Winter along the Affric Kintail Way
Date walked: 27/11/2015
Time taken: 3 days
Distance: 49.75km
Ascent: 600m
Perhaps there was a little more good luck than good judgement involved but my friend Ali and I completed three stages of the AKW at the end of November. We chose one of the few weekends when the weather didn’t have a name, but it was a weekend at the end of November and there was plenty of weather nonetheless.
Our walk started with a long drive from Edinburgh to Shiel Bridge. The four hours allowed for by AA route planner proved massively optimistic, driving through pouring rain and pitch dark along side Loch Laggan. We had intended to take the bus from Shiel Bridge back to Drumnadrochit, leaving the car to collect at the end of our walk. But Ali was nervous hurtling along the A96, “don’t get to close to the cars in front”, and in truth there was no chance of making it in time for the 19.07 Portree to Inverness service. We cancelled the taxi booked to take us from Drumnadrochit to the start of our walk at Cannich and arrived there in our own car much earlier than anticipated. As promised, the camping pod at Cannich Camping and Caravan Park was left open for us. The snow started as we settled in for the night.
By morning the snow had turned back to rain and it was well wet by the time we had breakfasted and set off on the road out of the village. Matt, the ever helpful campsite owner, interrupted his morning jog to put us on the right path and we climbed out of the village. And it was easy to pick up the signposted track as it left the road and headed into the plantation. Signposts reappeared at reassuring intervals for the first two days of our walk and then disappeared when we needed them most.
This first few kilometres made for easy walking along forestry tracks but occasional views out across Strathglass do little to alleviate the dullest part of the three days, abandoned by all forms of life other than the conifers, lichens, Ali and me. Finally, a welcome signpost points us away from this track and down through the woods to the bridge over the River Affric above Dog Falls. The picnic area provided a scenic lunch venue and the Forestry Commission’s compost toilet a chance to answer calls of nature. In winter they turn the power and water off so more unsustainable forms of sanitation are unavailable. So too is the automatic soap dispenser which relies on the interrupted electricity supply. Still, there was at least some form of sanitation. The toilets at the head of Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin where our days walk would end were simply closed with a helpful note pointing out that the nearest facilities were at Dog Falls. Do bears **** in the woods? They do when they have no choice.
Crossing the river the weather improved and our spirits lifted with our first sights of snow capped mountains across the loch, the peaks of Carn Eighe and Mam Sodhail. The walking too improved as plantations gave way to native pines, ash and birch. By the time we reached the head of the loch and the locked toilets we had been soaked and dried several times and had enjoyed a good days walk. The good humour cooled quickly as we struggled to find a suitable spot to pitch the tent and failed to find dry firewood in the rapidly failing light. We ate a supper of rice and mackerel fillets and settled down to a cold night under canvass.
Before agreeing overnight camping expeditions check your tolerance to snoring. Ali was sorry that he didn’t. And neither of our sleeping bags really met the challenge of sub zero outside temperatures. At least we were dry as the tent kept off the snow that piled around us through the night. By morning the residue of last night’s oily dinner was frozen to our plates. Trying to wash up a frozen greasy meal in a near frozen river is not an experience to be repeated but we eventually breakfasted well. The start of winter might not be the most comfortable time to experience Glen Affric but the first falls of snow make already spectacular scenery heart-stoppingly stunning.
[River Affric above Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
This is what we’d come here for, to be alone in a beautiful landscape and we took time to enjoy it. All in all it took longer than we expected to break camp but we set off late with light hearts and high spirits for our second day’s walk, headed for Camban bothy. We were delighted as young red deer appeared yards away among the snowy Scots pine.
Glen Affric pines by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
By the time we reached the head of Loch Affric the rain had returned, steady and persistent, the trees had disappeared and we walked into open moorland. The track divides here but the AKW signpost pointed us across the river and up to Strawberry Cottage whose porch door was obligingly left open. We took shelter to eat our lunch. Beyond Strawberry Cottage, and in this weather, the track is a boulder strewn stream. Walking here consists of carefully picking your way between lose rocks and running water. Although the track is wide there is no scope to walk two abreast; conversation is impossible. The track rises as it runs above the River Affric and is crossed by the occasional stream, easily forded at this stage of the walk. Later, when the path returns to run alongside the river, the streams in spate have widened and the five or so fords marked on the map are perilous opportunities to get a good soaking.
We met the occupants of Strawberry Cottage here, a young family who sensibly turned back rather than risk falling into three feet of freezing water. They were the only people we saw on our journey along the AKW. They very kindly invited us back to Strawberry Cottage if we got into difficulty. There were moments later when I wished we’d accepted.
