Cluanie to Morvich

[Alba Bhoy]

Cluanie Inn to Kintail, Friday 11th October 2013. OS Landranger Map 33. Start 0935, Cluanie Inn, arrive Kintail Lodge Hotel 1630. Total time 6 hrs 55 minutes. Distance 20 miles approximately.
Weather forecast for the NW Highlands is excellent for the next few days so it’s time to head North to continue my meander along the Cape Wrath Trail. Megabus from Edinburgh to Inverness on Thursday the 10th Oct 2013, then Citylink from Inverness to the Kintail Lodge Hotel. All nice and relaxed.

Early morning view of Kintail Lodge

Trekker’s Lodge attached to the Kintail Lodge Hotel is my base for the next 2 nights. Excellent choice. The Trekker’s Lodge has several rooms plus a communal area with kitchen and a couple of toilets with showers. Kitchen has a fridge, oven, large dining table plus pots, pans, cutlery etc. All very clean and tidy. Your choice as to whether you cook your own food or eat next door in the Hotel. I made my own breakfast in the Trekker’s kitchen and ate in the Hotel Bar at night, the bar food was good. Also had a decent range of beers. Hotel also do a laundry service which came in handy tonight after I returned from my walk!
My room had a single bed, wash hand basin, small cupboard with a railing and coat hangers (could be described as a built in wardrobe) chair, bedside cabinet and a lovely, cosy, warm radiator. Maybe not as plush as the hotel but at the price struck me as Value for Money. Highly recommend, check out http://www.kintaillodgehotel.co.uk/scottishbudgetrooms.html
On the Friday morning, once I’d eaten my breakfast, I took a walk up to Shiel Bridge. I wanted to buy more water from the shop attached to the petrol station at Shiel Bridge.

Shiel Shop

However they didn’t open until 0900 so had to hang around till then.
Meant I could relax and enjoy the view down towards the bridge carrying the Glenelg Road.

Glenelg Bridge

Once the shop opened, I managed to get some bottled water and a couple of cans of coke but the shop was very limited (e.g no sandwiches available) and a tad more expensive than your usual city supermarket; 3 x 0.5 litres of water plus 2 cans of coke and a Mars Bar was just over £5.00. Maybe it carries a wider range of stock and opens earlier in the summer? If you’re doing the CWT non stop, camping and carrying your own supplies, then be warned, there’s not many shops in this part of the World where you can stock up on supplies.
Water and coke purchased, it was a short walk back to the bus stop at Shiel Bridge where I caught the Citylink coach at 0920. £7.50 for a single fare with Citylink from Shiel Bridge to the Cluanie Inn. For bus times check out the Citylink website.
Weather was gorgeous today, not a cloud in the sky, lovely Autumnal day for walking. It’s about a miles walk east from the Cluanie Inn to where the access track heads into An Caorann Mor. Access road in is marked by a Scottish Rights of Way sign advising you that it’s 18 miles to Morvich.
Started heading along the track at 0955.

Track heading in to An Caorann Mor

First couple of miles or so is an easy to follow 4WD track, bit damp in places but not too bad.
Reached the end of the 4Wd track at 1040. From here to the hostel at Alltbeithe it was just a bog!

End of track, start of bog!

Abandon hope of dry feet all ye who enter here.
There was a path of sorts but it was in poor condition, occasionally disappearing and most of it was wet and muddy underfoot. It would take more than today’s beautiful weather to dry this section out. I can only dread to think how bad this section must be in wet weather. It was very tough going over awful, boggy ground. Not pleasant for walking on. Wellies would be better for this stretch than boots! Most of my concentration was focussed on where my feet were going, you couldn’t relax and enjoy the wonderful landscape for fear of slipping and falling, something I did on more than one occasion.
However, the occasional dry spot did allow me to enjoy some nice views.

5 Sisters, Camban Bothy up on the right

And this view down to the hostel at Alltbeithe.

View down to Alltbeithe Youth Hostel

Cross this bridge to finally arrive at Allbeithe.

Bridge leading you to Alltbeithe

My boots, socks and feet were soaking by the time I arrived at the youth hostel at Alltbeithe at 1215.
Took 15 minutes at Alltbeithe to drink some water, eat a sandwich and try to ring some of the moisture out of my socks. Although the hostel was closed for the winter a sign advised that a door to the overflow building was open should you wish some shelter. I was a bit disappointed and saddened to see the amount of rubbish lying around the hostel. FFS, what sort of people carry stuff into the hills then leave their litter behind? Carry it in then carry it home.
I was underway again by 1230. Path heading from Hostel to Camban Bothy was good and dry compared to what I’d walked (paddled?) through so far.

