The Great Outdoors Challenge is an annual coast-to-coast hike across Scotland, devising your own route, subject to starting and finishing at one of several listed locations. Planning for this trip evolved into a lightweight version, avoiding the minor matter of traversing the Cairngorms.
The plan is to hike north from Inverie along a section of the Cape Wrath Trail (“CWT”) to Kinloch Hourn, then work through the glens to meet the coast round to Shiel Bridge, before following the Affric Kintail Way east to Drumnadrochit and finishing with a section of the Great Glen Way into Inverness. What could go wrong?
The slight wrinkle is that I planned this when the forecast was a high-pressure system. Things have taken a turn for the worse, with low pressure, high winds and heavy rain for several days — a premonition of disruption like my last trip.
To my surprise, the train from Fort William to Mallaig is fully booked, as the Harry Potter steam train was cancelled and all the tour parties rebooked. The whole thing is a racket, as there’s a long-running dispute between the train operator and the regulator over central door locking. It’s chaos, all moaning and jostling for seats, which are too few for the number of bookings — worse than my old commuting days. I stay well clear, standing by the exit.
It’s a release to leave the baying mob behind and board the small ferry to Inverie. Now, I’m free.
The bunkhouse is busy. I’m sharing a room with Ludi, a Scottish woman on her second round of Munros. Two Americans my age are hanging out Zpacks tents to dry, so of course, I have to go and chat with them about gear.
Next day
Today should be the most challenging day of this trip, following a tough section of the CWT in wet conditions after several days of rain. I’m not sure if I’ll make it to Kinloch Hourn.
I’m first in the kitchen, frying bacon to go with four ciabatta rolls for breakfast and the hike. I was warned the night before that the smell wafting into the bunk rooms might cause a stampede of hungry hikers, so I make a quick exit up the glen, leaving half the bacon as a peace offering.
A stone cross marks the way, erected by the second Lord Brocket in 1938 as a memorial to his family, the owners of Knoydart at the time. As a Nazi sympathiser, I’m surprised the cross is still standing.
Ludi’s yellow bike is chained where a track branches off to her target Munros, so I place a small rock on the saddle for her to decrypt. My path lies straight ahead, over a well-placed bridge.
Several of the other bridges are long gone, requiring a careful balancing act.
A strong wind funnels over the tiny cairn marking the top of Mam Barrisdale pass. With a final look back at Loch an Dubh-Lochain, I step over the crest to see what lies ahead.
Barrisdale Bay, enclosed by mountains under menacing clouds. That’s what lies ahead.
Some bridges need traffic lights. I wait patiently for my turn to cross the river.
Barrisdale Bothy is empty this early in the day. The local deer are unfazed by my presence, clearly well fed by hikers staying overnight.
I follow a track to a boathouse and miss the correct path into the hills. Backtracking, two Scandinavian ladies are descending, smartly dressed for such foul weather and carrying thermos flasks. Where have they come from?
“Did you miss the path?”
I’m tempted to say I wanted to explore the jetty, but own up.
“It’s a common mistake. You’re in for a treat with the remnants of ancient pines further along the trail.”
They walk on, seemingly impervious to the weather.
The path is hard work, rocky one moment and boggy the next, but always up and down, relentlessly. Sadly, the pines appear to be falling one by one.
Those surviving are magnificent.
Two dark shapes in the water catch my eye — otters!
Three young lads with two dogs pass, heading for the bothy. I suspect a session is planned, so I’m happy to have the peace of a wild camp. The views are magical despite the weather.
There’s a patch of green grass by the shore at Runival, where another coast walker, Quintin Lake, pitched. Should I stay here or push on? I’m feeling good, and it’s a long way down to the shore, so I’ll continue to Kinloch Hourn.
An hour later, and I’m beginning to regret my decision as this feels like the hardest part of today’s walk, with some steep climbs, or perhaps I’m just tiring. Faced with another hill, I start to chant:
“Traverse. Traverse. Traverse.”
To no avail. The path leads up and up and up and over the summit, as if to say:
“Well, I’m part of the Cape Wrath Trail, so no easy compromise for you.”
The path switches to wet rocks laid along the water’s edge, demanding full attention.
Two hours after Runival, it’s a relief to reach Kinloch Hourn and the small area of grass next to the river allocated for wild camping. There’s one other tent, but no sign of life, probably as exhausted as I am. I’ve just enough time to pitch and eat before darkness falls.
A beautiful walk, even in this grim weather, but extremely challenging, climbing over 3,000 ft and wet, wet, wet. Hat’s off to people who hike the entire CWT in poor weather.
Date of walk: Friday 17 April 2026.
Total distance: 5,701 miles.
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I remember that walk well but I did it as two there and back walks. One from Inverie to Barrisdale and the other from Kinlochhourn to Barrisdale. If you drive to Kinlochhourn it feels like driving to the end of the world. It’s a very remote road and did wonder what I’d do if my car broke down along it. Fortunately that didn’t happen.
What a superb if challenging day. Great to see the otters, shame about the pine.
That section, in the rain, seriously kicked our ass
That is definitely one for he memory bank which you will look back on with great satisfaction in later years. Thanks for those evocative photos broinging back memories of walking in from the other direction. That rainbow photo is stunning.
I seem to make heavy weather of the path from Barrisdale to Kinloch Hourn. I’ve walked it twice. I’m doing the TGO next month, starting from Glenelg and passing through Kinloch Hourn. Hope to have slightly better weather than you did. I’m enjoying reading your posts. Very steep path out of Kinloch Hourn..but you’ll know that by now!