For our Mum, who never got to see us do this together, RIP 14/10/2024

Wednesday 30th April 2025
Day: 6 Shiel Bridge to Killilin – Approx: 16 miles

Woke to an incredible dawn chorus, and lay there for a while soaking it all in. The night’s sleep wasn’t great – over-caffeinated, and I think I over-inflated the air bed, as I kept sliding off and felt cold. There had been a heavy dew, so the tents were wet.

But with great facilities at the campsite, we weren’t rushing to leave. We had to tend to our feet and legs, as wet socks had caused sore spots. Only six days in, and I had a touch of hiker’s vasculitis, it’s just a heat rash really.

Breakfast of porridge at camp, and a late start. Everyone else left early to get to Bendronaig Bothy. But we headed for the Wee Bun House by Loch Duich for second breakfast. The sun was shining, we sat and ate coffee and bacon butties, it was bliss.

This sea loch is renowned for its stunning views of Eilean Donan Castle, one of Scotland’s most iconic and photographed landmarks (you can’t see it directly from this location, its on the other side of the loch). We thought about visiting the Castle, but it was too far off our route.

Today we parted company with our newfound buddies. There are variants to this section, and we needed a break from the boggy badlands. We also had another food parcel to pick up in Strathcarron. Choosing this option turned out to be fortuitous and resulted in unexpected treats the next day.

Morvich, approximately 3km up the road, has provisions at Kintail Crafts and the Pitstop cafe, plus another campsite. Glomach Falls was the highlight of the day. It was a gradual ascent, all the way to 4618 ft (1407m) on really good paths. It was tough going up the bealach in hot weather, so we had frequent stops to soak ourselves in cooling streams.

Lots of time today to stop and appreciate nature

Even though it’s the highest point on the trail, it didn’t feel like it due to the gradual ascent. The views were spectacular, and the paths well-maintained. It encapsulated what you might imagine when walking in the Scottish Highlands. An all-round great day, and our favourite so far, with a mixture of leisure, fine views, and good walking.

A long slow descent leads down to the river and Glomach Falls with its approximate 370-foot single drop. Fed by the Allt a’ Ghlomaich burn from Loch a’ Bhealaich Mhoir, it was calm on the day of our visit. But, there would be a greater volume in flood conditions, and it must be a dramatic spectacle as it thunders into the steep gorge. There is a lot of hype about the path at Glomach Falls. It didn’t feel technical to me, but I can see it would be quite treacherous in wet, windy weather. There was some scrambling on a steep descents in places and it took us some time to get down into the valley.

From the bridge at Loch na Leitreach, we crossed some fun stepping stones and then headed west.

Most “Wrathers” will take the east route for the bothy and on to Craig. There were some lovely camping spots along the river, but my brother wanted to press on the 5 miles to Killilin. The chance of bunk barn there wasn’t obvious – no sign of it, and we walked past it, leading to a road yomp to find a more secluded camping spot.

The River Ling provided some opportunities, but it was a fishing stretch, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good place to be. We were also on the wrong side of the river for tomorrow, so we ended up walking back and up the other side. I’m now tired and hangry. Tensions were running high, words were said, but we finally found a place tucked away riverside in the woods.

Dinner by the river, where we could also wash away the heat of the day. The midges were out in force, so on went the midge nets. The atmosphere between us was still a little strained. If our mother were here, she would have sent us to our tents, which we did anyway, to escape the biting beasties. A grumpy end to an otherwise fantastic day.

In my view, it pays to stop when you see a good opportunity, rather than pressing on into the unknown… my brother may disagree…