Cambrian Way: the Brecon Beacons

Monday 12th August 2024

I had difficulty sleeping on the night before this walk because it was too warm and no breeze was blowing through my tent so I didn’t get much sleep for the start of the toughest and most demanding section of Cambrian Way. Stage six starts in the town of Crickhowell, but to reduce the length of this stage I had started it the afternoon before and walked for about four miles to a wild camp in Waun Ddu. In the morning, I set off through the thick bracken that surrounded the bog and brought me to a farmer’s track a short distance away from a road. My Cicerone guidebook recommends avoiding the fast road by following a track that parallels the road, however at this time of the year it was choked with bracken which made the walking difficult and later I began to climb above the crags of Craig y Castell even though the guidebook recommends descending to the road at that point. I was forced to walk across the top of the crags until I was at the far end where I battled through thick bracken down to the road. It was still very warm and humid with weather forecasts promising the hottest day of the year in Britain, although maybe not in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park as the weather was initially very changeable with fleeting sunshine and attempts at rain, though for most of the morning it was just overcast. I was not looking forward to the promised hot weather reaching Wales as that would make an already strenuous walk even more difficult.

At the end of the road I took to a track that led me out onto the open moor and with the earlier sunshine gone and bleak, open moorland before me under overcast skies I put my trust in the clear path that led me to an trig point and later to Ogof Fawr, a cave used by the Chartist movement in the nineteenth century. Soon after the cave I should have turned off the track as it curved to the south, but I missed the faint path and by the time I realised it was too late to turn back so I turned north crossing the pathless heather moorland until I reached the route of the Cambrian Way which was almost non-existent on the ground and brought me to a quarry access road. A track branched off the road and took me around the Cwar yr Hendre limestone quarry soon providing me with misty views into the quiet valley of Dyffryn Crawnan. At a waterfall I crossed the stream and walked along a terraced path with views down the valley until I eventually realised I was going the wrong way and retraced my steps back to the bridge to follow the stream up past a distressing array of industrial waste. Plastics and tyres littered the ground on the edge of the quarry until I finally moved onto open moorland just as the mist dropped and the weather deteriorated so with no path navigation was an interesting challenge.

There was nothing to see in the bleak grassland until the ground steepened below Bryniau Gleision and I reached a ridge, but the ground was still no better with deep ruts left behind by off-road vehicles. However, the weather was now improving with views to my right into the valley that houses Talybont Reservoir while to my left Pontsticill Reservoir was surrounded by thick conifer plantations. I have planned to walk along this ridge on many occasions and for many years, but I don’t think I ever have, so I was devastated to find it in such a terrible state and the desolations continued beyond the trig point at the top of Pant y Creigiau with terrible scarring where the ground steepens from vehicles trying to climb the hill. At the bottom of the pass, I took to a muddy path that crossed the hillside to the stream Nant Bwrefwr where a clear, well-made path leads up the hillside. This is part of the Beacons Way, a long distance trail that I first considered doing twenty years ago, so it is great that I was now finally doing a walk that traverses the whole of the national park. As the sun broke through the clouds, a little later than it had done on the previous two days, I made my way across the open top of Waun Cerrig Llwydion to the escarpment edge above Craig Cwmoergwm. After my exertion it was great to now have a relaxing stroll with great views in all directions with the distinctive peaks of the Brecon Beacons ahead of me and arrayed in splendid sunshine.

The path above the escarpment brought me towards Fan y Big, but I stuck the route of the Cambrian Way which bypasses the top, and never seriously considered the option. From the pass, Bwlch ar y Fan, I had a choice of whether to follow the Beacons Way in bypassing the next peak, Cribyn, or to stick to the precise route of the Cambrian Way and climb Cribyn. I had decided to base my choice on the time, as recommended by the Cicerone guide, and since it wasn’t even three o’clock yet I braved the steep slopes and climbed all the way up to the top of Cribyn. The climb rewarded me with fantastic views in all directions including Twmpa, in the far distance to the east. where I had been two days ago. Now a steep descent led me to another ridiculously steep ascent that led me all the way up to the top of the highest point in the Brecon Beacons, Pen y Fan, where the stunning views continued stretching for many miles to the north. This is one of those mountains that draws the crowds so I didn’t stay for long at the top before making my way along the ridge that connects Pen y Fan with its neighbour, Corn Du, where I began my descent keeping to the escarpment edge until I reached an obelisk that commemorates the death of a five year old child. It is probable that I have not previously visited this memorial very often with the last time being in 2006, but the Cambrian Way makes the diversion so I did again before crossing the pathless grassy slopes onto the main path that led me down the hill to the Storey Arms.

This was an epic day with a lot of arduous walking across featureless moorland in grey, miserable weather until finally in the afternoon the weather cleared just as the landscape became much more interesting for a stunning traverse of the Brecon Beacons. Pen y Fan was the highest point on the Cambrian Way so far and would not be surpassed until I reached Cadair Idris more than a week later.

Cambrian Way: out of the Black Mountains

Sunday 11th August 2024

At the end of my previous day on the Cambrian Way I had stopped a little short of where I’d originally planned, but later than I should have walked after a strenuous day. I was near the head of the short valley that contains the stream Nant Bwch which flows into the Vale of Ewyas in the Black Mountains. This is an area that I have many fond memories of walking and I loved the opportunity that walking the Cambrian Way gave me to revisit these delightful hills. After a good night’s sleep I woke to overcast skies but once I was back on the ridge I had far reaching views across the Wye Valley and a brisk wind. My first climb was up the sprawling grassy hill of Rhos Dirion and to avoid going in the wrong direction I needed to keep to the edge of the escarpment that overlooks the wide valley, but I soon lost the views as I plunged into the low cloud that enveloped the hill. My excesses of the day before had left me aching and these now continued, especially on the steepest sections of the walk, so with more than two weeks strenuous walking ahead of me I was careful to take my time as I slowly climbed to the trig point that marks the top of Rhos Dirion. At the shallow col beyond I turned right to descend the escarpment a short distance in search of some water from the stream that flows through Cwm Cwmstab, which despite being a mere trickle was enough to fill my water bottles and quench my thirst until other sources of water could be found. Back on the path I continued along the ridge slowly climbing through the misty conditions until eventually I reached the top of Waun Fach, the highest point in the Black Mountains and now much improved compared with my first visit in 2002 when the top was bare mud.

Turning right I descended the ridge over Pen Trumau and enthused at the easy walking that the broad grassy ridges of the Black Mountains provides, so despite the poor weather I enjoyed walking along the curving ridge that led me down to a pass and up to Mynydd Llysiau where heather now decorated the landscape. At the next hill, the Cambrian Way obstinately climbs to the top of Pen Twyn Glas even though the clear path skirts around it, so I had to tackle the bogs that defended the approach before turning right at the top to rejoin the path and head along the ridge to Pen Allt-mawr where a steep ascent ensured that I was so tired when I reached the trig point I collapsed in the nearby shelter to hide from the strong winds and have my lunch. Soon after leaving the summit along the eastern edge I passed someone who commented that the weather had turned out good, which was a surprise for me to hear until I later realised that while I had stopped for my lunch the mist had cleared to reveal blue skies and sunshine. Although views ahead of me, to the south, were hazy, when I reached Pen Cerrig-calch and finally turned around I found that there were extensive views back along the ridge all the way to Waun Fach. I felt sure that I had walked over Pen Allt-mawr and Pen Cerrig-calch before, but I could not remember when and I cannot find any record of it. Fortunately the Cambrian Way was bringing me to places that I had not walked in over twenty years, if at all.

