The Affric Kintail Way
Vital Stats
Affric Kintail Way Day 1
- Distance: 16.32 miles
- Elevation Gain Today: 629 m
- Highest Elevation: 269 m
- Total Time: 6:20:39
- Moving Time: 5:03:16
- Av. Pace: 23:19 mins/mile
- Moving Pace: 18:35 mins/mile
Day 1: Drumnadrochit to Cannich
I’ve just got back from a lovely few days hiking and camping along the Affric Kintail Way in Scotland. I had intended to go for the long Easter weekend, but Storm Dave made me reassess. Instead, I windsurfed in Storm Dave, then took a couple of days’ annual leave and headed up for a weather window once it had passed through.
The TL;DR version of my Affric Kintail mini-adventure is that it’s an amazing trail that gets better with every step, the weather was perfect, I met some great people along the way, and the buses and trains there and back probably took longer than the trail itself.
Getting there
The logistics at either end of a mini-adventure like this are often the most challenging part. Getting from one remote part of the UK to another is always something of an undertaking, and trying to do it without huge costs or additional overnight stays can be tricky. However, by making use of overnight buses between Birmingham and Glasgow, there was a way.
So, on Sunday evening, I left the house with a fully loaded backpack containing everything I’d need to survive whatever the Scottish hills could throw at me for the next week. I walked into Borth and caught the last train to Birmingham New Street. Once there, I walked a short distance to a bus stop where I boarded a very cramped FlixBus service to Glasgow. It left Birmingham at five past midnight and arrived around 6:00 am.
Standing at a bus stop at midnight, I was suddenly glad I’d made a last-minute decision to wear long trousers rather than shorts to save weight—it was surprisingly chilly when standing still.
Glasgow Bus Station wasn’t up to much at 6 am either, but I did manage to grab a coffee before the next leg of the journey: the first bus out of Glasgow heading to Inverness. Scotland is a huge place, and this journey took about five hours. The bus was quiet, and the only other passenger was a girl heading off to bag a Munro from Pitlochry. We chatted for the first half of the journey until she got off, sharing some interesting stories from her work on the trains and with naval firms delivering boats around the world.
The bus continued north into the Cairngorms, where the snow was more extensive than I’d expected. I began to wonder whether the Affric Kintail Way might be a little more challenging in these conditions, and whether I was properly prepared. At least I had those long trousers.
I finally got off in Inverness and had a short wait for the last bus of the day, which followed the shores of Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit. When I arrived, it was midday, the sun was shining, and there were tourists everywhere. I found a picnic bench, changed into shorts, and prepared to start the hike.
By this point, I’d been travelling for around 18 hours and hadn’t had any proper sleep since waking up at 5 am the previous day—about 31 hours earlier. I was already a little tired, so I planned to keep the first day short and maybe camp just a few miles in.
Day 1 – From Drumnadrochit
I topped up my water bottle from a tap beside the visitor centre and set off, following plenty of signs for the Affric Kintail Way. I turned right at a giant redwood and began climbing around the side of a forested hill, with occasional glimpses down to Loch Ness.
After the initial climb, it was easy going along wide, smooth forest tracks. It was a nice day—cool in the shade, with dappled sunshine breaking through here and there. I didn’t see anyone, and before long the only sound was birdsong.
Before I knew it, I’d reached Balnain Car Park, which had been my tentative first camping option. It was still early, and although I was tired, I felt good and wanted to keep going. I stopped for lunch instead—standard thru-hiker fare of wraps with pepperami and cheese slices—and for the first time it properly felt like an adventure.
I carried on along more easy forest tracks, sometimes bordered by the pitch-black density of mature pine plantations. Views were limited, but eventually the trail dropped down a particularly muddy farm track at Shenval. This was slightly frustrating, as my shoes had remained immaculately clean and dry up to this point.
Picking my way around the worst of the mud, I emerged onto a road where the trail crossed into clear-felled forestry. The views opened up a little here, and the landscape gradually transitioned into lighter, more open birch woodland. The path was easy to follow, though it made a somewhat pointless-feeling loop up and around the hill before heading back towards the road.
My main option for camping that night was somewhere near the top of this section.
Camp spots?
I’d identified a spot just off the trail, across a ford on the Allt Drimneach. I could see it from the near side but wasn’t sure how suitable it would be. There was nothing for it but to take off my (once again dry) shoes and socks and wade across.
Up close, the potential camping spot wasn’t ideal—cut up by tractors, close to what looked like a fairly busy farm track, and with a half-fallen tree looming overhead. Not worth it. So it was off with the shoes and socks again to re-cross the river. The ice-cold plunge into the waters did revive me somewhat and refreshed my feet.
I continued on, checking several other potential spots. On another day they might have been perfect, but patches of lingering snow and meltwater had left them completely waterlogged. Time ticked on as I searched, only to find something wrong with each option.
Eventually, I found myself back at the road. With 12 miles already covered, it was only another 4–5 miles to a proper campsite in Cannich.
I followed a newly surfaced path, still keeping an eye out for wild camping spots, but now with Cannich as a realistic target. The best option I passed was beside the river under some birch trees near a small bridge crossing a tributary of the River Enrick. I was tempted—but with only three miles to go, I decided to push on.
An hour later, I arrived in Cannich, a little weary and quietly questioning whether those final miles had been the right call.
Cannich
The Woodlands Campsite at Cannich was a welcome sight. For £13, I had a flat, dry pitch, a proper shower, toilets, and access to a communal room with a kettle and microwave—meaning I could save my gas.
Unfortunately, the café was closed, and would be the following morning too. My original plan, had I wild camped, was to stop there for breakfast—so at least now I knew I’d need to fend for myself.
I showered, ate a camp meal, and chatted to a few other campers before heading to bed. It had been a good start to the trail and a nice way to ease into it. Everything was well surfaced, well signposted and easy to follow, there was no need to think, just follow the trail and enjoy the scenery. The perfect start to a trail. Despite the long journey, the indecision over camping, and the creeping fatigue, it felt like a solid start. Everything was still dry and working, I hadn’t made much of a dent in my supplies, and I’d covered more ground than expected despite starting late.
The plan for the next day was a relaxed start followed by an easy walk towards Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin, with a few potential wild camping spots in mind. I’d decide properly when I saw them, depending on how the day unfolded.
That’s part of the beauty of wild-camping, you can start and stop wherever and whenever takes your fancy. I usually have a vague plan, but there will be several options in mind and plans change based on the lie of the land when you get there, how your legs feel, how much time things have taken, what the weather’s doing and all manner of other things.
All was going well and I had some options for tomorrow.
I slept well too—not surprising, given I hadn’t properly slept in nearly two days, had travelled non-stop, and walked a decent distance into the bargain.
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If everything at the camp site was closed did you still have to pay £13 to stay ?
A good nights sleep too, wow x
It was only the café that was closed, all the facilities were open.