It was a very windy and wet night which continued through to early morning. The original forecast had been for heavy rain throughout the day, but reading the Mountain Weather forecast, that Tony had printed out, it seemed that the rain and wind would ease later on. Both couples, also staying at the B&B, intended to continue on along Loch Hourn, one couple heading to Inverie and the other just to Barrisdale. We all had ate breakfast together and none of us fancied venturing out into the pouring rain! I decided to make the first move and prepared myself for the off. As I stepped outdoors after bidding my farewells, the sun came out!!
I continued on a short distance to the end of the public road with a footpath continuing on alongside Loch Hourn. Personally I had always thought the walk-in to Knoydart from Kinloch Hourn was a sort of Rite of Passage for all serious hillwalkers, so I was really glad to be getting this particular monkey off my back! It was turning out to be a beautiful morning now with the sun out and great views up Loch Hourn to the snow-capped peak of Ladhar Bheinn. However, there was still an awful lot of surface water still about and all of the burns were in full and in spate. However, I only encountered one particular crossing that required some thought, careful footwork and good balance. I also soon met the first people heading towards Kinloch Hourn, a young couple on the Cape Wrath Trail.
It took me almost 3 hours to get to Barrisdale, although I was in no particular hurry. As I turned into Barrisdale Bay the full force of the wind hit me, which I had been sheltered from since leaving Kinloch Hourn. I passed the farm and bunkhouse in Barrisdale and stayed on the path that led to the Mam Barrisdale. Although this path climbed gradually it was still tough going up to the bealach at 450m. When I reached the top of the Mam Barrisdale I recalled when I last stood there, some 15 years ago when I climbed the Munro’s in this area. I dropped down the well constructed stalkers path which dropped down gently into Gleann Dubh Lochain. By the time I reached the loch the path had become a landrover track.
I followed the track towards the Brocket memorial, where Gleann Meadail joined the track from the left. As I approached Inverie the promised showers arrived. I got myself checked into the Foundation bunkhouse and then went in search of some beer to buy from the Community shop in Inverie. I wanted to get a couple of beers for ‘Becs’, the American student who had kindly given me her last beer a few weeks back when I arrived late at the bunkhouse.
Back at the bunkhouse I spoke to some of the volunteers from the John Muir Trust who were currently clearing Rhododendron bushes and doing path maintenance. One of the ladies was trying to change her ferry to get on the first ferry the following day; it seems it had been reported on the Western Isles website that some of the later ferries would be cancelled due to high winds. This alarmed and confused me, as the weather forecast had winds subsiding the next day. This development threw me into turmoil and led to me not getting much sleep that night, trying to reorganise my plans for the following day.
NB: I also publish all my Scottish Blog entries on the excellent Scottish Hills website, I use the same narrative, but larger photos and a few extra ones. They can be found here:
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=24071
Distance today = 14 miles
Total distance = 3,699 miles
Walking the Coast of Great Britain 
Stunning landscapes. Pity the uncertainty about the ferry interfered with your sleep. It’s often planning the logistics of a walk that I find almost as tiring as the walk itself!
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Hello, I am looking to do this hike at some point in the future, most likely in 2022. But, I am very fond of taking my sweet old time when hiking in places like this. Is there any place to camp at about the halfway point along this trail? Also, what is the best way to get to Kinloch Hourn via public access (bus, something else)? I would be traveling in from abroad to do this hike would have to rely on public transportation to get there. Thank you for any and all help you could provide regarding this dream hike!
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Hi Mock, thanks for posting. The area we are talking about here is called Knoydart. It is an area that has a number of footpaths, running over and below the high hills and mountains. There are no public roads running into Knoydart, but you have a number of options. Most people head for Inverie, a small community on the shores of Loch Nevis, taking a frequent ferry service from the fishing port of Mallaig. Mallaig is connected to the National Railway Network. Inverie has a shop, a bunkhouse, a campsite and a Pub! (The Old Forge). Inverie is a good base from which to explore Knoydart. Another way to walk into Knoydart is via a single track road that runs for 19 miles( 31Km) and is a Cul-de-sac, ending at the small hamlet of Kinloch Hourn, which has a farm and B&B with a tea room. There is no public transport to Kinloch Hourn and a taxi fare would be very expensive. If you can get to Kinloch Hourn, either by hitching or hiring a car, then there is a good path all the way to Inverie. There is a bunkhouse at Barrisdale, which is 6 miles from Kinloch Hourn and a place to camp, before heading over the Mam Barrisdale and down to Inverie.
There are other walking options, check out my two trip reports on Scottish Hills
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=24046
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=24067
The walk in from Morar is a big undertaking, but you could break the journey by using the bothy at Sourlies. Good luck and please feel free to ask any further info. Regards Alan
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Hello. Thank you for sharing this wonderful hike. We are travelling from abroad and planning to walk from Kinloch Hourn to Inverie with a group of 4. Can you recommend any solid map material (physical or digital)? We are experienced hikers in Switzerland, but not in Scotland. Thanks for any help!
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Hi Flower, I did this walk as part of my walking the coast of Great Britain, but I have travelled on numerous occasion to climb mountains (Munro’s and Corbetts) in Knoydart.
Initially I had not planned to walk in a single day to Inverie, but planned to stay overnight in Sourlies bothy (which can be quite busy). Fortunately for me on this day Iwas physically feeling very strong, the weather was good, the River Carnach was low so I went for it
The Ordnance Survey maps you need are No. 32 and No.33 . You don’t really need 32 if you are starting at Morar, just follow the public road to its end at an hamlet called Bracorina. By then you will be on sheet 33. If you are planning to do this walk in a single day then it can very strenuous, but do-able. The coastal path to Tarbert along Loch Morar is very good. Before you reach Tarbert you need to to make a choice, do you continue down to Tarbert (on the shores of Loch Nevis) and then continue eastwards along along the southern shore of Loch Nevis on a footpath, disappears at Kylesmorar or do like I did. I decided to gain height along the spine of the Morar Peninsular. I walked over Sgurr Mor (612m) and and shortly afterwards afterwards began to lose height very gradually, contouring to ensure I did not need to re-ascend. I was heading for the ruin marked on the map. All I needed to do then was walk the 2.5 km to Sourlies Bothy. Because the tide was out I was able to follow a direct line over the River Finiskaig which was very shallow.
The next obstacle was the River Carnach, the footbridge had been destroyed sometime before I set out, (I don’t know if it has been replaced as of now). Anyhow, when I arrived there the river was just trickle and walked across in my crocs, which I had bought along for the crossing. However, be aware that in spate, the crossing can be very dangerous, and over the years there have been fatalities there. From the ruins at Carnoch it is straightforward walk up to the Mam Meadail and then on to Inverie.
You may find it helpful in parking your car (if you have one) at Mallaig, then getting train along to Morar. Once at Inverie you can book the scheduled ferry back to Mallaig. If you need any more info please let me know. cheers Alan
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Thank you so much for your precious help! I have ordered the Map Nr. 33.
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