The Two Daves Walk to Skye (part 1)

[maddjock]

A wee walk to Skye

I remember when I was younger being taken all around Scotland on caravan holidays during the school holidays. One of my favourite places was Skye and the journey there involving a long drive and a ferry crossing. There were 2 roads to Skye; the top road - Achnasheen and Lochcarron, and the bottom road – Invermoriston and GlenShiel. As a kid I was also fascinated by maps and I long remember wondering what was in that great expanse of nothingness between the top and bottom roads.
All grown-up now and I know most of the innards of this route, but a conversation last year (possibly over a dram or 2) led to a plan to walk to Skye from my old house through the hills to Glenelg and take the ferry across, just like old times.

So last week, that is exactly what we did. Unfortunately time constraints forced us to skip the first days walking, so instead we cadged a lift from my father (minus the caravan) and got dropped off at Strathfarrar. I have said before on some posts that Strathfarrar is one of my favourite places in Scotland, and the walk up the Glen, despite the plod, plod on the tarmac is delightful. The weather was very overcast and grey, and I think for the first time ever up here I never took a single photo…

With the weather turning worse, we make our first camp below An Riabhachan and endure a night of wind, hail, snow and -3 temps.

Wildlife seen – 1 hare, 1 red grouse, lots of deer
Wildlife heard - Cuckoo

Day 2
Awake before 5am, and a wee peak out of the tent promises some better weather… (maybe)…

In fact the better weather didn’t get near until we were off the summit of An Socach and down to Loch Mullardoch and at one of my favourite camping spots. It was still early but we decided to pitch and have an easy day. Spent the rest of the day taking pics, relaxing and having daft conversations.

Wildlife seen – 3 ptarmigan, 1 little cold looking bunny wabbit, very near to the summit of An Socach, 1 stoat, 1 water vole (or similar), lots of deer
Wildlife heard - Cuckoo

Day 4 - TO BE CONT...
Link to Part 2

[monty]

Nice walk Madjock. I nearly had heart attack when I saw you had walked 112km but then I read it was over 4 days . Still a long haul. That picture of the iron lodge view looks superb

[mountain coward]

Which is the 'Iron Lodge View'? I ask as I'm planning to do a few Munros after biking into there in June... and 112Km - nothing to you Monty I'm sure, after the epics you've been doing lately!

[maddjock]

Nice walk Madjock. I nearly had heart attack when I saw you had walked 112km but then I read it was over 4 days . Still a long haul. That picture of the iron lodge view looks superb

well technically 6 days, although the last 2 days combined were only about 10km

Which is the 'Iron Lodge View'? I ask as I'm planning to do a few Munros after biking into there in June... and 112Km - nothing to you Monty I'm sure, after the epics you've been doing lately!

sorry Mc, re edited the post to move the pics to part 2 as forgot to include the description. You'll find the pic there, as Im sure you have. Its a good spot to camp in just east of Loch an Droma if you bike into the Iron Lodge. From here a circuit of Sgurr na Ceathreamhnan, An Socach and Mullach na Dheiragain is more enjoyable than tackling it from the Affric side.