Scottish National Trail: Stage 3, Invergarry to Ullapool

[Alba Bhoy]

Stage 3 of my Scottish National Trail jaunt saw me meander through some fantastic country between Invergarry and Ullapool. Distance walked from Invergarry to Ullapool was approximately 116 miles. And all in dry weather
I did the Invergarry to Cluanie Inn stretch on Sunday 29th September; a beautiful day with blue skies, warm sunshine, no midges and views to die for
A good weather forecast in Mid October saw me make use of annual leave to head back north to spend 5 days walking from the Cluanie Inn to Ullapool. Fantastic, great landscapes, magnificent walking, highly recommend.
Like the section from Milngavie to Invergarry, I didn't stick to the route as described on this website. Didn't fancy Maol-buidhe or Bendronaig bothy so put together my wee alternative.
This section was the toughest of the three I did this year. Not so much in terms of the countryside I was walking through - though the paths were boggier in places than those further south - but the logistics of walking in what even today is a very remote, sparsely populated, part of the country provided challenges.
Accommodation is more limited; cash machines and shops are few and far between and opening hours of the few shops can be restricted compared to those in larger towns; and public transport is sparse. I arrived at Kinlochewe on Sunday 13th October about 3pm. By that time the shops in Kinlochewe had already closed for the day. Wasn't all bad news as the Kinlochewe Hotel was open and they serve good food and have a decent range of ales
Planning ahead is essential.
Stayed in a mix of hotels and B and B; the best of which were the Kintail Lodge Hotel and the Dundonnell Hotel. Kintail Lodge Hotel offers budget accommodation in their Trekkers Lodge, big thumbs up from me. Check out http://www.kintaillodgehotel.co.uk/scottishbudgetrooms.html
Walked through some great country, the highlight of which was going from Kinlochewe to Dundonnell through the 'Great Wilderness' of Fisherfield. That was epic
The Falls of Glomach will also live long in the memory, especially the descent
Another abiding memory will be of how quiet it was. Despite the good weather I never met another walker other than those, at the start of the day, who were heading out the same tracks to go bag a Munro or two. Out on the trail, I was on my own which helped accentuate the sense of wilderness. For most of the time the only noise I heard was from the rutting Deer.
Details of the sections I walked can be viewed at length below.
Invergarry to Cluanie Inn - 23 Miles
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=36842&p=214305#p214305
Cluanie Inn to Kintail - 20 miles
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=37262&p=216147#p216147
Morvich to Strathcarron via Falls of Glomach - 22 miles
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=37298&p=216335#p216335
Strathcarron to Kinlochewe - 17 miles
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=37299&p=216339#p216339
Kinlochewe to Corrie Hallie and Dundonnell - 20 miles
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=37305&p=216358#p216358
Dundonnell to Ullapool - 14 miles
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=37307&p=216367#p216367

And, all going well, I'll be able to complete stage 4, Ullapool to Cape Wrath next year

[Benjaminnevis]

Enjoyed reading through that section of your wander. But was thinking after a good summer like we have had the boggy parts still looked fairly bad Nm. obviously takes a lot of planning as well travel arrangements Nae banks Nae shops .

Still looks a great wander and well worth the effort. staying hotels like you did and a few ales and decent food at night would add to the enjoyment i would think.

[Alba Bhoy]

Glad you enjoyed the account.

To be fair, while there were more boggy patches on this stretch than on the southern sections it wasn't too bad. At the end of the day, it's all character building!

If you're thinking of doing this section of the Scottish National Trail/Cape Wrath Trail from Invergarry to Ullapool then I'd definitely recommend you plan it thoroughly beforehand. Most of the things that we take for granted are few and far between. The upside of that is it adds to the challenge and exacerbates the sense of wilderness.

If you do it, I'm confident you'll enjoy it.