| Journal: | So much for a quiet night on my own at the bothy (hut). One of the reasons I had been thinking of camping last night instead of staying at the bothy was that if there were already other people in residence, they would be settled by 8:30pm when I would arrive and I didn't want to disturb them. Well, I had just climbed into bed to read for a few minutes at 10:30pm when two big Scots on mountain bikes arrived and stomped around the hut lighting a fire and getting settled. They were sociable and asked me whether I would like a whisky. Although I didn't see him, a hiker apparently arrived after 11pm to stay as well! Long days make for late travelling. Interestingly, the mountain bikers were wearing heavy hiking boots and I saw more today doing the same thing. I think that they ride on trails to get as close as they can to mountains they want to climb, then dump the bikes at the base and climb the mountains. I have seen several bikes dumped off the side of the track. Anyway, I had my stuff spread all around the main room of the cabin (which had three small rooms off it for sleeping) on the theory that nobody else was coming, including some very smelly socks (not washed for two boggy and sweaty days). So I got up and collected everything and dumped it into the room where I was going to sleep on the floor (no furniture at all and no door), and returned to bed and tried to sleep after reading a little while. Although I was on my ¾ length lightweight Thermarest inflatable mattress, the floor was hard and plenty of noise was being made by my fellow guests, so sleep was intermittent at best. Knowing that I had another tough day in prospect, and wanting to get to Kinlochewe, where I had a hotel room booked, at a reasonable hour, I made myself get up soon after 6am. I packed as quietly as I could and left the bothy at 7am, with nobody else awake. It was an overcast and windless morning and the whole vast valley was serene and peaceful. My route was to take me first up to the pass known as Bealach Bhearnaise, one of the two highest I will cross in Scotland at near 600m. At first the track was easy along the side of the long valley leading to the pass. However, higher up, with a couple of kilometres to go to the pass, the track petered out and I had to go cross-country. The guide-book recommended sticking to the higher slopes if I wanted to avoid the peat hags (eroded canyons in the peat) and bogs. I did this, but the going was very slow and I had to keep descending and ascending steep little side valleys. Higher up, I disturbed a number of large deer who, singly and in pairs, raced down to the lower slopes. Finally, I reached the pass, which was pretty spectacular. There was a small reedy lake (lochan) at the very crest of the pass and high peaks towered on both sides, particularly the imposing Lurg Mhor (986m) to my right. I found a nice grassy spot and sat and admired the grandeur around me while I had a breakfast of trail mix and fresh stream water. While eating, I watched some figures climbing towards the pass along the track I would be using to descend and these turned out to be the first of about a score of hikers (and biker-hikers) I saw in the next few hours all on their way to climb Lurg Mhor in perfect clear Saturday weather. My cross-country efforts had again slowed my pace considerably, but the path from here was supposed to be mostly good so I set off down the other side of the pass optimistic that I could maintain a reasonable pace. This I did, though I was feeling very tired from the morning climb, preceded by a poor night's sleep and three tough days. Crossing the Scottish Highlands to John O'Groats using this route is much different to the walking I had done up to Fort William. Additionally, the guide-book seemed to be consistently underestimating the daily distances for this section, and I have my suspicions about how the distances were calculated, and it wasn't using a GPS. I had a mild headache and it turned into one of those days where I kept thinking about how many days I had left, how tough the day tomorrow is supposed to be, and how much I would like to just get on one of the two-carriage trundler trains that ran along the rail line I crossed around noon in Glen Carron. However, I'm committed to stick to my schedule, have booked hotels and trains, and know that, putting one foot in front of another and persevering for eight more days will see me at John O'Groats. I crossed Glen Carron, which had a few houses and a main road as well as a rail line, and then climbed steeply up to Coulin Pass through a recently harvested pine forest on a temporary trail that was hard work. Near the top, I stopped for lunch and couldn't stop yawning when it came time to continue. I think I need a good night's sleep. The descent from Coulin Pass was gradual along a gravel track and had fine views. I plodded along trying to keep up a reasonable pace and stopped at a stream for a drink and to replenish my water bottle before I reached lower in the valley where the water would be less safe to drink. I had developed a sore spot under the second toe on my left foot and stopped twice to reposition my putrid socks and put on some Vaseline. After a while, it settled down a bit, but only because a small blister burst. Note to self - wash out socks even if they don't dry by the next morning. At the pretty Loch Coulin at the bottom of the descent, the guide book suggested a direct route to Kinlochewe that involved climbing through some forests, over a low pass, and with some cross-country bits. There was an alternative, possibly a bit longer, route skirting the shore of a couple of lochs and then following a road into Kinlochewe. I decided on the latter which, though longer, was more time certain, and I was very tired. Another couple of hours of plodding, which included the rejected offer of a lift from a guy in a BMW convertible, brought me into Kinlochewe at 5:15pm. I bought a drink and after dinner snacks at a service station and then checked into the over-priced hotel. The main store/post office in town is only open to 1pm on weekends. I have mail to collect there (I called ahead to make sure I could pick it up on Saturday/Sunday, even if the PO wasn't open) and will get it, and enough food for three days, when it opens at 9am tomorrow morning. This is the last village and store I will see until my penultimate day in a week's time, although I have booked rooms at a four remote inns/hotels I will be passing. The guidebook says tomorrow is the second toughest day of the trip and I won't be able to start walking until well after 9am, when I have collected my maps and food, so it will be a late day. However, I should get a good night's sleep tonight, plus have a good dinner and breakfast under my belt, so maybe it won't be too bad. |
