The trail offers a number of activity options. Cross a decent wooden footbridge and follow one of several paths the to bothy at Sourlies. [10] The Cape has few archaeological remains which can be dated to earlier than this, although a promontory fort at Eilean nan Caorach to the east of the headland may date to the late prehistoric age. [55][56], The road, the U70, passes the hamlet of Achiemore where a Ministry of Defence check-point blocks access to the cape during live firing exercises. There are longer UK trails, but none avoid civilisation to the same extent. The Route. They converted it into a three-bedroomed home, and opened what is claimed to be Britain's most remote cafe, the Ozone Cafe, in 2009. The Cape Wrath Trail is a 230 mile, 3-week challenge through wild and magnificent landscapes, such as Morar, Knoydart, Torridon and Assynt. It takes 10 minutes but there will be several crossings depending on the amount of passengers (it can only take 10 at a time). There is no single definitive route. The trail has evolved from use and is not an officially recognised National Trail. [19] Plant species include heather Calluna vulgaris, juniper Juniperus communis and ferns. There is no single definitive route. Need to Know Info | Cape Wrath Trail North to South – Cape Wrath to Sandwood Bay The Cape Wrath ferry (£4.50) leaves from Durness between 08.30 and 09.30 depending on tides and the ferry man. Its exposed northerly position can give rise to some exceptionally low winter sunshine levels: in January 1983 it recorded just 38 minutes of sunshine, a record low for Scotland. Completed June/July of 2019! This 6 day walk starts at the remote Kinloch Horn and takes you through some of the most spectacular scenery that the Scottish Highlands have to offer, finishing where the trail passes near Ullapool. A guidebook to the Cape Wrath Trail, a long-distance trek through the Scottish Highlands from Fort William to Cape Wrath. Stage 4. The trail offers a number of activity options. The route leads you across most of the north west coast of Scotland via Morar, Knoydart, Torridon and Assynt, winding through its most beautiful glens and mountains. Login to Download (Members Only) Tracklogs Route File. Approximately 230 miles in length, most people take 2-3 weeks to backpack the trip. [33] The light, which is 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level, is visible for 22 nautical miles (41 kilometres). The Cape Wrath Trail does not offer hikers the luxury of certainty: flexibility is a critical part of the trailblazer’s mountain kit. Cape Wrath Trail: Glen Oykel to Inchnadamph is a 14.7 mile point-to-point trail located near Lairg, Highland, Scotland that features hot springs and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. Upgrade your experience! As with the rest of the British Isles, Cape Wrath has an Oceanic (Köppen Cfb) climate. The views you'll experience will be like no other place on the planet. [40], In 2008 a heath fire was caused on the range during a period of live firing. I will say it's one of the hardest backpacking experiences I've done mainly due to the rain we experienced, midges, and bogs bogs SO MANY BOGS. Cape Wrath Trail is a challenging route from Fort William to Cape Wrath. Located in Scotland, it runs from Fort William, through the Highlands and Western Scotland, to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, the northwestern-most point of Scotland. Corryhully Bothy on a gloomy morning. Strong winds can be a feature of weather conditions at the cape, with gusts of 140 mph (230 km/h) recorded. [5][21][22][23] The land originally formed part of the Sutherland estates owned by the Duke of Sutherland. The CWT offers some of the most magnificent landscapes and views I have found in the British Isles, but to gain access to them you must endure wet and demanding underfoot conditions, rapidly changing weather, exposure to the elements and a vast emptiness that is rare to find the UK anymore. [31] An area of 1,015.2 hectares (2,508 5⁄8 acres) is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation. [13] An inquiry later blamed the ship's carpenter for being insufficiently familiar with the ship and for failing to shut all the scuttles. Scottish Natural Heritage estimated that the area would take 10 years to return to its normal environmental conditions. Mar 16, 2014 by Harvey Map Services Ltd | 25 Jul 2016. [10] The area declined in population in the mid-20th century and is now almost entirely unpopulated, although military and tourism use continues. Despite not being an officially recognised National Trail it has grown to be one of the most highly regarded backpacking routes, attracting hikers from around the world. The Cape is the northern trail head of two trails. The Cape Wrath Ultra® is Scotland’s finest multi-stage ultra running event. [3][4] The lighthouse, which is a Category A listed building, is a 20-metre-tall (66 ft) white-washed tower built of granite with a single storey semi-circular base building. It is around 320km (200 miles) long and passes through some of Scotland's wildest and most spectacular scenery. [12], The Ministry of Defence (MoD) owns a 59 km2 (23 sq mi) area of the cape, known as the Cape Wrath Training Centre. Essential reading: The best treks in the world This is because the difficulty of the terrain and the lack of way marking (or even defined paths in many places). The Cape Wrath Trail is often referred to as Britain’s toughest long distance trail, and is an unofficial route through some of the most spectacularly wild parts of Scotland. Areas of it are also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area, a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Landscape Area. [2][3][4], Cape Wrath was once the home of a series of small crofting communities, although by 1845 the only families remaining on the Parph were those of shepherds. [34][35] The area was used originally as a naval gunnery range and was bought by the MoD in 1999. [40][41] Firing