anyone know a good 5 day Highlands walk?

[ecoman]

We are avid wild campers and are trying to plan a 5 day walk in the Scottish Highlands. Having thoroughly reviewed the Cape Wrath Trail, The West Highland Trail, and "Google Earth-ing" the area every night for the past 4 weeks, we cant seem to find an appropriate section for our needs.
We need to be able to find either a circular route, or one with reliable enough public transportation to get us back to our car at the end of the hike. We live in Cambridge, would drive up and spend the night in a B+B, start the hike fresh in the morning and end up 5 days later at another B+B/YHA tp pick up a bus/train back to the start point.
We have 2 young kids (5+7), so cant go to Ben Nevis extremes, but they are also keen and experienced wild campers with suitable bushcraft training and hiking experience for their ages.
Does anyone have experience of a hike like this, or has anyone hiked the Cape Wrath Trail and can recall a section that might fit the bill?
All the usual sites have been exhaused, so we're coming at it from the bushcraft angle now! Advice to "google: hiking scottish highlands" would be wasted as we have trawled thru pages of websites without much luck.
To be honest, theres nothing like first hand experience... and the Fort William Tourist Board hasnt responded to my request so please... direct other members here if you know someone, give us a link that might be unknown enough to be news for us... whatever may help.... its all appreciated!

Thanks!
Margaret, Billy, Emily and Obi.

[soup_monger]

I walked from Dalwhinnie to Glencoe in February one year.
Took 3 days at a gruelling pace (60/70 miles) so 5 days would be more humane. It was a great adventure and one I will always remember especially the section over the Rannoch Moor.
It ends at the Kings House Hotel in Glencoe where you can get a Citylink bus back to civilisation after some hot soup.
I know it's not circular but it's a good one and you can see the first leg of the route on Landranger OS 42 down the side of Loch Ericht from Dalwhinnie.
I should add that this route is best done in Winter when the Moor is frozen.
Cheers



I have edited this again as there seems to have been developments on the West side of Loch Ericht by a Swiss billionaire. I remember seeing the beginnings of a castle being built out of imported stone when I was there,complete with helipcopter pad,but,my mind kindly forgot about that bit,
It would be worth checking if you (or anyone else) is planning to go there as he/she/it may have bought the whole Loch by now.

[Angus Og]

A great series of books for planning Scottish walks is The Scottish Glens by Peter D Koch-Osborne published by Cicerone books.

http://www.ciceroneguides.com/acatalog/index.htm

There are other books I use The Central Highlands: Six Long Distance Walks and Walks from the West Highland Railway also by Cicreone.


Gradient profiles help to assess how strenuous a route is, and each hand-drawn page contains a wealth of information.

Also check out these walks

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...s/speysideway/


http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u.../greatglenway/

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/walking.html

[ecoman]

thanks soup_monger, that looks an interesting one, and Angus Og, thank you as well... we have seen undiscovered scotland, but hadnt considered the walk you pointed out.

I am keen to keep this at the top of the boards for a bit, so more people have the chance to see it, so once again if anyone can post some more first hand experience, we would be grateful... the remoter, the better!

thanks all!

[ecoman]

were still waiting for some responses!!!
any from the Sunday night crowd!?

thanks all
M

[Doc]

There is the Rannoch station or Corrour station to Fort William route. Could be a fairly serious trip in winter, and midgey in summer.

Been up Loch Ericht from Loch Rannoch as far as McCook's bothy. Saw no-one till I got to the bothy. No development when I was there 6 months ago - I think it must be north of McCook's.

Kingshouse to Rannoch Station?

Lairig Ghru?

Or PM Troy who knows the Cairngorms well.

[soup_monger]

The Castle/Mansion thing is in the woods a few miles South of Dalwhinnie, Doc, so it's good to hear that it's still wilderness as far as McCooks Bothy.
If I am in the area I will have a look to see if you can still pass the Castle/Mansion heading South on the West side of Loch Ericht from Dalwhinnie as it sounds like that would be only problem area if there is a "no access private road".

I wonder if there is anyone from Dalwhinnie on BCUK who could tell us.


Hello?

[george]

The Castle/Mansion thing is in the woods a few miles South of Dalwhinnie, Doc, so it's good to hear that it's still wilderness as far as McCooks Bothy.
If I am in the area I will have a look to see if you can still pass the Castle/Mansion heading South on the West side of Loch Ericht from Dalwhinnie as it sounds like that would be only problem area if there is a "no access private road".

I wonder if there is anyone from Dalwhinnie on BCUK who could tell us.


Hello?

Not from Dalwhinnie soupmonger - a little bit further north - but I know the area reasonably well.
Since the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 there is effectively no such thing as a "no access private road " if you're on foot and a reasonable distance from the house. I can't see any reason why access there should be a problem.

http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com

George

[soup_monger]

Thanks for reminding me George, I keep forgetting that the access rights have changed.
I have been reading the New Access code a bit at a time and is it really
"Go where you like, sensibly and with respect"?

[aquanaut]

thanks soup_monger, that looks an interesting one, and Angus Og, thank you as well... we have seen undiscovered scotland, but hadnt considered the walk you pointed out.

I am keen to keep this at the top of the boards for a bit, so more people have the chance to see it, so once again if anyone can post some more first hand experience, we would be grateful... the remoter, the better!

thanks all!

think the problem you have is the circular route thing or ending at a place where you'll get regular public transport to your start point - with remoteness a key concern. You're unlikely to get all that IMO, if it were me i'd forget the easy trip back to the car and either hitch hike back to the car while the family wait or go for something less remote.

the walk between dundonnell and loch maree is great and you could come back up through the fannichs to not far from your starting point?