At 6am tomorrow (Thursday 23rd May) I’ll be setting off for my long awaited Cape Wrath Trail adventure. It’s been 9 years since I decided to hike this trail and finally the day has (almost) arrived! Here’s a short update of kit etc…
I will be driving to Kinlochewe first to pick up Stuart, who’s hiking the first half of the CWT – from Fort William to Kinlochewe – with me, before heading to Durness where I’ll leave my car and, after a night’s sleep, Stuart and I will use public transport to get to Fort William by Friday afternoon. Then we’ll ferry across the Loch to begin our hike that afternoon.
I’ve managed to keep my pack weight to under 14kg (excluding water) which, considering I’ll be carrying 8 days (5kg) worth of food, fuel and snacks, isn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I’ll be refilling my pack from a stash I’ll leave at Kinlochewe for the second leg of the trip. Base weight is under 9kg and, whilst I’m no UL advocate, having done a kit list (including weights) for the first time in my life I can see an immediate area where I could lower that base weight. My shelter. But more on that in another post.
I’ve been sent a solar panel to test and review from Powertraveller, the Falcon 21, which I’m looking forward to taking on the Cape Wrath Trail. I’ve long been an advocate of solar as an energy source when backpacking (I am a power hungry tech user after all) and initial tests of this solar panel at home are encouraging. A full blog review to follow.
I’ve also purchased a new sleeping item specifically for this trip – the Sestrals Quilt (Apex 200) from AsTucas and I’m really excited at trying this quilt. AsTucas were brilliant and made and shipped the quilt in double quick time to ensure I had it ready for my trip. In fact it only arrived yesterday! Again, a full review on this quilt coming soon.
I’ll be tracking my progress using SPOT and Viewranger and you’ll be able to follow my Cape Wrath Trail via Social Hiking here… www.shareyouradventure.com
Well… that’s all for now folks. I need an early night if I’m gonna be up for 5am!
One reply on “Cape Wrath…Here I Come!”
Have a great time on the CWT. I completed it last year and enjoyed it immensely, even with the daft winds and rain experienced.
That IS a lot of food (and subsequent weight). Despite being an isolated path (or paths as there is a lot of choice), there are quite a few possible supply points. And it is good to get some money in to the local economy.
Too late for your own plans I realise, but there really isn’t the need to pack eight days of food.
Mind you, other than what I found en route, I mostly lived on oats, powdered milk, cheese, lentils, curry powder, instant mash, chocolate and Tablet!
Enjoy yourselves, am already envious…