Affric Kintail Way  – Day 3

Hello again people and pooches. Joe the Cocker here on day 3 of our Affric Kintail Way peregrination. Both of us had a good long sleep. My human woke a couple of times for a pee, but I slept for about twelve hours. I stayed under the big fellers coat in my nighttime fleece. It was a cold but dry night. The temperature dropped to below zero, but we were toasty and comfortable.

After we had eaten our breakfasts, my human packed everything away while I sat and watched him. I would help him if I could, but as they say, ‘you don’t buy a dog and bark yourself’. 😄😄

We were on our way after my human had checked that we hadn’t left anything behind. ‘Leave No Trace’ is the wild camping motto. It’s just a shame that not everyone abides by this simple premise. However, I can testify that on this trail, I haven’t seen one scrap of litter or one camping spot left in a bad state. The only evidence of people wild camping is the odd ring of stones that has enclosed a fire. Obviously, people leave their scents behind. That’s how I find where they have camped.

After a hundred yards, we caught a view of Glen Affric Lodge. The luxurious accommodation costs around £1000 per person per night and attracts celebrities such as David Beckham. It is owned by David Matthews, the father in law of Pippa Middleton.

We moved on, and the high mountains started to appear in the morning sunlight. Orophilia or the love of mountains is one of my humans lifelong obsessions. It would have been nice had the sun shared some of its warming rays with us, but we were walking in the shadows of the hills.

We were hiking alongside and just above Loch Affric. We were no longer in the pine plantation rather than in the remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest. Scots pine, silver birch, and rowan formed the forest in the area. Soon, we crossed the Allt Garbh as it rushed over the bedrock towards the loch.

I tried to run into the river, but my human gave me an ear bashing. Something about it being too fast flowing. Killjoy!

Sgurr na Lapaich and An Tudair partially screen the mountains of Wester Ross with the twin peaks of Carn Eige and Mam Sodhail, the highest mountains north of the Great Glen, towering beyond. The route still followed forestry tracks, but the trees were not as densely packed, enabling some stunning vistas.

My human was starting to get excited at this point as we could see where we were heading to. The weather forecast was for low temperatures with clear sunny skies and a slight breeze. These conditions were what we had waited for, eagerly checking forecasts before we left home.

We had a short rest while coffee and treats appeared. I made a nest in the heather while the big feller rested his weary bones on a large rock. It had to be a large rock to accommodate his large bulk. I recommend a diet when we get home!

As we reached the end of Loch Affric, a view opened up of the beach with its old fishing hut and jetty, at the formation of the small loch, Loch na Camaig.

The higher snowcapped peaks of Kintail were bathed in the suns rays. Wow! This is a special place.

We left the trees behind us as we followed the partially flooded track alongside the River Affric. We were wondering if we would ever feel the heat of the sun on us as we were still walking in the shadows.

We found a perfect place for our lunch break as we crossed the river at Athnamulloch. Strawberry Cottage is owned by The An Teallach Mountaineering Club and was closed on our visit. We sat here and ate our snack and drank water. At this point, my human felt that he should inspect one of his toes on his left foot. He thought that his sock had rucked up, causing some discomfort, so he changed his socks for clean, dry ones. He couldn’t see under his foot, but when he reached to wipe it, a thick chunk of skin came off, and his toe bled. So the next ten minutes were spent cleaning his feet in the icy river, drying his toe and applying Compeed.

After he had sorted himself out, we followed the path westwards. The surface was difficult for both of us to walk on. It was a mixture of small and large pebbles that slid around on a sandy base. There were also plenty of puddles and small burns crossing the path. It was fairly slow going as we both had to concentrate on our paw and foot placement. Avoiding some of the deeper puddles and burns meant taking short detours over the grassy and sometimes boggy path boundaries.

Lochan Fheadain looked azure blue in the welcome sunlight that we had just emerged into. Dotted along the glacial valley are several ruined dwellings abandoned during the infamous Highland Clearing during the 1700 and 1800’s.

I quickly became an expert at either avoiding the flooded sections or, if the big feller was predisposed, admiring the view, at sprinting through them. Believe me, sprinting is more fun.

