North to the Cape - The Cape Wrath Trail

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Updates
• Further Reading

We make no apologies for the fact that this is a very tough walk, NOT to be attempted by inexperienced walkers. It might be the toughest long distance walk in the British Isles. This is NOT a walk where you learn walking skills; you’ve got to have all those before you start.

We will never please every walker’s taste so we made the route to please ourselves. It proved impossible always to pass through places for accommodation etc. However, we did our best to satisfy the following criteria:

1. The route must pass through a variety of scenery.
2. It must avoid long hauls over featureless moors or along uninteresting straths.
3. It must use, as far as possible, designated paths whether or not they are defined on the ground.
4. It must pass, if possible, interesting geographical places.
5. It will be divided into stages, each one a good day’s walk in length. If not ending at a place with accommodation, then it should end at a place where walkers can camp.
6. It must not pass, by design, over high peaks.

The consequences of 1 and 2 are that we chose to take the route through Knoydart, reputed to be the remotest part of Britain, and this meant going west from Fort William at the outset.

The journey starts at Fort William, crosses Loch Linnhe by ferry and meanders westerly beside Loch Eil. It then turns north through South Morar, North Morar and Knoydart, progressing over remote but beautiful countryside, visiting tiny hamlets on the way. Shiel Bridge, at the head of Loch Duich, provides a welcome break to replenish supplies. The Falls of Glomach, a breathtaking sight, precurses one’s arrival at Strathcarron, the head of Loch Carron. The railway from Inverness to the Kyle of Lochalsh passes through here, affording an opportunity of breaking the journey. Through the Coulin Forest, a deer forest, and over the bealach (pass), the route reaches Kinlochewe, where the Beinne Eighe National Nature Reserve is situated. Liatach, Beinne Eighe, and Slioch dominate the area, a mecca for Munro baggers. Northwards, after passing An Teallach, the route arrives within a few kilometres of Ullapool which, being the only large village north of Fort William, is well worth a visit. Over more bealachs and on to Oykel Bridge, beloved of anglers with the rivers flowing wide and deep, the countryside here is almost pastoral. Further north, the last of the Munros on this walk, Ben More Assynt, is skirted and the highest waterfall in Great Britain, Eas a Chùal Aluinn, is visited before reaching Reay (deer) Forest, the landscape being dotted with literally hundreds of lochans (small lochs). Then we go back to the west coast before negotiating the final stretch and arriving at the (usually) windswept headland of Cape Wrath.

The walk is split up into 21 Stages, each Stage being, as far as is possible, a good day’s walk finishing where camping and perhaps accommodation is possible. Within the text, we have shown all the places known to us where provisions can be purchased. In several cases, we have provided details of alternative (Variant) routes – see General Notes. These are easier routes than the definitive ones and should prove helpful in bad weather conditions or if you wish to progress faster.

We would be disappointed if you followed our route slavishly, step by step. The route shown is the one we used. We hope that you will adapt this to suit your own circumstances.

In our previous books, the routes were designed to pass through hamlets and villages or towns, so that walkers could seek accommodation and provisions at will. THIS WALK DOES NOT FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN! The reason for this is that the Western Highlands of Scotland are very sparsely populated. To include as many as possible of the inhabited areas would have made the route unnecessarily convoluted, and have included a lot of road walking. In consequence, this really is a quintessential backpacking walk. For those who prefer to minimise the backpacking element, we have indicated places where accommodation is possible. If you prefer an absolute minimum of backpacking, then persuade someone with a vehicle to support you. This has the double advantage that you carry fewer provisions and you sleep in a real bed most of the time. But NOT all of the time. Your driver(s) will enjoy the experience, perhaps as much as you, and we have shown relevant road heads in the text. It does not matter how you do this walk. The important thing is to do it and enjoy some of the world’s most magnificent scenery.

We have visited many rare and beautiful places. We have marvelled at the magnificence of the Himalaya. We have been impressed by the Peruvian Andes and we have been moved by the sights of Mounts Kenya and Kilimanjaro. But, each time we visit the West Highlands, we conclude that this area cannot be surpassed for its mountains and valleys, its lakes and rivers, its remoteness and wild beauty. For us it is the best.

We offer no prizes to those who are the quickest to do this walk. Indeed, we would be more likely to commend those who are the slowest. It is an experience to be savoured and enjoyed to the utmost.