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  • Cape Wrath saga: The final days, Kinlochbervie to Durness via Cape Wrath.
  • 13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    continued from here

    Day something: Kinlochbervie to Strathcailleach bothy

    I was a man of leisure from here on. The army had obliged by stopping their target practice on Friday, so I could saunter across Sandwood, camp there or nearby, and make my way to the Cape on Sunday.

    I enjoyed a huge breakfast, stocked up on cheap whisky and chocolate at the supermarket, and was on my way along the road to the Sandwood bay track.

    The first glimpse of the bay was a real thrill. This wasn't my real destination, nor would it be the most spectacular beach I'd see, but it still felt like a massive accomplishment.

    The track was great riding all the way to the beach, although it was busier than any track I'd ridden since day 1.

    I planned to camp on the beach, so dropped my kit and took a wander. i quickly found a group of folk from Edinburgh Uni who I shared a drink (several) and a smoke (many) with. They were full of stories of the chinooks thundering across the bay the night before, sounds like I'd missed an interesting night!

    The weather moved in though and I decided to push on for Strathcailleach bothy over the hill. Camping would have been nice but my new friends were moving on and tent was now wet and covered in sand.

    Bloody hippies, ruining a perfectly good epic photo…

    The walk to Strathcailleach was a sign of things to come, very wet, trackless terrain, with very little to navigate by. I could also see a couple of hikers on the horizon who I figured were headed to the bothy as well. Not wanting to be stuck outside I upped the pace a little…

    The bothy was situated in a little depression amongst an endless peat bog. Inside were Bob, who maintained the bothy and lived behind it in a tent, with his cat, and Eric the dutchman. They already had a roaring peat fire going, and it turned out Bob was a big fan of healthy drams of single malt and stories about the bothy (mostly featuring a famous squatter called James McRory smith).

    The two hikers turned up and decided to camp outside, but not before cooking their dinner and entertaining us with their neurotic burping collie 😀

    The penultimate day: Strathcailleach to Kearvaig via Cape Wrath

    So, 'only' a 9km push to the lighthouse today. The first challenge was crossing the swollen burn behind the bothy, although thankfully the bike served as a very useful crutch when crossing the burn, although my feet still got soaked. Big shout to Icebreaker merino socks here, two pairs lasted the trip, and even when sodden they stayed warm and comfy.

    Which was useful as there wasn't a dry bit of ground between the bothy and the lighthouse. I stayed away from the coast as I was keen to take the most direct route, although this still involved plenty of river crossings, a couple of tiny, deep glens, and lots of interesting bog flora (and a stag wallowing in the peat, that was very primeval).

    Finally though I crested a rise and was greeted with the sight of the minibus hareing away in the opposite direction, I clambered onto the road and wobbled round the corner on my bike, Salomon fell running shoes proving quite tricky on SPDs.

    Thar she blew…

    I didn't know what to do now I was there. It was very cold, wet and windy, and it was too early to set up tent anywhere, so i mooched around, got a photo (so i could get my "Cape Wrath Fellowship" certificate 😀 ) and set off, doubtfully, for Kearvaig.

    I knew there was a workparty scheduled for kearvaig bothy, so wasn't sure if I'd be allowed in.

    Of course I was! Not only that, they fed me and warmed me in front of the fire. Suitably revived I pitched in and helped hammer a few nails, and paint a few walls…

    The night ended at a long table of about 15, drinking whisky and talking bollocks. Brilliant!

    The penultimate day (2)

    I was supposed to set off for Durness, but time was on my side, and the bothy workparty was too much fun, so I stayed. I took a break for a wander to take in some of the sights of Kearvaig bay (and have a snooze on the rocks by the sea). Kearvaig knocked Sandwood into a cocked hat for scenery, and wildlife.

    Then my camera finally ran out of batteries, after about fifty attempts to catch a puffin in flight. What a day… 8)

    And finally…

    After another night of whisky and chat, and another lazy breakfast, I had to say goodbye to the workparty and head for the Durness ferry. I could easily have stayed another week though.

