Out Fur a Walk: Knoydart

Knoydart 14-8-08

Knoydart a remote piece of Scotland on the west coast with no roads to it. The only way to get there is by boat, helicopter or walk.

The black square is where I would be going and the little tent is where I camped.

The red flags are the Munros I have still to climb. Blue dots the ones I have climbed.

Day One.

I had been wanting to go to Knoydart for a while but just never got round to it. Itchy feet got the better of me and I had taken holidays this week. Usual weather for holidays, yep raining. Had been checking the weather forecast, BBC in those days to see how it would pan out. A nice day coming in Thursday of this week on the long range forecast. Where to go - Skye or Knoydart? eeny meeny miney mo. Knoydart it would be then. Supplies needed so a trip to Tiso in Aberdeen to get camp food then. There were two types - wet and dry, sounds like sandpaper. The wet ready meal Wayfayrer foods is a boil in the bag job. Had them on my Fisher Field 6 blog with spider on the side if you have read it and the dried power meals in the bag. Bloke in Tiso said he had had them and they were ok, Hmm? More about that later. I decided on the dry as it would be lighter and I was thinking light is best - or is it? Anyway I bought 2 supposedly delicious powdered meals. It's a bit of a job knowing what to take. Oh and I bought a £166 jacket in the sale too. North Face high vent that will be good on a summer day. Well I needed a new jacket. Spent 1/2an hour deciding which jacket to buy 30 seconds on the food. There was money off the High Vent so being a canny Scot, I love a bargain. What else to take food wise was another problem. Remember the frozen pies from the last blog, well that had worked out ok so I would take them this trip and the old fall back cup 'a' soup. Alpen for breakfast and a 2ltr papous for carrying water with a 1/2 ltr plastic bottle to fetch water and a few other things. It would only be a two day walk I was reckoning. I never was good at estimating walk times. The old tent with a proper sleeping bag this time and not that 7 oz useless one I took on the long walk. Iodine water sterilising kit now banned by those *******ots in Brussels. Messy stuff Iodine, more about that later.

So I was all set to go. My rucksack would be heavy. Avon Skin So Soft was around now so I would take that as a midge repellent and the rest of the camping gear, stove etc.Weather window for Thursday 14-8-08. Excited when I heard the forecast Wednesday. I would leave for Knoydart 5am on the Thursday. I was off, 5am heading for the Lecht over to Aviemore and the Fort William road to Spean Bridge. Turning north on the Inverness road past the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge and onto Invergarry and a left turn on the Skye road, it was tempting to carried onto Skye! its just over 8km to the left turn off for Kinloch Hourn and the walking path to Knoydart. Something like 30km to Kinloch Hourn along this narrow road. I had never been along this road before but I will be back some day as there are a pile of Munros along here. Nothing too interesting till you come on the dam at the east end of Loch Quoich - it's impressive. As you come on it you are level with the bottom of the dam and the road climbs up the north side till you are level with the top of it. Sorry no photo of it. I am sure there will be one on Flicker somewhere if you do a search. About 5km or so past the dam you come on a very long single track bridge, good place to play chicken with the other cars.

Here is a photo of it I took when Graham and I walked The South Glensheil ridge to the north of Loch Quoich. A couple of Munros can be accessed from around the bridge. I stopped along the loch a bit to take a few photos with my trusty phone which I now had. Another weight saving over film camera. Not as good photos though.

Looking east

Looking west Loch Quoich

Knoydart that a way.

About 7km to Kinloch Hourn from here and a very interesting narrow road down to Kinloch Hourn. Its like a bob sleigh track without the snow in summer. Could be a sod in the winter I imagine You either have a 2 foot high wall or big rocks alongside the road on both sides and it twists and turns all the way down to the loch. On reaching the bottom I found the car parks. Short stay and long stay, Long stay it would be then. Wandered over to the B&B to find the owner to pay for car park. It did not cost much then £2.50 something like that but the bloke seemed surprise that I was only going to be one night, "Most folk book two nights" he told me. Hmm it's not that big a walk is it? Paid the man and got to use his facilities. Went back to the car and sorted out my kit to go. A nice warm day today. I thought I'd put on my new "high vent" jacket so I don't have the extra weight in my rucksack which was pretty heavy anyway.

