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Knoydart
Crossing - North to South A
three day backpack across one of EuropeÕs most beautiful mountain areas. Simon Willis goes North to South
across Knoydart. It was
meaningful and it came from the heart; ÒIf you like this place, want to keep
it as it is, then please, donÕt write an article about itÓ. The words were written on the cover
of the bothy book at Barrisdale, but that was more than fifteen years ago
when I first visited Knoydart. A
lot has changed since then. Now
Barrisdale is anything but secret, appearing in guidebooks, videos and
television programmes. ThereÕs a
drive to bring tourism to this rural community and some weekends you could
almost say the place was crowded.
However, it is possible to escape into the wild interior of Knoydart,
if you first understand what all those other people are doing and then do the
opposite. Most
walkers look for circular routes to end up back at the car where they
started. The more adventurous
attempt a through route, often ending along with everyone else in Inverie to
catch the boat back to Mallaig.
I was searching for something different, and plotted a three day route
which traverses the peninsular, North to South, visiting what I consider to
the best of Knoydart. A wild
Northern approach; the fabulous shoreline walk to Barrisdale; the idilic
beach location of Sourlies; stunning Glen Dessarry; and the long lonely
Gleann aÕ Chaorainn. ItÕs best
walked in the direction described here because the days gradually get easier
and the ascents are on good tracks.
Given a full week, this route would make the spine of an excellent
adventure from which side trips could be made to the summits of several
stunning mountains. Regular
busses head to the start point, a train station is waiting at the end, so
letÕs go. Day
1 Glen Shiel - Barrisdale
14ml/22km 3838ft/1170m of ascent If the
operator on the National Express phone line says busses donÕt stop before
Sheil Bridge, ignore him.
Skyeways mainly operate the Fort William to Skye route, and their
drivers have happily deposited me by the side of the road on several
occasions, stopping well before Achnagart Farm at the point where the main
road crosses the bridge over the Alt Mhalagan (GR971139). Other passengers wondered what was
wrong, why we were stopping in the middle of nowhere - was I getting off to
be sick? A few minutes later,
IÕd dragged my sack out of the luggage bay, and was stood alone on a busy
road, surrounded by some highly impressive company. The Five Sisters ridge
looms over the North side while the South Glen Shiel ridge looks equally
impenetrable, and yet there is a hint of weakness in the shape of two
(relatively recent) small green signs, erected by the Scottish Rights of Way
Society. Although this route
heads to neither destination, they point the way to a good stalkers track up
into Allt Coire Toiteil. The zig
zags up to the Bealach Duibh Leac are fairly indistinct at first, and itÕs
pretty hard to see the path until youÕre actually on it, but itÕs there and
it knows where itÕs going. With
a full sack this is a tough start and took me all of an hour and forty
minutes to reach the top, but this is the hardest climb of the three days, so
better to have done with it at the start. And anyway, I was walking through a piece of Scottish
history. According to my guide
book, Prince Charles Edward Stewart, in his wanderings of 1746, escaped
through the cordon of Hanovarian soliders just south of Kinloch Hourn and,
after hiding in Coire Sgoireadail, crossed this bealach from the opposite
direction in darkness to reach Glen Shiel and refuge at Achnagart. From the
fence post strewn ridge, I knew IÕd picked a good route. A vast panorama of peaks and wide,
wild valleys lay ahead, all Knoydart displayed for my pleasure and just a
little apprehension. I was
tempted to try contouring around the head of the valley, but itÕs not a good
idea - the ground is too broken and itÕs much quicker to loose height , cross
the valley floor, and then climb to the lip of the hanging valley on the
opposite side. ThereÕs no track
for this section, but one reappears at Loch Bealach Coire Sgoireadah, which
is followed almost all the way down to Kinloch Hourn. Just after passing a distinctive
tree, apparently growing out of sheer rock, look out for and then cross to a
second track that appears on the other side of the stream. In its lower stretches, this is
shared with an ugly grey water pipe as it drops through trees into the small
settlement. The walk
into Barrisdale along the edge of Loch Hourn is arguably the most beautiful
seven mile stretch of stalking track in Scotland. ItÕs certainly well used, leading to a popular campsite
and private bothy. Overnight
stays cost £2, while camping is just 50p, and for that you get use of the
bothy toilet, water and electricity.
A lot has been written about the relative merits and popularity of
this spot, to which I donÕt wish to add, except to say the couple who keep
the bothy in good condition told me the money isnÕt going into their pockets,
but is spent maintaining and improving facilities. Day
2 Barrisdale - Glen
Dessary 14ml/22km 2854ft/870m of ascent I felt like
Billy-no-mates in the morning.
