travel – A wee walk

2025 Escalante north backpack

October 5, 2025November 11, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, Escalante

We flew over from Scotland to the US at the end of September 2025 with permits to hike for 5 days down the iconic Buckskin Gulch and Paria River on the Utah/Arizona border. We have hiked here before (such as the Paria in 2016) but never the entire length of the two canyons together despite two previous attempts.

…..But it was not be this time either unfortunately due to thunderstorms and floods when we arrived at the trailhead. We visited nearby Waheap toadstools and ended up sheltering under a recess with a waterfall forming above. Buckskin in particular, being a very long slot canyon, is particularly dangerous during floods.

Och well, we had a long list of other potential hikes and quickly diverted to doing a route new to us in our much loved Escalante river catchment of southern Utah.

Our backpack was to take us over 7 days to Upper Muley Twist canyon, Lamp Stand , Egg Canyon, upper Gulch , unnamed slickrock area bordering Deer Creek, Brigham Tea Bench, lower Gulch , Escalante river ‘Ladder exit’, ‘Cosmic Navel’, Red Breaks-Spencer Flats and Phipps Wash to finish at the Highway 12 road bridge over the Escalante river.

To plan the hike, we relied on notes and maps from previous trips but also got inspiration and “beta” from the first part of Jamal Green’s ‘Via Escalante East’ Hayduke alternative from Muley Twist to the Gulch trailhead and (one of our favourite go-to sources for all things Escalante) Steve Allen’s books ‘Canyoneering 2 and 3‘. All are excellent resources and recommended.

29th September 2025 Day 1 Upper Muley Twist

We started late at about 3pm after a long but beautiful drive from Kanab and a 28 mile hitchhike from the Gulch trailhead to Muley Twist on the Burr Trail road. It took a while to get a ride even though plenty of cars stopped for us. Some stopped to asked us if we knew where ‘Singing Canyon’ was and some stopped to tell us they were going to ‘Singing Canyon’. We hadn’t heard of it and were starting to wonder how, after all the time we spent here over the last 20 years, we didn’t know about this famous canyon. Turns out is is a very short 30 meters slot next to a layby in Long Canyon. Nice photo stop, very busy by all accounts. Eventually we got a lift to the trailhead with a Catalonian tourist (who also stopped at Singing Canyon so we got to see it!)

Upper Muley Twist is a valley formed in the geological wonder of the waterpocket fold within Capitol Reef National Park. Here the usually horizontal layers are tilted steeply up and it is crawling with sandstone arches. Easy walking took us to Cap Arch, where we split west to head up a side canyon with some fun short scrambly sections around boulders to find a camp at a viewful saddle. A great short first day to get rid of those jetlag blues.

Day 2 Circle Cliffs – the Lampstand (spoiler: it looks nothing like a lampstand)

That first camp established a high standard for the rest of the hike with panoramas east to the Henry Mountains and west over the red Circle Cliffs to the golden aspen tinged plateau of Boulder Mountain.

Setting out from there, we had a bit of cross country up and down hard shale slopes onto a plateau which bore all the hallmarks of being used for cattle farming for the past 100 years. Ranching means water and we were going to rely on water from ‘The Onion Beds’, a couple of pools (enhanced by ranchers) with variable water supply. This time of year, the cows had gone on to better things so we were hopeful about the water but the recent rain had muddied the ponds to a bright orange. We took 6 liters with us anyway (never reject water in the desert) and followed jeep tracks north through pinyon juniper, sandy washes and gravelly plain towards the “Lampstand”.

Lucky for us the ranchers had put in a new, spring fed water supply near the Lampstand and we didn’t have to drink the Onion Beds water after all. Next to the covered spring was another stock pond (cow spa). The recent rains had filled this up with plant debris as well as water and there was a writhing mass of sinister looking little animals on the edge of one of the ponds. Turns out they were tadpole shrimps, a species that has been around 220 million years or so, since the dinosaurs. They are famous for being able to survive long periods of desiccation, an evolutionary marvel …but still quite creepy.

