22 - 25 October

22nd October

I don't know what this means but during the night I dreamt I was captain jack sparrow in a scooby doo cartoon. There was an female egyptian mummy with quite a nice figure and beautiful large eyes who had the hots for me and cleopatra was trying to suduce me, she had the body of a spider.  It was all very odd.

Anyway it was raining while I packed away my gear and collapsing the tent seemed to take longer than usual. With inner fly and ground sheet getting wet I knew that when I'd unpack it later that day I'd have a damp tent to sleep in. To say my moral was taking a blow doesn't quite cover it.

Leaving my makeshift campsite I rejoined the gravel track and continued into the forest. The track was heading up a slope with rock walls and pine trees on one side and a densly populated pine forrest on the other. After a long walk the track split into two, on my left the track lead up and to my right it went down. I took a quick look at the satellite images on Google earth to help me make a decision.  I knew that the tracks would both end at some point and I needed to pick the one that wouldn't lead me to a place that would be impossible to move on from. It was hard to tell but it appearded that if I headed down then I would be cut off trying to negotiate the coast line so I decided to carry on up.

Eventually the track ended at a turning circle which meant I would have to head into the thick of the trees. Not knowing what I would see if anything at all I squeezed myself and my pack between the trees and began hiking the forest. I hadn't got far when I emerged to be faced with a view of what I would have to contend with next. In front of me was a steep drop into more forest and ahead of me another densly packed forest growing on an extremely steep slope. It was a daunting prospect to have to tackle.

Again I was faced with a difficult choice,  either go high and follow the tree line at the top or go low and hope I wasn't eventually cut off. Going low was not appealing in the slightest the thought of having to climb back up should I end up having nowhere else to go so began to push my way between the trees and through the slippery heather trying to make my way up the slope to the edge of the forest line. Had it been dry it would have been easier but it wasn't and it didn't take long before I was completely soaked through to the skin.
Once at the top I followed the tree line along. I was now having to hike through extremely tall and saturated grass that obscured deep holes and cold veins of water as it ran down into the forest. The rain was making my journey so much more difficult than I really wanted. Having traipsed through the grass I was then confronted by a thick dense woodland to negotiate. Entering into the darkness of the treeline where the suns rays failed to penetrate I made my way down the slippery mud and moss over rocks and trees that had fallen and rotted gradually making my  way to more level ground. It was saturated with water and I could feel its coldness seeping into my boots.

Solid vertical rock walls slowly rose from in front of me as I was guided down through the woods towards the coast. Spotting a tree stump that had been cut I began to hope that a trail would present itself to me. Ahead I could see an unnatural dark green object, a water butt, laying on its side semi submerged in the boggy ground. A little further on I began noticing small trails leading into the forest and my hopes were raised of a simple way to exit the dominance of the woodland. As I followed one clearly visible trail I stumbled upon a man made dry stone wall. On the other side a fast flowing but small river. Things appeared to be looking up so I carried on along the trail.

Eventually the trail forked.  One trail leading down but looking along and ahead it appeared to end a few meters on. The other trail went up the bank I was now stood on into a thick treeline that was too tightly packed for me to walk through. With no other options open to me I decided to continue away from the trails and keep following the river which I knew would lead me to the sea.

It wasn't long before I could see the shore line once more. The vertical barriers turning to follow the coast and small rocky ledges that were easy to climb provided me with a way to continue following the coast.

After a few scrambles I came across a small stony bay and made my way down to it. I wasn't sure how far I was from open ground or how far I had made it round the peninsula. I didn't even know if I would be able to get round the end of the bay or what I would find when if I did eventually manage to get round. As I crossed the stony shore it was like walking on ice. It was like trying to cross a bay of ice cubes, large blocks of misformed ice.

Reaching the far side of the bay I began to head round the front of a rocky outcrop, climbing up over wet rock and down the other side into another bay. The next bay was similar to the first, stony and slippery. I carried on and once again climbed the rocks at the far end and into another bay. Being conscious that I could be caught out and cut off by the tides I made with haste. To my right I could see two caves but this time I decided not to stop to investigate my priority was to get off the peninsula and to a place that I could safely take a break and dry out.

