Knoydart Initiation
by Adrian Hinchcliffe
Our entry into Knoydart was along the north shore of Loch Morar. The tarmac gave way to a track which soon became a path. Riding ceased and we began to wheel and although I did not realise it, there was to be little riding over the next seven days as we weaved our way through the mountains of Knoydart.
I had rendezvoused with my good friend Bernard Heath at Fort William and we had ridden out via Glenfinnan and it was now getting late so we selected a suitable camping site on the loch side at (ref.763910). It was mid July so the midges were at their worst but on this night it was not too bad.
Day 1
Progress is at walking pace and we arrive at South Tarbet Bay. From here we leave the paths and head for the open mountainside after having to negotiate a deer fence which involved de-bagging the bikes. Then it was wheeling and carrying – not easy with full camping kit on board. We had to climb high up the slopes of Sgurr Mor (612 metres) to avoid the cliffs of Sron Mhor which falls almost vertically into the loch. Then a long drop back to the loch side where we camped on good turf. Fishermen in boats on the Loch must have thought that we were mad – I think they were right.
Day 2
The weather closed in with mist fairly low. We had a late start and pushed the two miles to Kinlochmorar. In 1963 when this trip was undertaken, Kinlochmorar was a huge rambling farmhouse which was in an advanced state of decay. Nevertheless, it was weatherproof and we over-nighted in an upstairs room. Fishing in the loch was good with trout and sea trout being caught to supplement the food rations.
Day 3
We took the path up Gleann an Lochain Eanaiche gradually climbing through the gorge to the Lochan Eanaiche (Ref. 890921) After two hard miles we stopped for a bite to eat and fished the Lochan with moderate success. Then we continued for a further two miles to the highest point of the pass where we dropped down into Glen Dessarry steering round to the north west and joining the main path up the Glen heading for Lock Nevis.
Fatigue was setting in and I dropped my bike fully laden into a fast flowing burn, so after retrieval, we looked for a camp site. We were very high and exposed in the Mam na Cloich Airde (900944 alongside two lochans), the path weaving through and over boulders and very few possible pitching sites. Eventually we found one on the lochan side and only just in time as strong winds blew torrential rain in from the west.
Day 4
Rain before seven, fine before eleven was Bernard’s motto, and he was right for the rain abated in mid morning and we experienced something unique in nature. Suddenly, the whole lochan was alive with small brown trout jumping out of the water or breaking the surface. It lasted for a few minutes and then stopped. The fishing rods were quickly assembled and again we did very well for breakfast. The overnight rain meant that all the burns were in spate and what was normally a small trickle was now a raging torrent. In dropping down to Loch Nevis we encountered several and had to take huge detours to find points at which they could be crossed.
We had a quick look at the ruins of Finiskaig before passing the ruin of Soulies, which in years to come was to be rebuilt by the Mountain Bothies Association. We had a brew on the loch shore before the full tide forced a scramble over a headland to arrive at a huge low lying extensive bog, disturbing a large herd of deer which ran off up the Glen. We proceeded pushing the bikes along the shore line which eventually became the Carnack River. We had to cross this river, there being no footbridge in those days, but it was in full spate and there was no way that we could get across it. So we headed up the river side and camped (ref 871963).
Day 5
It was a dry night but the Carnach River and the burns were still swollen from the previous day. It would have been suicidal to cross the Carnach River so we had no choice but to stay put and hope that the river levels would drop. Fishing was therefore the order of the day and this was now becoming an absolute necessity due to lowering provisions.
Day 6 The rivers were much calmer and we retraced down the Carnach River looking for a suitable fording place. Eventually we found one along a shingle bank which ran at an acute angle down and across the river. It was thigh deep but still fairly easy and our worries had been unnecessary. Provisions were now rock bottom and we had to get to Inverie which was eight miles away over the huge climb of Mam Meadail.
The climb from Carnock was excruciatingly hard. Whilst the path was very well engineered I lost count of the number of hairpin bends as it wound its way up the very steep hillside. The higher we got the better were the views of the conical summit of Scurr na Ciche across the Glen. After three miles down Gleann Meadail we actually came on to a track which was ridable. So, back on the bike went the pedals that had been removed for the rough wheeling and carrying, and off we went on our fixed gears. The two miles to Inverie went very quickly and, on entering the village, to our relief there was a store and it was open (ref. 767000).
After restocking and a celebratory brew, we retraced and took the route up Gleann an Dubh Lochain passing the Lochan and heading up the Glen to the pass of Mam Barrisdale. Soon the track turned into a path, the pedals came off again and we were back to pulling, pushing and carrying our heavily laden bikes. Over the pass and then the descent to Barrisdale and Loch Hourn that was made somewhat difficult by a fallen tree which completely blocking the path.
Day 7
After an overnight camp at Barrisdale we headed along the south shore of Loch Hourn on a well used path. Nevertheless, the seven miles to Kinloch Hourn was not easy as the path climbed and dropped and there were some difficult bits where it would have been easy to fall into deep sea water. At Kinloch Hourn we actually hit tarmac, the first time in seven days, so the pedals went back on and we set off up the road towards Loch Quoich and the Great Glen beyond.
Review
What an initiation to Knoydart this had been. I had not done Rough Stuff on a grand scale like this before and it had been extremely hard yet very rewarding to be able to see such a wonderful wilderness. Were the bikes a hindrance or a useful packhorse? This is debatable, but at least we were able to ride in and out of the area in a sustainable manner. This trip gave me a life-long appreciation of Knoydart and other wilderness areas.
Adrian Hinchcliffe
(Newton, Northumberland)