The start.

Looking back to the car park and B&B at the end of Loch Hourn.

Knoydart this way. As you will see on the photos it was 11.52 am

Lovely tarred road I wander how far this goes? Well do you see that jutting out rock just ahead that's how far it goes. Foot path from there. I did not keep the jacket on for long too damn hot -great more weight in the rucksack. Plod mode now, as you round the corner it's quite a narrow path beside the loch, just a couple of feet up from it. A nice sunny day and the damn midge were at it now, a bath in Avon skin so soft kept them at bay for a bit but as it was so hot you sweat a lot and that kind of washes it off. A few walkers around and folk in their boats coming down the loch.

The boats seemed to be taking a funny route and going very slow too. As I walked along the path one of the boats came sailing by, looked like where I should have been sitting on - a nice slow boat to Knoydart. But oh well I'd just have to walk.

A few walkers around as I walked along. The lads in the photo had walked over from Glen Sheil somewhere. How they carried enough food I don't know. The papous I had my water in had a lovely taste to it "(not)" - iodine, nothing for it but to put up with it. It's handy having a tube to suck the water out you can bring to the front so you don't have to take off the rucksack for a drink. But I never seem to be able to get enough water out of them.

As I walked along surrounded by midge another little boat came down the loch.

Path had got closer to the loch again and I got a better photo.

The path ahead.

Getting a bit peckish now decided to stop for a brew and a snack. I had come on this burn coming down off the hills and there was a wee island in the middle. A nice place for a snack, jumped over onto the little island and got the stove out to brew up and I had taken sandwidges to eat, they would not last long. To my surprise there were no midge here must have been the running water coming round both sides of me, brill a rest from the little buggers. After my lunch I jumped back over to the track as there was a bridge just up a bit to get across the burn. I met a couple of walkers who were getting eaten by the midge, a young woman and a bloke. Not sure where they came from Germany possibly, anyway I introduced them to Avon Skin so soft as they had not taken any repellent and were suffering for it. Tee shirts and hungry female midge don't go. The girl was very happy now but I don't know for how long. Do you see that big lump ahead in the previous photo at the left hand side of the loch? Well the path climbs over it off to the left. The path was quite rutted on this bit with a couple of burns to get across and the first real up so far. The German couple and myself had been passing each other now and again as we went along the path.

I saw a big bird flying quite high above the loch but I was not sure if it was an Golden eagle or not. As I only had my phone to take photos it would not zoom in.

Not long after this I got to the high point on the path and started back down towards the loch again.

A few walkers just ahead of me. Pretty big stones down through here, but at least it was down hill. Quite over grown now on the path. The rucksack was damn heavy, stopped a few times to take the weight off. As you get to the bottom of this bit you are about 1/2 way to Barisdale from Kinloch Hourn and Runival comes into sight. The Germans disappeared around here think they went to Runival.

Runival.

The path got interesting after here as it sort of disappeared into the undergrowth.

Pub quiz - can you spot the path? It's straight ahead through the middle of the photo. A bit of up and down on the path now, sun still shining and midge still at it too. Not sure how many times I clarted myself in Skin so soft.

The path improved after here and stayed quite close to the loch, just me about now everybody else had gone somewhere else.

Looking back along the loch to the east.

It took me 2 hours to walk from Runival to Barisdale about 4km, pretty slow. Probably due to the heavy pack and the sun beating down. Never was a fast hill walker.

Barrisdale and my first sight of one of the Munros I would hope to climb Ladhar Bheinn. A very impressive hill.

When I saw this I wondered how I would get up. There are a few routes up it. Beach ahead - yes a beach with a sign saying no camping on the beach. Must have been worried a big wave washed you away or something - not really there is a campsite just along a bit and a few buildings. Some you can rent to stay in but don't forget the milk if you do as it's a hell of a hike to the nearest shop. I don't even know where the nearest shop would be.

Had a walk down on the beach as you do, soft sand nice under the feet. Had better boots now with harder soles than I did on the long walk.