The wind was beginning to pickup and its force against my pack knocking me off balance which made crossing the frictionless stones of the bay extremely difficult. Gradually the landscape ahead if me became less challenging and instead of having to climb over rocks to get from one to the next I was able to easily climb grassy banks. With plenty of wood laying around I was tempted to stop to build a fire but decided against it as I could see a small bay ahead with a gravel track on the far side. I had almost reached the otherside of the peninsula and knew from the satellite images on my phone that once off this section making my way round to loch Carron would be easy. At the far end of the little bay I was in I was able to continue along the waters edge towards the gravel track.  It had been an extremely tough day but I still had a long way to go before I would be able to settle down and make camp.

Reaching the gravel track it began to rain again,  something I now knew I should expect for several months. I wasn't looking forward to it. I walked along the track towards a river that flowed from inland and out to divide the bay in two. A low bridge crossed the river but where there had been so much rainfall it was now flowing over it, the small tunnels beneath unable to cope with the amount of water attempting to pass through. I was going to get wet feet, wetter feet no matter what so without hesitation I walked through the water, in places as deep as my shins.

On the other side of the river the track lead me up a hill and around the top of the second peninsula and towards loch Carron. Finding shelter beneath a tree I stopped to wring out my socks and take a short breather.

The weather was quite miserable. I was beginning to feel the cold and the wind was slowly getting stronger with gusts I would estimate at about 40mph. I was beginning to feel hungry and started thinking about roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and salivating over pepperoni pizza. Its funny how the mind diverts your thoughts from the elements and struggles of the trek. I began then wondering what a roast beef and Yorkshire pudding pizza would taste like. Deciding it would probably be gross I regained my focus on surviving the winter weather I'd have to endure over the next few months.

I hadn't noticed earlier but I had been limping, I must have injured my knee whilst hiking through the woods or across the slippery bays. It was a little uncomfortable but I couldn't stop where I was, there was no cover and no shelter so determined not to let it bother me I continued.

The gravel track eventually joined a tarmac road which passed through a small community if houses which sat on the banks of the loch.  As hiked, limped passed the houses I thought I heard a voice. I stopped and looked around.  Sure enough there was an elderly gentleman stood in the doorway of his bungalow calling out to me. I couldn't hear what he had to say because the wind was buffeting my ears so I headed over.

Donald lived on his own and had seen me fighting my way through the wind from his dining room table and had come to his door to invite me in for a coffee. While we sat and chatted about the challenge and the weather he offered me a pot of rice pudding. I showed him the most recent video I'd edited to which ge exclaimed "you sure are a hardy fella", which from a scot to an Englishman I consider to be a compliment of the highest regard. Before I left he handed me a pair of woolen insulated gloves to help keep me warm. As I got my coat back on and prepared myself to brave the elements once again Donald attempted to pick up my pack. "Oh gosh!" He explaimed, he couldn't even budge it from the floor. I picked up my pack and slung it onto my back, Donald helped untwist my straps.

Back on the tarmac I continued to follow the road along the loch side, passing through several small villages and eventually Lochcarron where I'd picked up my supplies the day before. Reaching the end of the village and nearing the end of the loch evening descended and the light began to fade into darkness. Using only the light from my head torch I came upon a signpost pointing to a muddy path which would take me to Strathcarron. It had begun to rain quite heavily now and as I made my way along the track through the muddy puddles and over the boggy ground I began to look for somewhere to stop for the night.

After about two miles the track joined the road again. I followed the road towards Strathcarron until I reached a bridge. From the road I could see some trees and decided to seek out a level piece of ground to camp on. Not far from the road I did find a small area of grass on the river bank. Although I couldn't see the river I could certainly hear it. My tent was still soaking wet from the night before and I had to use a dry tshirt to dry the inside out before putting my bedding down. Climbing in I took off all my soaking clothes,  the rain penetrating two jackets, two jumpers and three tshirts to my skin. I was feeling the cold and had to leave my clothes outside under the outer fly sheet hoping they would dry a little over night. I really hoped the rain would ease off and really hoped that the river banks would not burst as I'd be in serious trouble if they did. Feeling quite down and disheartened I made up some food to warm me from inside and put my head down.