A few brief showers kept the air cool and clear as we climbed a little through colourful Chinle rock on old mine tracks to camp at ‘Pink Pass’ above Egg Canyon. There were incredible petrified (fossilised) trees nearby and the whole area was a vivid technicolour delight.

Day 3 Egg Canyon and The Upper Gulch

Egg Canyon in the morning provided a mellow, meandering walk down through purple and blue Chinle rock layers that looked like velvet in the glow of the light reflected into the canyon from the orange Wingate cliffs above. The canyon widens after a junction with the Gulch from the North, cottonwood trees come in and the well-named Water Canyon joining from the west was delivering a clear stream of water out of its grassy(!) mouth. From there the waters flowed down The Gulch all the way to the road bridge including a tranquil waterfall at a narrows with attendant dragon fly (there seems to be one at every pool this time of year).

Arriving at The Gulch TH and our car, we saw the first hikers we had seen since just after our start at Upper Muley Twist. Being short on food and needing to plan our next few days, we chose to drive back to Escalante town, resupply and return the next day to continue our hike southwards. Altogether this was a really enjoyable hike mixing tracks with cross country and loads of scenic variety.

Day 4 The Gulch -Slickrock and Boulders

Back at the Gulch TH, we aimed to climb straight up some broken cliffs to allow us to traverse ridges and washes between the lower Gulch and Deer Creek to the west. We spent time zig-zagging around ledges to find a way up through the rock layers, splitting up to search in different directions. Eventually we found a scrambling way almost straight above the trailhead onto a small sandy dome with panoramic views over the surrounding canyons and hills (this would be trickier to do if descending down in the other direction).

We were able to continue following the high ground on lovely rocky slabs (slickrock), dotted with rounded, black, volcanic boulders (guaranteed to put a smile on your face) before descending to cross a small canyon dip called ‘Sand Holler’.

Heading south west we found a few large potholes of water along a drainage dotted with Ponderosa pine before reaching a scenic, slabby saddle (we had camped here and scrambled up the peak to the north in 2017). This time we wanted to climb a steeper set of slabs south following an alternative route described by Steve Allen in Canyoneering 2 ‘for the slickrock aficionado’.

The initial climb felt a bit ‘out there’ though on a huge expanse of slabs and we had a bit of back and forth-ing to find a line of least resistance. Once up, we dropped at a lesser gradient into a unnamed valley system of rock slabs and water potholes to camp.

There are no adequate words in the English language to describe the beauty of the slickrock landscape that we moved through for the rest of this day and the next morning on this route: the sweep, the shapes, the colours, the ever so clearly visible imprint of deep time in the sandstone, the blue sky, the many many stars, the silence at night, the climbing of the moon, the blaze of the sunrise on the rock (you can almost feel the earth rotate under your feet!).

Day 5 More Slickrock to The Lower Gulch

We walked up a nearby peak for a glorious sunrise before continuing down more stunning slick rock slabs towards Deer Creek, then undulated over small slabby ridges on its east side before stopping for a rest above Boulder Creek narrows (crossing another previous hike, this time in 2019).

From this spot there are a few route options and we chose to cross over to the rim of lower Gulch canyon next via slabby ‘Tanks’ drainage and sandier Brigham Tea Bench, pleased to find a cairn or two marking a scrambling descent down into the narrow canyon.

*‘Varnished streaked wall’ in The* *Gulch*

The Gulch is scenic with steep red walls but the going got a bit tougher partly because the recent rain had made the walking very muddy and slippy and because the section towards the Escalante is quite overgrown and becomes more so, the close one gets to the big river. There was also a disappointing amount of fresh cattle trails and dung in the Gulch. We were also getting tired and still acclimatising to the desert heat so we were very happy to see the Escalante (like an old friend) flowing strong and pretty clear and offering us a lovely camp with cottonwood trees above (and a wash in the moonlight).

