24^th Sept 2014

Mega blog part 2

Waking up beside a calm loch with the sun shining and the birds chirping I made myself a coffee and munched on a chocolate digestive bar. With only a couple of miles but some steep hills to tackle my first port of call was going to be drumbeg. After packing away my little home into my bag I went over to rick and clares tent for a quick cuppa and final say goodbye. Meg was particularly hyper, attacking an empty 5ltr water bottle and prancing around after her rubber ball. Before I departed rick handed me a bar of dark chocolate to keep me going and a can of ale to enjoy that evening. It looked like it was going to be a pleasant day, not too hot and dry.

I hit the road and passing a small harbour came upon an old fishing boat,laying on its side. It looked like a scene from a painting I'd once seen. Looking tattered and well used against the perfect surroundings of the loch. After a short pause I began to make my way up over a crest and down again then up the next hill and once again down the other side. Every time I made my way over each hill I was confronted with another much higher than the previous until I reached drumbeg.

The small village was sparsely populated with houses spaced out amongst the hills, there was a small hotel and a tiny shop. I stopped at the shop to get a couple of chocolate bars, a packet if crisps and two cartons of orange juice for lunch. There wasn't much choice in the little village shop which seemed to mostly be filled with souvenirs. Sat outside on a picnic bench I had my lunch and gazed across at the beautiful scenery, a large loch surrounded by a mountainous terrain, trees growing along its edges and could see why the locals had chosen to make the place their home. I was now only a few hundred yards from the coastline once again so grabbing my pack I set off from the village to the view point to take a goid look at the sea and the landscape I'd crossed a few days earlier. My challenge now was to make my way onwards as close to Lochinver as I could before nightfall and as close to the coastline as possible. Taking the first right I headed down into a small hamlet and towards a harbour hoping that I'd be able to leave the road and begin the days adventure in the wild. Getting down to the bay and looking over to my left I could see it was surely going to be a huge challenge. Steep cliffs and ferns growing tall. Trying to plot a route I eventually decided that unless you were spiderman or completely out of your mind this was as close as I could get for the time being. While considering the possibility of pack rafting from the harbour round the weather turned and the wind picked while the rain began to fall. Disappointed I turned round and headed back along the road. Back at the top of the steep hill I headed off continuing to follow the road looking for a away into the hills. Steep rocky cliff faces and overgrown by ferns the landscape was simply not going to allow me the pleasure of its wild views being quite inhospitable.

I'd walked a few miles before I saw the coast again, the road winding its way between lochs and above small woods, the road had been blasted into the rocky hills and was now directly above the water. Ahead of me I could see a beach and a way to get closer to the waters. I headed down to the beach and made my way across the pink sands and over to the rocky shoreline. Climbing up the rocks I made my way onto the wet grasses and towards some cliffs. My boots were beginning to saturate and my trousers dripping wet were clinging to my skin. It was going to be a wet and miserable hike to the headland and old man of Stoer sea stacks, a natural rock formation popular with climbers that I'd been looking forward to seeing. As I progressed along the cliffs, careful not to slip, the clouds blew in from the sea engulfing me and obscuring my views. I climbed over a fence using an old stile which was rickety and broken but as I jumped down my pack caught on a post and ripped. Just what I needed. It was now very apparent that I'd soon need to stop somewhere to make more repairs to all the damaged kit I had, my pack, tent and trousers.

Not letting the mishap or weather deter me I continued on following the cliffs. With my head lowered and the weight of my pack digging into my back and shoulders I marched on through the wet grass and over the marshy ground beneath me. It reminded me a little of my experience at cape wrath the hills baron, no trees and fairly featureless. The clouds were completely obscuring the sun which made it impossible to determine which direction I was now actually heading or to anticipate how many hours of light I still had left before nightfall.