23rd October

Around 1am the rain suddenly stopped,  the silence was noticeable even when I was asleep. I woke quite suddenly, time feezing around me for a moment. The leaves had stopped rustling and the branches of the trees ridged and motionless. I could barely hear the river flowing, not even a ripped could be heard. Holding my breath I listened, the storm had stopped as briefly as it had started hours before.

My muscles were now aching,  shins, calfs, back, hips, feet you name a muscle group and I'm sure it was achibg too.  The ground was lumpy and due to the speed of the rapid deployment of the tent under lets say "less than perfect conditions" a few twigs and sticks were laying beneath the ground sheet. My left knee was aching quite heavily and considerably uncomfortable. I decided to have a visual inspection under torch light, at first glance every thing looked ok but as I looked closer I noticed a slight swelling and the skin was a shade or two darker, almost purple. Possibly even lilac,  I don't know but it was certainly not the normal colour. I eventually found a comfortable position and got back to sleep hoping to rest my leg for just a little longer even if it was only a couple of hours.

I would guess a couple more than a couple of hours later daylight had fallen. It appeared to have stopped raining. I took a look at my boots, they felt cold and damp inside and the outer layer was cracking and in obe place completely broken away. I would need to try and get my last pair sent out and hoped the pair I had would last.

I had breakfast and got out of the tent,  it appeared that the storm had passed over head. Glancing at the river I noticed how high it had appeared to have risen over night.

I began trying to sort out what was dry and what was wet hanging out my clothes on a nearby fence. Thankfully I still had my old trousers Josephine had fixed on skye. As I began packing my gear into my pack it slowly began to rain. Every thing began to get soaked again and for some reason it seemed to take ages. I realised I wasn't thinking straight, I knew I needed to get a grip.

I needed to get a fire going,  I needed to find shelter,  I was too exposed where I was. I headed along the road and I could see a few forests ahead.  It didn't matter how far I walked I needed to try and get my kit dry.

Next  to the road ran a railway track and beyond that was the loch. It was a little frustrating as I imagined the view from the train would be fantastic.

Coming across a turning down into a forest I felt sure I would find reasonable shelter from the strong winds and maybe even the heavy downpours. The track changed after a short hike from a gravel track into a green carpeted gravel track.  Its hard to describe but be believe me it was magically fantastic, almost fairy tale. Even in the poor light it had an unusually fairytale presence. Either side of the track were enormous pibe trees that simply tower above you like an enormous impenetrable corridor.

Walking along,  sheltered from the wind I saw a nice level area just big enough to pitch on and safely have a fire on. Just ahead I could hear a waterfall which meant I could easily get water in the morning to have breakfast.

I headed down off the track and into the woods. I took my bag off and hunted around for dry wood. Well all I could come up with was dampish wood,  small twigs and small branches not really anything that would be easy to light or even really sustain a fire should you be lucky enough in the first place.

It took six attempts but I got a very small fire going and gradually began drying out other pieces to keep the fire going. Next to the tent it gave off a little warmth it wasn't sufficient though to boil up some water for that I used the gas stove. Having a waterfall nearby is a bit of a luxury for me, usually have to walk sone distance before finding any form of water source.  After having my dinner I decided to go and get some more water before climbing into bed so that I wouldn't need to later should I need a hot drink during the night to warm me up. While I was off collecting the water a short sharp down pour extinguished the fire. I tried to resurrect it but after a couple of attempts and failing each time I gave up and lay back in my tent trying to remain positive.

24th October

Somethings,  most things are easier said than done. Putting cold wet socks and boots on can quickly bring you down. It was still spitting with rain too and in the back of my mind I could feel that the day possibly wasn't going to go quite as easy as I'd hope.

The tent got wet, wetter,  as I packed it away. It was a summer tent not a winter tent. The outer had to go on last and come off first leaving the inner fly and sleeping area were exposed to the rain and would obviously get wet.