I was disappointed to have missed out on the views throughout the morning, and all too soon the views across my beloved Black Mountains disappeared as I turned back to the south and descended the broad slopes with views across the Usk Valley beyond. The sharp peak of Sugar Loaf, which I had climbed the day before, was to my left while Blorenge, which I had climbed a month before, was on the other side of the valley. My gradual descent brought me to Table Mountain and the Iron Age fort of Crug Hywel that overlooks and lends its name to the modern town of Crickhowell. Rather than walk all the way around the earthworks I soon came back down descending through bracken that towered above my head with the heat increasing significantly as I descended with the day becoming disagreeably hot. When I reached Crickhowell I had completed the fifth stage of the Cambrian Way, and since it was only half two in the afternoon I took the opportunity to rest for a while and keep out of the hot sun. With stage six being very long and arduous I wanted to keep going so eventually I left Crickhowell, across the River Usk and up to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal where a short but delightful walk brought me to some disused lime kilns where a straight route, formally a tramway, led me up the hill and towards the awesome cliffs that line the valley.

A very steep ascent up an old incline was torture at this late time of the day though thankfully it was initially under the cover of trees and the earlier heat was beginning to fade, but the ascent was unrelenting and I was more than relieved when I finally reached the level path that runs along the base of the disused quarries. With stunning views across the valley I had a majestic walk across the side of the hill that gave me a chance to catch my breath. At a bend in the escarpment is the large, open cave of Eglwys Faen, but I could not find it despite searching several paths that led to treacherously steep drops into tiny openings in the hillside. I didn’t want to risk injury hunting for the cave so I returned to the path where I was able to admire the impressive crags of Chwar Mawr before continuing along the path that descended to the open moor of Waun Ddu in the National Nature Reserve of Craig y Cilau where I camped well away from the path. This was a much better day than the previous when I had struggled with tiredness and a lack of energy, but much of the walk was relatively easy along the grassy ridges of the Black Mountains that are always a pleasure that has been enjoyed many times over the past twenty-five years. I loved the opportunity to return on this occasion but I would have many more places to visit while on the Cambrian Way.

Cambrian Way: into the Black Mountains

Saturday 10th August 2024

A month after walking the first three days of the Cambrian Way I came back to Abergavenny to complete the rest of the trail all the way to Conwy on the north coast of Wales. The weather was better than it had been when I’d left the town, it wasn’t raining, though it did seem to have just stopped and it was forecast to improve, however it was very warm and humid which didn’t help with climbing hills. After passing through the town of Abergavenny I found the spot that I had reached on the Cambrian Way less than four weeks earlier, beside the war memorial in the centre of town. From there I set off past several churches slowly climbing the hill out of the town and immediately regretted packing so much food as my rucksack felt very heavy. I had enough food to last many days and it really wasn’t necessary but that couldn’t be helped now and at least the weight would go down as I ate and I must learn from my mistake in the future. The road eventually gave way to a footpath through fields and then into woodland where the gradient eased slightly, only briefly, but it was enough to encourage me to stop and lighten my load by having something to eat. The gradient soon resumed as I climbed out of the woodland into an area of bracken where I should have had extensive views around me, but low cloud meant I couldn’t see the hill of Blorenge across the valley or anywhere else except for Abergavenny in the valley behind me. This sharp climb felt cruel for the start of my first day on the trail, but this was meant to be my fourth day on the Cambrian Way by which time I ought to have been able to have taken it in my stride.

I was climbing Sugar Loaf, a hill that I had previously climbed in the year 2000, which is such a long time ago I have little memory of it. A large part of the reason I have never been back is that Sugar Loaf is an isolated hill, separated from all others, so it has been difficult for me to justify tagging it onto another walk, even though that was what I was now doing. I was looking forward to returning to the top after all these years. A welcome, cooling breeze followed me up the increasingly steep hill as I approached the conical peak until mercifully the gradient eased and I arrived at the trig point that marks the highest point. Unfortunately there was no view of the surrounding area due to low cloud so I didn’t stay long and soon headed down the northern slopes. If I’d had a view I would have seen the town of Crickhowel below and Table Mountain, which overlooks it, with both of them traversed by the Cambrian Way, but I would not pass that way until the end of the next day as the trail first takes a wide detour north through the Black Mountains, which is an area I have a lot of affection for so I didn’t mind the diversion. My descent took me through heather in flower, which I always love to see at this time of the year, with the distinctive peak of Skirrid to my right, while in the far distance ahead of me shrouded in clouds were the grassy ridges of the Black Mountains.

Eventually head high bracken replaced the heather as I made my way down to the bottom of the valley and slowly up the other side as the sky began to clear. By the time I reached the top of the ridge the sun was out and I had fabulous views across the Black Mountains, even though it was very windy. A long, gradual climb along the ridge brought me to the top of Garn Wen, which I had previously traversed in 2022 coming the other way, with bracken now giving way to heather as the climb continued to the trig point on Bâl Mawr, the highest point on the trail so far, and just beyond as the ridge narrowed it ascended again to cross the two thousand feet mark for the first time on the Cambrian Way. The highest point on the ridge is at Chwarel y Fan, which I had previously crossed in 2020, but by this time on the walk I was feeling very tired and thirsty having had little opportunity to replenish my water bottles since leaving Abergavenny.

At the pass marked by the Blacksmith’s Anvil stone I turned right off the ridge and mercifully out of the wind descending into the beautiful Vale of Ewyas on a wonderfully rocky path that zigzags down the steepest slopes to reach the Grange Trekking Centre where there is camping available. I could or maybe should have stayed there, but since it was only 4.30 in the afternoon I decided to keep going. I had been able to fill my water bottle from a stream above the Grange so I ignored the opportunity to stop and continued down to the bottom of the valley in Capel-y-ffin. The fourth stage of the Cambrian Way ends at this point but I kept going and soon I was climbing steeply up the hillside in the warm sunny weather and regretted my decision to keep going. The climb up the hill above Capel-y-ffin was excruciating and I had to stop frequently to rest as I slowly dragged myself up the hill while the views down the Vale of Ewyas rewarded my hard won efforts. I really should have turned back and enquired at the Grange, but instead I fought through the agony and eventually reached the cairn that marks the end of the Darren Lwyd ridge and the best of the views down the valley.

From then on the walking was much easier as the gradient eased and I slowly made my way along the ridge and towards Twmpa. I am very fond of the Black Mountains because my first ever mountain walk twenty-five years ago was in this area and included this very ridge between Twmpa and Capel-y-finn. It was great to be back but I was too weary to really appreciate it or the stunning views across the Wye Valley when I finally reached the summit of Twmpa. I couldn’t stop there as I had no water left, so I turned south and descended towards the valley of Nant Bwch until the infant stream was able to supply me with enough water. This was a terribly exhausting end to a gruelling day where I should have been better prepared and perhaps planned to stop at the Grange. The compensation was the amazing views of the Black Mountains and the Vale of Ewyas afforded to me by the good weather.