Eventually I reached another sandy beach and knew from the satellite images on my phone that I was now only a few miles from the headland and the sea stack I'd wanted to at least make for that day. I dropped down onto the beach and headed across the sands to a slipway. Climbing the slipway I made my way back onto the wet grasses passing the ruins of an old farmhouse and back into the wild. My hands were now beginning to feel the cold and although I was ready to give up on the days trek and call it a day I continued to follow the cliffs. The hills were becoming less pronounced now and it seemed my progress was good. Gradually climbing higher with each slope I slowly turned a corner and saw the skies turning red to my right. I then knew I was heading south and the stacks wouldn't be far away. The cliffs here were extremely high and not wanting to walk too close to the edge I stayed a little way off until they began to slowly lower. Looking back, the clouds thinning out, I was able to get a good view of the 60 foot stacks. They were much closer to the coast tgan I had imagined, wider at the top than the bottom and began to wonder how any climbers could have made it all the way to the top. I guess somebody must have but certainly knew that my climbing abilities would have meant I'd have had to stop a long way from the top. Turning around I continued along the cliffs, estimating tgat I'd probably only have an a hour maximum before the sun set completely and night fall would make hiking to difficult and dangerous. A mile or so later I spotted the flash of a light. I carried on again and once again saw the flash of a bright light. It was the lighthouse perched at the furthest point of the headland. Not too far away I headed towards it only to be stopped in my tracks by a deep gorge. Wondering how I was going to get down I spotted a series of steps cut into the far side so I followed the gorge along until I came across another set on my side. What a stroke of luck. Making my way down and back up was easy work and not something I was used to. Once again I was on top of the cliffs and not far from the lighthouse. Darkness had fallen but with jusy enough light to see I kept walking towards the flash of light deciding that I would camp up somewhere nearby and hopefully slightly sheltered from the wind.

Nearing the end of the headland I came upon a ruin of something,a stone wall surrounding it. It was too dark to investigate so I pitched my tent nearby and settled In for the night. Boiling some water while nibbling on the dark chocolate rick had given me I made myself some pasta before climbing into my sleeping bag. Feeling cold, tired and wet I soon fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning I woke around 8:30am. I was still cold, I made a coffee and made my plan for the day. With cold, wet boots I decided that my goal would be Lochinver. I also needed to get supplies, my gas almost empty and very little food left In my pack. Reluctantly I put on my boots and cold damp trousers and poked my head out of the tent to check the weather. Glancing to my left I couldn't believe my eyes. Was it a mirage, was my mind playing tricks on me again. I took another look. It was a small blue hut, the shutters lifted open with a woman standing inside. It had to be a snack bar and I began thinking about bacon and eggs. I packed the tent away, but before heading over I went to investigate the ruins I pitched next to. They were the ruins of an old cottage, probably a crofters. The doorways and windows had been blocked off so I headed up to the lighthouse to get a good view of the cliffs I'd hiked over the night before and to check out the coast I'd be hiking that day. Both were impressive. Staying close to the clifftops I made my way down the slope and over to the car park where the blue hut was situated. Next to the hut was a wooden shed like building with a sigb stating that it was probably the most remote toilet in Scotland. I had to giggle and get a photo. I then headed over to the lady who'd been stood in the blue hut, now crouched up in the boot of her car and began chatting. Leigh was full of stories about the people, campers and especially climbers that visited the point. I love hearing other people talk about what they see or hear, afterall everybody has a story. Ordering a cup of coffee and a bacon and egg roll we carried on exchanging stories when an old but new three wheeled morgan turns up. It was a beautiful sight and sat right in front of the lighthouse, a perfect picture moment. The driver came over and we all continued chatting. After being isolated for so long and to have met so many people in such a short time I believe restored my mental state a little. I then found myself needing to empty my bowls and became the latest visitor to the remote toilet at the point. I side were information boards explaining how the toilet worked and turned the waste into compost. It was fascinating reading and I felt no need to read a news paper or magazine. Quite content I went to pay for my breakfast only to be told that it was on the house. Another lovely random act of kindness I'll never forget.

Lochinver was about 10 or 11 miles away by road but I was going to attempt to stick to the coast and although my boots and socks were wet the weather wasn't too bad and dry at least. I left the little blue hut and began to make my way across the short green grass and along the clifftop. I think I was heading south but I could also have been heading east. My sense of direction now completely gone. All I know for sure is that the sea was on my right. To begin with the hike was fairly easy and the grassy clifftops were forgiving with gradual slopes and dips. The further along I went though the bumps became enormous hills and massively undulating cliffs with extremely steep slopes that I had to walk carefully along so as not to slip on to the rocks and into the waters below.

