Cape Wrath Trail, Scotland

After a ferry across the loch, it’s easy on track past crashing falls to a locked bothy in wind and rain.

The first climb is easy if wet to the bealach as the rain comes and goes to the first bothy.

It’s tough and wet walking to one of the most spectacular bothies on Loch Nevis.

Knoydart is wild with steep climbs, rushing waterfalls, rock and bog. I slip and hit my head.

It’s only seven miles, but muddy and slow with many fords, the rain spitting down.

Torrential rain pauses the hike, but a side trip up the UK’s highest mountain makes up for it.

Testing the ‘Cape Wrath Sampler’ we walk in sunshine to Scotland’s remotest bothy.

Continuing the ‘sampler,’ we walk to a lovely bothy but are kept awake by obnoxious hikers after midnight.

It’s an out and back to a high boggy plateau in gale-force wind, spitting rain and utter beauty.

It’s dead easy walking on track with fall colors to the loch, then back to a gorgeously restored bothy.

It’s an easy day on farm road along a beautiful fishing river in fall colors and horrendous rain.

A bothy stay of mussel harvesting and seal watching ends in spectacular weather.

It’s a long, tough slog to the lonely Cape on trackless moorland, but our favorite days by far.

I didn’t walk every step of the Cape Wrath Trail, but got in the best parts before a whirlwind tour of Scotland.