Day 6 Cosmic Navel and Spencer Canyon

Our aim today was to explore the Red Breaks-Spencer Flats areas above the west side of the Escalante river, but first we had to find a way out of the Escalante’s canyon bed. Our route involved wading down the river for a short distance past ‘ladders canyon’ (it reputedly had at some point ladders installed to climb out – we did not check their state of repair), then a scramble through the cliff bands. First on a rough trail up a bouldery gully, then a traverse left to find the easiest line up slabby rocks to the top (we had read of this exit route in Steve Allan’s book and involved “Moki steps” and were glad to find it an easy exit for us).

Making our way southward cross country we came across some pristine fluted sand dunes before ascending another slickrock valley dotted with big potholes full of water. Our destination for lunch was the weird rock feature known by various names including the ‘Cosmic Navel’. We saw other people here, our first since leaving the car at The Gulch TH. It’s an easy hike from a trailhead accessible by 4WD and we were here on the weekend so it was busy. It’s also very unusual and beautiful but equally impressive were the extensive red and white slick rock slabs to the north that we continued our days hike over after lunch.

Following a sandy drainage down northwards we made it to the top of the intriguing complex Spencer Canyon system, which appears mountainous from afar and has unusual criss-cross defiles as seen on the map below.

Once we had located some more very healthy looking water holes we decided to camp nearby and explore the edges of the canyons into the evening. It would be good to return and scramble down into the canyon bottoms here – one to return to!

Day 7 Big Spencer Flats and Phipps Wash

Walking west we followed a grove of Ponderosa trees formed in a line. The unusual presence of the Pondies here is highlighted by Mr Kelsey in his guidebook (which we love and honour) where he gives the precised number of trees he saw when he traveled here as 18 – we can report that some have fallen and some have sprouted and grown up since he put pen to paper so if anyone was to update the book, a recount would need to be done!) along a small valley slot before slowing down on a trail consisting of deep sand. Then a better dirt road (Old Sheffield Road) which made for easy walking across a flat plain with wide panoramas.

A car drew up (we were not hitch-hiking at this point) and the agitated driver exited the car and asked us if we had a vehicle that could help tow their friends car out of sand and mud a few miles away. It took a few repetitions of the words “we have no car, we are walking” before he was convinced that we were no use to him.

The canyon of Phipps Wash was our next target and we ended up skirting its small but steep headwall cliff to the west before dropping down into it’s upper bowl. This top section of Phipps contained yet more gorgeous colourful rock slabs as well as old horse shoes and cow bones. Once below the main pour overs, perhaps for the first time this week, the temperature got a little hot for us and we needed to rest in the shade under cottonwood trees. It got so hot that we didn’t even fancy going up to Phipps’ arch this time (we had been here in 2022 while having a break from Hayduke II).

There was almost no water in Phipps Wash (apart from a few smelly stagnant pools) which was a surprise because of the recent rain and the comparative abundance of water everywhere else. Also we had found good running water here in 2018 and 2022. This helped us make up our minds to put our heads down and hike out to the road at Escalante bridge on Highway 12 in the late afternoon to give us some time to hitch back to our car.

We totally lucked out again with a generous lift (sharing a back seat with an elderly Alsatian dog who took up half the seat while we shared the other half) and within the hour were back reunited with our hire car at The Gulch TH. These 7 days were absolutely packed with amazing sights and glorious cross-country off-trail walking over beautiful slickrock slabs. The Escalante area never lets let us down!

We also have a photo gallery here at pbase

Skye Trail Alternatives

May 26, 2025July 19, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, scotland, Scrambling, Skye

I have hiked and scrambled many alternatives to the standard Skye Trail over the years and describe them here. To be honest the standard route is great as well, but particulary the first alternative, Coruisk-Sgurr na Stri is fantastic if you are up for it. You can click the map below for an interactive version.

All require solid navigation skills – and some scrambling for 1,2,3 and 4. If you are considering any of these you should do your own planning with maps and further resources such as Ralph Storer’s ’50 Best Routes on Skye and Raasay’ book (lots in there for a lifetime of great adventures on Skye). ‘Skye Scrambles’ by the Scottish Mountaineering Club is also good…..

Red- Main Skye Trail

Purple- Alternatives

1. Coruisk – Sgurr na Stri

A superb trip that requires good navigation skills with a short scramble. A few hours longer than the main Skye Trail.

