Looking for Cape Wrath Trail advice

[wazza]

G’day guys, I’m new to UK and these forums and was hoping I could get some advice. I’ve recently moved from New Zealand to the UK for 12 months due to my wife’s work. I was hoping to do some hiking / easy mountaineering while I’m in this part of the world.

I have been reading up on how to get away from the crowds and have some more remote hikes / adventures .... which has led me to the Cape Wrath Trail. Unfortunately I have only just become aware of the midge situation in Scotland and so find myself fast tracking trip prep.

I have the guide already and Harvey maps are on the way. I would like to set off within the week.

I will probably have some minor queries later but was hoping to get some advice on a few key aspects

A) Shelter - before I knew about midges (which sound worse than the NZ sandflies) I was hoping to just use a bivy bag and tarp when not in a bothy. I have not yet calculated how many nights I’d likely be camping if taking 16-20 days .... but from everything I’ve read so far, this option seems ill advised. Can I confirm this is a bad Idea? Alternatively I also have a lightweight Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 person / 3 season tent at about 1.2kg ... the weight is not so bad, but the volume is annoying. I don’t really want to buy another tent but I looked at a Hilleberg Akto yesterday thinking it might be significantly smaller when packed, but it wasn’t really. What should I take? How bad are the midges likely to be?

B) Footwear - so I brought over from NZ my trail runners and my 3/4 shank Scarpa mountaineering boots (GTX lined) which are surprisingly forgiving over longer distances. My experience with tramping with rivers etc in NZ is that when things are wet, your boots are going to be soaked no matter what ... and waterproofing just becomes a hinderance to draining and drying. I feel my trail runners are probably too light duty, and the Scarpas too heavy duty for the task at hand. To that end, I went and picked up a non-waterproof, vented pair of Merrell walking shoes yesterday ....which will be lighter and easier to dry. Is this a reasonable approach to footwear for the trail? I will have warm dry socks and other footwear for post walking.

C) Drinking water - In NZ, between high mountain streams and rainwater tanks at bothy’s I’ve never really treated or filtered water. I would say I run hot and sweat more and therefore drink more than the vast majority of people - which means I carry more water or refill more regularly than most people. What would you recommend re water management / treatment? Should I take only tabs/drops or should I maybe take an MSR trailshot or Katadyn befree as a light simple filter system?

D) Route / Carnoch Bridge - I was hoping to do the Glenfinnan variant until I read about the bridge. I am new to the term ‘in spate’ but I assume this means swollen due to rain events or snowmelt? A few posts seem to intimate the way is impassable while others indicate you just need to be sensible and may well be able to cross but potentially might have to wait / turn back. Swollen rivers in NZ are temporary and a normal part of tramping ... I was still planning to attempt the Glenfinnan variant. Is this foolhardy? Am I not understanding something about the river at this time of year?

Any other pointers for someone who has not hiked in this part of the world would be appreciated (tick management springs to mind).

Thanks for the great resource you have here and any advice you provide

Regards
Warwick

[Ben Nachie]

I've never done the CWT, (but I'd love to!) so I can only comment on a couple of things.

A) Normally I'd take a tent, however if you go before the midges start biting the bivvy/tarp combo should be perfectly good. There's a midge thread on these forums to keep you up to date. Seems that right now there are a few midges out but they're not biting.

C) I've been hiking in Scotland for over thirty years and for almost all of that did not treat water in any way, and never had any ill effects. I did buy a Sawyer filter bottle for my girlfriend because she's paranoid about bugs, but she doesn't believe the filter works, so now I use it and she still carries litres of water!

As for ticks, get a tick remover, and avoid long grass and bracken (ferns) if possible.

Personally, I'd take a wee filter just to be on the safe side.

Enjoy the trip!

[Mal Grey]

Hey

My thoughts;

A. Depends! This early in the year, you shouldn't have too many midges. By late May/June they will be out in force, by July and August you will need to carry pints of spare blood and give yourself a transfusion every morning. You might get away with it (though personally I've always preferred a tent in the Highlands, just more sealed from everything; wind, midges, rain etc. Pack repellent, hopefully you won't need it much.
Also be aware and check for ticks. Take an O'Tom Tick Twister with you.
B. Footwear. With your experience, this may be the best option, though I have heard of people giving up due to wet feet. Its still not that warm out there. Of course, its critical that you keep your spare socks dry for evenings, chuck an extra pair in! I always wear boots in the Highlands, but I don't do more than 2 or 3 nights out at a time often.
C. I almost never treat water in the Highlands, and where you're going there should be no need, assuming you are sensible about looking what's upstream for a couple of hundred metres, hopefully no dead deer! I occasionally carry a Sawyer Mini Filter in lower lying country. The tabs might be a sensible back up I suppose.
D. Can't help with the specifics here, but this river is notorious and is deep for a considerable distance upstream, after a very wet approach too. You're right with the definition of "In spate", but this can last for weeks in the Highlands after a wet period!!! Or it might be fine. If you're comfortable in rough terrain (which you'll need to be just to attempt the whole CWT) you might be able to work out an alternative route, maybe along the east bank heading north, but there are crags close to the river a few miles up if you've not found somewhere by then. Another route might be from Strathan via Kinbreak, upper Glen Kingie and over to loch Quoich near Sgurr Beag. There's been a recent thread on this.

