Wednesday 29 July 2015
Days 124,125
Some serious off road walking to get to the Crask Inn. All the ground is saturated making walking difficult especially on the pathless sections.
A couple of good wild camps, one being in a really remote spot east of Ben More Assynt.
The Inn is wonderful - our first bed in nearly 4 weeks and electric lights!
Geoff & Wendy are with us again and are helping out with our last stages. Wendy will be walking with us in a few days and we can reduce our carrying loads which is a real bonus.
I'll try posting a few pictures - if nothing appears it hasn't worked!
Competition
Phil noted that the competition address was incomplete - thanks Phil!
The correct address is: http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/charity/entries/barneys-long-walk--e2446.aspx
It's easy to vote and only takes 2 minutes. Your vote may be the one needed for us to win!
Tuesday 28 July 2015
Day 123 and competition
We're now camped in Glen Oykel having had a hard day getting to Knockdamph bothy where we were greeted by a roaring fire (it was occupied already)!
A trudge along forest tracks for the day followed broken by a lunch stop at the Oykel Bridge Hotel - very nice.
We have entered a Mountain Warehouse competition to win £10000 for Guide Dogs but we need your help! Please go to http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/charity/entries/barneys-long-walk--e2446.aspx and vote for us - it's very easy, takes 2 minutes and doesn't cost very much! We've nearly done our bit, now it's your turn!
Friday 24 July 2015
Ullapool
Arrived in Ullapool by taxi! It's not actually on the trail so we don't have to walk it which is just as well as it's a terrible road!
We've had a hard time since Fort William with wet and windy weather making it a struggle at times. Still enjoyed it though, linking up lots of areas we have walked in but in isolation.
Kinlochewe as our first shop for a long time and now we have a campsite and a Tescos! We're spending an extra day here as the weather has improved and we want a rest. Barney is enjoying doing nothing!
I'll try and post a selection of pics but it's proving difficult this far north - the phone data connection can't handle it so I have had to resort to WiFi in a pub - life is so hard...
Tuesday 21 July 2015
Days 113 - 117 Cluanie Inn - Kinlochewe
A hard few days as we had 50mph winds at Cluanie and plenty of rain throughout! Fortunately the rain came at the right times and the rivers were low when we needed to cross them.
We have been walking through areas we know from climbing Munros but it's novel linking them all up together in a linear walk. Some parts have been easier than expected and some harder but that's the way it goes...
Tomorrow we visit the Kinlochewe shop, our first for over a week - special!
Friday 17 July 2015
Day 112 Glen Garry - Cluanie Inn
Reached the pub and our resupply box! May stay a day which would put our schedule back.
Thursday 16 July 2015
Day 111 Gairlochy - River Garry
A varied day.First lochs Lochy & Arkaig, then a pass over to Glen Garry.
Tuesday 14 July 2015
Day 110 extra
Day 110 Fort William - Gairlochy
Met up with friends Geoff & Wendy who helped us out yesterday. Today, Geoff took our bags and Wendy, along with their dog Meg, walked with us. Barney had a playmate!
After making our way out of Fort William (and seeing the steam engine!) we reached the Caledonian Canal which was followed to Gairlochy along the towpath. Not normal walking for Wendy who is more used to climbing the mountains around here! Plenty of activity on the canal however including an Australian who is cycling around Britain in 80 days!
Ben Nevis appeared out of the cloud just for us.
Sunday 12 July 2015
Nearly there?
Some Facebook comments suggest we've nearly finished - it doesn't feel like that!
Here are some facts about what's to come...
243 miles.
From Fort William to Watten the trail passes one small village with shops, four isolated hotels, a bunkhouse and a youth hostel - that's it! Only 12 public roads are crossed in over 200 miles of walking!
We will be going off trail to stop in Ullapool for a rest day and resupplies. We are having other resupplies shipped to two Inns to be picked up en route (thanks Lucy!).
Also, we may have to change the route if the weather is not favourable as we have to cross some rivers which are impassable after rain.
We've still a challenge ahead!
The Route of the last few days
I thought I'd set the records straight with some notes on where we've been recently.
The Andy Robinson End to End Trail Guide we are following uses the West Highland Way to get from Drymen to Fort William. We have already done that so we devised a more remote alternative.
Our route took us to Aberfoyle and then through the forest to Brig of Turk where we went over a pass to Balquhidder. The Callender to Oban railway line route, now a cycle track followed and we branched off to Killin. Over a drove road to Bridge of Balgie and then what turned out to be an old route not marked on O.S. maps to Rannoch. The route then took the Rannoch Moor track through to Corrour Station and then on to Glen Nevis.
Day 108 Fort William
A wet day along the Glen Nevis path which was very boggy with the steady rain. A stop at Steall and then the road and forest track to the Glen Nevis campsite.
We met somebody searching for his friend who went missing 10 days ago and then the RAF Mountain Rescue team looking for the same person as well as another man missing since May - all rather sad but it reminds us how this can be a very unforgiving place.
Day 107 Rannoch Moor
One wild camp to another! Today went via Loch Ossian and Corrour Station which we know well from previous trips - wonderful country!
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