Leaving the Skye Trail at Camasunary I headed west along the lovely beach then crossed the river in September 2022 (tidal and I had to wade) and followed the rough coastal trail to the west past the ‘Bad Step’ (Grade 2 scramble) to Loch Coruisk. I have been here many times over the years and the scramble looks a little intimidating being perched above the sea but has good solid handholds and is a very short crossing of a steep slab (maybe 10 meters?)

I took the trail north over a pass before descending down into Glen Sligachan to connect again with the main Skye Trail.

Better still is to also cut back south near the pass on a trail to the summit of Sgurr na Stri for some brilliant views. Return back to the trail to Glen Sligachan.

2 Loch Coruisk and Bealach na Glaic Moire

This route includes the same scramble (Bad Step, Grade 2) but mostly the challenge is navigating over some pathless, rough mountain territory. Not recommended in misty weather.

This is an interesting and atmospheric mountain route round the coast to Loch Coruisk via the ‘Bad Step’ (Grade 2 scramble) as per route 1, then along the south of Loch Coruisk, up over the Cuillin ridge at Bealach na Glaic Moire (pass of the big glade) then a scrabbling scree descent to connect with trails on the west of the mountains to Sligachan.

I followed route 1 in September 2022 to Loch Coruisk then left it by crossing the loch outlet using stepping stones (very tricky if the river is high) and picked up a rough trail along the south side of Loch Coruisk.

The going was very rough, steep and slow all the way up to the Bealach but the views are superb and this route takes you into the heart of the Cuillin mountains and over the crest to the north side.

On the descent I carefully traversed right along a grassy shelf to find the top of the steep scree descent to easier grassy ground and alpine meadows.

From the grassy ground and river, I trended right away from the river gorge on a faint trail down to pick up a better trail heading northward skirting the edge of the hills to the gentle Bealach a’Mhaim. A good path now follows the river with lovely waterfalls to Sligachan.

3 Druim nan Ramh ridge

This route is a varient on routes 1 and 2 needing the ability to scramble (Bad Step, Grade 2 plus another short Grade 2 near the top of the Druim nan Ramh ridge) but again the challenge is navigating over some pathless, rough mountain territory. Not recommended in misty weather.

Purple dotted line above. This is a varient on the above two routes and involved following the long ridge on the north side of Loch Curuisk. I took the Bad Step route as per 1 (Grade 2 scramble), then the trail north over to the pass, then split north west along the Druim nan Ramh ridge. This offered great views and was easy until near the top before the junction with the main Skye ridge. The least difficult route involved some Grade 2 scrambling avoiding the ridge on the left looking up for the final stretch. The book ‘Skye Scrambles’ by the Scottish Mountaineering Club was helpful. I arrived at Bealach na Glaic Moire as per route 2, bivouaced for the night then I followed that route to Sligachan.

4 Blaven south ridge

This ascends Blaven, a 3,000-foot mountain with some scrambling and navigation required.

We have only done this route as part of a day trip, and it would be tougher carrying backpacking equipment if on the Skye Trail as it involves a steep 3,000 foot ascent from sea level. That said, Blaven is a great mountain, visible and distinctive from afar, that calls out to be climbed with fab views.

5 Camasunary short cut

A good quality trail. We have hiked this a few times. It’s included here as it offers a shortcut between Camasunary and Kilmarie if required. Although by doing so you miss the fine coastal walk between Elgol and Camasunary on the main Skye Trail.

6 Spar Cave

This is the one alternative, more of a side trip, that we haven’t done…although we would love to as the cave looks fantastic. Note that access to the cave is tidal but Walkhighlands provides all the details.

7 Storr ridge

This is the southern continuation of the Trotternish ridge on the Skye Trail. It’s less frequented though and involves some similar trackless and occasionally boggy ridge walking.

From Portree you need to walk up the A855 main road for about 1.5 miles before heading out cross country up the hills.

This is worthwhile and there are some really nice views including hiking to the top of the hill, The Storr above the Old Man of Storr, but to be honest I think the main Skye Trail route is better.