Cambrian Way: Blorenge

Monday 15th July 2024

When you are doing a long distance trail in Britain there will inevitably be days of rain and on the Cambrian Way my first wet day was on the third day out. The first two days had been really good with sunny weather most of the time, but on the third day the British weather returned to normal with heavy rain forecast. With this in mind I decided to set off early so I was back in Pontypool by eight o’clock and at the gates of Pontypool Park where I began stage three of the Cambrian Way. Soon after entering the park I began to climb a stony path that led me through mature woodland and under a dry ski slope with the ascent continuing until I reached the Shell Grotto, which unfortunately was closed. Instead of looking inside I enjoyed the views over Pontypool, though the grey, overcast conditions did not help. A short descent brought me onto the main path that gradually ascended the ridge until I reached the Folly Tower where the grey views continued to an industrial estate east and the built up Cwm Afon valley to the west, while the sprawling mass of Mynydd Maen filled the view south. Despite the poor views I was enjoying the walk along gentle gradients though it wasn’t long before I felt the first drop of rain, which was light and brief, and I knew that more and prolonged rain would come eventually.

The trail narrowed briefly, and enjoyably, below Coed Ithel before climbing onto broad, open moorland to reach the trig point at the top of Mynydd Garn-wen where I conceded that the views were not too bad despite hazy skies. I was enjoying the walking as I strode along the ridge, passing over the top of the hill and entered the national park formally known as the Brecon Beacons. I had in fact been skirting the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park since reaching the Shell Grotto, but when I passed the trig point at the top of Mynydd Garn-wen I actually entered the park, which is now officially known by its Welsh name. It was always a misnomer to name the whole national park after a small part of it, but no more than naming the Cairngorms after one hill that is not even the highest. Personally, I have never used the label Brecon Beacons in this blog except for on walks actually over the Brecon Beacons, but now I can add Bannau Brycheioniog as a label to all of my walks in the national park, including this one. I have a long history of walking in the Bannau Brycheioniog National Park having first come to the area almost twenty-five years ago and many years ago I planned to do a full traverse of the park using the Beacons Way, but I never did despite planning it on many occasions. Now, thanks to the Cambrian Way, I was finally going to traverse the whole length of the Bannau Brycheioniog National Park.

During the descent from Mynydd Garn-wen I had views of the peculiarly shaped hill of the Skirrid, which reminded me of the Offa’s Dyke Path and my walk along that in 2022. However, although the Cambrian Way comes close to the Offa’s Dyke Path, they are separated by the Vale of Ewyas and never meet. With hardly any wind, it was a pleasure to walk along the faint, grassy path that took me over the broad, featureless plain of Mynnydd Garnlochdy and across a saddle to reach a road. Beyond, with heavy rain now falling, a narrow path weaved through terrain covered in heather and rocks that was not easy to walk along until eventually it widened and passed over Mynydd y Garn-fawr heading towards two radio transmitters. Beside is the Foxhunter car park and during a pause in the rain I took the opportunity to stop and have an early lunch before setting off along a good, gravelly path that led me up to the summit of Blorenge. This is a hill that I had never climbed before although I had always meant to do so. Perhaps it had been left out because it is less than two thousand feet high, however it was now my highest point, so far, on the Cambrian Way. There are reputed to be to be extensive views from the top, but not on this occasion, and I made my way past the summit and across the broad top to the escarpment edge on the northern slopes where I now had views across the valley to the town of Abergavenny.

The official route of the Cambrian Way descended very steeply through heavily overgrown bracken but my Cicerone guidebook recommended descending further south along a clearer path that provided me with a gentler descent for my aging knees while it began to rain again. At a road I turned left onto a bridleway that took me past a stunning sheet of water in the middle of a cove that is called Punchbowl. Even in the rain this was an amazing place with trees covering the slopes around the bowl, but I was disappointed to find some litter beside the lake so I picked it up and carried it down the hill. After battling through overgrown bracken I reached the top of a path that brought me steeply down through the delightful woodland of Cwm Craf. At the bottom I reached the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal where a tunnel led me underneath and the descent continued until eventually I reached the River Usk. With the rain now falling heavily I crossed a very busy road and over Usk Bridge, through Castle Meadows and into the centre of Abergavenny to finish the third stage of the Cambrian Way. Despite the poor weather I really enjoyed this walk, perhaps because it wasn’t windy and the terrain was gentle enabling me to walk effortlessly along the grassy paths. Once I was in Abergavenny I was soaked so I was keen to get out of the rain and made my way to the railway station catching the first train out. I was disappointed to be not continuing the Cambrian Way the next day as I was enjoying the walking and being up high on the ridge that brought me to Blorenge with the Black Mountains ahead, but I also knew that I would be back in less than four weeks.

Cambrian Way, the South Wales Valleys

Sunday 14th July 2024

On the day before this walk I started the Cambrian Way on an epic three hundred mile trek across Wales from Cardiff to Conwy, however, rather than starting from the gates of Cardiff Castle, as the official route describes, I started from Penarth beside the mouth of the River Severn and weaved a course around Cardiff Bay before heading into the city centre to reach the castle. Consequently, by the end of the day I had completed less than half the distance of the first stage of the Cambrian Way, so to re-start the trail I caught a train back to Taff’s Well and climbed the hill back onto the Cambrian Way to rejoin at the point where I had left it the previous day. Due to the way that trains run on a Sunday morning it was almost eleven o’clock by the time I rejoined the Cambrian Way, which didn’t help with the long distance I had to travel this day, which was more than half of stage one and all of stage two, so I set off at a brisk pace on a wide, level path that took me through the woodland of Fforest-fawr. Sunny weather had brought out many people for a walk this Sunday morning so I was not alone, though there was nothing to see except willowherb and trees until I reached the popular attraction of Three Bears Caves, which was fenced off so I couldn’t look inside. Beyond, after reaching a car park, the crowds disappeared and the path narrowed across the northern tip of Fforestganol. Although the path kept to the top of the ridge, I had no views besides trees, so the walk at this point was simply a navigation exercise through various turns on the path.

My first views appeared on the edge of a small, disused quarry where the town of Caerphilly filled the valley to the north while the Severn Estuary could be seen south, but that was yesterday and on the Cambrian Way my eyes were turned ever northward. I had never done any walking in this area before and was struck by the contrast between the heavily industrialised valleys of South Wales and the high ridges that separate them. Beyond the small quarry the path climbed up to the first named hill on the Cambrian Way, Cefn Onn, where the views into the Rhymney Valley continued and from there the steady descent enabled me to maintain a rapid pace, through the woodland of Coed Cefn-pwll-du and down to the Rhymney River at the bottom of the valley. When I entered the large village of Machen I had finished stage one of the Cambrian Way and since it was lunchtime I stopped on a bench beside St John’s Church for something to eat. After the rest I resumed the trail with a steep climb out of the valley through overgrown bracken lined by heather, while as I climbed the views developed around me. The Severn Estuary dominated the view, reminding me of where I had walked the day before, though high humidity made this an exhausting climb until I had mercifully climbed high enough for a little wind to dry the sweat that covered my body.

