Will you be camping or will you plan on using a mix of bothies and commercial accommodation? No camping is necessary as we use the support van to transfer you to accommodation at the end of the day. Don’t forget the Harvey CWT map set for route planning. The paths are fainter (if they exist at all) and the terrain unforgiving. The Cape Wrath Trail is the expedition of a lifetime, traversing 200 miles of Scotland's wildest and most beautiful country. using a map and compass. His primary interest is ultrapacking - long distance, fast multi-day self supported trips, including the Cape Wrath Trail - you can see more about how he took it on twice - in 2015 and 2016 on his blog. When planning to walk the Cape Wrath Trail you will quickly learn that information is scarce and a lot of pre-trip research is needed. The Cape Wrath Trail is a 230 mile, 3-week challenge through wild and magnificent landscapes, such as Morar, Knoydart, Torridon and Assynt. Stretching approximately 230 miles (370 km) from the Highland hub of Fort William to the remote lighthouse of Cape Wrath, it is an unmarked and sometimes trailless route that passes through the wild and spectacular landscapes of northwestern Scotland. Instead of taking yet another bus all the way to Cape Wrath, we walked about 8km along a dirt road through MOD territory to Kearvaig bothy, which is an absolutely lovely place to start your journey and is located about 3km before the official start of the Cape Wrath Trail. Cam Honan’s Cape Wrath Trail backpacking guide. Walkhighlands features a comprehensive guide to the route. The WalkHighlands website also has GPX files of different Cape Wrath routes and side trips that I’ve uploaded to ViewRanger. I read a few guidebooks about the Cape Wrath Trail that present different route options and poured over OS maps (the UK equivalent of USGS maps), both The Cape Wrath Ultra® is Scotland’s finest multi-stage ultra running event. If you're planning to make the trek, here's what you have to look forward to. On the web, it’s hard to beat this excellent online guide from our friends at WalkHighlands. Should you just make your own route? The general idea is to make your way from Fort William to Cape Wrath at the farthest NW corner of the UK. I'd read tons of trail descriptions and copied multiple ones to my kindle. And if not, you can simply salivate over all the wonderful, wild, completely free places to rest your head in Scotland. Cape Wrath Trail photo album. The Cape Wrath Trail is a long distance walk (approx. Cape Wrath Trail is a hiking route that runs through the Scottish Highlands and along the west coast of Scotland. When it comes to awe-inspiring long-distance walks across the British Isles, there are only a handful with the sort of Odyssean pull as the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland. The route can be walked in groups or solo, though it is most commonly done in pairs. Will you be hunkering down every time the weather turns? Walkhighlands features a comprehensive guide to the route. It takes place annually in Luke Waterson specialises in writing about outdoor … If you are unsure about the route, just plan your first section and you can always come back to it. How much food you will be able to carry and will you be sending resupply boxes. The Cape Wrath Trail (Walkhighlands) The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial, unmarked and magnificently wild long distance route from Fort William to Cape Wrath in Scotland. Cape Wrath Trail Trail Running route in Fort William , Highland , Scotland , United Kingdom Leave a Review Unlike some other, better known and organised trails, the CWT is best enjoyed when you are actually out there, coming to terms with the weather and seeing the landscape. Our Cape Wrath Trail is the most demanding and remote trek we offer! The real challenge with the CWT is that it crosses the Scottish Highlands: one of the last wild areas in the British Isles. The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest hiking route in the United Kingdom. Lastly, the Cape Wrath Trail crosses the Scottish Highlands and as such has three major challenges: the weather, the fact that it is so remote and rarely travelled, and the critters (midges and ticks). The Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) has a deceiving name: it is actually not a trail, but a route, running the length of the Scottish Highlands between Fort William in the south and Cape Wrath in the north. Day 2: Kearvaig Bothy - … With the right planning, training and a huge amount of commitment, it is also doable and enjoyable as a trip of a lifetime. Located in Scotland, it runs from Fort William, through the Highlands and Western Scotland, to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, the northwestern-most point of Scotland. I kept a daily log on the walk and in the months that followed I expanded this into a … They will also help prepare you for the CWT, and your ability to handle the first and last of the three big challenges. The CWT offers some of the most magnificent landscapes and views I have found in the British Isles, but to gain access to them you must endure wet and demanding underfoot conditions, rapidly changing weather, exposure to the elements and a vast emptiness that is rare to find the UK anymore. WalkHighlands has excellent information, forums, gpx data, and mapping tools for all of Scotland. We offer you the luxury of having your accommodation arranged for you, your bags moved, walking in a group with a qualified guide and support van at all times, so you can skip parts of the trail if you get tired. The CWT can still be walked in any way you would like, but has, in general, roughly followed the route suggested by Denis Brook and Phil Hinchliffe since they proposed it in 1999. Description: A 15/16-stage unmarked (!!!) Over the years since, several guides have been written and a number of suggested variations of the walk itself have been introduced. This trail should only be undertaken