CWT – day 7
3.5.2023 Wednesday
Schoolhouse bothy – Inchnadamph
40 km – 800 m ↑ – 300 km total
I really don’t feel like it this morning, waking up pretty stiff and beat up. After breakfast I set off after eight. Today’s first stretch is toward Oykel Bridge, about 6 km of regular farm road.
From Oykel Bridge I continue another 15 km alongside the Oykel river, first a farm road, later a path along the bank. Looks like plenty of anglers come here, there are little huts for them. I think they fish for salmon here. By noon I’m at Loch Ailish and have lunch. Sunny, so I rest for a bit.
In the afternoon I start climbing into the mountains. 10 km still along the river, up to the slopes of two munros, Ben More Assynt and Conival. Feels more like the High Tatras here now. I take the climb easy, plenty of time left today. Halfway up on the right side of the valley the trail turns off to the right, though my guidebook says to go straight up the hill, off-trail. I weigh my options, but given my previous experience wandering through bogs, I stick with the trail. It leads me right beneath the Ben More Assynt massif, where is a small tucked-away loch, Dubh Loch Mòr.
I rest at this fantastic spot and continue traversing beneath Conival to Beallach Trallgil pass. Have to say, this route’s a lot smarter than going straight up. The way down is more or less easy, following the stream of the same name, a few steeper sections but nothing serious. About half an hour before my destination a shower rolls in. My right Achilles is starting to bother me a bit on the way down — we’ll see what tomorrow brings.
In Inchnadamph I buy a bit more food, and the local hostel happens to be serving dinner for hikers, so I stay. We have lasagne, yum! I run into old acquaintances from Shenavall bothy there — Daniel and Nick, who shortened their route with a bus from Ullapool (they covered 20 km, I did 80 😀). We have a beer, chat a bit, and I slowly go set up my camp outside. I find a decent spot 5 minutes above the hostel by a small stream, wash up and write my diary. Outside is warm, still a bit of drizzle, and midges have shown up too. Good day, good evening too.
