When to Go
April – October. Late Spring/early summer is an ideal time, although you may experience overnight frosts and Spring snow on the mountains in April. If it's been a hard winter, the higher peaks may then be in winter condition requiring appropriate experience and equipment. At all times of year, you may encounter high winds and rain, but April, May and June offer the best chances of clear skies. The scourge of the Highlands, the Scottish midge, starts appearing in mid May and can prove troublesome from then until the end of September. July and August are generally the worst time for midges. September is often a great time for trekking in the UK,
but by October you should expect periods of heavy rain and gales.
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| Spring primroses |
Getting to and from the route
There is a mainline train service to Inverness. The bus station is right next to the train station and you can catch the daily (not Sundays) 805 minibus to Kinlochbervie or Durness. From May to September, a ferry and minibus service operates from Durness to Cape Wrath. Outside of this period, the best way of reaching Cape Wrath is to walk from Kinlochbervie.
From Berwick, the East Coast mainline runs to Newcastle or Edinburgh, from where connecting services can be taken to other destinations.
Camping and Accommodation
Camping is pretty much a necessity on this route. Wild camping is possible along its whole length apart from the urban centres. As long as you adopt the principle of 'arrive at sundown, leave at sunrise', and choose a suitablly discrete site, bivouacing is tolerated. In the Trossachs National Park, you have to book designated camping spots in certain popular areas via the website.
Camp sites can also be found on or near the route around centres of habitation. There are also hostels at Ullapool, Torridon, Ratagan, Fort William, Crianlarich, Stirling, Edinburgh and Dunbar. Open bothies provide shelter in the Northern section of the route
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| Idyllic camp site beside the sea |
Food and Water
Stream water can be drunk in Highland areas as long as the water is flowing and outside areas where cattle are grazing. Elsewhere potable water is available at camp sites or in cafes.
The Northern part of the route is quite remote, so you may need to carry food for several days. Village shops often close early and are not open on Sundays so you should take care to check opening times and plan food restocking. Pre-planned food drops are not necessary. In the Lowlands, there are many villages and towns making resupply easy. Frequent cafes offer opportunities to recover, charge gadgets and re-fuel.
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| Staple of the sea |
Terrain
The route through the Highlands involves crossing trackless ground which may be rough, boggy and rocky. Some scrambling may be required. In the Lowlands, there is a lot of tarmac and hard surfaces, and the trails are easy.
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| Scrambling on the Black Carls |