Ahead I could see the terrain looking more and more rocky and mountainous. The closer I headed in towards the mainland the more ominous and challenging the trek would become. Eventually I found myself at a lovely little sandy beach, a pile of stones at one end. As I approached the stones I realised they must hace once formed some kind of round stone building, a doorway still visible. There wasn't much left though and even using my imagination and knowing what I did about ancient Scottish homes I failed to fully picture the building as it would have been in the past. Whilst looking around for clues the wind began to pick up and it started to rain so I abandoned my archaeological investigation and continued along the coast, over the grassy hills, which had become slight again, and towards another small sandy bay. Near to the bay was a small public toilet block and the rain gad begun to fall heavily so I decided to pop in and take cover while I put on my wet weather gear and made a cup of noodles.

The coastline ahead now was not so much as undulating but more sheer vertical rock faces and small mountainous peaks and crags. I headed over from my little refuge to set about tackling them. I began to climb the first ledge in the hope that I'd be able to make my way over the tops but the rocky surfaces had become dangerously slippery and my boots were unable to get a good grip. Sliding back down I toom a step back to see if I could find another route but everywhere I looked seemed more difficult and dangerous. Feeling disappointed I decided that safety would have to come first so I followed the road between the high rocky peaks. As I hiked I reminded myself about the rules of the trek, as close as possible without being stupid. Safety had to come first and although following the road would take longer I this case it was also considerably safer. The rain hadn't let off one bit so I kept my head down and with a brisk stride followed the tarmac trail for about three miles through sone amazing valleys and passed sone gorgeous lochs until I found myself walking along the main road and into Lochinver. As I hiked I kept wondering if with better equipment, more funds and more time I'd be able to get even closer to the edge than I had done already. I certainly hoped that maybe one day somebody else would give it a go.

Once in the village I headed for the local stores to get some supplies to last me until I heard from jo about the next supply drop and then headed over to the pie shop kevin Langan had mentioned on Facebook. He prepaid for two pies several weeks before and had them put aside in my name, all I had to do was choose which pies I wanted. I stopped for a coffee and picked up a couple of fruit pies which I thought I'd have for breakfast the following morning.

Leaving the pie shop I then walked along the waters edge looking for a place to pitch up and spend the night. Finding a little spot next to the church I made myself at home and got down to writing up my blogs before putting my head down to get a good nights sleep.

26^th Sept 2014

It was around 4am when I was woken by the sound of torrential rain pounding on the tent . Just perfect, I thought. Trying to ignore it and failing completely I decided to finish up writing my blogs bringing everyone finally up to date. It was quite a relief and a lesson learnt. Never again would I allow my memoirs get behind again. It was nearly 6am by the time I had written my final words and the rain hadn't lifted off one bit. Burying my head into my sleeping bag I closed my eyes and eventually found peace.

At around 9am I woke to the sound of a bus pulling up, the rain had stopped and the sun was doing its best to find holes in the clouds to shine through. I had a couple of saucepans of sugar puffs I'd bought in the spar the day before and had a coffee with what was left of the milk. With barely a gust in the wind I packed my gear up and set off towards the harbour to visit the guys at the Lochinver rnli station. They weren't expecting me and hadn't a clue who I was or what I was doing. The fund raising department of the rnli had done a rubbish job of informing the stations of my challenge and pre warning them that I'd be popping in. The save the Children fund raising department also it would seem incapable of sending and email. Still I was once again given a mug of coffee and a biscuit and welcomed to the station. Using the lifeline wifi network of the station I cached the next stage of the challenge taking me to Ullapool. Stewart, the chief mechanic was very helpful and with his local knowledge I was able to derive a simple route that I hoped would keep me close to the coast although there were sections Stewart wasn't sure I'd be able to pass and advised me that I would probably have to at some points rely on the roads that ran close. Whilst I was at the station I managed to get a phone signal and recieved a text from jo saying that the supplies had finally arrived. She'd been having problems contacting the suppliers through email which was why it had taken so long. Giving her a quick call we decided the next town I would be able to pick them up from would be Ullapool as I didn't think there would be anywhere closer. 
It was soon time for me to get going, with the days getting shorter and shorter I needed to start using what little time I had to try and get as far as possible. Attempting to navigate the Scottish coast in the dark would be extremely dangerous and quite frankly pure insanity.

Stewart directed me to a path behind the station that would take me up the steep woodland covered bank of the loch and into the forrest behind. From there I could follow a woodland walk running parallel to the coast and to a series of three bays. From there I'd have to make my own way or double back to the road in order to continue. I try never to double back and have only ever done so when theres been absolutely no other choice and this was no exception.