It was after 3.00 pm when we arrived at the closed Alltbeithe Youth Hostel but stopped for a quick snack and to check out the one room left open for emergency shelter. Six iron bunks in a single room in an annex offered a tempting alternative to the onward slog to Camban. Ali guessed that the wooden walls would offer shelter from the wind but would offer little protection from the cold. With less than an hour of daylight left we checked the directions for Camban bothy posted on the side of the youth hostel. We should have paid closer attention, checked maps and taken a bearing but we hurried on. As we set off we saw one more AKW signpost pointing down the only track available to us. As we crossed the Allt Gleann Gniomhaidh the path disappeared and we struggled for 20 minutes through featureless bog. And then the rain turned horizontal, the wind whipped up and the daylight all but disappeared. We made our way back to Alltbeithe, tired hungry and scared.
Ali and I will be eternally grateful to the YHA for that open room. We both had the most uncomfortable night of our lives. Ice formed inside the windows of the bare room. We left untouched the gin and beers kindly provided by a previous visitor. And, once fed on pasta and tomato sauce, the bare bed frames offered little temptation to fall asleep even if the cold had allowed it. My thermal bag made me or my sleeping bag wet but little warmer and the wind howled around us through the night. My wakefullness was compounded by fears of being snowed in, Ali’s by my snoring and mine again by his headphones as he tried to block out the din I was making. But we had shelter.
We couldn’t wait for the morning to come and abandoned efforts to sleep by 6.00 am. Ali’s porridge with dried fruit, granola and dried milk revived us and we emerged from our shelter to find a fresh layer of snow around us. The wind had dropped and we were able to set out again, this time with maps consulted and bearings agreed. We quickly found the very distinct path we had missed the night before - evidence perhaps that navigation skills are inversely proportionate to tiredness, hunger and haste.
As we walked we were watched. Within half a mile of the youth hostel we were among a sizeable herd of red deer who kept an eye on us as we approached. They moved on, but only at our pace, and a number of stags seemed to take up look out positions to trace our progress. The deer stayed with us for most of the way to the Camban bothy, reached after an hour and a half of easy walking. The experience of finding ourselves among these creatures and the early morning stillness quickly removed our anxieties of the night before. We stopped to feed at the bothy where we found the remains of fires but no fuel that we could have used. Its a moot point whether the thicker walls would have kept us warmer than our shelter at Altbeithe but the beds here looked much more inviting. We will have to postpone the pleasures of sleeping here (or trying to) until the next time.
After Camban the track dwindles to a path and again divides. There is no signpost to keep you straight but we stuck to the right path, avoiding the track which follows the course of the Allt Cam-ban. Although the map shows the path contouring above the Allt a’ Bhuic there is some climbing before the path swings round to a more northerly direction. It was at this point that the wind and snow hit us again, heavy enough to raise fears that the path might quickly disappear with a good downfall. With steep slopes plunging down to the Allt Grannda below, this would not be a comfortable place to be caught in a white out.
Fortunately the snow petered out and we had time to enjoy the spectacular landscape, ghostly mountains lost in snow and stunning waterfalls.
[Kintail hills disappearing in snow by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
[Dramatic plunge into Allt Grannda by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
By the time we reached Glenlicht House and started to follow the farm track to Morvich it felt like the walk was all but over. Sun shone on the snow capped peaks before us but our journey was almost at an end. In fact, we still had to find a way of travelling the 63 miles back to Cannich and the car. We got to Morvich by 3.00 pm, walked on to the A87, looked for a bus stop and stuck out our thumbs hopefully. Hats off to Mike and Ian, bankers from London on a weekend climbing expedition. They picked us up at Shiel Bridge and, despite heading for Inverness to return their hire car, they drove us to our doorstep in Cannich, a 24 mile detour for them. Despite bankers bad rep they could not have been kinder. We’re grateful to them.
[The end of the walk by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
So we ended our expedition where we started and slept in the supreme comfort (relative to the previous night) of a camping pod. Matt seemed mildly surprised that we had completed our planned walk and so were we. As we drove back south the whole of the north of Scotland seemed covered in snow. It could not have been more beautiful - and treacherous. The car in front of us breaked hard as the car in front of it slewed across the road beside Loch Laggan and hit an oncoming vehicle. I too hit the breaks - and locked them as I steered our car into the verge between the tail of the people carrier in front and a snow pole to the side. We came to halt inches away from their bumper. Both drivers were hurt but not, it seems, seriously. All in all it was a weekend of near misses.