As the views behind me towards the Severn Estuary continued to improve I completed the climb all the way up to the top of Mynydd Machen where a trig point confirmed that this is the first proper hill on the Cambrian Way. My route down took me past an old slag heap and into woodland where I had difficulty navigating a complicated series of very short paths that could have been avoided by staying on the road, and eventually brought me to the Ebbw River. After crossing the valley I climbed up to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal where I enjoyed walking along the towpath, but this was all too brief and soon I turned left away from the canal and up the side of the hill on an unrelenting climb. The sun came out at this point to ensure that I was soon worn out and drenched in sweat. Slowly, I toiled away up the hillside until eventually I reached the pass of Pegwn-y-bwlch where I had hoped I would find a breeze to cool me down, but no wind was blowing and the ascent continued all the way up to the top of Twmbarlwm. This excruciating climb did not end until I passed through the outer fortification of the Celtic hillfort but when I reached the trig point in the middle I was rewarded for all my efforts with stunning views south across the Severn Estuary from the bridges all the way to the mouth of the Severn just beyond Penarth where I had started my walk the day before.

The view took in the city of Newport, where I was staying, and past Cardiff all the way out to the Bristol Channel while to the north clouds shrouded the hills I was heading towards that I would walk over when I resumed the Cambrian Way the following month. I was mesmerised by the view, taking in the scenery before eventually descending steeply off the hillfort and onto a level, broad ridge where I was finally able to cool down and get my strength back. The relaxing stroll provided me with extensive views across the valley to my right and the town of Cwmbran which continued later when I came off the clear track to keep to the eastern slopes of Mynydd Maen. Eventually I began to descend steeply swinging, briefly, slightly to the south before a sharp turn brought me heading again in the right direction for the Cambrian Way, north. A seemingly unnecessary diversion took me through the Blaen Bran Community Woodland, which I could not have been done if my rucksack had been much larger as the kissing gates into and out of the woodland were very narrow. Soon after emerging from the wood I reached a mountain road where I had views across the valley towards Llandegfedd Reservoir and on leaving the road I slowly descended a narrow, stony track that finally brought me into Pontypool where the second stage of the Cambrian Way ends.

The weather on this walk was always good and especially after leaving the canal in the Ebbw Valley which left me with some fabulous walking for the final stretch of the walk over Twmbarlwm and into Pontypool. Another highlight was the view from beside a small quarry which was my first of the day where the wildflowers underfoot were almost as spellbinding at the views. I didn’t reach the end of the stage until half six in the evening, which reflects the long day I had set for myself with about twenty miles walked and showed me that it would be best if for the rest of the Cambrian Way I would keep to the recommended schedule, which was my plan.

Cardiff Bay and the Cambrian Way

Saturday 13th July 2024

A couple of years ago I started to plan a long distance walk across Wales, but at the time I thought this was too ambitious for me to accomplish, so instead I did the Offa’s Dyke Path which takes a much easier route across Wales beside the border with England. Now, after doing the Southern Upland Way last year, I feel more confident in my ability to do a long, challenging trail and rather than coming up with my own route I decided to do a long distance trail that already exists across Wales called the Cambrian Way. This runs across the backbone of Wales over the highest mountains and is almost three hundred miles long taking three weeks. Undeterred, I booked three weeks off work and made preparations to begin, but then I had to take two days holiday away for other purposes, so to accomplish the Cambrian Way without those two days I split three days off from the rest of the trail. Therefore, in the middle of July, I set off for South Wales, but instead of starting in Cardiff, where the Cambrian Way begins, I caught another train to Penarth, on the coast. I wanted to take this opportunity to explore the area around Cardiff Bay before starting the Cambrian Way and since I had plenty of time I lingered in Penarth first, where the Penarth Summer Festival was coincidentally just beginning.

I took a stroll along the promenade past various gazebos before slowly returning to the pier while enjoying the sunshine, which was a welcome change this year. Eventually I left Penarth and joined the route of the Wales Coast Path which climbs the hill above Penarth Head before descending to the Barrage on the edge of Cardiff Bay where I turned inland to walk away from the sunshine I had been enjoyed at the coast and towards the dark clouds that hung over the city. The Wales Coast Path took me around Cardiff Bay, past an exhibition to Scott of the Antarctic and later brought me to a memorial at the spot where Scott’s expedition ship, the SS Terra Nova, sailed from Cardiff. Later I passed the Senedd, home to the Welsh Parliament, and the iconic Millennium Centre where I lingered by looping around Roald Dahl Plass before finally continuing inland into the centre of Cardiff, which I didn’t like as it was very crowded with tall, intimidating buildings. At Cardiff Castle a noisy demonstration was passing outside the walls so I didn’t linger and with no sign to mark this momentous location, or moment for me, I started the Cambrian Way. The noise and crowds continued after I entered Bute Park so I was relieved when I left the main path and finally I was able to get away from the crowds and noise while walking beside the River Taff.

Delightful woodland walking took me past Blackweir and as far as the Gabalfa bridge where I crossed the River Taff to continue my walk on the other bank, except for an unnecessary diversion that took me within sight of Llandaff Cathedral. I could have stayed on the original bank of the river by following the route of the Taff Trail but I was not short of time and obstinately stuck to the exact route of the Cambrian Way despite there being little to interest me at this point with dull scenery across the river while walking largely on roads. Eventually I crossed the river beside a railway bridge and finally left the River Taff climbing up to reach the Glamorganshire Canal Nature Reserve, which is a delightful place, gloriously overgrown and full of wildlife, with waterlilies covering the surface of the water. This was a lovely place to walk where I took many photographs, but I was disappointed when it came to a sudden end with the intrusion of the M4 motorway. Finding my way past the motorway and its junction with the A470 road was potentially complicated, but fortunately the Cicerone guidebook for the Cambrian Way has a detailed map which guided me through a series of footbridges and underpasses until I reached the far side of the motorway junction where a road soon brought me into the village of Tongwynlais. There, a right turn took me onto a road that was my first sustained climb of the Cambrian Way and it really wore me out, especially as the sun chose that moment to finally come out for the first time since leaving the coast.

At the top of the road I reached Castell Coch where a path continued the climb steeply up a wooded hillside, but with the afternoon soon passing I was thinking this might be a good moment to end the walk for the day and find my booked accommodation. With hindsight, I could have stayed low passing through Tongwynlais on the Taff Trail, but instead when I reached the first junction in the wood I turned left off the Cambrian Way onto a track that slowly descended back down to the bottom of the Valley where I caught a train from Taff’s Well railway station. This was a very tiring walk because I was very tired when I started, so I had hoped this weekend would help refresh me. I had been looking forward to walking through Cardiff for several months but the reality was disappointing. This year, I have followed several city walks through London and Bristol and enjoyed all of them, though they were carefully guided walks, whereas this wasn’t, but I doubt that would have made much difference. My main problem with Cardiff was the noise, mainly from the demonstration by the castle and a pop concert in Bute Park, but once I was away from the noise the walk became the relaxing stroll that I wanted especially while passing through wild, disorganised, natural scenery.