It was a steep climb along a narrow path that ran between the ferns and trees but it was also a pleasant walk. Reaching the top I was confronted by a large tree standing proud, from the tree people had hung cards with wishes and blessings on and strung beads and chimes together. It was like a wishing tree. Beside the tree was a small cairn and the atmosphere around the area was really quite calm. After pausing only briefly to look at some of the charms on the tree I headed off still following the path through the thick thriving woods until I made it down to the first of the small bays I would encounter that day. There was a small bench overlooking the stony bay and out to the calm waters. The path continued across the the bay and passed some fallen trees around the rocky walls that enclosed the bay. At times I found my pack snagging on branches where the trees had grown close together or had begun to intertwine but it didn't take long before I was at the next bay, and so the journey continued.

A short way later the small path joined a much larger and well used path as it swept its way through the trees and down to a larger bay. There was a beautiful cascading waterfall and improvised assault course for the kids, even a large metal bbq for those lobg summers evenings that were now long passed. Old green fishing nets had been strung between the trees anbd formed enormous hammocks or Clambering nets. Walking towards me was an elderly gentleman, Eric, and his little dog. Stopping for a chat I explained what I was doing and mentioned the numerous strange unexplained happenings I'd experienced while camping. Eric didn't believe in ghosts but admitted he had an open mind about such things. On two occasions he admitted he'd had out of body experiences. Eric then went on to tell me his stories about these moments in his life and how he said it felt good but the second time a white figure was standing over him telling him it wasn't his time yet. He then went on to tell me how he'd met a girl in South Africa and she'd been convinced that she had an indian spirit watching over her. He dismissed it at the time but one evening while sat in an arm chair he'd seen a pair of legs out of the corner of his eye stood beside him. He refused to look and they disappeared. Before parting company Eric said asked me if I'd noticed anything unusual about children recently. I asked him, I what way. He replied, have you noticed that there are more girls being born these days than boys. At that two young girls accompanied by their dad ran down from the forest path and onto the beach below us. "Food for thought", he said, "do a little tally next time you're in a town". An interesting thought and something I'll definitely be doing on the rest of my journey if for nothing else but to pass the time.

Saying goodbye I headed off to continue my quest to navigate the coast. The forest path turned left but there was a sign indicating another route "are you brave enough path" it said. I looked over. It headed off towards the cliffs through some trees clinging onto a steep slope. I'm certainly stupid enough, I thought. Wishing once again I had a gopro I set off squeezing between the trees and towards the cliffs. They weren't too high above the water but high enough that if I'd slipped, especially with the pack adding to the challenge I would surely do myself a mischief. A few feet to my left there was a fence, tall and precarious enough for me not to climb over. The end stopped a couple of feet from the clifftops and it appeared that there was a narrow trail, if you could call it that, on the otherside. Surely this wasn't a path, I thought, health and safety would have a field day filling out risk assessment forms with this. I couldn't see anywhere else to go so gingerly I shuffled myself round the end of the fence and onto the clifftop the otherside. I then somehow managed to keep my balance as I placed one foot in front of the other like a tight rope walker and slowly made my way along. It was quite slippery and a couple of times I felt a little uneasy. I wasn't going to give up though. After a few more steps the trail simply ended and I was faced with a pile of large slippery boulders, at the bottom covered with seaweed and kelp. Staying high I hopped and jumped from one boulder to the next and gradually made my way into the bay. I couldn't believe that where I'd just been was really a path. It was pure insanity.

Now back on solid ground I walked around the small bay and into the next. There didn't seem to be any obvious way out. Then I spotted a muddy trail leading up a very steep bank back into the woods. People had obviously scrambled up the bank before but I guess they weren't carrying an enormous backpack. With no other choice available to me I followed the trail up grabbing onto trees and rocks to help my ascent. It was a fair climb and really challenging. At the top I looked around. The trail seemed to head back towards the bay I'd met Eric in but I really didn't want to head back that way so decided to head down into the thick of the forest. It was tough going winding myself between the closely packed birch trees and climbing between the crags and crevices. At times not even being able to see the coast or even knowing where I was. Even if I had brought a map with me I'd have been completely clueless. After a couple of hours I found myself cut off so I had to climb a very steep damp grassy slope and gain higher ground. Still none the wiser I headed back down into the forest. I eventually ended up at a small holiday village with several chalets surrounding a cut grass area overlooking a small island with a tree in the middle. The glorious sunny day was now not so sunny with heavy clouds hanging overhead. There was a tarmac track leading out of the village and with no other way to go I followed it up to the main road above.