8 Quiraing north ridge

This is a route I did about 20 years ago northbound by splitting from the Quiraing trail before it descends to Flodigarry and following a trail to climb onto the north end of the Quiraing ridge.

I traversed some really scenic tops before descending boggy ground north west to the road at Kilmaluag. A short local road north took me to Kilmaluag bay and connecting with the main Skye Trail for its final flourish along the coast to Rubha Hunish.

Given the choice though I think the main Skye Trail has more merit with greater variety and drier ground for walking!

Skye Trail

May 9, 2025August 20, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, scotland, Skye

Introduction The Isle of Skye has a fantastic backpack (if you get reasonable weather, see planning below) of about 82 miles (132km) and 4-7 days duration called the Skye Trail.

The Isle of Skye sits off the north west coast of Scotland and has wonderfuly diverse geology and scenery. The trail traverses both mountains and coastline with some tremendous everchanging landscapes and, maybe I am biased, but the scenery is world class.

In the south are the Cuillin mountains which are the most rugged in the British Isles. In the north is the Trotternish Ridge, where the trail traverses the long undulating ridge with splendid views and other worldly rock formations at either end. The coastal sections are equally good, particularly around Elgol in the south and Flodigarry to Rubha Hunnish in the north. That’s a lot of excitement to pack into around 80 miles!

2025 southbound hike blog below
2022 northbound hike blog
Skye Trail Planning notes below
Skye Trail Alternative routes
Walkhighlands has an excellent web guide with descriptions and maps of the Skye Trail plus an off-line app

My hike May 2025 Southbound

Day 1 5th May 2025 Rubha Hunish to Flodigarry and the Quiraing

Skye’s bus service is helpful for accessing the Skye Trail at various points along the way, and I was able to leave my car at Sligachan and take buses north to Portree, then to the start at Shulista.

It had been very sunny here for the last few weeks which meant that the ground was pretty dry as I walked north at 1pm on an improved trail. The lookout and bothy at Rubha Hunish stands at a panoramic headland, with particularly good views north west to the Outer Hebrides over the small, wild looking island group of Fladda-chuain.

Next I headed east along the top of the cliffs on a surprisingly good line of faint dry trails with lovely views down to sea stacks and the hills of the mainland on the horizon.

Back down to sea level I passed the picturesque bay of Gobhlaig / Balmaqueen with its old church and then more gentle scenic cliff top walking along to the posh looking Flodigarry nestled in a rare woodland for these parts.

About 10 minutes walking along the main road gave access to the wide trail climbing up to the Quiraing, a wonderful series of peaks and pinnacles, and amazing to think its caused by landslips which are still active. This is a justifiably popular walking area but by the time I stopped for dinner about 5pm it was deserted. I took water and headed steeply up away from the trail to find a campsite in an incredible spot in amongst the towers. A really scenic first day.

Day 2 Quiraing, Trotternish, Old Man of Storr

Ravens were vocal in the early morning with their croaking echoing between the rock walls. I carried on southwards to cross a road and car park to start the hike along the long undulating Trotternish ridge. This provides superb walking with panoramic and subtely changing views all round to cliffs, islands and hills. I was glad I had saved this for a good weather day to appreciate this 14 mile high level stretch to the next road at The Storr.

Following the route was straightforward (in the clear weather I had anyway, it would be much trickier in mist), with a use trail along the cliff edge of the steep east facing slopes. It was also mostly dry underfoot, but my trail running shoes still got soaked on intermittent boggy seeps. Carrying a couple of spare pairs of socks and switching over to try and dry off the feet helped a bit though.

I saw a few hikers out today, maybe about 15 others mostly heading northwards but it still felt like a fairly wild experience. This changed as I neared The Old Man of Storr- another crazy, stunning set of pinnacles and popular tourist spot. I descended down past The Storr on a good maintained trail to the road and carpark packed with people. Well, it is justified, as it’s another incredible place that has been used in a few movies….

I left the hubub and crossed the road to follow another lower, more mellow ridgeline south over the hill ‘Sithean Bhealaich Chumhaing’ -a Scottish Gaelic name that is a bit of a mouthful but I think it means ‘fairy hill of the narrow pass’. This is a relatively unfrequented area of Skye but is incredibly scenic as well as providing a good chance to spot eagles.

