TGO Challenge 06/05/26

Barrisdale to Inverie

Great walking weather again today, sunny intervals with a light but cold wind.

Climbing up from Barrisdale 

Once again there was a lot of chatting before I set off in the opposite direction to the CWT walkers, climbing up the good path to Mam Barrisdale.

Loch an Dubh-Lochain

It is a fairly steep path that sweeps up to the pass but dry underfoot with some lovely views to Barrisdale and the hills.

Highland cows looking scenic

Once over the top there is again a great view down to Loch an Dubh-Lochain but the path isn't as good, rather wet and boggy in places.

Looking back to the hills

There was a group of highland cows looking very scenic at the head of the lochan and I was serenaded by Stonechats, Reed buntings and Dippers twittering away as I continued down to Inverie.

Inverie bay

I arrived in perfect time for lunch in the little café. Soup, baked potato and tea. I was still early for check-in at the bunkhouse so l was forced to sample some locally made beer at the Inn.

Approaching Inverie 

It is a good, well equipped bunkhouse but obviously has the normal problems. I was informed by someone who stayed here last night that there was a banshee snorer. Hopefully they have moved on.

The Old Forge pub 

TGO Challenge 05/05/26

Barrisdale to Barrisdale

The weather today was good, cloudy with sunny intervals with an odd light shower, the wind although not strong was very cold.

Barrisdale Bay

I decided to wander up to Ladhar Beinn, the highest hill you can see from Barrisdale. After talking to some Cape Wrath Trail Walkers in the bothy and taking down my tent as I wanted the walking poles to help me up the hill. I left the majority of my gear at the bothy and set off.

Loch Hourn

The way up is to climb over a spur and into Coire Dhorcail, a beautiful glen where the John Muir Trust have planted a lot of trees. As I climbed up it started to get very cold between the sunny intervals and I had a change of plan and decided to stay lower and explore the Corrie.

Looking up the corrie

It was lovely when I found a windless spot and the sun was shining, warm enough to take my gloves off! I climbed up to the bottom of the big rocky buttresses that make up the head of the Corrie and even found a snow patch.

Approaching the cliffs, note the tiny snow patch.

It was a beautiful place to contemplate life, the universe and everything.

On the way down

Strange shapes in the snow

Back to the campsite then where a lot more CWT walkers appeared including a German walking with two dogs, each carrying their own little packs.

Trees at the bottom of the glen

I didn't find anymore ticks.

TGO Challenge 04/05/26

Suardalan Bothy to Barrisdale

The weather was hard to read in the morning, there was some cloud lurking about the tops and the sun threatened to break through once but there was a definite feeling of rain.

Leaving the bothy

I had planned to climb a couple of hills today but I just didn't feel like it so headed back to the track that would take me over to Kinloch Hourn.

Bleak pass through the hills

The wind was generally light but in exposed places it felt cold and I was happy with my decision as it is a very nice route along what was the old military road, used now to service the power lines from/to Skye by suitably rugged tracked vehicles.

A glimpse of Loch Hourn 

I did consider climbing another hill, on an out and back basis, but it really needed me to leave the tent etc near the bottom. There were two snags to that; no possible camping spots and; if I put the tent up I wouldn't have any poles to walk with.

Down to Kinloch Hourn 

There was some light rain blowing in as well so I kept going over another Bealach and down some very steep sections of track to Kinloch Hourn where the café was open.

The start of the path to Kinloch Hourn 

A pot of tea, a bowl of really nice soup and a discussion with a Lincolnshire lorry driver (Reform supporter) before escaping to walk what is probably my favourite path.

The path

There are a few trees along the way 

The footpath goes along the side of Loch Hourn occasionally sweeping up and down the hillside to miss impassable bits of coastline. The views are always amazing even when visibility isn't good. Tonic for the soul.

Descending to Barrisdale 

The path joins the only road on this side of the Knoydart Peninsula, about a mile long between Barrisdale and a slipway at the headland. Hardly worth having a car you would think but there are at least three.

Barrisdale camp site

I had met a few Cape Wrath Trail Walkers along the way and I thought Barrisdale would be crowded but there were only three tents (including mine) and space for several more people in the bothy.

The only snag now is that I wasn't expecting to be here until tomorrow. I'll have to see what the weather does and decide what to do in the morning. I have a bed booked at Inverie bunkhouse,the other side of the hill, but not until Wednesday, the night after tomorrow.

It's not difficult to find something to look at

I removed about ten ticks from my legs when I got into the tent tonight, unusual, they don't normally like me.

