Cape Wrath Trail is a

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

route that runs through the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

and along the west coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is approximately 200 miles (321 km) in length and is considered to be one of the most challenging long distance walks in the UK. Despite not being an officially recognised

National Trail National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, a statutory agency of the UK government, and Natural Resources Wales (successor body to the Countryside Council for Wa ...

it has grown to be one of the most highly regarded backpacking routes, attracting hikers from around the world. The trek was pioneered in the early 1990s by David Paterson who published a detailed guidebook for the trail. The trail begins in Fort William and ends at

Cape Wrath Cape Wrath ( gd, Am Parbh, known as ' in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. The cape is separated from the rest of the mai ...

lighthouse on the northwest tip of the Scottish mainland. It connects with the

West Highland Way The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the r ...

, North Highland Way and part of an alternative route suggested by

Cameron McNeish Cameron McNeish FRSGS is a Scottish wilderness hiker, backpacker and mountaineer who is an authority on outdoor pursuits. In this field he is best known as an author and broadcaster although he is also a magazine editor, lecturer and after dinn ...

which follows the

Great Glen Way The Great Glen Way ( gd, Slighe a' Ghlinne Mhòir) is a long distance path in Scotland. It follows the Great Glen, running from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast, covering . It was opened in 2002, and is designated a ...

out of Fort William before joining the main route in

Glen Shiel Glen Shiel ( gd, Gleann Seile; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The glen runs approximately 9 miles from south-east to north-west, from the Cluanie Inn (216 metres, 708 feet) at the western end of Loc ...

. An experienced walker should be able to traverse the entire route in less than 20 days. However there are slightly different routes and stages for walkers to follow. There are other alternatives on various segments of the route, thus there is yet to be an "official" established route. Many walkers see this variety as a quintessential part of the trail's appeal. The alternatives allow differing access to bothies, provisions, stream crossings and scenery. Officially the trail is not endorsed by

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

and it is not waymarked or signposted. Facilities along the trail are also minimal and it covers some of the remotest parts of mainland

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. The Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Cape Wrath Trail (following Iain Harper's Cicerone guidebook route) is four days, nine hours and 43 minutes, set by ultra runner Beth Pascall and Damian Hall (self-supported) in December 2018. In April 2023, Pawel Cymbalista, an endurance runner from Poland, set a new record for the Cape Wrath Trail (following Glenfinnan Variant). He completed the trail, unassisted in three days, 14 hours and 49 minutes - about nine hours quicker than the previous FKT for the trail.

Locations on route

Dundonnell Dundonnell (Gaelic: Achadh Dà Dhòmhnaill) is a village in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, on the south side of Little Loch Broom and at the foot of An Teallach, right at the north of the area commonly known as the " Great Wilderness". It is situ ...

Durness Durness ( gd, Diùranais) is a village and civil parish in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north coast of the country in the traditional county of Sutherland, around north of Inverness. The area is remote, and the parish is ...

* Fort William *

Inchnadamph Inchnadamph is a hamlet in Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland. The name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic name Innis nan Damh meaning 'meadow of the stags'. Assynt is a remote area with a low population density. Inchnadamph contains a few houses, a l ...

Inverie Inverie (; ) is the main village on the Knoydart peninsula in the Scottish Highlands. It is located on the north side of Loch Nevis and, although on the mainland of Britain, the network of single-track roads surrounding the village is not conne ...

Kinlochewe Kinlochewe ( gd, Ceann Loch Iù or ) is a village in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It is in the parish of Gairloch, the community of Torridon and Kinlochewe and the Highland council area. It lies near the head of Loch Maree ...

Morar Morar (; gd, Mòrar) is a small village on the west coast of Scotland, south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the northern part of the peninsula containing the village, though North Morar is more usual (the region to the south we ...

* Rhiconich * Shiel Bridge * Strathcarron *

Ullapool Ullapool (; gd, Ulapul ) is a village and port located in Northern Scotland. Ullapool has a population of around 1,500 inhabitants. It is located around northwest of Inverness in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. Despite its modest size, ...

Geographic features on route

* Beinne Eighe (Mountain and National Nature Reserve) *

Eas a' Chual Aluinn Eas a' Chual Aluinn () in the parish of Assynt, Sutherland, Highland, Scotland, is the highest waterfall in the United Kingdom with a sheer drop of . When in full flow it is over three times higher than Niagara Falls. The waterfall can be reache ...

(Waterfall) *

Knoydart Knoydart (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cnòideart'') is a peninsula in Lochaber, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. Knoydart is sandwiched between Lochs Nevis and Hourn — often translated as "Loch Heaven" (from the Gaelic ''Loch Néimh'') an ...

(Peninsula) *

Loch Duich Loch Duich ( Scottish Gaelic: "Loch Dubhthaich") is a sea loch situated on the western coast of Scotland, in the Highlands. History In 1719, British forces burned many homesteads along the loch's shores in the month preceding the Battle of Glen ...

Falls of Glomach The Falls of Glomach, in Ross-shire, Scotland, is one of the tallest waterfalls in Britain, with a drop of 113 m (370 ft). The falls border Kintail, donated to the National Trust for Scotland in 1944 and subsequently incorporating West ...

(Waterfall) *

Sandwood Bay Sandwood Bay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Bàgh Seannabhad'') is a natural bay in Sutherland, on the far north-west coast of mainland Scotland. It is best known for its remote beach and Am Buachaille, a sea stack, and lies about south of Cape Wrath. ...

Torridon Torridon (Scottish Gaelic: ''Toirbheartan'') is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torrido ...

(Mountain range) *

An Teallach An Teallach (Scottish Gaelic for 'the forge' or 'the anvil') is a mountain group in Wester Ross, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It lies west of Dundonnell Forest, north of Loch na Sealga, and south of Little Loch Broom. Its highest pea ...

(Mountain)

References

External links

Cape Wrath Trail Guide - website for new guide book

Cape Wrath Trail in Winter - expedition blog with useful info

Cape Wrath Trail - Climate Charts

* ttps://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cape-wrath-trail.shtml Cape Wrath Trail (Walkhighlands) - An interactive map {{coord, 57.6045, -5.3034, scale:1800000_region:GB, display=title, name=Cape Wrath Trail Long-distance footpaths in Scotland Footpaths in Highland (council area) Fort William, Highland

Locations on route

Geographic features on route

See also

References

Further reading

External links