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

Friday May 2nd 2025
CWT Day: 8 Strathcarron to Kinlochewe – Approx: 10 miles

We whiled away the evening in the bar, the food was great, as was the company. Chatting with other hikers including Simon from France who is also walking the Cape Wrath Trail

A cold night with some rain, but I was snug in the tent and slept well. Chilly, windy, and overcast today, with the occasional brief shower. You will definitely need your bigger pants on!

A quick decamp this morning, as we had a ‘train’ to catch. The Kyle of Lochalsh Line took us ten minutes, missing out on the treacherous road once more, to reach Achnashellach station, (another shelter). We didn’t need to ‘mind the gap’ so much as to navigate a large drop. We were warned before disembarking. And the train driver expertly stopped the train with our door right by a portable step … skill

The starting point of our trail today, Achnashellach Forest and the surrounding area, are known for their dramatic mountain scenery. This variant takes you through Coulin Estate and along Coulin Pass. If you are tired of leg-sapping bog, tussocks, and brown landscapes, this is a great route to take. The 4×4 track the whole way offered a welcome change, with verdant landscapes, dramatic mountain sentinels, and winding rivers.

The Coulin Estate is a large area encompassing diverse habitats, including parts of the upland managed for deer (historically known as the Coulin Deer Forest), native pinewood remnants, and open moorland. Cuckoo’s were ever present, their distinctive calls echoing through the glen

A relaxing and enjoyable day, where we could finally enjoy the views rather than staring at the ground the whole day. We are now in Wester Ross, the surrounding mountains, part of the Torridon Massif, are renowned for their unique and dramatic sandstone formations, sculpted by millions of years of erosion.

Carrying mighty hefty packs today with our resupply on board, but it was a short and manageable section. We arrived at Kinlochewe by 1 pm and managed to get onto the campsite. We are now one day ahead of our itinerary.

The Kinlochewe Campsite doesn’t offer online booking, and their website mentions only 5 spaces. Popping in to ask proved worthwhile, as there were at least 6 of us accommodated. Kinlochewe is a small village at the junction of several glens and is a popular base for exploring the Torridon mountains and the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve.

£18.10 for camping, but the facilities were worth it: heated blocks with showers and toilets, hot power showers (heaven!), a kitchen, laundry, and a drying room. The latter being a great meeting place on a cold day.

The Gorse Bush or Green Shack, around the corner does amazing pizza, a favourite on the CWT. The host is a lovely lovely man. We enjoyed lunch and dinner there, along with free cake and ice cream, just for moving tables, such a treat.

We are becoming a small little group now, which makes evenings a lot of fun. The evening was spent sharing stories and camaraderie on the trail with Rob, Alan, Simon and Larse.

A great couple of days with lots of treats, but back out into the wild tomorrow for a two-day stretch.

Currently snuggled in our tents being serenaded by a song thrush