[Alteknacker]

....
A. Depends! This early in the year, you shouldn't have too many midges. By late May/June they will be out in force, by July and August you will need to carry pints of spare blood and give yourself a transfusion every morning. You might get away with it (though personally I've always preferred a tent in the Highlands, just more sealed from everything; wind, midges, rain etc. Pack repellent, hopefully you won't need it much.
Also be aware and check for ticks. Take an O'Tom Tick Twister with you....
.

Just to add my 2 cents worth:

1. Midges: you can get midge hats (fine mesh) and also midge jackets. I have both, but have never tried to sleep in them. If you can sleep in the jacket, this might allow you to bivvy - anyone else on the forum tried this??

2. Water: I've only ever drunk water direct from smallish streams, and not at low level where there are domestic animals in fields. 55 years later no ill effects.

Enjoy.

AK

[Andy J]

Comments based on many backpacking trips in Scotland and having walked almost all of the CWT:

a. If the midge season hasn't started already, it's likely to while you're on the trail, and some kind of enclosed shelter would be advisable to avoid being eaten alive. I also use a tarp (MLD Trailstar) and generally use a mesh inner during the midge season. Is this an options for your tarp? I have used a tarp+bivi during the season, in locations that are midge free (generally high and dry sites with a decent breeze blowing through) but you can't rely on it.

b. Agree with your assessment. Assuming you're not carrying a heavy pack, the Merrells sound ok. I use Merrell mids and, like you, don't worry much about me feet getting wet. Many people use train running shoes, and you may be ok with them, but I'd err on the side of caution on a first trip. There's always next time.

c. I just use Chlorine Dioxide tablets in Scotland and have never had a problem. They're light and easy to re-stock. In remote areas I often drink water from burns/rivers without any treatment at all, but you have to be careful in areas were cattle or sheep graze. The only place I've ever used a filter in Scotland was in Sutherland/Caithness, where fast-flowing water is less frequent, but never on the west coast. Avoid drinking loch-water.

d. There seem to be a lot of people worried about this river, and I'm not sure why. I've personally crossed it (without using the death-trap old bridge) at least three times in a variety of weather conditions (though never in spate) and I didn't find it particularly challenging. A trekking pole helped. At this time of year I can't see you having much trouble as long as you exercise a reasonable level of caution. Definitely cross near the location of the old bridge though - crossing it further up stream is a more serious proposition.

Have fun - its a great walk!

[Andy J]

I have the guide already and Harvey maps are on the way. I would like to set off within the week

A word on those maps, which I understand are strip-style maps.

Apologies if I'm telling you something that you already know, but the CWT isn't an official trail There are no trail markers, and there isn't even an official route. If you make a navigation error then it would be relatively easy to end-up off the map strip and - given the unpopulated rugged nature of a lot of the terrain - out of luck. Similarly, if you have to detour off-route due to natural obstacles, weather, forestry work, or even injury, then a strip map may not be much use. They're fine for trails like the West Highland Way or Great Glen Way, but for the sort of terrain you'll be heading into I'd recommend OS Landranger maps.

[innkeeper]

Hi Ya
Re Water
We live just off the CWT and our water comes off the hill. Ours is all filtered and treated for reasons I wont go into. But our neighbors is not and they drink it straight off the hill. In fact at the moment our treatment system is out of order and where drinking water out the taps. Some times it does have a brownish tint due to the peat.
But no one has ever got ill that we know of
rob

[wazza]

Thank you so much for all the helpful intel guys

I am going to take my tent - sounds like it will be worth the extra bulk

I’ll take a water filter for backup but won’t be overly concerned about higher water sources with no obvious sources of pollutants

I have added a tick twister to my first aid kit, thanks for the suggestion

I will have a crack at the Glenfinnan route but have an alternate route / bailout plan

Re maps - I take on board the comments on limited scope of Harvey maps - I will be taking 2 waterproof digital mapping units with full topo maps should the need arise

Thanks again for the intel

Cheers

Wazza

[walkingpoles]

I will have a crack at the Glenfinnan route but have an alternate route / bailout plan

Re maps - I take on board the comments on limited scope of Harvey maps - I will be taking 2 waterproof digital mapping units with full topo maps should the need arise

If you have the map coverage, don't mind gaining some height and walking on pathless terrain and allow for an extra day you will be able to deal with the missing bridge on the Glenfinnan route even if the river is in spate. Harveys might not be enough.

Generally, the strip of map that Harveys selected is not too bad. It forgives you small navigation errors. But if you want to include some mountains left and right or going somewhere off the beaten track, the Harvey map won't do the trick.