A friend Geraldine and her daughter Lilly-Belle completed a two-day walk from the east coast of Scotland to the west coast. The 38-mile route from Ardgay to Loch Broom, near Ullapool, included 826m of ascent. The mother and daughter took two days to do the walk and carried all the kit they would need to be self-sufficient.
The plan for the adventure came about because they were keen to enjoy some quality time together while Lillyb was home for a short break from university.
The weather was wetter and windier than they had anticipated but Geraldine reports that they faced only a few challenges, including a cold river crossing.
She said: “I had a plotted route on my phone and my sports watch. I also had a map and compass as back up, but we found it easy to navigate the whole route, which was mostly on trails and some tarmac road.”
Crossing one of the narrowest coast-to-coast sections of Scotland, the adventure took them into remote areas that are wildly beautiful.
Geraldine said: “It was just amazing. Despite a few challenges, which were not that big, I fully enjoyed this adventure as I was able to share it with my daughter.
“We had great conversations, so many laughs and experienced the beauty of nature together.
“We saw herds and herds of deers, a few stags and loads of wee birds, as well as a couple of buzzards, lovely Highland cows with their calves and, of course, lots of sheep.
“Lilly-Belle had a great time, too, and she was so happy throughout, which is all I could ask for.”
A great find: Knockdamph bothy
The pair had planned to wild camp but they struggled to find a dry place to stop. Then, they came across a well-located bothy.
Geraldine said: “The weather had taken a turn for the worse and there was nowhere dry to pitch the tent. Water was literally flowing from the uneven ground on to the track. The wind had been getting stronger as time went on as well.
“Despite this, our morale was high. We kept walking and were hopeful we would find something. We still had plenty of daylight left.
“Then we saw the bothy, which exceeded all our expectations. The bothy sits close to the head of beautiful Loch an Daimh. It saved us from a very wet and miserable night.
“It was such a bonus. We had a great night and when we got home there was no wet tent or sleeping system to unpack.”
Geraldine said she is keen to do the route again, “maybe in the warmer months to make the most of the lochs and rivers for dips or swims”.
She added: “I would also like to cycle the route on my gravel bike next time or, even better, run it with some of my friends.”
Cross-Scotland walk kit list
Geraldine and LillyB took a large rucksack each. They carried:
- Sleeping mattress
- Sleeping bag
- Clothing: Waterproof jacket and trousers, fleece, shorts, spare pair socks, gloves, warm hat, cap, neck tubes, light windproof jacket.
- Footwear: Trail running shoes
- Cooking system and food: Wee gas canister, stove, lighter, pot, sporks.
Two dehydrated meals, coffee, tea bags, chocolate and other treats. - Light water filtration device
- First aid kit
- A set of light running poles
- Bivy
- Tent
- Power bank and cables
- 2 head torches.
Geraldine said: “We shared the load. Our pack were fairly light and they felt comfortable to carry.
“We each carried our own sleeping system, clothes, head torches and water bottle.
I carried the tent, bivy bag, power bank and first aid kit. LillyB the cooking system and food.”