With little wind, I was able to set up a splendid camp right on the ridge with grand views all round, especially south to the Red and Black Cuillen mountains where I was heading.

Day 3 Portree and Glen Sligachan

I had a couple of hours walking in the morning into the largest town in Skye, Portree. Descending down from the camp the views of Portree bay opened up with a small cruise ship arriving. There is a lovely walk along the north shore of the bay into Portree itself and I got some food, along with a visit to the Inside Out outdoors shop for some glue to repair (hopefully succesfully!) my inflatable sleeping pad.

I walked out of town along the road and then cut down back to the edge of the bay for about a mile giving enjoyable hiking with plenty of waders and geese around. From there, it was time to hike the road for a couple of hours- albeit a minor single track road with few cars and more views, which I didn’t mind at all.

Eventually the road ran out and I joined a cool trail on the north shore of Loch Sligachan to arrive at Sligachan campsite for about 5pm. I had intended camping here but first I had a veggie burger at the nearby hotel. The sun had just come out and this is a lovely spot to sit outside. But…. I decided to head out along Glen Sligachan in the nice evening light to find a wild camp.

All the tourist buses stop here quite rightly for the views into the Cuillin mountains, and I do like the newish statue of early mountaineers Mackenzie and Collie looking up to the hills. Anyway I soon was hiking a quiet trail along Glen Sligachan between the jaggy Black Cuillen on the right and more rounded Red Cuillen on left.

I have previously done some alternatives to this glen walk in the past, described in Skye Trail Alternatives. These are fab, but to be honest this walk down the glen looking up to the hills is also pretty good, as well as being dry underfoot and easy to navigate. Camping spots were few and far between but I found a good spot down by two lochs, Lochan Dubha (the Black Lochs).

Day 4 To Elgol, Torrin and Boreraig

A sunny morning and I hiked easily out of the glen to the shore at Camasunary, stopping to have a look at the luxury MBA Bothy here. A great spot, but I wouldn’t have exchanged it for my wild camp last night!

The next stretch is a favourite of mine, a couple hours to Elgol on a sometimes rather exposed trail above the sea- it’s worth stopping a lot to look back at the grand views to the Cuillins and Loch Coruisk… After a lunch break at the recommended Cafe Elgol (the grocery shop seemed closed) I now headed back east then north around the peninsula, first on quiet road then trail. This is a mellow stretch that affords lots of distant views to islands and sea.

After rounding Loch Slappin, I made it back down south to camp on the coast between the Highland Clearance villages of Suisnish and Boreraig. Another great day and with easier dry, walking.

Day 5 To Broadford

All that was left was an easy six or so miles back north over to Broadford- it was still pretty scenic though. What a trail, and I would do it again!

Planning

Walkhighlands has an excellent web guide and app.

Cicerone also a has a detailed guidebook available in paper or eBook.

Harvey Maps Skye Trail paper map is also very useful.

No permits are required, you can wild camp easily outside the towns and access to drinking water mostly isn’t a problem.

There are good bus services down the length of the island connecting the start and finish, as well as Portree and Sligachan. Check the guides or use an app such as Google Maps.

*Approaching Loch Coruisk* *on an alternative*

Best time to hike But when is best? Here are some factors to consider…. April to July is the driest time in Skye. For me from November to February is too dark, wet and boggy at least for wild camping. The biting insect called the midge makes itself felt from some time in May to September. Tourists flock to Skye in summer and they won’t impact your hiking but they do make it more difficult and expensive to get accommodation if you need it.

So I would say April, May, early June along with late September and early October are the best times to plan in advance – with May perhaps being optimal. That said Skye has very variable weather and can be good or bad any month of the year.

Best direction I don’t think it matters too much. However if you are flexible then checking the forecast wind for the week (see links below) and hiking with the wind at your back might prove a good idea.

