This is my account of a coast-to-coast walk across Wales. A 290 mile route through the most mountainous and wild parts of this beautiful nation. The Cambrian Way is an unofficial trail that connects Cardiff (south coast) to Conwy (north coast). Snaking for over 290 miles, this route reveals the wildest depths and heights of this …
Cambrian Way
16th August 2017
Cambrian Way: The Route
The Cambrian Way is a 290 mile coast-to-coast walk through the wildest heights and depths of Wales. In August 2017 I walked South-to-North from Cardiff to Conwy. The original route was devised by Tony Drake of the Ramblers Association. He sold his family business to dedicate his life to walking the outdoors. Much of …
Cambrian Way
16th August 2017
Cambrian Way: Kit List
This is my kit list for the Cambrian Way. I am using an ultralight setup, wild camping beneath a tarp and a bivvy bag. Total weight 6.2kg. This is a quarter of the weight I took on the Cape Wrath Trail, a comparable walk I did in Winter. I cut weight in several …
Cape Wrath Trail
1st March 2017
Cape Wrath Trail 18: To The Lighthouse
I left Strathchailleach Bothy fairly late. With only a few kilometres to my final destination I knew it would be an easy day. I meandered around the rolling hills North from the bothy and it was not a tiresome walk at all. By now, my mind and body had been shaped by the landscape. After I rounded …
Cape Wrath Trail
1st March 2017
Cape Wrath Trail 19: Escape from Cape Wrath
After meeting John, the sole occupant of Cape Wrath lighthouse, I had slept at Kervaig Bothy by the bay. I woke up to the dawn light and snuggled into my sleeping bag for another couple of hours. This was the first night I had slept that I didn’t feel cold. The fire had worked its …
Cape Wrath Trail
27th February 2017
Cape Wrath Trail 16: Night Hike To Strathan
I had walked from Loch Stack and it was an arduous road walk towards Kinlochbervie which I don’t care to remember. I got to London Stores by 17:30 which is one of the very few shops on the entire route. I picked up some food and chatted to the owner. He was an elderly, stout …
Cape Wrath Trail
25th February 2017
Cape Wrath Trail 14: The Wish That Came True
It was a wet rainy morning and I woke up from my restless sleep. It was about 9:00 and I should have been up an hour ago. The condensation inside my bivvy had made my sleeping bag wet. I was cold and wet and didn’t want to go outside to get any colder and wetter. …
Cape Wrath Trail
24th February 2017
Cape Wrath Trail 13: The Secret Bothy
I had slept about three hours in The Schoolhouse Bothy. The wind was incredibly loud and rain lashed at the windows. The wind was so strong against the West-facing wall I really thought it might blow down on me. So halfway through the night I moved to the smaller central room to sleep. It was …
Cape Wrath Trail
23rd February 2017
Cape Wrath Trail 12: The Schoolhouse
I had a nice breakfast with Bubbles who was by now becoming my hiking companion. She had turned up at the same B&B the morning before. She was having some problems back home and was considering discontinuing the Trail. I sensed she needed someone to lean on so I offered to go for a coffee …