Day 5 continued…

I’m sat in my tent, pitched on uneven ground, and beside the suitibly epic sounding ‘Falls Of Glomach’. The climb up here was intense in the heat wave we’ve been having, and there was no breeze even up high, which meant we were hounded by midges and cleggs. It’s hard to believe we are only a third of the way through this walk, although after 5 seriously tough days both of our bodies are responding well to the challenge. That said, I’m already thinking about getting a massage in Inverness on the way home.

We’ve decided on another 6am start tomorrow as it’s forecast to be hot again. I’m looking forward to the rain coming in a few days and things feeling a bit more ‘Scottish’ again.

Day #6 – Glomach to Bendronaig Bothy:

I found today really hard. Physically the sensations are good but the sheer size, emptiness, and quietness of the terrain was playing with my brain. Ayoob was finding it tough too, and spoke of feeling homesick. I was concerned at this point that he might drop out at Strathcarron, but did my best to reassure and encourage him. I know he’s as capable as I am of finishing this trip, and would surely regret dropping out early.

I joked that I didn’t feel homesick at all, and that the thing I miss the most is my bass guitar. The more honest reality is that part of me quite likes the idea of having somebody to miss, but maybe at times like this single life can make longer times away from home way easier. To miss and to be missed is a double edged sword. I’m not sure these are thoughts I need to share with the world, but there we go.

Isolation struggles aside, we had a couple of soothing river swims near the beautifully maintained Maol Bhidhe bothy, before carrying on to Bendronaig Lodge where we’d decided to spend the night. We’ve got the place to ourselves, and given that I’ve yet to even touch my power bank I’ve decided to use some charge playing my ‘bluesy bangers’ playlist. After a whole day of silent landscape a few homely tunes did some real magic for my frame of mind.

On arival I saw a rat around the size of your average guinnea pig scurrying along the edge of the building. I chose not to tell Ayoob. On reminding him to hang his food in case of rodents he seemed suprised that there might be rats or mice about. I decided not to destroy this naivity and allow him a better nights sleep. I’l mention the rat in a few days and I’m sure he’ll thank me for keeping it secret.

I asked Ayoob what three things he’d most like from home. He said ‘My mountain bike, headphones, and an Andrew Kirby Risotto’. I said ‘bass guitar, a fried egg sandwich with hot sauce, and my bed.’ We’ve since demanded a risotto from Andrew. I’ve never tried insistently inviting myself somewhere for dinner before but apparently it works when you’ve got holiday stories to tell.

Day #7 – Bendronaig Bothy to Bealach Bàn:

Yesterday was mentally tough, and left us questioning what we were doing and why we were doing it. 7 days wandering in wild places with very few people feels like a whole lot longer, and the idea we weren’t even half way was quite daunting.

Today couldn’t have been much more different. We made it to Strathcarron for lunch time which meant completing the South section of our route maps. This felt like a big deal, which we celebrated with scampi and chips, and a coffee I will describe as ‘not Bristol standard’. We’re proper snobs down south.

Leaving Strathcarron we headed up past Coire Fiannlairich bothy, and paused for a cup of tea and a swim in the loch before heading to up Bealach Bàn in search of a high camp spot with a dreamy view.

At the time of writing we’ve just pitched up, I can see out over the Torridon mountains, over Loch Torridon, and out to sea. It’s absolutely stunning. The wind is picking up big time though, and I might be about to find the limits of my little trekking pole tent. I’ve put massive rocks on the stakes and am crossing my fingers she holds up!

Day #8 – Bealach Bàn to Kinlochewe:

Last night was intense. The wind picked up big time and I hardly slept at all, being slapped on the face by my own shelter whilst fearing it was going to fully collapse. Luckily the little thing held up, but I wasn’t full of confidence. The couple of hours sleep I did get came from putting an old Lily Allen album on my headphones, curling in a ball, and imagining I wasn’t up a mountain.

Today’s route was one of my favourites so far, through the rugged mountains of Torridon and skirting around Beinn Eighe. The final climb of the day was a steep, rough and pathless slog, over what our guide book would call ‘Rough Country’. So far I would recommend any keen walker give this route a try but you’ve got to be aware it’s almost entirely quite hard work. Easy paths are few and far between.

The reality is starting to set in that we are 8 big days into this hike, and still have 8 more to go. It’s so rediculously tough, beautiful, and mad. Physically and mentally I’m not sure I’ve ever attempted anything harder, but I’m absolutely loving the challenge.