Glengaber Hill from Spango Bridge

Friday 7th June 2024

After almost two weeks in Scotland I was slowly making my way back home at the end of a holiday where the weather had been cold, wet and consistently very windy, but before I left Scotland I wanted to return to the Southern Uplands. I first walked through this area last year on the Southern Upland Way and I found a series of hills that although grassier and more rounded than those found in the Highlands, still has good scenery especially when it is sunny, which I had on this walk. At the start of the day I set off from Pitlochry, where I had spent the night, and drove south down the A9 eventually arriving at Spango Bridge, not far from the town of Sanquhar. There is a section of the Southern Upland Way that is an alternative to the main route and is used during the shooting season, which is later in the year so was not necessary when I was on the trail last year or on my return this year, but I had enjoyed the scenery in that area last year so I was keen to return and parked near Spango Bridge at the end of a particularly rutted farmer’s track. Also parked there were some minibuses waiting to collect teenagers undergoing the rigors of the Duke of Edinburgh Award and soon after I set off along the track I was passed by two groups of youths.

The rain that had accompanied me throughout my journey from Pitlochry seemed to have passed, so while plenty of clouds still lingered overhead I was hopeful that it would improve. Willowherb and thistle lined the track, though these are normally considered summer flowers, which indicated that spring was now passing and summer would soon begin. Eventually I reached a junction on the forestry track where the familiar thistle icon now appeared on top of wooden posts to mark the route of the Southern Upland Way on the Duntercleuch alternative. There was no change in the scenery, though blue sky now appeared overhead, until I emerged from the conifer plantation and began to descend into the valley of Wanlock Water. In the past this valley was a centre of lead mining and at the head of the valley is the village of Wanlockhead, the highest village in Scotland. Overlooking the village is Lowther Hill where a radar station dominates the scene and from four miles away I could see its huge golf ball like structure that prompted memories of my walk last year to come flooding back as the sun came out to illuminate the valley. After all the bad weather that I had suffered while in Scotland it felt wonderful to be walking in warm sunshine through a valley that had been a highlight of my walk last year on the Southern Upland Way.

A glorious walk through the valley of Wanlock Water brought me to the signpost that marks the main route of the Southern Upland Way as it comes down into the valley, so in amongst the remains of lead mining that used to be undertaken in this valley, I turned right to cross the river and retrace my steps up the side of the hill on a well-engineered path that slowly climbs Glengaber Hill. The grassy path took me over the hill and down into the valley of Cogs Burn passed the ruins of Cogshead, but of more interest to me was the word that appeared on the next signpost, ultreia, which indicates that ahead is the location of a kist, though not precisely where. There are many of these sculptured kists on the Southern Upland Way and inside is a hoard of hidden treasure, specially minted coins that you can collect if you can find the kist. When I passed through Cogshead last year I was unable to find the kist at Cogshead despite much searching so I was keen have another attempt now and walked up and down the track several times carefully hunting for it until eventually the location was given away by a plastic tub on the ground. The coins are often stored inside the kists in containers such as these and looking up I immediately saw the kist hidden away. Inside were some coins and the lid for the tub, however I didn’t take one as I already had a coin for Cogshead having found it at the next kist on the Eastern Lowthers. I returned the coins to the plastic tub and put that back into the kist before heading off along the Southern Upland Way happy to have found the kist.

I now resumed my walk by taking the alternative route of the Southern Upland Way, which branches off the main route at Cogshead, with lingering looks behind me of the isolated valley head as I followed the track slowly climbing out of the valley. In sunny, but windy, weather I had a relaxing walk along forestry tracks whose only obstacles were two locked gates that I had to climb over and eventually brought me back to my car. This was a lovely walk but a little too short, though that just meant I was able to spend time in Sanquhar looking around the Tolbooth Museum. The weather was good once the rain had cleared and I enjoyed the opportunity to revisit places that I had visited while on the Southern Upland Way last year, and especially finding the kist that I had failed to find before. The day after I started to do a walk up the Eastern Lowthers starting from the top of the Dalveen Pass, initially to look for the kist there as, although I found it last year, the coin I took away with me was actually the one for Cogshead. It was sunny when I started but dark clouds soon came over and by the time I reached the kist it was raining heavily. When I found kist was empty, no coins, my enthusiasm for a walk was ruined. The ever-present, strong winds were making walking very tiring despite hoping that I would be sheltered from the westerlies on the eastern slopes of the Lowther Hills, so I abandoned the walk just as I had done with many hill walks on this holiday and drove home.

The Hermitage and Rumbling Bridge

Thursday 6th June 2024

After a week in the far north of Scotland I finally headed south feeling disappointed that the weather had spoilt my plans with strong winds that had prevented me from climbing any hills, but instead prompted me to do many low-level walks that were surprisingly enjoyable. I appreciate having a good path underfoot and I don’t like walking along a rough, difficult path that is a struggle to do, so these walks greatly appealed to me. The weather didn’t show any sign of improving as I set off from the town of Ullapool and was soon driving through rain which stayed with me until I reached Inverness. At one point I saw a sign for Ben Wyvis which is a mountain that I climbed on my first walking holiday in Scotland, twenty years ago, and the memories of that walk came flooding back so when I saw a sign for Silver Bridge soon afterwards I stopped to take a picture of Black Water Falls. However, since it was raining I didn’t want to stay long and when I later passed a sign for Rogie Falls I didn’t stop. After Inverness the weather was much better as I continued to head south passing Aviemore, where I had stayed during the first week of my holiday, and over the Drumochter Pass. I was booked to stay in Pitlochry so I had considered doing a walk there, but I have already done loads of walks in the area and I couldn’t find anything interesting to do. Then I remembered that there are some walks around Birnam Woods I have wanted to do so I ignored the turning to Pitlochry and eventually came off the A9 trunk road at the turning for Dunkeld and Birnam.

After lunch I set off on a walk and it immediately felt surprisingly warm, especially after the cold winds of the North Highlands. A wonderfully relaxing walk took me slowly up beside the Inchewan Burn and soothed my troubled mind after the long drive out of the Highlands. At a junction I crossed the stream and soon after that at another junction I turned right, later turning left to follow green arrows that mark the Braan Path. There is an impressive network of paths throughout the woodlands that surround Dunkeld and Birnam and I appreciated these good paths as I made my way between the conifers. Eventually I emerged from the trees just as a few drops of rain prompted me to put on my waterproofs, but it was soon sunny again, which felt very warm and welcoming. The Braan Path eventually brought me over a road and into natural woodland with a deep valley visible through the trees to my right, but I was frustrated that there was no view even where lookout points have been built as these were heavily overgrown. Eventually I reached a road that crosses the River Braan on Rumbling Bridge and I took the opportunity to drop down to the river where I took many pictures of the cascading waters that fall precipitously into a deep and narrow ravine under the bridge. I was again frustrated at not being able to get a good view of the falls and so I had to be contented with the small cascades upstream.

Eventually I crossed Rumbling Bridge and followed the road which moves away from the river before branching onto a track that finally brought me into the Hermitage, a wood filled with tall conifers. In time the path led me back down to the River Braan where there were several opportunities for me to descend onto the rock-filled riverbank and take some pictures. Eventually I reached Ossian’s Hall, a curious building erected on the edge of the river with a balcony that looks out towards the river and down to a waterfall below, which reminded me of viewing stations I have seen in the Lake District designed to frame picturesque views. Eventually I continued past tall conifers to reach the car park for the Hermitage and under the railway line to reach the A9 where I followed quiet roads between the river and the main road past a caravan park and onto a path that, even though it was on my prescribed route, was actually a dead-end for me as a bridge has been washed away. Therefore, I had to retrace my steps to Inver Bridge and continue to follow the road beside the River Braan until I reached the junction with the River Tay and follow that along a path lined with beautiful tall trees until I reached the most famous: the Birnam Oak. However, this did not look as impressive as the enormous sycamore trees that I had just seen even though the Birnam Oak is considerably older.

