The Ramblin’ Rover

Ride & Stride – Day 5: Sunday 11 September – UNAPOOL to POLLA (via DURNESS) (53 miles)

Once more a lovely start to the day – it is so incredibly quiet here – and after a scenic breakfast we set off together, myself in Daisy, the camper-van, and the running team in Nessie, northwards through Scourie and Laxton Bridge over the 35 miles to Durness. The cyclists would follow our route later, whilst the runners would continue their daily exertions on the NC500 from Durness, turning eastwards along the north coast.

As for my day, aside from the walking, I have always been drawn to the prospect of visiting Cape Wrath – it’s name alone has such an alluring, almost Tolkienesque, appeal. But it is certainly not easy to get to! I am told that it is possible to walk from the main (single-track) A838, westwards from the southern end of the Kyle of Durness, but this entails around six hours of strenuous walking over some fairly rough terrain. Otherwise, assuming that you lack a boat or helicopter, then the only way is via the occasional and seemingly erratic passenger ferry (10 persons), that is subject to cancellation due to ‘wind, rain and unfavourable tides’, before transferring to a separately-run jeep, if available, for the 11-mile, 50-minute, bone-rattling journey to the lighthouse on the Cape. Add to this the regular closures of the track due to MOD exercises around the headland area, and you will see that the planets have to be fairly well-aligned to make a visit possible.

I was very lucky today – the trip to Cape Wrath is currently only possible on Sundays due to military training, and the weather and tides also complied. With just two crossings a day I had insufficient time for my planned walk of the 11 miles from the ferry to the lighthouse, or back, and so I contented myself with a return jeep journey and a 6-mile circular walk on the cliffs and in the hills above Cape Wrath. What fine reward I had:

Thanks are due to fellow-passengers John and Claire who shared my experience today and kindly supported our charities. Congratulations also to the cyclists and runners who completed, respectively, their arduous 37-mile and 10-mile sections of the NC500, as our Ride & Stride challenge passed the halfway point.

Tonight we rested our tired limbs in the Wild Orchid guesthouse in Durness, before enjoying a convivial dinner over discussions of our Ride & Stride experiences.

The song title today is from a composition by Siobhan Miller, off her 2017 album ‘Strata’. My Blog is of course written very much from a walker’s (and support driver’s) perspective, and for this Rambler today’s song captures the vibe of roving in the Highlands.