on the range is controlled from Faraid Head close to Balnakeil. There is no single definitive route. [16] The cliffs around the cape are an internationally important nesting site for over 50000 seabirds, including colonies of puffin Fratercula arctica, razorbill Alca torda, guillemot Uria aalge, kittiwake Rissa tridactyla and fulmar Fulmarus glacialis. [36][42][43] Concern has also been raised of the effects of military exercises on nesting birds,[36] on sheep during lambing season and the effects of noise on local residents. [30] The area has been described as one of the few coastal wildernesses in Britain. [18], The cliff-top vegetation at sites such as Clò Mòr includes common scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis and a wide range of habitats are present. [2] The road was built as part of the lighthouse construction in 1828 and, in places, uses a series of rock causeways to cross peat bogs and revetments to maintain a route along steep slopes. The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest hiking route in the United Kingdom. A slight föhn effect can also occur with the right angle of southerly winds, exemplified by the record December high of 17.7 °C (63.9 °F). I have always been drawn to those remote and hard trails – maybe it is my need to feel that I’m on the edge and pushing my survival limits – so the Cape Wrath Trail became my goal in the UK. An area of 123 square kilometres (47 sq mi) around the coastline is designated as a Special Landscape Area. A tow by HMS Birkenhead was unsuccessful, and 15 died. The marathon is held each year as the final event of a week of races, the Cape Wrath Challenge.[51]. [44][46], The MoD expressed an interest in extending its land holdings on the Cape in 2012 after being given the opportunity to purchase 24 hectares (59 acres) surrounding Cape Wrath Lighthouse by the Northern Lighthouse Board. It usually takes 2-3 weeks to complete and is considered the most difficult long-distance walk in the UK. Inland the landscape is primarily covered in peat and is often boggy with difficult terrain and a number of lochans, the largest of which, Loch Airigh na Beinne, is around 0.6 square kilometres (1⁄4 sq mi) in area. There are a million different variations, directions, and ideas when it comes to this route. The trail has evolved from use and is not an officially recognised National Trail. Login to Download (Members Only) Route Profile: 366.4 km (227.7 miles) 11,127 m (36,506 ft) ascent 620 m (2,034 ft) maximum height (click to enlarge) The final 4-mile (6.5-kilometre) leg of the race is run from the mainland side from the ferry dock and finishes at Durness Community Centre. [16][17] These rise to 281 metres (922 ft) above sea level and include the highest sea cliffs on the British mainland at Clò Mòr around 4 miles (6 km) to the east of the headland. [42][44][45] A shell fired during exercises caused concern in 2002 when it landed 8 miles (13 kilometres) off-target near the mouth of Loch Eriboll and around 1 mi (2 km) from houses. [3] A Lloyd's of London signal station was built close to the lighthouse at the end of the 19th century to track shipping around the Cape. [32] Marine species present in the area include harbour porpoise, common seal and bottle-nosed dolphin as well as species such as sea squirts and sponges. So whether it’s for an epic long-distance challenge, a weekend away, or a fantastic day out, get out there and have an adventure. There's lots of amenities at most stops (hostels, bed and breakfast type places) . The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial, unmarked and magnificently wild long distance route … Getting from point to point is pretty straight forward. [12], On 27 September 1915, while sailing for Scapa Flow, HMS Caribbean, known as RMS Dunottar Castle before being requisitioned for wartime service, foundered off Cape Wrath in bad weather. The range is usually open for public access during the summer period and there is rarely firing on Sundays. Cape Wrath is located in the traditional county of Sutherland within Highland Region. [40], Highlands and Islands Social Enterprise Zone, Cape Wrath locals accuse MoD of land grab, My travels: Mike Carter in Cape Wrath, Scotland, Cafe at the end of the universe ... where a cup of tea is guaranteed, Divers explore WW1 wreck of HMS Caribbean, http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/yorkshire-diver-first-to-see-wreck-for-nearly-90-years-1-2545421, Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom, Region 3 North-east Scotland: Cape Wrath to St. Cyrus, Assessment of Highland Special Landscape Areas, Fears over future as MoD buy-out of Cape Wrath land looms, £22.5k for Cape Wrath community land buyout, "Cape Wrath Lighthouse and Keepers' Cottages (Category A Listed Building) (LB488)", 'Don't bomb' idea for Cape Wrath firing range, NW will play part in largest military exercise in Europe, Cape Wrath will not be closed to public, MP says, Military activities undertaken at Cape Wrath. The Cape Wrath Trail is challenging and frustrating, mostly because the "Cape Wrath Trail" is something that someone (probably on the internet) made up. Video documenting my April 2018 attempt of the Cape Wrath Trail. The trail offers a number of activity options. [39] It is the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where NATO forces combine land, air and sea capabilities in assault mode for training manoeuvres, deploying ordnance up to 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs. [12][30][49] The tourist industry is estimated to be worth between £400,000 and £620,000 to the economy of the local area around Durness.[12][49]. The Cape Wrath Trail is an unofficial long distance trail and as such it is very remote and rarely walked. Cape Wrath /ˈræθ/ (Scottish Gaelic: Am Parbh, known as An Carbh in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. [39] Disused military vehicles are often used as targets. 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