, cemented the trail’s burgeoning popularity, and first suggested starting the trail through Knoydart rather than the Great Glen, a route that has now become firmly established as the more popular choice with walkers.
Climbing towards the Forcan Ridge (Stage 4)
Because of its difficulty and the relative lack of amenities, the Cape Wrath Trail has resolutely defied the commercialisation that has come to other long-distance backpacking trails in the Highlands like the West Highland Way.
More recently, the trail has become part of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT), a backpacking trail running from the northern end of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, USA through New Brunswick, to the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, Canada after which it extends to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador. Geological evidence shows that the Appalachian Mountains and the mountains of Western Europe and North Africa are parts of the former Central Pangean Mountains, made when minor supercontinents collided to form the supercontinent Pangaea more than 250 million years ago. With the break-up of Pangaea, sections of the former range remained with the continents as they drifted to their present locations. Inspired by this evidence, efforts are being made to further extend the IAT into Western Europe and North Africa.
Geology and wildlife
Descending to Loch an Nid (Stage 7)
This book is a walking guide not a natural history guide, but suffice to say that if you’re a fan of rocks and creatures, you’re in for a real treat. Assynt in particular has been described as an ‘internationally acclaimed geological showpiece’ and you’re as likely to bump into a geologist as a stag wandering through its glens. You’ll also be spoilt for choice with fauna, from the golden eagles of Knoydart, ptarmigan, red deer, a vast array of birds and even the odd seal in the western sea lochs. One of the best books on this subject is Hostile Habitats – Scotland’s Mountain Environment: A Hillwalkers’ Guide to Wildlife and the Landscape by Mark Wrightam and Nick Kempe. If geology is more your thing, then Hutton’s Arse: 3 Billion Years of Extraordinary Geology in Scotland’s Northern Highlands by Malcolm Rider is well worth a look, and not just for the fantastic title. Finally, Chris Townsend’s encyclopaedic tome in Cicerone’s World Mountain Ranges series, Scotland, is also a superb all-round read.
Getting there
Arkle and Loch Stack (Stage 12)
If you’re travelling to the UK from abroad, you may need to obtain an entry visa. You can check this online with the UK Border Agency at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration. Glasgow and Edinburgh both have large, international airports. Fort William, the southern end of the trail and the usual starting point, is accessible by train and coach. Trains to Fort William run from Glasgow Queen Street station (most UK mainline rail connections are through Glasgow Central, a short walk away). The train journey from Glasgow is an experience in itself, crossing the bleak Rannoch Moor before arriving into Fort William. The Caledonian Sleeper makes a nightly trip from London to Fort William, with various stops en route. For more details see www.scotrail.co.uk. Cape Wrath is generally reached by train from Inverness to Lairg and bus from Lairg to Durness or Kinlochbervie. For more detailed information see ‘Access to and return from Cape Wrath’ below.
Getting around
The remoteness of much of the route means that there are a limited number of points at which you can join or escape. Strathcarron is on the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh (Skye) train line: for information about trains see www.scotrail.co.uk. Shiel Bridge, Kinlochewe, Dundonnell, Ullapool, Inchnadamph, Rhiconich, Kinlochbervie and Durness all have bus services. Traveline Scotland (www.travelinescotland.com) is an invaluable resource for planning journeys – it even has a handy journey planner app for smartphones. The Royal Mail used to operate a Postbus service in the area. For a small fee you could share a minibus with a friendly postie and a few sacks of mail. At the time of writing these services have all but disappeared, and the remaining routes do not intersect with the trail.
Access to and return from Cape Wrath
Cape Wrath itself is inaccessible by direct road. A bus and passenger ferry service runs from the beginning of May every day until the end of September, weather, wind, tides, demand and military operations permitting. It crosses the Kyle of Durness and brings visitors from Keodale (just outside Durness) to the Cape and provides walkers with a handy means of escape without the need to backtrack to Kinlochbervie. The ferry service is operated by John Morrison (01971 511246). The bus service is operated by James Mather (01971 511284, 07742 670 196, [email protected]). Details of the services, particularly during MOD exercises, should always be checked in advance. Other useful sources of information are the Tourist Information Centre at Durness (01971 511368) and www.visitcapewrath.com.
In the months of May and September the first ferry leaves Keodale at approximately 1100 each day, including Sundays (the crossing takes about half an hour). There is usually an afternoon sailing leaving Keodale between 1330 and 1400. Throughout June, July and August the first ferry leaves at around 0930 on weekdays and Saturdays,