Soon after this I turned away from the river to pass through Jubilee Park and return to my car. This was a wonderfully relaxing walk through Big Tree Country in warm weather that was a welcome change after the cold winds of the North Highlands. The weather on this afternoon felt almost tropical in comparison. I had wanted to visit Birnam Wood for a while so I was glad to have had the opportunity and since there are many more paths in the area I have every excuse to return and further explore these fabulous woods.

Ullapool Hill and the coastal path to Rhue

Wednesday 5th June 2024

The weather during my second week in the Scottish Highlands was cold, windy and showery so the mountains that I had planned to walk up were not going to happen. Instead I had to be content with low levels walks that I was surprised to find were very enjoyable, possibly even more than going up a mountain. At the end of the previous day I had driven to the town of Ullapool whose sole attraction for me in the past has been the ferry to Stornoway and I have passed through there on several occasions on my way to or from the Isle of Lewis. So I have not done a walk from Ullapool or in the area, but with bitterly cold, strong winds keeping me low I had to look for local inspiration and initially found it on the ‘Welcome Ullapool Map’ freely given to visitors which mentions a coastal path to Rhue. I decided to follow that and started by crossing the Ullapool River and following the shore out to Loch Broom soon passing a golf course where no one appeared to be playing in these strong winds. A heavy shower had fallen while I was having breakfast, but now there were blue skies ahead of me while the mountains behind clung onto the rain. Soon, the path dwindled to nothing but navigation was never difficult as I kept the sea to my left and a fence to my right walking on either the pebbly beach or the grass verge while red posts marked a safe route past the golf course.

The sunshine didn’t last very long and soon it clouded over before suddenly I saw a flash of lightening and, a second later, a very loud crack of thunder, which prompted me to hastily disappear below a nearby rock while the thunder storm passed overhead. Once the rain had stopped I moved on again and later I found rock dominating the ground which was fun to walk on but tricky as sometimes I encountered sheer drops that had to be negotiated until finally Rhue Lighthouse came into view. There was not much to see at the wind-swept point so I soon turned around onto the path that brought me to a small car park. I could have returned to Ullapool by the way I had come but the coastal path had not been easy to follow so I decided to just walk along the road, which was not a problem until I reached the main road where the cars were travelling very fast so I kept to the grassy margins while several showers passed overhead. My interest was maintained by the colourful display of wild flowers beside the road until eventually I came into Ullapool where I immediately turned my attention to my next walk. When driving into the town the day before I had seen a sign for the Ullapool Hill Walk, so at that sign I now turned off the road to follow a path steeply up the hillside.

The sun came out for my climb up out of Ullapool providing me with great views across the loch and out to sea while gorse and rhododendron lined a great path that steadily climbed the hill to an awesome viewpoint. It was amusing to compare the sunny views out to sea with the views in the other direction towards the head of Loch Broom which were always misty and filled with rain. The mountains seemed to be always shrouded in cloud while I enjoyed lovely sunshine, though the wind was now getting stronger as I climbed. The prominent peak of Meall Mòr, otherwise known as Ullapool Hill, dominated the view uphill with a clear path that led all the way up to the top so I eagerly made my way up the path until at the summit I had fabulous views in all directions including now east towards Loch Achall. However, it was exceptionally windy at the top of Ullapool Hill despite this really being a very low hill, so I soon made my way back down to a junction where I could have turned left towards the Braes of Ullapool but instead I turned right to cross the northern slopes of Meall Mòr gradually heading towards Loch Achall while the rain returned again. I went all the way to the shore of Loch Achall even though this was not necessary, but in the end I decided to follow the track to the shore where I could see the sun was shining at the far end of the loch but grey clouds lingered overhead.

From a photography point of view, it wasn’t worth the effort as the best picture I took of Loch Achall was taken from the top of Ullapool Hill, but I think it was still worth it to walk to the shore of the loch before finally returning to Ullapool alongside the Ullapool River. The weather this day was very changeable from bright sunshine to heavy rain and thunder storms with the only constant being the strong winds though I was often sheltered from the wind so it was only when not sheltered that I felt the full force of those cold winds, while at Rhue and on Ullapool Hill. These low-level walks had a curious appeal for me which I may not have felt when I was younger. Twenty years ago I may have gone up the mountains despite the poor weather (I’m thinking about when I climbed Ben Lawers in 2007), but now I am enjoying these walks that show there is more to life than Munro-bagging.

Falls of Kirkaig and the Bone Caves of Inchnadamph

Tuesday 4th June 2024

I was awoken at the start of this day by the realisation that my tent had collapsed due to the strong winds, a pole had snapped, which was not a great way to start the day. I lay there for a while dejectedly thinking about how this holiday had not gone to plan until eventually I got up and slowly removed everything from my tent. Fortunately I was not planning on camping for the rest of the holiday so I didn’t need to worry about repairing it. After eating my breakfast I took the opportunity to explore Achmelvich Beach once again, which I had been doing every evening since getting there and I never tired of the complex, craggy scenery and the sandy beach. The previous evening I had set off along the coast along a waymarked path that took me over Gleannan an Fheadair and past Alltan’ abradhan until I reached an old corn mill in a deserted little valley. An information board described how this used to work though there was little now to see of the mill. A small bay, Port Alltan na Bradhan, lay nearby but as it was getting late I soon turned around and headed back to the campsite. This is a fabulous area that I previously visited in 2010 so I enjoyed the opportunity to return even though the weather was not kind to me, just as in 2010, with strong winds that felt bitterly cold for the time of year and robbed me of my enthusiasm for climbing mountains. The forecast for this day was even for snow at the tops of the high mountains so I had to look for low level walks on what was sadly my last day in the historic county of Sutherland.

When I finally left Achmelvich Beach, I passed through Lochinver and along the narrow, single-track road through Strathan past Inverkirkaig to a small car park on the southern edge of Sutherland where a path follows the northern bank of the River Kirkaig. This was a great route which helped to calm my troubled mind and afforded me with good views into the deep recesses of the valley where the river was soon enclosed by woodland. The pleasant walk kept me high above the valley while mountains began to appear on the horizon, from my right were Stac Pollaidh, Cùl Beag, Cùl Mor round to Suilven on my left. They were all clear of cloud for the first time in several days which made me feel that an ascent of one of them must be possible if not for the strong, cold wind. At a cairn, I ignored the fainter path that heads towards Suilven and took the clear path that brought me steeply down to the river and soon provided me with views of the Falls of Kirkaig, which looked magnificent even before the descending steeply while the sun came out at just the right time to illuminate the spectacle. At the bottom of the precipitous path the full length of the falls revealed themselves and I was able to bask in the amazing sight until eventually I tore myself away and climbed back up the treacherously steep path and along the same route I’d taken out.