As I left the site I began to wonder where I could get a lightweight tarp  from. After climbing up  out of the trees and headed along the gravel track. I'd only been walking for 15 minutes when the track abruptly stopped. I headed off into the woods to see if I could push through parallel to the waters edge. Not far into the thick of the trees the ground fell away into a deep ravine with a cascading waterfall. I couldn't get across,  the sides were too wet and slippery.  I decided to follow the ravine back to the start through the trees hoping to find a way across or possibly even the road.

Sure enough I was able to cross around the ravine on the road above. Not having to walk far before I found another track that would lead me through the forest. Like the previous track this one too was overgrown with grasses and moss. And sure enough this on also abruptly ended and once again I found myself pushing through the densly packed trees of the forest.

After crossing over a couple of small waterfalls and streams I noticed a bright orange marker tied to a branch. It was a marker the forestry commission uses when someone goes into the thick of the forest to help them find their way back out. I just needee to find the next nearest marker and follow the subsequent trail of markers,  I knew I'd find, until I reached wherever it was they'd take me too.

It was difficult to spot the markers through the woods but I eventually climbed the steep slippery bank to another track. Which I followed along through the trees . The wind was biting my legs which were wet and numb with cold. The track finally joined the road once again and took me to a small village.

The village had a village hall and the village hall had an outside tap. I was really cold so I sought shelter from the wind by using the hall as a wind break. I collected water in my saucepan from the tap and stopped for a cappuccino. Wrapping both hands round the mug I could instantly feel the hot liquid warming me up from inside.

As I left the village I followed the road towards Plockton,  it ran through a beautiful forrest on the slopes above the loch. It was raining on and off and the wind still cold. After a few miles I found a signpost indicating a footpath along the coastline which naturally I took.

It was a good woodland walk, a bit boggy in places. It was still cloudy and cold but at least it had stopped raining. My boots were soaking though and my feet saturated. The views of Plockton across the water and the small bays leading to the village were fantastic though and somehow for a few minutes everything appeared to be ok. On leaving the footpath to follow the road into Plockton I found a dead tree that had been felled. Surprisingly it was completely dry. I took a plastic bag out of my pocket and collected enough small dry wood to get a fire started. All I needed now was to find somewhere sheltered to set up camp and get out of my wet clothes.

I headed down to the harbour and sure enough there were palm trees growing. It was a shame the weather was so awful I'd wanted to get a pic of the palms  against a clear blue sky but instead it was simply awful. Dark grey skies with threats of rain.

At the end of the harbour I found myself at a dead end so turned round and headed back towards the public toilets.  I needed to get fresh water and this was a good opportunity to get out of the cold winds and under some form of shelter while I tried to decide what I should do.

As I refilled my hydration bladder I noticed a huge hole near the filler cap. It was no longer fit for use and there wouldn't be a simple fix I good do. I ditched the bladder and decided to get another 1ltr bottle at the next shop. Now I was only able to carry 1ltr of water. Enough for breakfast but not an evening meal as well. I was really starting to feel the cold now. Especially since I was no longer walking and standing in a cold building. I decided to make up my evening meal early while I knew I had water.

I'd just finished my sweet n sour freeze dried chicken when I began to feel nauseous,  my lips tingled and my head went light and dizzy. Suddenly feeling cold and uncertain on my feet I dropped into a small ball to warm up. I needed to get walking again. I grabbed my backpack and headed back up the road I'd come in to the village on. My joints were stiffening up and it was once again raining,  the wins biting at my legs.

Hiking up the hill to rejoin the coast around the peninsula was hard work and I gradually found it difficult to be decisive about decisions I needed to make such as where to camp, getting dry and warm and staying warm throughout the night. As I passed the Plockton inn I said hello to adam, a guest of the inn as he crossed the road. "Thats quite a pack you have there" he said. I explained the challenge and that I was also carrying a small boat as well.