Path improves as you head SW away from the Hostel

Path crosses a couple of streams using bridges – one bridge looked rather more solid than the other!

Second Bridge

Once over the second bridge, the path splits. I followed the path to the left before it soon swung right and headed towards Camban Bothy. Some great views looking back to Alltbeithe. How small and insignificant the Hostel seems.

View back to Alltbeithe

Got to the bothy at 1315, it was in good condition, clean and tidy inside.

Camban Bothy 11th Oct 2013

Path continues in a SW direction from Camban offering some great views of the 5 Sisters.

Heading towards the 5 Sisters from Camban Bothy 11th Oct 2013

This stretch of path was a little damp in places but nowhere near as bad as that I’d struggled through in An Caorann Mor.
15 minutes or so after Camban the path splits. A 4WD track headed down to the left. I ignored this and continued on the main path. The views of the 5 sisters just got better and better, fantastic trekking country.
The path begins to descend as you near the waterfall at Allt Grannda.

Down into the Valley 11th Oct 2013

I arrived at the falls at 1415.

Waterfall at Allt Grannda 11th Oct 2013

Spectacular is an understatement. On a clear day like today this stretch is wonderful. Excellent path, amazing views. Some care needed as the path descends past the falls, some steep drops here. Path continues to descend towards Glenlicht House crossing over a couple of bridges en route.

Path leading down to Glen Licht House

I arrived at Glenlicht House at 1445. Quick stop here for more food, water and to enjoy the views. What a lovely spot.

Glen Licht House

It’s an easy walk out from here, along an excellent 4WD track, running through Gleann Lichd, to Morvich.

Excellent track heading out of Gleann Lichd

River Croe on your right, the 5 sisters towering above you on your left.
I arrived at the gate at the Morvich end of the track at 1550.

Gate at Morvich end of Gleann Lichd 11th Oct 2013

Then it was simply a case of turning left along the single track road and walking the 2 miles or so back to the Kintail Lodge Hotel.
Arrived back at the Hotel at 1630, changed into dry clothes then put my still wet socks and trousers in for a laundry before sitting back to enjoy a cold beer. Laundered clothes were returned dry and fresh a couple of hours later. Excellent service.
Tomorrow, it's Morvich to Strathcarron via the Falls of Glomach.

[Silverhill]

Oooo, I must go and have a wander there! When I did the CWT I took the route from Kinloch Hourn to Morvich (which was very nice btw), but I must check out this stretch of the route.
I will catch up with the other installments of your walk. I'm sure it will bring back happy memories

[troll]

Enjoyed your report on this walk. I did the walk from Morvich to Alltbeithe at the beginning of June with the intention of doing the complete circuit round Ben Attow, but that wasn't to be when I missed the start of a path (obscured by the start of an extensive reed bed as the result of new growth during May) not far from the new bridge you crossed on your way to Morvich via Camban. I still have to edit my report & reduce the size of the many photos I took en route before I can submit it. I get the impression that you were lightly loaded & weren't carrying everything apart from the kitchen sink when I set off from Morvich with food for three days, sleeping bag, airbed as well as cooking facilities. My pace was considerably slower than yours as I was taking so many photos & videos on the way. I did meet a few at the hostel who had walked in from Cluanie Inn who told me about the boggy conditions under foot on part of that route. It was certainly much drier when I was there as I had wall to wall sunshine & temperatures in the 20s. As a life member of the SYHA I was disappointed to read during your visit to the hostel about the amount of waste some people had dumped there. It doesn't surprise me as I stayed overnight at the Camban bothy which was relatively tidy except for lot of plastic containers filling the fireplaces. I took some with me in addition to my own rubbish with me when I left & headed for the hostel & back to Morvich for safe disposal. I experienced the 'Sound of Silence' at the Camban bothy with only the occasional sound of swallows catching insects in flight & running water in a nearby burn. The waterfall you mentioned was just as stunning in June even with it having less water. I am planning to return next year, but leave a few things at home & add more time so that I can complete my originally planned adventure. I really enjoyed seeing your photos & reading you descriptive account. All the best from a senior citizen who is still going strong despite a heart attack in 2012. My cardiologist told me I was more than able to resume my hillwalking adventures this year as I walk on average 28 miles a week.