by experienced walkers who have honed their walking, navigation and outdoors skills by now and are very comfortable with being outdoors in harsh conditions. Please consider subscribing to my channel it's free and really helps me out, thank you! Walkhighlands features a comprehensive guide to the route. The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial, unmarked and magnificently wild long distance route from Fort William to Cape Wrath in Scotland. To what extent will you allow the weather to decide your activity level? We were delighted to support Beth Pascall and Damian Hall's self-supported winter fastest known time (FKT) attempt on the Cape Wrath Trail in December 2019. Gilad Nachmani is the creator of the Outdoor Father blog, a guide for people who want to make the most of their limited time with some epic adventures. The route is unmarked and there is no official line. Use the offer code 'os' to save 25%. Personally, with the GPX waypoints from WalkHighlands imported into OsmAnd on my phone and Iain Harper’s excellent guidebook Walking the Cape Wrath Trail I found navigation straightforward. If you have no past experience hiking in Scotland it is recommended to try a couple of easier trails such as the West Highland Way or the Affric Kintail Way; both are easier to walk, less demanding and are well marked. Covering 330km (205 miles), the Cape Wrath Trail twists over Britain’s wild northwest from Fort William to Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of the British mainland. Cape to Cape : a 1,250-mile backpacking walk from Cornwall to Cape Wrath in Scotland (Vertebrate - 2018 ) General Interest Book A walk through the Highlands of Scotland : discovering the Cape Wrath Trail (AuthorHouse - 2006 ) The Cape Wrath Trail It came to prominence in the mid-1990s due to various publications, but there is no one recognised path, and it certainly isn’t waymarked like, for example, the Pennine Way. hard (!!) The book. As much as the CWT is a long distance walk, it is not a trail you take to with a few maps and a guide book; it requires careful planning - from the walking route to food carrying to missing gear. He has recently written an e-book to help others plan and complete this challenge. The CWT is, mostly, a non-technical walking route that includes no high peaks and only has short and simple trackless sections that require navigational skills. Cape Wrath / ˈ r æ θ / (Scottish Gaelic: Am Parbh, known as An Carbh in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland.It is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. You might find WalkHighlands, the Cape Wrath Trail Guide and Trail Journals useful resources. Cape Wrath Trail is a hiking route that runs through the Scottish Highlands and along the west coast of Scotland.. It would be easier but quite expensive to purchase the OS maps themselves. The ever changing route crosses Lochaber, Knoydart, Applecross, Torridon, vast parts of Wester Ross, Assynt and Sutherland - all areas of great beauty and majestic peaks. Walking | Cape Wrath Trail: A'Chuil to Barrisdale Bay | Summary:This stage crosses the appropriately named 'Rough Bounds of Knoydart'. The CWT is not a trail on which to learn those much needed outdoors skills and it is not a trail to take friends or relatives who would like to get a taste of the outdoors on - they might never try again. The Cape Wrath Trail is regarded as the toughest long-distance route in Britain and offers unparalleled freedom and adventure to the experienced and self-sufficient backpacker prepared to walk for many days in remote wilderness. Crossing such empty country, it is for the experienced backpacker only. Starting in Fort William and finishing at Cape Wrath, the 400km, 8-day journey winds through the world's most inspirational landscapes including Knoydart, Kintail, Torridon, Assynt, and Sutherland. OS GetOutside Champion Cat Webster takes us on a two-day bothy adventure, taking in two Munros along the way. Dry shelter and wet company. while scree and scrambling make this a trail only for the nimble and … It typically takes between two and three weeks to walk. Starting on Thursday 6 th May from Banavie station Fort William and reaching Cape Wrath late morning on Tuesday 18 th May. #GetOutside Champion, Stef Jackson-Horner, knew that a big white wedding wasn't for her and her fiancé; what they wanted was a walking wedding. So, like many long-distance hikers – and my heart breaks for those who’ve had to cancel their TGO Challenge, Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail plans – I have had to wrestle with my trek’s viability. 390km) from Fort William to the northwesternmost point of mainland Britain, Cape Wrath. © Ordnance Survey document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); / Privacy Policy. Outdoors Father’s Cape Wrath Trail guide is worth a look too. At the end of a long and (truthfully) somewhat boring walk along Loch Eil’s southern shore, I finally reached a point where I could leave the asphalted road behind and start heading north along a … Some sections of the trail are very demanding and a good level of fitness is needed, especially when a heavy pack is added to the equation. It is a long distance trail that covers 200-250 miles (320-400 km) and can be walked in one go over 10-30 days (or run in 8 days...), but it can also be a great section hike, being done in stages over long weekends, coming back to meet the trail at various times. Since 1984 CNDO Scotland has been providing walkers the best in Guided Tours across Scotland offering thousands of walkers from all over the world the chance to experience the Highlands and Islands including Skye, the Outer Hebrides, Shetland and The Cape Wrath Trail. I was planning on completing the West Highland Way, which I did, and then hoped to do parts of the extremely difficult Cape Wrath Trail. The Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) is an unofficial, unmarked long-distance route between Fort William and Cape Wrath, the