After my difficult start to the day, this walk did much to revive me, but it had only occupied a couple of hours and any thought of climbing a mountain was wiped out by the rain that welcomed me back to my car and followed me as I drove through Lochinver and out along the main road. I eventually stopped at the car park for the Bone Caves of Inchnadamph where it was still raining so I had an early lunch before donning my waterproofs and setting off towards the caves. However, the rain stopped almost immediately to reveal gorgeous sunshine on a wonderful walk past a small waterfall and up to Fuaran Allt nan Uamh where the water for the river seemed to bubble out of the ground as if by magic and the bed of the stream further up the valley was dry: I was in limestone country. I followed the path across the stream and steeply up the bank to reach the caves where the bones of arctic fox, lynx and wolf have previously been found. I had a fascinating time exploring the various caves and gazing out of them until eventually I continued along the path that crosses the steep slopes below Creag nan Uamh before reaching a stream and descending to the dry river bed of the Allt nan Uamh where I slowly made my way back down to the car park. Inevitably it started to rain when I reached my car but I really enjoyed this short walk up to the bone caves which was helped by the timely appearance of the sun.

The rain was heavy but brief and with the skies clearing again I looked longingly on the surrounding mountains. At one time I had planned to climb Canisp on this holiday which is a mountain that lies west of the bone caves and I looked eagerly at it now. Despite knowing that Canisp is a big mountain and an ascent would take me a long time, I could not resist setting off along a boggy path that would take me towards the broad eastern slopes, but impenetrable bogs convinced me of the foolishness of my endeavour and soon I turned back. While driving towards Ullapool I was frustrated at the sight of fabulous mountains that I couldn’t climb but when I reached the Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve I pulled into the car park. I hadn’t planned on walking around this reserve, partly because it isn’t in Sutherland, it is just across the border, but also because I visited Knockan Crag in 2010. This area played a significant role in the development of our understanding of geology, but that wasn’t what motivated me to stop. I just wanted to do a walk and if I couldn’t climb a mountain then I would try to get a view of them instead. The awesome Cùl Mor was nearby while its lesser partner, Cùl Beag could also be seen, however it wasn’t long before a heavy shower overwhelmed me so I crouched behind the northern viewpoint and waited while hail and rain fell.

When it eventually began to ease I got up and headed into the rain along the path that runs along the top of the crag and by the time I returned to the car park it had stopped raining and the sun was out again. This day was a hotchpot of different walks that sadly ended my time in Sutherland. I was astounded by the sight of the tremendous mountains in the historic county but frustrated that I was unable to climb any of them. Instead I was forced to do small walks that I would otherwise never have done and surprisingly I found that I really enjoyed them.

River Inver and Glencanisp

Monday 3rd June 2024

With strong to gale force winds over the mountains in West Sutherland on this day it wasn’t practical for me to be walking high so I decided I would keep low and I was surprisingly excited in anticipation of the walk that I had planned. Eagerly, I set off from Achmelvich Beach along the narrow road with my first objective being to get to Lochinver and for that I needed to get around Loch Roe which blocked my way. After a mile along the road I turned right onto a driveway that soon became a stony track and the walk only really became interesting after passing Ardroe Croft. The path now passed through gorgeous moorland sprinkled with many outcrops and decorated with spotted-orchids, but the early morning sunshine beside the coast was now gone so that when the view over Loch Inver appeared before me the iconic Suilven was hiding its head inside clouds. On reaching the bridge over the River Inver I was reminded of why I was not going up a mountain as it was very windy so I soon joined an anglers’ path that follows the river upstream past spectacular rapids over a rock-filled bed in a tree lined landscape that was a beautiful and soothing place to walk.

A fabulous path slowly took me through the gorgeous landscape while several access points for the anglers dropped to the side of the river but I was happy to follow the path that took me past a series of pools until eventually I emerged from the wood and reached the point where the path turns to the right towards Glencanisp. This would have soon returned me back to Lochinver and ended my walk far too quickly so I kept beside the River Inver even though the path was now rough and tricky to follow especially when passing steep ground. Once beyond I was in an area that appeared to have suffered from an extensive fire in recent years and, though the ground plants had now recovered, the larger woody plants appeared lifeless and burnt. Eventually I found a footbridge that took me over the River Inver onto a road and finally onto the main road into Lochinver where I had a mile or two of walking that was rather unpleasant as the passing cars were travelling very fast, but there were two places where an old section of the road, around small hills, provided me with the opportunity to get away from the speeding cars until eventually I reached Little Assynt. There a great path took me through a wonderful landscape of mixed woodland and moorland decorated with many wild flowers including bluebells, stitchworts and spotted-orchids, and the sun came out to accompany me through this delight.

Eventually I reached a viewpoint between Loch Tòrr an Lochain and Loch na h-Innse Fraoich that provided me with a view of the surrounding mountains which still had their heads in clouds and were cloaked in grey shadow. Not far away from me was Quinag which I had started to climb the day before while Suilven was in the distance to the south, but I was especially taken by my immediate surroundings which were immensely beautiful in their setting of rock, tree and lake. After eating my lunch I set off back along the path into the strong cold wind and on reaching the main road I took to a path marked Suileag which I soon found was not as clear as others I had been following this day even losing the path after passing through a gate. When I realised I had to retrace my steps back to the gate and try to follow the path exactly as marked on my map even though there was no trace of it on the ground. Eventually a sort of path materialised though it was faint and tough to follow through a complex terrain slowly heading south, but while climbing between two low hills I realised that the path at one time had been well-engineered as it zigzagged through the terrain. There was no sign of this across the moor, but once I realised this I began to see other traces of what had once been a good path but was now rarely used.

Suilven now dominated the view ahead of me even though it was shrouded in grey clouds as I made my way along the faint but now clear path down the hill, past a string of lochs and up another hill to where Suileag was hiding just beyond. This is a bothy where one can spend the night though facilities including running water do not exist. A work party was there taking an afternoon break so I had a chat with them before taking the much clearer path through Glencanisp where I was spoilt by the views ahead of me towards Loch Druim Suardalain or back towards the imposing bulk of Suilven. I previously came this way in 2010, but the weather on that day had been excellent while on this day the sunshine I had enjoyed at Little Assynt had been short-lived, though there were occasional glimpses to remind me of what could have been. Once I was back in Lochinver I walked around the harbour to the River Inver and retraced my steps back over Ardroe at the end of an amazing walk. The weather actually helped with this walk as, although it was marred by the strong winds, the occasional sunshine and warmth made it an enjoyable walk especially beside the River Inver and then later while passing Suilven which recalled my ascent in 2010. This walk shows you don’t need to go up a mountain to have a good walk.

The Ben Strome Stalkers’ Track

Sunday 2nd June 2024

After good, but windy weather on the day before this walk I was disappointed to see on the forecast that the weather for this day was going to be poor with rain coming in late afternoon and the wind strengthening. I was hopeful that this would give me a chance to climb a mountain before the weather deteriorated so I drove to the foot of Quinag, but it was raining even before I reached the car park. Undeterred, I put my waterproofs on and set off along the good path that leads towards the mountain, but I soon had doubts whether this was worth the effort, though the excellent path, built by the John Muir Trust, spurred me on through the wind and rain. Eventually the path petered out near Lochan Bealach Cornaidh, though only my GPS location told me the lake was nearby as I couldn’t see it, and so finally I decided to turn back. I didn’t feel it was worth walking in this weather. Being at the top of a mountain is a fabulous feeling, mainly when the weather is good and you have views in all directions, but not in the wind and rain. It is just not worth the effort. However, I passed many people while coming back to the car who were attempting to climb the mountain and were seemingly not deterred by the weather. I don’t know whether any of them actually reached the summit of Quinag, but I didn’t, though I enjoyed walking along the excellent path while it lasted.

