Camping by the river previous night was a right choice- while planning my route I was thinking about camping on the hill by the Falls of Glomach. I’m so glad I stopped when I did! Reaching the falls took me two hours despite it being only 2 miles away. Steep rocky climb with bits of scramble surely wasn’t made for speedy hiking!
The main principle of TGO (The Great Outdoors Challenge) is to walk from the west to the east. Yet, by the falls, I turned back to the west and went down to Morvich. For next few days I was planning to walk alongside Affric-Kintail Way. This long distance cross country walk goes from Drumnadrochit to Morvich. 44 miles of amazing scenery, which I decided to tackle in opposite direction. The previous day I have been called a purist- oh well, I know myself, part of me would never be satisfied if I skipped those few miles!
Skies cleared out and soon sun was shining. Trail was getting busier as I was approaching Morvich. ‘Good morning! What a beautiful day!’ I was being greeted. ‘The most unexpected view!’, I answered quickly pointing at the sun as I’ve seen puzzled face ‘There, in the sky’ Ive added giggling a little bit.
Day was becoming hotter and hotter, wide tracks changed into hilly paths. Going was getting tough, mostly in this heat. Backpack was feeling too heavy, blisters were becoming more and more. Soon it all turned into a mental game. Every step did hurt, heat started being unbereable. I clearly underestimated Affric-Kintail Way. In my head that was an easy trail- next time do your research, Karol!
Yet, scenery made up for it- Glen Affric is simply stunning. Remote, surrounded by the mountains- everything I could ask for from a walk. I bumped into someone walking the way and been told about the wonderful camping spot just by the Loch Affric- I knew that’s where I wanted to spend my night. There is a bothy on the way, Camban Bothy, but it was closed as the work party was going on. I stopped for a quick chat and got told next time I will be there, there will be a toilet outside. Woohoo!
Now, I haven’t made it to Loch Affric. 20 miles I covered that day took me over 13 hours. I stopped by the River Attic past Alltbeithe Youth Hostel. It was still beautiful, maybe not as scenic, but every step felt like an agony and I couldn’t take any more. My feet were in bits. I had blisters on top of blisters. I asked, how will I be able to carry on like that, but there was noone to answer.
Route taken: Falls of Glomach- Bealach na Sroine- Morvich- Glenn Lichd- Allt Grannda- Camban- Alltbeithe (32 km)
Outdoors with Karolina 