I didn't need to walk far before I found a way to get back closer to the clifftops. Leaving the road I began to hike over the grassy and heather laden hills towards another small birch forest which ran down the side of another hill.

At the bottom I came upon a small barbed wire fence. A tree had fallen against it blocking my way so I decided to climb over the tree but as I did it gave way beneath me. I hadn't realised it at the time but the tree had rotted right through and unable to support my weight collapsed. Falling to the ground and up against the fence I cut my hand and leg quite severely. Three deep cuts to my right calf muscle and one deep but clean cut to the palm of my left hand. Checking myself over I decided the damage wasn't too bad and picked myself up off the ground. I then checked to see if the solar charger which was strapped to my pack was alright. Everything seemed to be ok so i slung my pack back on and continued along the length of the fence. I wasn't going to attempt to climb it hoping that I'd find a gate or stile a little further along. After hiking my way along the length of the fence it eventually stopped at a deep valley, a river running through it. I wasn't going to be able to cross the valley here so followed the river back to see where it would bring me out.

It brought me back to the road again. So I crossed the bridge and hiked along until I came to a small track leading up passed a small house among some trees. Passing the house I was able to head back up into the hills once again. My back and shoulders were beginning to hurt by now but I was determined to try and make a few more miles before looking for a place to camp. I still had a couple of hours left before nightfall. Checking Google earth I found where I thought I was and was able to see a small beachy area which looked like it leveled out with a small river leading to a beach and few groups of trees. It seemed like a reasonable place to hold up for the night and was only maybe a mile away so I set off across the hills over the grasses and through the heathers passing a loch on my left until I could go no further. A line of gorse was obstructing my way. I followed the gorse back to try and find a way through. Eventually I found myself heading back inland and down towards the road. I'd done all I could but it seemed that following the road was the only option now available to me so I made my way along the road.

Ahead of me though I could see the small bay I was heading for, Inverkirkaig. Looking out for somewhere to camp a silver van came up from behind, the drivers window woubd down, as I stepped onto the verge to let it pass I realised the occupants were a young couple I'd briefly chatted to in the pie shop. They pulled up to say hello. It was an unexpected encounter to say the least. I was offered a lift but obviously had to decline the kind offer. Before they set off again though they handed me a small bag with an apple, orange, a couple of breakfast bars and so that I didn't get scurvy a tin of citrus cider. It was a lovely thought. The van headed off, the couple were heading to the coast near Achiltibuie and told me that when I got nearer to their home near Morecombe bay to give them a call and they'd take a walk with me.

I carried on down the hill towards the bay and spotted the van pulled up alongside the road, surely they couldn't be lost, there was only one road. As I got closer Graham was stood beside the van holding a dish. "We wondered if you'd like to take whats left of our dinner, chorizo, chickpeas and peppers. It's quite spicy and will ho well with the cider". We transfered the meal into a container and they headed off. Reaching the river I followed the road to a small dry stone wall and decided to stop for dinner, sheltering from the wind I heated the food and opened the can. The light was fading fast and spotting a small clearing amongst the trees ahead I decided to make camp and get some much needed rest. It was only 7:45 when the sun finally dropped out of sight and the darkness fell.

27^th Sept 2014

Camped beneath the trees it was difficult to tell what the weather was going to be like that day so I climbed out to take a look. It didn't look too positive though so deciding to pack quickly I was eager to get going. Since I left Southampton I've had to evict many bugs from my tent. To start with it was earwigs then giant black beetles and along the north coast coming down the west it was daddy long legs. This time it was slugs. Big black slugs, small translucent grey slugs and those in between. I think I dislike slugs most off all the slimy little critters leaving trails all over my inner mesh and clinging to the inside of the flysheet.