farthest NW point in mainland Britain. The Cape Wrath Trail is often referred to as Britain’s toughest long distance walk. I walked the Cape Wrath Trail in the summer of 2017. Now I’m a freelance, I can (kind of) afford to allow myself time to complete the Trail in my own time, at a pace that suits the conditions and my own fitness. One of the toughest (and also most spectacular) long distance walks is the Cape Wrath Trail in the Scottish Highlands. A guidebook to the Cape Wrath Trail, a long-distance trek through the Scottish Highlands from Fort William to Cape Wrath. This is my Cape Wrath Trail, which I walked alone and unsupported in 2004. The route leads you across most of the north west coast of Scotland via Morar, Knoydart, Torridon and Assynt, winding through its most beautiful glens and mountains. see more about how he took it on twice - in 2015 and 2016 on his blog. Cicerone Press Walking the Cape Wrath Trail, by Iain Harper. The CWT is not a new concept, but it was first named and suggested by David Paterson in a 1996 book about the route. Most sections have at least one climb over a bealach that can be very challenging, especially if there is snow present. Our favorite bothies along the Cape Wrath Trail, from the cozy to the absolutely epic. The CWT is an incredible route – beautiful, tough and truly unique. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Find out how the big day went and how you go about preparing for such an event in the British outdoors! I got lost once, for an hour or so in Gleann Dubh on the way to Inchnadamph, but that was because I was in a hurry and had neglected to study the map in Harper’s book carefully enough. The route is roughly 230 miles, and it took me 15 days to walk it north to south. At 17:31 on Thursday 13th December 2019, the pair reached Cape Wrath and thereby set a new winter FKT of 4 days, 9 hours, 43 minutes. Sign up to receive the very best of OS and its group of companies, straight to you by email. Pack light. The Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) has a deceiving name: it is actually not a trail, but a route, running the length of the Scottish Highlands between Fort William in the south and Cape Wrath in the north. The Cape Wrath Trail is often referred to as Britain’s toughest long distance trail, and is an unofficial route through some of the most spectacularly wild parts of Scotland. You can find Gilad on his website, on Twitter as @OutdoorsFather or on Facebook. Join us on a fun and friendly trek on Scotland's most challenging long distance trail. You should be comfortable with long days on the hills, exposed to the elements and with very little shelter. It is approximately 200 miles in length and is considered to be one of the most challenging long distance walks in the UK. It is approximately 200 miles in length and is considered to be one of the most challenging long distance walks in the UK. Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate Our Cape Wrath Trail is the most demanding and remote trek we offer! Many describe the CWT as the hardest (or toughest) route in the UK, but I think it is not the route that makes it hard - it is the setting it is in. The Cape Wrath Trail is one of the world's finest long distance walks. It’s a good step up from waymarked trails such as the West Highland Way and Pennine Way – although both routes make good initial training for the CWT. The Great North Trail links the Pennine Bridleway with the northern tips of mainland Scotland, through some of Britain’s most stunning upland areas and four National Parks. The real challenge with the CWT is that it crosses the Scottish Highlands: one of the last wild areas in the British Isles. Gilad Nachmani has advice for anyone planning on taking on the last British wilderness. There are also many decision to be made before even leaving that are beyond the standard long trail decisions, such as: All of these are very important decisions that are taken long before travel planning or gear updates begin; these are decisions that should be taken in the idea stage. So whether it’s for an epic long-distance challenge, a weekend away, or a fantastic day out, get out there and have an adventure. We offer you the luxury of having your accommodation arranged for you, your bags moved, walking in a group with a qualified guide and support van at all times, so you can skip parts of the trail if you get tired. The Glenfinnan Viaduct, the first landmark along the Cape Wrath Trail. The CWT is one of those routes that become part of a bucket list or a "one day" kind of adventure - don't let this happen. For a chance to meet like-minded people and form new friendships, select CNDO and find the great outdoors. The Cape Wrath Trail does not offer hikers the luxury of certainty: flexibility is a critical part of the trailblazer’s mountain kit. Which route variation to take? The Cape Wrath Trail (Walkhighlands) The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial, unmarked and magnificently wild long distance route from Fort William to Cape Wrath in Scotland. CNDO Guides and back up teams provide our small walking groups professional support with an added element of humour while always maintaining informative historic and geographic descriptions en-route. The idea was to hike up from Glenfinnan to Morvich and then take a bus to Portree through Kyle of Lochalsh. A comprehensive guide to the Cape Wrath Trail, one of the most challenging long distance walks in the UK, published by Cicerone and now in a fully updated Second Edition. In 2020 I also walked a major part of it south to north on my Dover to Cape Wrath walk.. Nonetheless, the scenery is beautiful and there are plenty of options for breaking up the journey, including a night at the idyllically-located Sourlies bothy. Guidebooks: Cicerone Press North to the Cape, by Phil Hinchcliffe. Join us on a fun and friendly trek on Scotland's most challenging long distance trail. 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