I didn't think I looked too bad and was trying to hide the discomfort I was feeling while talking away but it would seem that my condition was worse than I'd thought when adam looked directly at me with an increasingly concerned look on his face. "You look like you need to get a room for the night, let me check you in". It was a really lovely gesture. I didn't want to fail the challenge and one of the rules stated "wild camping or improvised shelter" of which a hotel is neither. I knew something wasn't right though, I needed to get warmer and out of my wet clothes. It was a tough decision but if I was to get all the way round Britain I'd need to keep an eye on my health especially during the winter months.

Checking into the inn was a strange feeling. Inside the room I immediately stripped off and climbed into the shower. It was warm and relaxing. My legs hurt so I sat down in the shower tray and let the hot water cover me. I stayed there for a while before getting out and putting anything that still felt dryish. The inn offered to dry my clothes for me so the rest I bundled up and took to reception. Adam had also offered to pay for a meal and drink as well. I am constantly amazed at the generosity of others and this was simply amazing. After I'd finished my meal I headed up to my room to climb into a bed. With a soft matress I found it hard to get comfortable.

25th October

I hate to say it but I had an awful nights sleep.  I simply couldn't get comfortable on the soft matress and thick soft duvet. The wind rattled the windows all night and morning came round all too quickly.

Breakfast was however included with the room. So I took full advantage of the fact. A bowl of cereal, toast, full Scottish,  yoghurt and oatcakes. It was delightful. While stuffing my gut I began chatting to jen, a yank from colarado on a cycling journey with no particular destination.

I collected my dry clothing, packed my gear away and set off along the road to kyle a mere 6 miles away. It was reasonably ok weather when I left the inn but a few miles away it began absolutely hammering it down again. My boots still being damp from the days before didn't take long before they began to absorb more water in, saturating my dry socks.

The sun did manage to break through though after a 15 minute downpour. The cold was biting with every gust of wind that whipped along the road. I was feeling better than I had the night before but I knew I didn't feel a 100% inside. It took a few hours to get near kyle and the closer I got the better the weather appeared. The winds easing off and the sun shining brightly down its warming rays hitting my hands and face.

Entering a large town like kyle is an odd feeling for me these days. I headed straight to the harbour masters to see if there was anyone around so that I could collect the supplies roto had left there for me. It was Saturday and the harbour masters is closed. It began intermittently showering. I decided to get a litre water bottle and find somewhere to camp up.

It was late afternoon now and the gusts of wind were beginning to pickup quite considerably. I took shelter under a car park on the harbour next to the railway. I was beginning to feel the cold again. I boiled some water and made myself a cappuccino. Still feeling cold I knew I needed to get camp setup relax a little and get dry and warm. I knew also that I was beginning to make silly little mistakes recently and thankfully no mistake up till now had been fatal but if I wasn't careful one day it could be.

I wandered around looking for a quite place sheltered from the wind. A small woodland tucked up behind the community swimming pool caught my eye. I found a small place, perfect to pitch on and sheltered from the wind.  It wasn't sheltered from the rain though, a carpet of autumn leaves covering the ground. Once I set the tent up I went through my usual routine of getting my camp organised. Laying out my matress, sleeping bag,  charger and cables. Today though my routine was to be interrupted. My bag of cables were missing.  I hadn't properly zipped up the pockets on my pack and they'd fallen out. Thankfully i had a charger cable for the phone in my pocket but I had lost the specialist cable for the solar charger making the unit redundant once I use the charge up that's still stored in the battery unit. It was another sign that I wasn't thinking straight and checking everything before setting off.

Loosing the cables was a huge blow. Leaving my kit where it was I retraced my footsteps hoping to find the bag but after covering everywhere I'd been several times I decided that I probably wouldn't see it again now. Back at camp I spoke to joanne who was concerned along with several of my close friends about my decision to add the isle of skye onto the challenge.

It had been pointed out that I hadn't plotted a route around skye or done any form of research. I was also told that changing a plan whilst it is being executed could end in disaster. I was determined to get round the coast and although I'd stopped in an inn my health needed to come first. Dramatic changes in the weather and not having kit that could properly cope with the extremes of the west coast I gradually found myself agreeing with her argument. There was no point being reckless and safety must always come first.

It was a tough decision to make but I felt that I shouldn't deviate from the original route I'd have enough problems ahead without adding to them.