Once I'd finished flicking my latest hitchhikers and telling them to walk I began my walk alongside the river up on the road. Following the river I eventually found a bridge to cross which took me up a steep hill. I'd wanted to head into the woods but the banks were too steep and the trees too tightly packed. Once at the top of the hill though my luck changed and seizing my chance I headed across the marshes and bogs, hiking the rocky slopes and jumping the small streams to follow the coastline as close as I could get. It didn't last long though ending up back at the road once again. I knew that navigating parts of the Scottish west coast would be difficult and in places impossible when I'd plotted my initial route in Google earth back home before I began. Luckily the road followed the coast almost inch perfect and I really couldn't have got closer if I'd tried. It was a couple of miles before I found my next opportunity to break free from the tarmac as the road headed inland along narrow river. An old stone dyke had dammed the rivers flow creating a small loch behind. The dyke also provided me with an ideal opportunity to cross the river without having to dip my feet in the water. Now back off road and heading into the wild I hiked my way out to a small headland and followed it round back to a small stony bay. As I made my way round I kept my eye on a thick mist that was forming just off the coast, the wind blowing it towards me. Hoping it would pass by or preferably stay where it was I crossed the bay which pretty much brought me back to the dyke. I was now confronted with a very steep climb over rocks and heathers or the choice to head back towards the dyke and follow the river inland until I could find another less risky way to climb to the top of the hills. Why I decided to climb I can't tell you all I know is at the time I figured it was the way to go. Looking for anything I could hold to pull me up and struggling to get grip for my boots on the rocks I managed to slowly make my way up. Each time I thought I'd reached the top though I was confronted with another ridge to climb. It got to the point where I was wondering if it would ever end. Thankfully all cliffs and hills have a peak and after a lot of effort I eventually made it to the top. Slightly out of breath I headed off over the heathers and rock dropping between the peaks. Seeing a mobile antenna in the distance I decided to take a break and check my mobile for texts. I'd received one from a friend sally wanting a quick catch up. Sally had been looking after my mail for me so I thought I'd better just quickly check in and make sure everything was ok. Thankfully there was nothing that needed urgent attention and she just wanted to check I was ok. When I told her about my trouble sleeping and hearing voices in my head she asked, quite concerned, what they were telling me to do. Well they weren't telling me to do anything, just arguing. Which reminds me, as I left the bar back in Scourie I met a psychiatric nurse for a mental hospital and mentioned my concerns about being isolated so much and how it could affect my mental health. He told me that it would most definitely affect me mentally and my head would probably play tricks on me but as long as I didn't think I was the king of England then i was probably ok. Which I must admit I found comfort in. Thankfully since leaving cape wrath I've not had any mind problems and feeling considerably happier. I certainly haven't heard anymore voices. It was nice to have a little chat with sal who threatened to come up for a small walk or to make me climb ben nevis when I got closer.

The wind was beginning to pick up now and the temperature had dropped quite considerably. I simply couldn't just sit tight on top of the hill I needed to get going, the mist looking decidedly closer. I picked myself up off my perch and set off along the peaks and down into the basins below. Walking across the marshes I felt the ground below me go peculiar. I stopped and looked. It looked firm so I decided to bounce. The matted grass I was currently walking over didn't seem to be attached to anything firm in fact it bounced with me like a jelly. I bounced again and again. Each time I bounced the ground reacted and I could here water beneath me. Deciding it probably wasn't such a good idea to continue bouncing I gingerly made my way towards the hills which looked considerably firmer. My guess would be that beneath the matted grass and heathers was probably just a bottomless lake. I can't be sure but I knew I didn't fancy finding out. Following the marsh round I began to climb again. Watching where I trod and planning my route as I went I noticed some red deer grazing just ahead of me. I stopped hoping they hadn't seen or heard me. I went to pull out my phone to get a picture when one of them turned, looking directly at me. I froze hoping not to startle them but it was too late another deer sensing something was odd bolted and made its way away from me the others following on behind. Once again I'd missed my opportunity so again I continued on with my journey and climbed the next hill. Gradually the climbs were getting higher and steeper. Standing on the top I was confronted with a sheer drop. There didn't seem to be any apparent way down. Whenever I face situations such as this I simply stop, take a deep breath and look. By simply stopping and looking for slight disturbances in the undergrowth no matter, how slight, or small channels between the ferns it is often easy to see a trail. If no trail presents itself you look for the next best thing which is natural pathways such as slight inclines, slopes or even disturbed rocks where water has previously run through. This time though I couldn't see any trails that would take me down, like I had been lucky enough before and had to rely on the landscape. Keeping high I followed the contours of the hillsides around the hills until I was able to find lower ground and a less steep place to descend. The are was truly challenging as I continued to tackle it. Eventually though with pure determination I found myself looking down onto a bay and only a short walk passed a small loch along a stony shoreline, which separated the two, and through a small wood to get me there. Exiting the woods I found myself at a salmon fishery. Across from it a high cliff face which I simply wouldn't have been able to climb. Thankfully though there was a track leading away from the fishery which I figured would either bring me out at a main road or better still to a place I'd be able to head back into the hills. As I made my way up the track I thick heavy mist engulfed the area. I'd been keeping an eye on it all day and now it had finally arrived to hinder my progress.

