Cape Wrath Day Four
Oykel Bridge to Wildcamp | 42 miles
After our massive Scottish breakfast and lots of faffing by the others, the sun came out to welcome us to the road section we were now on. It was a flat road to Rosehall so roadie Jones took the lead and led us to the cafe where after not even a whole hour, we were inside drinking coffee at Invercassey Tea Rooms. It was a short day of only about 35 miles so we had loads of time and the weather had improved. So we had a second coffee. They also had their log fire going which added to the ambience making it very hard to leave. But leave we did as the sun was still blazing in the sky and the trail was beckoning for a wild camp extraordinaire.
Today was our one and only wild camp day and there were a number of variables to contend with.
Unfortunately, sun brought their friend headwind so we had a bit of a battle that got steadily worse. But it was a nice quiet road with great scenery, it almost felt a bit antiplanoish in places, Peru or Bolivia, albeit no alpacas. We were heading towards a bit of a climb just after the power station so had a wilderness brew by the river before the big climb. A bit of relaxation time which was as pleasurable as it looks. Much needed after only 2 hours since we’d left the cafe.
The up was very up but by no means the worst up we’d had and as ever, what goes up, goes down again. And what a down it was with views to match. We had booked a late lunch at the Overscaig Hotel but at the last minute, they’d had to cancel on us so we would save a few back and forth miles which would allow us to go a bit further in search of a campsite. The A838 was more like a B road with very little traffic and plenty of passing places as it was only wide enough for one vehicle most of the time.
As we cycled along the edge of the loch towards West Merkland, with sun on our back and headwind in our face, we came to a grinding halt. Andy had another rear wheel mechanical. Lots of umming and erring followed by some prodding and poking by the engineer who was actually within the vicinity this time. As per our Cairngorms ride last September, Andy’s rear cassette was coming apart so we could not remove the wheel as we’d end up with bits of cassette all over the road. The engineer helpfully pointed out that Andy’s rear wheel was fucked and not fixable in the middle of nowhere, on the way to a wild camp, with a bunch of mates who wait for no one. So we only had one option. Leave him behind. Or hope his wheel would make it.
Adamant Andy was not stopping with a mechanical on an A road as he’d rather break down, crash and be left to die on the trail. So we got going. Again. We turned off at West Merkland towards our initial campsite but as time and the weather were on our side we kept on going for quite a few miles, eating into tomorrow’s mileage, and seeing Ben Hope (3041ft/925m) bathed in sunshine. Wow. The screech of brakes sounded like bagpipes as we all stopped for an Insta moment. And from here the trail got faster and downer as we ate up the miles in search of somewhere to camp. We hit the bottom of the trail and arrived at a very nice lodge with a very nice flat manicured lawn but as perfect as it was, we really couldn’t pitch our tents on the front lawn. So we kept on going, disturbing a couple of stags, on through the small forest and back onto the track. It wasn’t looking great and another hill beckoned. We wondered if we could find something low down, by the river maybe.
There was a rough track that ran alongside the river so me and broken bike went to take a look. And it looked promising. Two little huts, albeit locked, but a long narrow flat bit right on the edge of the river, perfect for a load of tents. And on cue, the sun rose above the horizon bathing Ben Hope and our campsite in the late afternoon sunshine. So that was the decision made, this was our wild campsite. It was perfect. It really didn’t get any better. And not a single midge in sight.
I gave my Real Turmat freeze-dried meals a go and the pulled pork was fantastic, the chicken tikka masala was nice but clearly, the Norwegians have some questionable Indian restaurants. It was nice but more like chicken and rice with some spices. Not one I’d choose again but it was good enough after a long day in the saddle.
We all slept well that night lulled to sleep by the sound of water.
