Wed 16th June - Day 61, North of Garve to Allt Coire Thorcaill (19 miles)

I didn't have a relaxed night, I could hear the traffic on the A835 to Ullapool. I was woken with the rain, then deer were barking right outside the tent, then a lorry thundered up the track with it's headlights lighting up the tent. That was a scary moment, lying there hoping it wasn't going needing to pull into my layby, it may not see me!!.
All this was before 03:00.

When another lorry came by I decided it was time to move, there was no wind so the midges were thick, and after another quick breakfast I was away by 06:30, it was still raining.

Getting down to the A835 I crossed over and followed the edge of the forest up the hill and into the pass on the north-west side of Ben Wyvis, there was no footpath and my feet were soon soaking.

Coming down the pass the map showed a footpath but it was little more than a deer track as I followed it along the side of Loch Bealach Culaidh then into the main Glen Glass where I got onto the track to Wyvis Lodge at the end of Loch Glass.

From here I took the footpath over the next hill to Loch Morie, it was still raining as I stopped here to eat my sandwiches, I watched an Osprey flying over the loch.

It was a pity the weather was so poor as there would have been same great views.

At Loch Morie I went on the forest road through the grounds of Kildermorie Lodge, going past Loch Bad Bhathaich, turning off the road just before I got to Strath Rusdale Lodge to get on the path to get through the forest.

Coming out of the trees there was little evidence of the footpath going north so it was a trudge through the heather & long grass, at least the rain had eased and it was just occasional light showers now.

My destination for the day was an isolated building, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, by the Allt Coire Bhenneit, 3 miles from the forest.

It had been a hard 19 miles and I was glad to get the tent up and crawl inside. My new stove worked well and I had 3 mugs of tea before I thought about cooking my tea.

Surprisingly, there was a phone signal here, but only if I stood up outside the tent, there was no signal inside the tent !!

I never met or even saw a single person today.

19 miles - 1073 miles completed.