The mist was extremely dense and I couldn't see more than a hundred yards the majority of the time. I made my way up the track which brought me out at a farm and continued between the fields to the main road. Looking across the fields I could see what looked like the beginning of a very steep climb but could see no further and wasn't sure where the climb would take me so u decided to put safety first and headed for the road, the mist being thinner further inland. At the road I turned right and began to make a slow ascent, walls of rock to my right and tarmac ahead. I couldn't see much else. I'd walked only about a mile or so when I came upon a large beach. The road stopped at a junction indicating the distances to the nearest villages next to a view point overlooking the beach.

I knew that Achiltibuie was going to be my nearest shop and possibly my last chance to get gas before Ullapool. From the junction the sign said it was a mere 4 miles away the question that then ran through my head was, did I have enough gas to last me round the next headland to Reiff or should I make the 8 mile round trip to get sone before heading off. The chances of finding firewood were potentially slim which would mean I'd have no way of boiling water to make up some pasta or rice. Whilst stood there deciding a yellow van pulled up alongside me. I expect I probably looked lost. The drivers name was Christopher, as in the patron saint of travellers. Not being religious but also starting to believe that things happen for a reason I told Christopher about my predicament. Feeling confident that I'd be able to get gas in the local store he offered me a lift into the village although I'd have to hike back as he had some things he needed to do and wouldn't be heading back that way. It was a fair compromise and for me half the distance to hike. I slung my pack in the back and we set off to the village store. Christopher then told me I could get a good cheap meal at the local piping school and that the community centre had showers I'd be able to use. Things really did seem to happen for a reason, I hadn't had a shower since john o'groats and wet wipes were simply not as good as a good soaking under running hot water. 
Arriving at the store I went in to see if they had gas, they sure did, but not the type that would fit my stove. It was a slight disappointment so I hoped what little gas I did have would last me at least two more days. I did however grab a few things to eat that didn't need heating up just in case. Christopher had waited for me outside so that he could show me where the piping school and café was and to point out the showers. Dropping me off at the cafe I headed inside and sat down in the dry and warm. My feet and trousers were soaking from the wet marshes I'd hiked through that day and it felt good being inside and away from the elements even if it was just while I ordered a cheese burger and got a booster charge on my phone.

Now warmed up and feeling a little more nourished, happy in the fact I had at least one hot snack inside me I walked across the road to the community centre to use the showers. The showers were hot and there was shampoo and body wash on a shelf for anyone to use. It felt great. After my little break of luxury I set off from the community centre back along the road through the mist till I reached the beach just under two hours later. I still couldn't make out the sun but I knew it was now getting late and soon it would be dark. Crossing a couple of fields I made my way down to the beach and followed it along, it was lightly raining but I was feeling much cleaner and happier although my back and legs were beginning to hurt and my feet ache. A narrow muddy trail through the grass eventually brought me to a car park, the headland I would be tackling the following day ahead. I didn't fancy heading off tgat evening and guessed I'd only have an hour of light left if I was lucky so looking around and down near the shore i found a small area of grass slightly sheltered from the winds to pitch the tent and settle in for the night.

The wind had really picked up as night fell and I crawled into my canvas coffin. Closing the outer fly sheet the zip broke. I really didn't need anything else to break, especially not the tent. Thankfully I was able to make a temporary repair which appeared to hold and decided I'd take a bettet look at it when I found a place to hold out fir a day, somewhere most definitely better sheltered than where I was. Relieved to be taking my wet boots and socks off I climbed into my sleeping bag and lay back stretching my muscles and waiting fir the nerves in my feet to return. I was going to have to watch my feet and keep an eye on them during the winter months. Hiking for hours each day in wet or even damp boots can be serious and if I wasn't careful I could easily contract foot rot which in turn could not only hinder my progress but force me to stop while it got treated. It was now a quarter to eight and completely dark outside. The winter months were beginning to roll in and I knew I could expect colder, wetter and shorter days until march the following year.