by Knightlee » Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:27 pm
Date walked: 28/10/2019
Time taken: 6 days
Distance: 75 km
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Hello hikers,
we just want to share our experience on walking and camping in the northern Highlands in late October and early November, because there is so little information about it for this time of the year.
We only walked from Ullapool to Inchnadamph and a after a short break we did a hike from Lochinver to Elphin. Both sequences were really breathtaking. We had already walked another leg in late June from Achnaschellach to Ullapool and therefore we were confident enough to do the Highlands in late autumn. Not to be neglected to mention is that we are not some very ambitious hikers regarding the distance we want to make. We will stop and enjoy if we feel like that. This time however we did walk about 15km each day (in a rather slow tempo), because it was too cold to stop early.
The first four days the weather was really fantastic, which we would have never expected to be this time of the year. We had sunshine and absolutely no wind, which made camping and pitching up the tent much easier. At night – and when you are not moving – it got really cold and our tent even froze a little. So it was a little heavier to carry it later on. The rivers weren’t unpassable, but we also had to manage one crossing with our shoes and trousers off (about 3 km before the very nice ‘Schoolhouse Bothy’). Since the stream was quite strong, the water reached up to the thighs and the stones were slippery, it required much concentration. The coldest night was in a valley between Oykel Bridge and Ben More Assynt. This night even our shoes froze, so in the morning it felt like wearing cement blocks (after an hour or two of walking they defrosted though). This valley offered the most beautiful and unbelievable nature scenery we could ever imagine in the highlands. It was so peaceful and lonely, only the stags roared the entire night, which made it even wilder. There were dozens of them on all sides of the hills and in the night it sounded like they were very close to the tent. The whole journey we saw a lot of deers, but the closest some got to us was still far enough to not be threatened. They will only watch you out of a safe distance and if you pass by without giving them much attention, they won’t feel threatened, too. The most stunning view – apart from the sunrise in the valley – was on the hills between Ben More Assynt and Inchnadamph. Looking towards Inchnadamph you could even see Loch Assynt AND the sea!
After three nights camping and walking in the cold we were really exhausted, because there is no possibility to relax. The breaks during daytime can’t be long, because you would cool down very fast. When you arrive at your camping spot, you must pitch up the tent, prepare dinner and tea and then quickly cuddle up in your sleeping bag to sleep. It’s wise to always take a bottle with boiled water in your sleeping bag, it will warm you almost the whole night. Our gas cooker was really slow because of the low temperature, what made dinner and breakfast last too long. Next time camping in the cold we would definitely go with a petrol based cooker. So after the first four days we treated ourselves with a night in the lodge in Inchnadamph and afterwards in the bunkhouse in Lochinver (both really really nice!).
The last two days of our trip we walked from Lochinver to the Suilven Bothy and from there to Elphin. The weather changed completely and it was stormy and rainy. Therefore we were really happy to spend the night in a bothy and be more protected. The next night we camped at the Cam Loch. The temperature went up to 8°C, which made a great difference (plus our tent didn’t freeze up at night).
In conclusion camping in the highlands in late autumn is far more challenging and tiring, but if you like to feel really solitary and you love this rough Scottish nature, you won’t be able to decide which season you like more. In the cold it felt like everything was even quieter and more untouched and making your way through frozen mud will let you bow the mighty nature even more than in summer. If you already play with the thought doing a trip in autumn or winter, do it!
P.S.: no midges!
- Attachments
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- Near Suilven
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- The sparkling valley
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- Loch Assynt and the ocean
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- Mountain view
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- Foggy morning
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- Sunrise in our beloved valley