Barrisdale Beach

A wee bit stony. Carried on along the path and met the local gamekeeper I assume, on his ATV said hello did not chat. He lived here in a house just up from the beach. Then I came on the campsite, a goat would be handy here as the grass in the campsite was about 3 foot high. Only one tent here. Thought about pitching the tent here but as it was about 4pm what would I do till sleeping time? So I kept walking. Just after Barrisdale I met two guys who had been up Ladhar Bheinn and did not have very much kit with them. They told me they had come over from Arnisdal on Bill the Boats ferry and he would be waiting at the jetty, oops forgot to tell you about that, more on day two. Bill the boat sounds like a good idea to me. The two lads gave me his phone number which I put into my mobile. "Phone early before 8am as once he's on the loch you won't get him". The two lads shouted back to me as they set off for the jetty to meet Bill the Boat. There are a couple of buildings futher along at Ambraigh one of them is a bothy you can stay in or at least it was then. There was a wooden bridge over the river before you come to Ambraigh, handy. You could easily bike this track as it was quite wide for the ATV and trailer I suppose. Nice and flat for a bit more and its all up from here being sea level over 3,000 feet to the tops and there are 3 up this path. Climbed up the track for a while, slowly of course up Mam Bairrsdale.

Decided to stop and fill up with water at a stream I came on. This would involve iodine and a second part which was a neutraliser. The only time I have had so much iodine staining on my hand since is when they removed 4 bones out of my wrist as the German surgeon was iodine happy. What a mess and a right sod to get off, at least I was sterilised. Wet ones to the rescue. The top of the iodine bottle had been loose, good job I had it in a plastic bag in a container. However I did manage to get water in to my papoose tasted even worse now but what can you do in the middle of Knoydart? A fair few sheep about here so you could have sheep tea if you liked. Onward and upward the path. Climbed up to around 400m and decided to have something to eat and a brew. Little burn 30 foot or so off the path so I nipped down to it to get water for the tea and my freeze dried ready meal. That bloke in Tiso told me these meals were edible. OMG 10 packets of cup a soup in a big bag with bits innit - no that's a insult to cup a soup, just add hot water and stir and you end up with a version of cup a soup you could use to stick dentures with. That got spat out quick. I was like a little kid when they don't like food, mouth wide open trying to heave it out as quick as possible. "yuck" to make matters worse I had two of the damn things. Never mind I had my tried and tested frozen pies. Unearthed them out of the rucksack and opened the container. Now remember it was a very hot day and I had had the rucksack on and off a fair few times. The pastry was mush and the filling, 18% meat in a Scotch pie, no one has been brave enough to ask what the other 82% is as far as I know we just eat them and not worry about it, the so called meat was disgusting a sort of grey mass like something out of an episode of Dr Who. 50 % of my food inedible now, oh well just have a cup a soup and a biscuit. Undeterred I carried on up the path to the belach at 450m and the sort of centre of the Munros. What to do carry on up the path and hope I get 1/2 way to Meal Buidhe the farthest away Munro or pitch the tent here on the bealch. It would have been around 7pm now and dark around 9 in August. I did not think I would have time to get 1/2 way over and I was quite tired so I decided to camp here for the night. Found a spot with a couple of mounds each side for shelter incase the wind got up in the night and pitched the tent with a midge entourage of course.

Camp site at NG 856 017

Couple of hours to dark took a few photos of the surrounding hills and played dodge the midge, they had formed into little clouds around the belach and did not seem to be moving from their spot. Of course there was one right in front of the tent waiting for their bed time snack - not if I can help it!

Ladhar Bheinn off to the west would be Munro No3 tomorrow.

Meall Buidhe would be Munro No2 tomorrow.

Munro No1 would be Luinne Bheinn tomorrow. I messed about taking photos waiting for the sun to set there were some good views all around as it had been a nice day.

The view to the north from my campsite at 7.56pm, Mount pointy look Graham from the south.

The view to the south from campsite 7.45pm and the sun beginning to set.

Not much to do but take in the views till sunset.

Sun going down in the west. Dived into the tent as quick as I could to get past the midge. Then played the favourite game of highland campers swat the midge that managed to get into the tent. This game usually goes on a while.