If you are not wild camping then you have a long, exposed day along the Trotternish ridge between The Storr carpark and Flodigarry in the north. It might be best to do this near the end of the trip and thus hike northwards so you have time to ‘warm up’ before tackling this stage. If you are wild camping, you have more flexibility if the weather is reasonable as you could pitch your tent along the ridge.

Hiking terrain There is a huge mix. From trails, cross country along ridges and coast – and some stretches of tarmac. Expect lots of soft wet ground and some bog, especially in wetter periods between Portree and Flodigarry.

I reckon there is about 28km of the 130km total length on tarmac, with the longest stretch being 6.5 miles (10.5km) between Sligachan and Portree in the middle. On the plus side the roads are quiet and the views are mostly extensive, but its a bit more than I would like on a trail.

Weather I will be honest, Skye has a pretty wet climate with the prevailing south westerly winds bringing damp air from the Atlantic. I had a quick look at the web, and for example the town of Portree on the Skye Trail has about double the precipitation (1815mm average annual) compared to Tuolumne Meadows in the USA on the Pacific Crest Trail. I suspect Portree is one of the driest parts of the Skye Trail as well! But there are dry spells – and mixed cloudy, showery weather can provide clear air and beautiful, atmospheric views.

Ideally to me it would be best to plan your hike in advance but have some flexibility to look at forecasts before you set off such as:

West Highland Way

April 4, 2025May 11, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, scotland

This is Scotland’s most popular and oldest trail, going between Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, and Fort William for 96 miles. The scenery is grand but fairly familiar to us having hiked and climbed in the area most of our lives, and so up til now we hadn’t thought of doing it. But Brian decided to walk the route in April 2025 backed by an inviting stable weather forecast and the prospect of pre midge season!

We have also walked the 10 mile Kelvin Walkway which extends the trail south to near the centre of Glasgow.

Day 1 31st March 2025 North from Milngavie

After a train to Glasgow and then Milngavie (pronounced Mil-guy) I set off just after 1pm in coolish (12C), still, cloudy conditions – great for hiking. Most of this first day was on pleasant, packed trails leaving the suburbs northwards and soon passing the Campsie hills.

I stopped at the purple ‘Turnip the Beet’ cafe for late lunch of a terrific veggie toasted bagel and saw a handful of hikers in the afternoon, people from the UK and across the world out enjoying themselves. Making it to the first climb in the late evening, I camped after 18 miles at 8pm and dusk on the top of Conic Hill with sunset views over Loch Lomond.

Great camp, with a bonus of no midges ending a nice first day.

Day 2 Loch Lomond

Today was spent hiking up the east side of Loch Lomond, the latter part of which was new to me, and it turned out to be a scenic and varied route.

Firstly I dropped down to the settlement of Balmaha, picked up some food at the small shop and had a sit in the early morning sun at the cafe next door.

The trail then heads along near the shore of the loch through woodland with cool ever changing views of the loch and the Luss hills across on the west side. I chatted with hikers along the way, eventually reaching Inversnaid Hotel mid afternoon.

There were loads of hikers resting or finishing for the day here (there is a bunkhouse in addition to the hotel) but I headed onwards on a bumbly, rougher trail for maybe 6 miles to the north end of Loch Lomond. This trail has a reputation for being tough but to be honest I enjoyed the route, weaving up and down around boulders and tree roots.

I finished up just at dusk again and lucked out with a tiny spot for the tent on a rise looking back down southwards to Loch Lomond.

Day 3 Past Crainlarich, Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy

Both nights so far had dipped to freezing with a light frost on the tent, but I awoke to another shiny blue sky day and it soon warmed up. I walked for less than an hour to Inverarnan with Beinglas campsite and a hotel at the nearby A82 road. Another 2nd breakfast- I could get used to this!

This is a common overnight stop and today I counted 50+ people hiking northward from here. I was finding that by wild camping I was a bit ‘out of sync’ with other hikers as most people either stayed in pre booked accomodation at set points along the trail or camped in commercial campsites usually near the accomodation. We definitely prefer wild camping if we can, with the excitement of not knowing where you will find a spot that evening, the chance of camping at the most scenic points, along with the flexibility of not sticking to a fixed itinery.