Our walk started with a long drive from Edinburgh to Shiel Bridge. The four hours allowed for by AA route planner proved massively optimistic, driving through pouring rain and pitch dark along side Loch Laggan. We had intended to take the bus from Shiel Bridge back to Drumnadrochit, leaving the car to collect at the end of our walk. But Ali was nervous hurtling along the A96, “don’t get to close to the cars in front”, and in truth there was no chance of making it in time for the 19.07 Portree to Inverness service. We cancelled the taxi booked to take us from Drumnadrochit to the start of our walk at Cannich and arrived there in our own car much earlier than anticipated. As promised, the camping pod at Cannich Camping and Caravan Park was left open for us. The snow started as we settled in for the night.
By morning the snow had turned back to rain and it was well wet by the time we had breakfasted and set off on the road out of the village. Matt, the ever helpful campsite owner, interrupted his morning jog to put us on the right path and we climbed out of the village. And it was easy to pick up the signposted track as it left the road and headed into the plantation. Signposts reappeared at reassuring intervals for the first two days of our walk and then disappeared when we needed them most.
This first few kilometres made for easy walking along forestry tracks but occasional views out across Strathglass do little to alleviate the dullest part of the three days, abandoned by all forms of life other than the conifers, lichens, Ali and me. Finally, a welcome signpost points us away from this track and down through the woods to the bridge over the River Affric above Dog Falls. The picnic area provided a scenic lunch venue and the Forestry Commission’s compost toilet a chance to answer calls of nature. In winter they turn the power and water off so more unsustainable forms of sanitation are unavailable. So too is the automatic soap dispenser which relies on the interrupted electricity supply. Still, there was at least some form of sanitation. The toilets at the head of Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin where our days walk would end were simply closed with a helpful note pointing out that the nearest facilities were at Dog Falls. Do bears **** in the woods? They do when they have no choice.
Crossing the river the weather improved and our spirits lifted with our first sights of snow capped mountains across the loch, the peaks of Carn Eighe and Mam Sodhail. The walking too improved as plantations gave way to native pines, ash and birch. By the time we reached the head of the loch and the locked toilets we had been soaked and dried several times and had enjoyed a good days walk. The good humour cooled quickly as we struggled to find a suitable spot to pitch the tent and failed to find dry firewood in the rapidly failing light. We ate a supper of rice and mackerel fillets and settled down to a cold night under canvass.
Before agreeing overnight camping expeditions check your tolerance to snoring. Ali was sorry that he didn’t. And neither of our sleeping bags really met the challenge of sub zero outside temperatures. At least we were dry as the tent kept off the snow that piled around us through the night. By morning the residue of last night’s oily dinner was frozen to our plates. Trying to wash up a frozen greasy meal in a near frozen river is not an experience to be repeated but we eventually breakfasted well. The start of winter might not be the most comfortable time to experience Glen Affric but the first falls of snow make already spectacular scenery heart-stoppingly stunning.
[River Affric above Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
This is what we’d come here for, to be alone in a beautiful landscape and we took time to enjoy it. All in all it took longer than we expected to break camp but we set off late with light hearts and high spirits for our second day’s walk, headed for Camban bothy. We were delighted as young red deer appeared yards away among the snowy Scots pine.
Glen Affric pines by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
By the time we reached the head of Loch Affric the rain had returned, steady and persistent, the trees had disappeared and we walked into open moorland. The track divides here but the AKW signpost pointed us across the river and up to Strawberry Cottage whose porch door was obligingly left open. We took shelter to eat our lunch. Beyond Strawberry Cottage, and in this weather, the track is a boulder strewn stream. Walking here consists of carefully picking your way between lose rocks and running water. Although the track is wide there is no scope to walk two abreast; conversation is impossible. The track rises as it runs above the River Affric and is crossed by the occasional stream, easily forded at this stage of the walk. Later, when the path returns to run alongside the river, the streams in spate have widened and the five or so fords marked on the map are perilous opportunities to get a good soaking.
We met the occupants of Strawberry Cottage here, a young family who sensibly turned back rather than risk falling into three feet of freezing water. They were the only people we saw on our journey along the AKW. They very kindly invited us back to Strawberry Cottage if we got into difficulty. There were moments later when I wished we’d accepted.