    The road to the ferry was idyllic, and thankfully my mobile phone seems to take a good photo…

    I'd never actually left the mainland, but waiting for the ferry was like returning back to earth, although thankfully without a bump.

    The queue for the ferry on the other side had plenty of cyclists, and I must confess to feeling a bit smug when they asked me where I'd come from 🙂

    All that was left for me to do was coast into Durness, book into the first hostel I found, pick up some books in the second hand shop, and sit in the pub drinking Red McGregor and reading Day of the Jackal for two days until my mates came to pick me up.

    Fin.

    piha
    Free Member

    Bloody brilliant write up and I have enjoyed reading about your trip. Thanks for posting it up, inspiring stuff.
    Now, where are my O.S maps……..

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Well ended, friend – feel like I've just finished the journey too. Or just begun one… 🙂

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Thanks Piha, I enjoyed writing all these reports, they help me remember the good bits and forget the crappy bits!

    Rob, need to catch up soon for pints and/or riding. I'll get in touch next week.

    steeble
    Free Member

    We did the reverse of this a few years ago. Cape wrath to sandwood bay wasnt fun. Apparently the only thing that my mates enjoyed was watching me getting angrier by the minute, the weather was quite misty which didnt help things.

    Pauly
    Full Member

    Inspirational stuff.

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    The whole route? There were a lot of bits that would have been much better the other way 🙄

    I'd got all my strops out of the way in the days before Sandwood and Cape Wrath, I'd always expected that bit to be difficult so it didn't bother me. I also seemed to be making better progress than the hikers I saw, the bike must have been keeping me afloat!

    stanfree
    Free Member

    Thats a brilliant blog and a tremendous adventure . Proper mountain biking .

    Well done and thanks for sharing.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Great stuff squire. I hope you said hello to the smoo in the cave 🙂

    gusamc
    Free Member

    sterling, great trip, photos and write up, hope the beer et all slipped down nicely.

    mind racing and next years ideas brewing

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    TJ, I couldn't be bothered once I got to Durness, spent about 5 seconds at the John Lennon monument (?!) and about 10 seconds in Smoo Cave 😳

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    Once again, thank you so much for letting us have a glimpse of your adventure. Have really enjoyed following this and seeing the pics, full of admiration for what you have achieved. 8)

    Dare I ask … where next?

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Anywhere with a hostel, I'm not carrying my home on my back again for a while! 😀

    martinxyz
    Free Member

    Good stuff.Ive never seen the point across balnakeil bay from that area before.You can make out A`Chleit in front of the sand dunes in the pic.I tried zooming in from Balnakeil one day in winter at a 22ft swell hitting off the reefy/rocky section and couldnt believe the tubes that were peeling off it.

    Standing at the head of the point of Balnakeil and looking over to where you took the picture from.. The swell hitting into the cliffs next to the stac Na Glas Leacan was spraying water as high as the cliff itself. going by the map, 100ft?

    unreal place.

    The view out to sea at kearvaig looks stunning. That pic is a good example of why i dont venture out of this country. when you stumble upon places like that next to yer hometown.. you know yer onto a good thing!

    user-removed
    Free Member

    Was looking forward to that more than the next issue of STW 🙂 (no offence mag chaps 🙂 ).

    Inspirational indeed – nice piccies too!

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Thanks user-removed!

    martinxyz, I could spend the next ten years dicking about along the northwest coast, impossible to get bored when the scenery and surroundings kept changing the way they did.

    Kearvaig was certainly the (well, a) jewel in the crown.

    steffybhoy
    Free Member

    Man, these threads should be 'joined together' and be made available to read on the STW home page.

    Brilliant.

    stuartie_c
    Free Member

    😀

    That's all!

