Walking to Cape Wrath, Day 28, June 7, 2022

Today was a rhythm day— one where at different stages I found myself in a particular walking mode. Just out of Kinlochewe started as a long land rover road walk, a beautiful glen, passing some abandoned houses, but also an amazing modern one, shaped like the old cottages but with a gable end that was a wall of glass. I could see inside a bird spotting telescope trained on the opposite ridge— could happily spend some time there. I’ve settled into a 3+ mph pace on such roads, only slackening when they ascend (or descend — my old new knees). Then there is the rocky narrow path rhythm— much slower, more deliberate but still a fairly rapid pace.

On reaching a series of small lochs the path turned uphill and disappeared completely— time for much more deliberation, taking headings, picking landmarks and following. Give yesterday’s difficulty, I made every effort to maintain good humor as the pathless space twisted and turned up several glens to a bealach that finally positioned me for the long afternoon walk down a narrow glen, followed by an ascent up to a plateau with a good gravel road leading across and finally down in the directional Inverlael. Found a bit of dry level grass in an old cow pasture next to a fast running stream, pitched my tent and counted that 19 mile multiple rhythm day well-spent. The early evening brought a string of Munro baggers trickling down the track heading for a car park. As one said as he passed, “We are all knackered.”  Guess I was too.

T. Hugh Crawford