Log No 96. Tue 30th Jul 2013 - Inverie to Sourlies Bothy, 9 miles (1502 miles walked)

We had decided to do the walk to Arisaig over 3 days so we could take our time over the pathless section, this meant that today's walk would only be 9 miles to Sourlies Bothy. Hopefully the bothy would not be full when we get there.

After having eaten a plate and a half full of porridge from the community shelf we left the Bunkhouse at 08.45 and retraced our steps, going back past the Lord Brocket monument to the turn off on the track to head up Gleann Meadail.

The weather was dry with the sun trying to come out and a bit of a breeze, which made a welcome change.

We crossed the Inverie River onto the footpath along Allt Gleann Meadail.

At a private Estate bothy, which was shown as a ruin on the map, we were starting to walk through ferns so we put our gaiters on as some protection from ticks.

It was a fine steady climb all the way to the top of the pass at 600m, taking just over 3 hours including a break.

The descent was much shorter and consequently steeper but as it constantly zig-zagged the going was fairly easy.

Mick had one mishap on the way down through the ferns when he slipped and went down over his knee.

Once we were down to the bottom we had the River Carnach to cross.

The suspension footbridge looks pretty ropey and the sign pronounces it a Dangerous bridge but the condition did not appear to have deteriorated since my last visit.

After crossing the river it was a case of trying to find a dry line through the flat, fairly boggy area at the head of Loch Nevis to get to the shore.

We met a group of 4 Russians who had spent the night at the bothy after having got everything soaked through during yesterday's downpour, they were walking from Ft William to Cape Wrath.

The tide was still in so we had to climb up through some of the rocks to get round the small headland and back down to the shore to get to Sourlies Bothy.

It had taken just over 2 hours to get here from the top of the pass.

There were a couple of lads from Frankfurt already here, having decided to stay an extra day to dry out, but plenty of room for us.

This bothy was just one open room.

Later on in the afternoon a kayaker, Barry, arrived and pitched his tent outside the bothy.
He gratefully gave us a half a dozen flapjacks to supplement our dwindling supply of snack food which we were having to ration out since we had been unable to restock in Inverie.

Another 4 lads arrived in the evening, hoping to stay in the bothy and dry out, unfortunately there was not enough room for them all so they had to put their tents up.
They were also walking from Ft William to Cape Wrath.

Mick had seen a mouse run across the doorway and later in the evening he saw it in the bothy. I was awake at some time through the night and I was sure I heard it rummaging around.