    Waderider
    Free Member

    Nice. You're a tough bugger, a couple of times I've left my bike hidden under a tent at Sandwood and hoofed to Kearvaig. I've never had the drive to push a bike across the Parph, although I know it has been done in the past by mad feckers from the RSF. Nice to see the MBA fixing up Kearvaig, for a while the bothy was on a shaky peg as the military couldn't confirm a long enough 'lease' to make it a viable bothy for investment.

    You should have a go at condensing this all into an article for the mag, it'd make a good read, hard to imagine a longer MOUNTAIN bike ride in the U.K.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    I am still waiting for the organised tours….epic.

    Simwit
    Full Member

    That was an utterly fantastic travelogue series, well done 🙂

    lowey
    Full Member

    Superb. Enjoyed reading every instalment.

    Are you going to put it all together in a blog or something such like ? I'd like to pass it on to a few people to read rather than linking them to the separate thread.

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Thanks all.

    I'd like to link it all together, but i'm WAY out of touch with creating web content though so not sure how I'd do it.

    Anyone suggest a nice easy way of doing it?

    richmars
    Full Member

    Inspiring.

    lowey
    Full Member

    Google Blogspot, and create a new blog. Even I can do it., then just copy and paste your posts.

    debaser
    Full Member

    [applause]

    Thanks for sharing your odyssey Ian. It's been entertaining and inspiring.

    marsdenman
    Free Member

    Think all the great adjectives have been used 😀 so I'll simply say 'good on-ya' for helping at the bothy re-furb!
    😉

    krixmeister
    Full Member

    Great write-up. Is there an overview map of your route?

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Thanks Kristan.

    I put a map up on Bikely.com.

    If you search for Cape Wrath, or my username ianezzi, it will come up.

    Unfortunately its overlaid on google earth which doesn't offer much useful mapping.

    I can send you a gpx or mmo file if you like.

    alpinegirl
    Free Member

    Wow, that looks like a great trip!! Sounds like you had a lot of fun, I always find the tough bits make the trip more worthwhile and interesting in the end, if everything went easy I'm sure it would be boring (maybe!?). Thanks for posting it up and inspiring me (and I'm sure others), also made me quite homesick!

    Simwit
    Full Member

    Quick tip if searching for Mr 13th's route on Bikely, leave the country and region sections of the search on default 'All Countries/Any Region' as if you try UK and Scotland it doesn't come up as I just found out!

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Wow, you mean I left the UK and didn't even know it? 😯

    Sorry about the mapping, If I get a blog thing on the go then I'll try and present the mapping a wee bit better.

    white101
    Full Member

    Fantastic thanks for entertaining us with this for the last few weeks, take my hat off to ya, I feel like my favourite TV show has just ended and theres nothing to look forward to now, I've been hanging on your every word for weeks 😥

    Goes away to plan an epic………..who am I kidding, lets just start with a trip round the woods and dream a bit.

    PaulGillespie
    Free Member

    An amazing read from start to finish, truely inspirational. I really hope this write up doesn't get lost in the forum, it definately needs recorded, even just fo you to have a wee read over it again in a years time or so.

    I think you've inspired me to take my first multi day ride this weekend into the Gorms so thank you!

    Bet you stank after the trip!!! 😆

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Bet you stank after the trip!!!

    Nope! Such is the power of Merino 8)

    Bring us back some pictures of the Tarff Bothy if you pass it!

    steeble
    Free Member

    No didnt do the whole thing. Ended up just doing ferry, cape wrath to sandwood bay. Was meant to be part of a bigger route but the march through the bogs and marshes took alot longer than we expected do we ended up doing Ben Bhraggie the following day rather than continuing with the xc idea.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    Awesome stuff Monk. & to think I was on that self same minibus in..oooh, about 1979.
    Wasn't biking then though!

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Ahem.

    For those that asked for it, I’ve started a Blog.

    Frankly I like the sound of my own typing, and since I’ll not be getting away for another few months, what better excuse to write up some old trips.

    Any tips or criticism gratefully received.

    scotbike
    Free Member

    wonderful. thanks!

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Very good. I like the style

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