Cape Wrath is a partially marked trail crossing the length of the Scottish Highland from Cape Wrath in the North to Fort William in the South. Roughly 210 miles of strong winds, pouring rain, amazing views and no support makes it the hardest trail in the British Isles. Cape Wrath Trail’s biggest limitation is it remoteness, and harsh conditions, leading to the need to be able to be fully self sufficient for most of the trail.
I have been planning to do this trail for a couple of years now. I had hoped to do it in May 2014, but as I got closer to the time I had to accept I wasn’t ready, physically, mentally and in terms of gear preparation. Now I’m planning on setting off in mid May 2015, leaving me 6 months to get ready.
My goal is to cover the 210 miles in 10 days, fully self sufficient, solo. That means carrying everything, aiming to do 25 miles a day, for 8-10 days. To be able to do so I have several thing to do:
- Be physically ready to walk 25 miles a day, many days in a row. I am creating a walking training program that I will explain later on.
- Understand the trail, its limitations and get all the relevant information (guide and maps).
- Work on my navigation skills as they have rusted out due to all the comfortable hiking I’ve been doing in the last few years.
- Build and perfect a menu for the trip that maximizes nutrition while minimizing weight, alongside my dietary requirements (I’m gluten intolerant)
- Do gear adjustment (i.e. lose gear weight) such that I have a 10 kg dry bag (before food and water) while having the right stuff for a comfortable trip – I do want to have fun!
- Find how to get to the beginning of the trail (I plan on walking North to South).
I am very excited about actually getting the Cape Wrath plan in motion, and I will document the progress of my preparation. Each step will be featured here explaining what food I will pack and why, which new skills I’m picking up, which skills are being polished, what gear I’m starting with and I will be replacing, what training I do and how you can also do it.
If you want to also do this trail, leave a comment and we can maybe try and create a Cape Wrath Trail group for 2015!