Everyone else was setting off to climb Ladhar Bheinn or to trek over
to Inverie, while I steered off the main track to plod alone up the Gleann
Unndalain. This is an excellent
track, climbs gradually, is never too demanding, and within an hour and a
half IÕd reached the pass, ready to start whatÕs probably the trickiest
section of the whole hike. I
found it best to stay with the path at first, as it zig zaged down the
steepest section, but to avoid heading off East to Lochan nam Breac I had to
step over the edge and pick my way, slowly and carefully down to the valley
floor. Boulders were slippery,
the ground cut with hidden streams, and my trekking poles proved invaluable,
but it was worth the effort. The upper
reaches of the River Carnach are absolutely stunning, and quite out of
place. In a landscape dominated
by giant mountains, sweeping ridges and vast valleys, this is a miniature
oasis, a tiny sandy beach and small quiet pool sheltered from the world by a
sheer cliff. ItÕs a tempting
place to linger, but turn the corner and the world leaps back into true
Knoydart widescreen. I found it
fairly tough going down to the deserted, ruined settlement of Carnoch where a
rickety footbridge, erected in 1980, took me onto the flood plain and around
the corner to Sourlies bothy. I
was munching lunch four and a half hours after leaving Barrisdale, having
messed around for a good half hour taking photos and mistakenly wading across
the river because I thought the bridge had gone! If time
isnÕt pressing, Sourlies is wonderful place to stay, a highly desirable beach
front property and a relaxing place to hole up and watch oyster catchers pick
their way around the bay. ItÕs
also a great base from which to climb Sgur na Ciche or Meall Buidhe, but a
tent is absolutely essential because if this place is full there are no
alternatives. It might also
worth staying if the first part of todays route took longer than expected,
either through fatigue or bad weather, because although the climb to Lochan aÕ
Mham is straight forward, the path around the lochan and down into Glen
Dessary is indistinct and frequently floods. Despite thin, persistent rain, I made it across to AÕChuil
bothy in under four hours, but the bothy book in Souries shows the journey can
take some groups up to seven hours!
Day
3 AÕChuil - Corryhully
9ml/14km or Glenfinnan +3ml/+5km
1706ft/520m of ascent In midge
season, Glen Dessary is not a place to linger. Fortunately, thereÕs an easy start to the day, with a firm
land rover track leading through the forest towards Strathan. At a junction in the forest turn
right, away from Strathan, and continue contouring under Monadh Gorm, keeping
a eye open for a small track on the left, apparently made recently by a quad
bike, that dives into the trees, and down to a bridge across the River
Pean. There now begins a long
slog up Gleann aÕ Chaorainn and, quite honestly, I donÕt know the best way to
tackle this. I stayed with a
quad bike track as it wound its way up the South Eastern side of the valley,
only abandoning it when it veered off up the hill, and I stomped across
country from then on. At times I
glimpsed another track on the opposite bank of the river, but this is such a
wide glen, I couldnÕt be certain it was anything more than a intermittent
deer track. Whichever way itÕs
tackled, itÕs best to drop down to the river and climb the last, steep
section to the bealach on the Northern bank. This pass
is a place to pause, turn around, and look back at the landscape and the
achievement of the last three days.
Propped against a cairn, I felt a real synchronicity between now and
the moment three days ago on the Bealach Duibh Leac when IÕd gazed ahead to
Knoydart, wondering what was to come.
Anticipation had been replaced by satisfaction, IÕd crossed one of the
most beautiful mountain areas in Europe, and now I was leaving. I turned my back on Knoydart, and
soon picked up a land-rover track which took me down to Corryhully bothy. IÕd planned to spend the night here,
but in good weather, the walk had taken less than five hours, and since it
was not yet half past one, I continued down the metalled road, under the
impressive viaduct, and up the main road to Glennfinnan Station to stuff
myself with quiche, cake and tea while waiting for the train. Information This is a
long walk in a remote area, requiring good navigation and mountain
craft. A tent is essential, as
bothies are far apart, canÕt always be reached in the times given, and space
in them cannot be guaranteed. Streams
may be difficult to cross when in spate. Maps: OS sheets 33 and 40 Accommodation Barrisdale: Private bothy (£2), campsite
(50p) and bunk house (£8-£12) bookings: RW & JD Gordon, Lude, Blair
Athol, Perthshire Glenfinnan: Sleeping Car bunk house Travel Scottish
Citylink Coaches 08705 505050 http://www.citylink.co.uk/main/index.html Scotrail:
0345 484 950 http://www.railtrack.co.uk/travel/timetable/index.html |
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