When back in my car I had a look for something else to do and soon noticed in the local Hallewell pocket guidebook a walk entitled “The Ben Strome Stalkers’ Track” that immediately appealed to me. I drove down the hill, over the Kylesku Bridge and found that here it was hardly raining or windy. I set off along a path that left the road to the old slipway and climbed the hillside with views down to the loch and the narrow channel through to Loch a’ Chairn Bhàin. The previous evening I had driven through here from the foot of Foinaven in much better weather and been astounded by the stupendous scenery of this fjord-like sea inlet, but now the weather was so poor I could hardly see the far side of the water, let alone the steep mountain slopes. A visit to this area demands clear views, even if you are on a drive such as the NC500. I previously drove through Kylesku in 2010 and the weather then was just as poor as now so I hadn’t appreciated how spectacular the scenery is and again now I could not see what had so overwhelmed me the day before. While I could I took pictures of the murky scene until all too soon I disappeared into the clouds and had to resolve myself with the path ahead which weaved a course across the slopes of Ben Strome while it began to rain heavily.

Time seemed to drag while on that path. After what felt like ages I would look at my watch and be astonished that only a couple of minutes had passed since I’d last looked. Eventually, after a seemingly long walk through the unchanging scenery, I reached the cairn that marks the junction where a path turns back down the hill. At one time I had planned to do the Sutherland Trail which passes through here and I was disappointed that I was not doing it, though I would have needed good weather to appreciate the scenery and it would not have been fun to do a long distance trail in this poor weather. With the rain easing slightly, though not the wind, I made my way down the hill to the shore of Loch an Leathaid Bhuain, past a fisherman’s hut and continued down beside the Maldie Burn where various waterfalls were enriched by the rainfall. Below the clouds the views seemed brighter than when I had started the walk with Loch Glendhu and the mouth of Loch Glencoul offering a hint of the wild beauty of this area. With the strong winds ever present I made my way down to the shore of the loch and had an enjoyable stroll back to my car at Kylestrome.

With the afternoon still young, I wondered what to do next and considered doing a short walk around Loch na Gainmhich, but the heavy rain and strong winds at the top of the pass soon changed my mind and I drove past until I eventually returned to my campsite at Achmelvich Beach. It wasn’t raining there so I had a walk around the rocks and along the beach while taking some pictures of the swirling seas driven by the strong seas. The weather ruined most of the walking this day and it is notable that the most enjoyable part of the day was when I had some sort of a view and it wasn’t raining.

Foinaven

Saturday 1st June 2024

I spent most of my time on this holiday in the historic county of Sutherland, which I had previously visited just once back in 2010 when poor weather and bad planning had meant there were a number of hills that I failed to climb so I was hoping to do those hills now. However, with the weather as it has been this year in Britain I was not very hopeful, but the forecast for this day was surprisingly good with the Mountain Weather Information Service even using the word glorious. It didn’t seem that good, but at least it was dry with little wind as I made my way across the county through mesmerising, sparsely populated scenery along the shores of Loch Shin, Loch Merkland and Loch More until I reached a small car park just before Loch Stack. For a long time my plan for this holiday had been to do the long distance walk of the Sutherland Trail devised by Cameron McNeish. This starts in the west coast village of Lochinver and crosses Sutherland past many of the mountains in the area to reach the north coast at Tongue. I had been eager to do this trail and to climb some of the mountains on the way, but after my experiences at Easter camping in Dartmoor I realised that I don’t really like camping and with Sutherland being very sparsely populated I wouldn’t be able to restock with food between Lochinver and Tongue. So I reformulated this holiday by taking my car which prevented me from doing the Sutherland Trail, but still let me climb those mountains that the trail passes and I was starting with Foinaven.

The scenery on the drive had been stunning and now as I made my way along a wide track away from the car park on the actual route of the Sutherland Trail I was struck by the sheer beauty of the mountains in this area that are covered in rock falling precipitously to the shores of the numerous lochs that litter the landscape. The conical peak of Ben Stack dominated the scene but soon it was the craggy of slopes of Arkle, on the other side of Loch Stack, that drew my eye before starting to slowly to climb the track that heads into the mountains beside Allt Horn. The weather was not as glorious as promised with overcast skies spoiling the view although eventually the clouds thinned to reveal blue skies, except above the mountain tops which held onto a heavy covering of cloud. The awesome mountain scenery continued as I slowly climbed the track and eventually I reached the col between Arkle and Foinaven and onward I climbed until I reached Bealach Horn where I finally came off the path at a small pile of stones to venture across the pathless slopes towards Foinaven. Unfortunately, by now I was being attacked by a strong cold wind that made this relentless climb extremely difficult and frustrating, especially when the weather was good in all other regards and amongst spectacular scenery. A strong cold wind can ruin a walk as effectively, or even more so, than rain or low clouds.

I crossed bands of rock and grass to traverse Bealach Horn before climbing unending slopes into the strong cold wind while Arkle continued to dominate the view with its exuberance of rock that made me wish I had forsaken Foinaven to climb the smaller mountain. The summit of Foinaven was hidden behind intermediate hills but still I kept going, but as time advanced and my goal seemed always far away I began to doubt whether I would actually reach the summit. Eventually, at the top of An t-Sàil Mhòr, the summit ridge of Foinaven came into view and beyond I made my way against the strong winds across the col to an unnamed 808 metre top where I finally had a clear view of the narrow ridge that extends past a prominent pinnacle, over the unnamed top above A’ Chèir Ghorm before finally, a long way away, rises to the highest point on Foinavon. It was obvious that it would take me a very long time to get to the summit along that ridge and with my only return of route being back the way I’d come then, at my present rate, it would be very late in the day before I finally returned to my car. With this in mind and the strong, cold winds that continued to batter me I decided to turn back and be content with getting as far as I had.

With the wind now at my back I was able to enjoy the return and admire the gorgeous, ground-hugging, purple flowers that covered the mountain slopes and the fabulous mountain scenery all around me that was making the climb worth the effort, even though I didn’t actually reach the summit of the mountain. I bypassed the top of An t-Sàil Mhòr slowly making my way down the rocky ridge, still being battered by the wind that had ruined the walk. Rather than head back to Bealach Horn I kept to the top of the ridge which gradually took me down to the col with Arkle while I wondered what could have been. I had originally wanted to do both Arkle and Foinaven, but with hindsight Foinaven is not practical from where I’d started and if I’d set my sights on Arkle instead, which is smaller both in height and breadth, then I would have easily been able to reach the summit, so perhaps next time, whenever that may be. I enjoyed the walk amongst stunning mountain scenery and the slow descent, especially when out of the wind, that let me catch my breath after an exhausting and exhilarating walk.