Log No 66. Thu 13th Jun 2013 - Skerricha to Scourie, 13 miles (1110 miles walked)

It started raining late afternoon yesterday and it was still raining when I took the tent down.

My usual breakfast has been 3 cereal bars and a mug of tea but the shop in Kinlochbervie didn't have any. When Mick had been with me he'd been having instant porridge in a pot, the shop didn't have these but had a box of 10 sachets of the same thing.

I'm sold on these now for backpacking, a couple of sachets in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes and the weather can do what it likes.

Just as well since it rained all day.

Given the terrain I was taking the roads to Tarbet.

The only problem I had was that my strip maps weren't wide enough to show them all.

With the rain still coming down I was going by the road signs and not bothering to get the map out.

I had intended going via Fanagmore and followed the sign for Tarbet, Foindle & Fanagmore. The sign at the next junction had Tarbet one way and Foindle the other and without thinking I headed for Tarbet.

Only when I was actually coming into Tarbet did I realize I had bypassed Fanagmore, I should have taken the road to Foindle.

There is not much in Tarbet, half a dozen isolated houses and a restaurant to cater for the passengers for the summer ferry to Handa Island.

I got there at 11.00 but the restaurant didn't open until 12.00.

There was a footpath shown on the map from Tarbet to Scourie and a sign confirmed this but did warn that it was mountainous and not well waymarked.

I didn't even find the start and when I did get onto it discovered it was not the right one, call myself a navigator!!

Once I had tracked it down it was easy enough to follow, that still didn't stop me from slipping up on the rocks now and again.

Putting my rucsac back on after a break I felt the shoulder strap give and when I looked at it saw the stitching and material starting to come apart.

It is only a 45 litre capacity, not really big enough for extended trips and I am exceeding the maximum load for it. The jolt it gets every time I slip up doesn't help either.

I got to Scourie for 2 o' clock and this was my destination as there was a campsite here, I am badly in need of a good clean up.

13 miles in 6 hours - a slightly better performance.

I am having a day off here to do repair work, the rucsac has to hold out until my next break at home.