It was after 3.00 pm when we arrived at the closed Alltbeithe Youth Hostel but stopped for a quick snack and to check out the one room left open for emergency shelter. Six iron bunks in a single room in an annex offered a tempting alternative to the onward slog to Camban. Ali guessed that the wooden walls would offer shelter from the wind but would offer little protection from the cold. With less than an hour of daylight left we checked the directions for Camban bothy posted on the side of the youth hostel. We should have paid closer attention, checked maps and taken a bearing but we hurried on. As we set off we saw one more AKW signpost pointing down the only track available to us. As we crossed the Allt Gleann Gniomhaidh the path disappeared and we struggled for 20 minutes through featureless bog. And then the rain turned horizontal, the wind whipped up and the daylight all but disappeared. We made our way back to Alltbeithe, tired hungry and scared.
Ali and I will be eternally grateful to the YHA for that open room. We both had the most uncomfortable night of our lives. Ice formed inside the windows of the bare room. We left untouched the gin and beers kindly provided by a previous visitor. And, once fed on pasta and tomato sauce, the bare bed frames offered little temptation to fall asleep even if the cold had allowed it. My thermal bag made me or my sleeping bag wet but little warmer and the wind howled around us through the night. My wakefullness was compounded by fears of being snowed in, Ali’s by my snoring and mine again by his headphones as he tried to block out the din I was making. But we had shelter.
We couldn’t wait for the morning to come and abandoned efforts to sleep by 6.00 am. Ali’s porridge with dried fruit, granola and dried milk revived us and we emerged from our shelter to find a fresh layer of snow around us. The wind had dropped and we were able to set out again, this time with maps consulted and bearings agreed. We quickly found the very distinct path we had missed the night before - evidence perhaps that navigation skills are inversely proportionate to tiredness, hunger and haste.
As we walked we were watched. Within half a mile of the youth hostel we were among a sizeable herd of red deer who kept an eye on us as we approached. They moved on, but only at our pace, and a number of stags seemed to take up look out positions to trace our progress. The deer stayed with us for most of the way to the Camban bothy, reached after an hour and a half of easy walking. The experience of finding ourselves among these creatures and the early morning stillness quickly removed our anxieties of the night before. We stopped to feed at the bothy where we found the remains of fires but no fuel that we could have used. Its a moot point whether the thicker walls would have kept us warmer than our shelter at Altbeithe but the beds here looked much more inviting. We will have to postpone the pleasures of sleeping here (or trying to) until the next time.
After Camban the track dwindles to a path and again divides. There is no signpost to keep you straight but we stuck to the right path, avoiding the track which follows the course of the Allt Cam-ban. Although the map shows the path contouring above the Allt a’ Bhuic there is some climbing before the path swings round to a more northerly direction. It was at this point that the wind and snow hit us again, heavy enough to raise fears that the path might quickly disappear with a good downfall. With steep slopes plunging down to the Allt Grannda below, this would not be a comfortable place to be caught in a white out.
Fortunately the snow petered out and we had time to enjoy the spectacular landscape, ghostly mountains lost in snow and stunning waterfalls.
[Kintail hills disappearing in snow by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
[Dramatic plunge into Allt Grannda by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
By the time we reached Glenlicht House and started to follow the farm track to Morvich it felt like the walk was all but over. Sun shone on the snow capped peaks before us but our journey was almost at an end. In fact, we still had to find a way of travelling the 63 miles back to Cannich and the car. We got to Morvich by 3.00 pm, walked on to the A87, looked for a bus stop and stuck out our thumbs hopefully. Hats off to Mike and Ian, bankers from London on a weekend climbing expedition. They picked us up at Shiel Bridge and, despite heading for Inverness to return their hire car, they drove us to our doorstep in Cannich, a 24 mile detour for them. Despite bankers bad rep they could not have been kinder. We’re grateful to them.
[The end of the walk by Neil Trotter, on Flickr]
So we ended our expedition where we started and slept in the supreme comfort (relative to the previous night) of a camping pod. Matt seemed mildly surprised that we had completed our planned walk and so were we. As we drove back south the whole of the north of Scotland seemed covered in snow. It could not have been more beautiful - and treacherous. The car in front of us breaked hard as the car in front of it slewed across the road beside Loch Laggan and hit an oncoming vehicle. I too hit the breaks - and locked them as I steered our car into the verge between the tail of the people carrier in front and a snow pole to the side. We came to halt inches away from their bumper. Both drivers were hurt but not, it seems, seriously. All in all it was a weekend of near misses.
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ntrotter61
- Activity: Mountaineer
- Munros: 5
- Corbetts: 2
- Long Distance routes: Affric Kintail Way
- Filter reports
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 49.75 km
- Ascent: 600m
- Joined: Sep 12, 2014
- Last visited: Dec 03, 2023
- Total posts: 1 | Search posts