Darkness fell and I got myself into the sleeping bag in the PJ's, my wee bit of luxury. Nice to get out of the clothes I had on all day. I was pretty hot from my hard days walk and it took me a while to get cooled down. A tad windy through the night, no - not that kind of wind actual wind outside. The tent canvas was ruffling most of the night so I slept on and off through the night.

Day two.

Woke up about 5am and had an appointment outside. Opened the tent zip to find 20 foot visibility outside - great. The mist had come down in the night and it had been raining too. Appointment completed went back into my tent and jumped back into sleeping bag. Tried to kip but as usual once I am awake that's me awake all day. Did not take a book or anything to read with me. Listen to all the music on my phone including all the ring tones to pass the time. Found a game on it but the little screen was not great to see. Looked out at 6am and it had cleared, yahoo. Time to get up and have the breakfast. No catastrophes here Alpen with powdered milk made with cold water this time. I decided to leave the tent up with all the stuff I would not need in it, sleeping bag etc as I would be coming back this way. Left a note just in case someone thought the tent was a lost persons. Did not know if that was a good idea or not. As it would let tea leaf's know as well. A bit wet so I had the jacket and gators on when I set off east up the path to Luinne Bheinn, a real bog trot now and quite steep.

There were old iron fence posts sticking out of the rocks and the path followed them. That's not the top you see in the distance in the photo if I remember right. The button for the camera on the phone stopped working after this photo due to the wet. What I did not know at the time was that the centre button also made the phone camera work too. Which was a bit annoying as I came on some impressive stags further up the path. Rucksack was a good bit lighter with out the tent and it made the plod through the mud easier. Onward and upward to the 600m contour and turned east for the steep climb to the top of Luinne Bheinn. I had thought about dumping the rucksack here to make it easer to climb but I was in the habit of taking a picture of my rucksack at the summits in those days. So I took it hoping the camera would start working again. Steep climb up through this bit. I got a text at 850m up, well darn me I have a phone signal. Phoned home as you do to let them know I was ok and had a bright idea. Phone Bill the boat and see if I could get his boat out after I bag these 3 Munros.

I could almost see the top at 939m about 100m up and along a bit.

Well Bill answered the phone and I asked about a trip to Kinloch Hourn from Barisdale. Yes he could take me but he would need £35 for the trip. I looked in my wallet £30 in it. "Sorry I don't have enough cash with me" I replied. He had asked where I was and I had told him "just shy off the top on Luinne Bheinn". After a bit of humming and heying on Bills part he came away with. Now don't repeat this to a soul. I am picking up some cyclists at Kinloch Hourn around 11pm and if you can make it down to the jetty for 10am I'll take you for a tenner. A bit of a debate between us, me asking for a bit more time so I could bag this Munro, but nope he had an appointment to keep. "Ok" I said. Bill would wait 20 min or so to see if I turned up or not before he carried on down the loch. Bugger have I time to get to the top or not. Thought about it but the main decider was the camera not working and I had a fair old hike down to the jetty. The rain came on as I made my way back down through the mud heading for the tent. I went as fast as I safely could down the hillside in the rain.

About 2km back to the tent and another 5km down to the jetty at Barisdale. Must have started down about 8.10am with 7km to go. This would take a bit of doing. The deer were still there as I made my way down and it was getting slippier now with the rain and a very rutted path. When I got to the tent I still had to pack up every thing and take the tent down and then the rain came on heavier so I went to put on my waterproof trousers which had full length zips up each trouser leg. The first zip burst as I was pulling it up but I still had the pop fasteners to keep them shut - well sort of shut. Well blow me did the other side not do the same both zips buggered, I hadn't time to worry about it though. Took the tent down in 5 minutes flat and set off for Barisdale with my hood up as it was raining even heavier now. Middle of summer in Knoydart not that cold and me in my new winter jacket, yes it turned out to be the best winter jacket I have had. Opened the pit zips to try to cool down a bit. It worked a bit, not much though. The cloud came down over the hill I had just been nearly up. So I was not too disappointed as the rest of the day would have been spent in the rain and cloud if I had carried on. I met a bloke just down from the campsite, who had stayed in the bothy the night. He had come up for a look see but I am not sure how much further up the hill he went.