My human was struggling a bit by now. He said that his toe was very sore and the terrain wasn’t doing it any favours. He was complaining that the rucksack was too heavy and his usual aches and pains were getting worse than ever. We wanted to make it to Camban Bothy for the night, so we needed to dig deep. I have always stopped at benches along footpaths to ‘ask’ if my human wanted a rest. There were no benches on this hike, but there were plenty of boulders suitable for a moaning old man to sit on. So, I stopped at each one to ‘ask’ if he needed to rest. He either answers ‘No, it’s ok’ or ‘Yes please, good boy’. Sometimes, it’s me that needs a rest, so while he grabs a snack, I find a comfortable spot to lay down.

Allt Coire Ghaidheil is crossed via a small footbridge at a point where it forms a beautiful waterfall. We stopped for a few minutes to soak up the scenery. The 360⁰ panorama was becoming increasingly epic.

We crossed a total of seven fords between Strawberry Cottage and Alltbeithe Hostel and plenty more large puddles that needed bypassing. The River Affric meandered along the floor of the glen, and the path followed it as it undulated in the most dramatic landscape.

On reaching the most remote Youth Hostel in the UK, we decided to rest in the late afternoon sunshine. We only had just over two miles to go to reach the bothy. It would be getting dark by the time we reached it, but it didn’t matter as my human had his headtorch ready, and he didn’t need to pitch the tent when we arrived. If there was anyone else staying in the building, he was prepared to set the tent up, but fingers crossed, it would be ours for the night.

Looking back at the way we had been hiking appeared so easy from the hostel, but the path surface had been tiring. We were in Fionngleann, a flat valley floor where the River Affric, Allt Gleann Gniomhaidh and Allt a’ Chomhian meet.

After our break, we continued towards our destination for the night. Under paw and foot was still uncomfortable, and we were both tired. A couple of conveniently constructed footbridges helped our hike as they cut out burn crossings and avoided some of the boggier stretches.

We still came across a few water obstacles en route that needed careful attention. Sometimes, we would simply walk straight through, and on others, we would spend an age bypassing them. Then we would end up squelching through a bog, so what was the point? Humans should just run through the puddles like pooches do. It’s good fun 😁

That short section from the hostel to the bothy took us a lot longer than it should have done. My human was struggling with his sore toe and his old age ailments. We arrived at sunset and he said that he was done!

‘Remote, inaccessible, self-sufficient and utterly detached, high on the long lonely pass that links Affric and Kintail is one of the most isolated cottages in the land’ is how Nigel Tranter, the historian, described the building before it became a bothy. It is maintained by the Scottish Mountain Bothy Association, and they do an amazing job of providing a free shelter to hikers, mountaineers, mountain bikers, and backpackers.

My human ensured that I was warm and comfortable while he sorted his stuff out. The bothy had two sleeping rooms and they were both empty. There was no wood available, so we couldn’t light a fire. It was cold as the outdoor temperature had dropped to -4⁰C. He made a big mug of coffee and refilled his Jetboil to cook his evening meal.

While he was waiting for the pot to reboil, he emptied his rucksack so that he could air some of his and my clothes. While he was waiting for his Chicken Korma and his custard to rehydrate, he checked my paws and put my nighttime fleece on me. When my paws are dry, he rubs paw balm into them to keep them in good nick. I ate a few treats before I disappeared under his coat for the night.

It seemed to be really bright outside, considering it was 8 pm, so my human nipped out to have a look at the mountains. The moon illuminated the glen and its surrounding peaks.

The last of the daylight in the west towards the end of the glen cast an eerie light over the Kintail range.

To the south, the skyline was dominated by Ciste Dhubh with its dusting of snow.

Looking back to the southeast, he could see where we had been hiking an hour or so earlier.

Ok, not the best shot, but it was handheld on a smartphone. The moon, Venus and Mercury illumiating the southern sky above Ciste Dhubh. With hindsight, my human would have taken more care with this photograph. His smartphone is capable of some amazing night photography. Numpty!

Our last photo of the day is of my human taking his evening medicine. Apparently, his doctor has told him to take a wee dram of Laphroaig before bedtime to help him sleep. I wasn’t there when this doctor prescribed this medication, but I am sure that he wouldn’t lie to me.

Not long after this photo was taken, he was snoring like a banshee! He was probably dreaming about the next day. It was forecast for more beautiful weather, but overnight, the temperature was due to drop to -8⁰C.

The next and final day of our trip would turn out to be epic and eventful. So, if you are still interested, stay tuned. The fourth part of our blog will follow shortly. Till next time!