TGO Challenge 03/05/26

Gleann Beag to Suardalan Bothy

There was quite a lot of rain last night but it had stopped sometime before I woke. The cloud slowly lifted during the day but it was quite cold, luckily the wind was light.

Rickety bridge

I had decided on a short day with just one hill to climb, up and down the same route. Quite why I carried my full pack all the way I'm not sure, but it was good exercise!

Looking down on last night's camp spor

It was a very long ridge that took me back above the Glen that I had camped in. A narrow ridge with a mixture of steep heather and big rocky lumps before reaching a sort of rough plateau.

Rough at the top

There were rocky humps and little lochans all over the top and I'm sure that the hump marked as the highest on the map isn't.

I wonder where the top is?

I went over a few to be sure that I had reached the summit before retracing my steps down the ridge. I met a man climbing up who is staying in the bothy that I was heading for, company tonight.

View from the bothy

After recrossing the rickety bridge I was almost back to where I camped (why did I carry all my gear?) from where it was only a few kilometres along a track to the bothy.

Suardalan Bothy

I should have looked for firewood along the way as there is none around the bothy but at least the sun showed it's face for a little while in the evening.

It was an interesting evening, three girls from Holland arrived and the man I met on the hill was a ranger for the Woodland Trust based in Assynyt where they are planting, in conjunction with the Assynyt Foundation, loads of native trees. Two hundred and fifty thousand for a start this year.

TGO Challenge 02/05/26

Allt Aigeinn to Gleann Beag 

The cloud was covering the tops and there was a cold wind as I packed up and started trudging up the hill.

Looking back to the lochan and camp

It was wet underfoot and slow going through the heather and tussocks but at least the rain stayed away as I kept climbing into the cloud.

First top

After I reached the top the weather started to clear making the route down easier but the trouble with these obscure hills is there is no path to follow.

Lots of up and down 

I had intended to climb the next one but it looked impossibly steep and rocky the way I had hoped to go, it would have been possible by contouring round and climbing the east face but I'd had enough heather bashing and decided that I was on holiday anyway.

Descent to Kylerhea 

There was a lot more heather anyway as I made my way down to the Kylerhea ferry making the mistake of going too far to the left on the descent from Being Bhuidhe onto some extremely steep heather.

Bluebells on the descent to Kylerhea 

The sun was shining by the time I got to the ferry where  a seal popped up to say hello before the ferry arrived.

Kylerhea ferry 

This is one of the last turntable ferries in the world that is still operating. Built in 1969 for the Ballaculish crossing at the bottom of Glen Coe, the ferry was in operation there until 1975 when the bridge was opened. I remember using it!

Loading the turntable 

A walk then to Glenelg village past the ruin of Bernera Barracks built about 1722 at the end of General Wade's road from Inverness. A lunch stop at the rebuilt Glenelg Inn where Johnson and Boswell stayed in 1733. Before continuing on the road up Gleann Beag.

Bernera Barracks 

There are three brochs up the glen, the first one Dun Telve it the best preserved but it is 

thought that a lot of the stones were taken for the barracks and other building works.

Dun Telve Broch 

There are lots of theories about brochs but no-one knows why they were actually built.

Not much left of this one

I was rapidly running out of camping options when I spotted a nice dry and nearly flat grassy patch between the track and the river and managed to get everything sorted out before there was a bit of light rain.

TGO Challenge 01/05/26

Allt Aigeinn to Lochan na Saile

A bright but cloudy day with the sun appearing occasionally for today's short mostly road walk.

Looking back to yesterday's hills

It would have been better to stay up high last night but without water and too much wind it was much more sensible to camp where I did. I did consider climbing back up to do the top but decided on a leisurely stroll along the road.

Merlin identifying birds

The first part was along a very quiet road through Torrin to Broadford the bird count was increased considerably with Oystercatchers, Curlews, Sandpipers, and a good selection of birds in a wooded area as I left Torrin.

View over Loch Cill Chriosd

The views back to the hills were beautiful again as were the views over the Inner Sound as I approached Broadford.

Looking across Broadford Bay

My planning had gone slightly wrong and I had to buy an extra days food in the Broadford Co-op before retiring to a café to recharge my phone and myself.

Interesting wool shop in Broadford 

The section on a footpath beside the busy main road passed pleasantly enough and I was soon climbing the little road to Kylerhea.

View from the Kylerhea road

Tomorrow's plan is to climb a couple of hills before taking the ferry so I turned off onto some wet heathery ground and climbed up to the lochan where I managed to find a reasonable place to pitch the tent. A lovely view but a bit boggy and windy.

Pitch by the lochan

Luckily the wind died but the ground didn't get any drier!