Best description of Knoydart, wet, wet, wet and not the pop group.

Still raining and me hot and bothered in my winter jacket and having to keep shutting the poppers on my waterproof trousers as I descended down the track. But I was making good time.

Where I had to get to at the end of the beach in the distance. Took this photo on the way up.

Bairrsdale beach from Beinn Segritheall 7.5km away at 15x zoom. The jetty is just out of shot on the leftside of the photo.

Got down onto the flat and over the wooden bridge to the campsite, where a bloke emerged from a tent and went into the building, I assumed there were toilet and wash facilities for the campsite in there. Did not chat just said hello as you do and pushed on for the jetty. Got to the jetty about 9.45am and no boat. Rain had stopped and a few of my wee pals were out to snack again. Put the kettle on the stove for a cuppa and as it was boiling Bill's boat came into the jetty and up onto the beach. Bill came over and said "You got here in good time". I replied. "I was on a mission". I was going to stop brewing up but he said we had a bit of time so carry on, so I did. Presented him with the other dry food bag which I did not open to give to some poor soul who was starving and they would have to be to eat that cr-p. Bill said he had eaten them in the past. How unlucky could he get. After my cup of tea and an Alpen bar I had been saving we jumped into the boat.

Life jacket on I sat down with some water splashing around the bottom of boat. We set off down the loch like a whippet this boat had a powerful outboard motor on the back. I don't know if it was the wind from the speed or the relief of not having to walk all the way back to Kinloch Hourn through the soaking wet undergrowth but it brought a tear to my eye - must have been the wind? We rattled down the loch having a conversation at shouting level due to the outboard motor and in no time we were approaching Kinloch Hourn. Now if you remember yesterday the boats were going slow and taking a funny path. Well I found out why. As we approached Bill slowed right down to a snails pace and lifted the out board up so it was just in the water. A shallow channel was the problem, he had smashed a propeller here once before and was making damned sure it did not happen again.

I asked him what he would do if it did break and he produced a spare propeller out of a box which he could put on if the need arose. Took a 5 minutes or so to get to the pier at the road. I paid Bill and said cheerio and I walked along to the car. That boat ride was bliss compared to walking through the soaking wet undergrowth on the path.

Some bad news for you if you were thinking of hiring Bill and his boat. He has packed up now, not enough regular work and the high cost of petrol made it uneconomical for him.

The End of the Arnisdale ferry locally known as Bill the Boat.

The boat was lying just along from here on the shore for sale when we visited Arnisdale on 17/9/11, to bag Beinn Segritheall. See earlier Blog.

Back at the car the rain had stopped and I was wet but I had clean clothes in the car so I got all the kit off and into my dry clothes. Nothing for it now but to drive home around about a 150 mile drive. Quite stiff now from this mornings jaunt down to the jetty. As I was going up the bobsleigh run climbing out of Kinloch Hourn I met the cyclists that Bill had come to pick up. They were quite spread out and a there were a few of them too. Drove on past Loch Quoich and the chicken run bridge, a few walkers cars lying at the side of the road as I drove along. A bit hungry I decided to look for some where to get some lunch. I came on the Tomdoun Hotel and went in for lunch and a couple of beers. Alcohol free Becks as I was driving. Had a nice Steak and Ale pie for lunch - a proper meal.

Quite full after lunch I set off for home via Inverness just for a change and down the A96 to Alford.

Unpacked the car of all the wet gear which made the house look like a laundry hung over all sorts to get it dry. The tent was hung up out side - it took a couple of days before everything dried out.

I was not that disappointed at not bagging any Munros on the trip and it was good reconisance for the return.

I am hoping to return this year 2012 to Knoydart and have purchased a secret weapon to help me and who ever is with me, probably Graham and/or Brian but they will need their own cause there's no way two are getting into it. it's a Bivi bag, and for those who don't know what a Bivi bag is best description would be a body bag you can sleep in! It only weighs 600g and you just pull it out of your pack and jump in I got a Rab Accent and it has a built in midge net.