The trail followed the River Falloch north for a while with lots of rocky waterfalls which would be tempting for a swim in the warmer summer months. Although the A82 main road and railway line took the same glen, it didn’t detract from the pleasant leafy hiking.

I should mention that the WHW is a very clear trail to follow, usually wide and often on hardpacked ground- making for easy walking for most people but I found the hard, flattish terrain a bit sore on the soles of my feet!

I pushed on further than intended today, past the ‘resupply’ spot at Tyndrum and the hotel at Bridge of Orchy to camp again at dusk at a lovely high point overlooking Loch Tulla and north to the Black Mount hills.

Day 4 Rannoch Moor and Devil’s Staircase to Kinlochleven

Another sunny day – I was being spoilt! Dropping down to the Inveroran Hotel and some nice riverside campsites at Victoria Bridge, I set off onto an old Military Road across the edge of Rannoch Moor, built in the early 1800’s by Telford. The Moor is a tremendous place of high undulating plateau, with peat bog and lochans, fringed with rugged hills particularly to the west. Today I had clear skies and a cold wind sweeping across which was lovely, but I guess it could get a bit exposed out here in poorer weather.

I deviated a short distance at the northern edge of the moor to Glencoe ski area near Blackrock cottage for a nice lunch and a hot shower- wonderful!

A short climb over the ‘Devil’s Staircase’ gave great views back over the Moor and across to Buachille Etive Mor (scene of many of our scrambling and climbing trips and a favourite hill ) guarding the top of Glen Coe. From there, the trail high point at a modest 548m (the WHW isn’t a mountainous trail!), but it was a long weaving descent down to the village of Kinlochleven for a night at the Blackwater Hostel -recommended.

Day 5 Final day to Fort William

There was a scenic climb first thing from Kinlochleven through woods with views across to Loch Leven and the hills on either side. From there the trail follows a more remote set of glens and with a strong cold wind, it was a time for keeping the head down and just hiking on.

There were some grand views to Ben Nevis (UK’s highest peak) before the descent to Glen Nevis and a rather long 4 miles or so of pavement to the end in the town of Fort William.

I stopped here, but from Fort William there is a network of trails heading north on the Cape Wrath Trail or Great Glen Way-John O’Groats Trail….

Overall I really enjoyed the hike, it was obvious that lots of work goes into maintaing the trail and that is really appreciated. But I imagine it could get really busy from Easter through to October and this would put me off walking at these times a bit. That said, it’s a pleasant introduction to Scottish walking and, with not being very remote and lots of services at hand I can see why it is popular.

References

There is lots of info out there on the WHW:

I loved the Harvey strip map– lightweight, small and pretty much all I needed

Walkhighlands has detailed descriptions, maps, gpx and an app

And the official West Highland Way website

The Kelvin Walkway is a pretty cool short 10 mile extension of the West Highland Way in the south from the River Clyde near the centre of Glasgow.

It follows the Kelvin River north from the River Clyde and goes through Glasgow’s west end as it gradually makes its way into the countryside. The walkway ends at Milngavie conveniantly connecting with the southern start of the West Highland Way.

The trail is much less used than the WHW and the riverside path can get a little overgrown in places, but we enjoyed following the river and seeing Glasgow from a different perspective. A nice addition to the West Highland Way.

2025 Turkey Lycian Way

March 7, 2025March 27, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, Lycian Way, Turkey

The Lycian Way is a long distance hiking route along or near the south coast of Turkey with a mix of mountainous and coastal terrain.

Length There are various estimates of the length of the trail, but I think it is about 280 miles by the main route and takes up to about 30 days to hike. With quite a few alternatives being recorded, route lengths can vary depending on options chosen.

Terrain The trail is generally well marked and signposted, but can be rugged underfoot at times due to the underlying karst limestone geology on this Mediterranean region. My trail ascent comparison with other routes shows it to be a ‘hilly’ trail with fair bit of ascent and descent -overall varying in altitude between sea level to a maximum of about 1,815m (with options to ascend higher).

History The trail has a variety of scenery and one particular outstanding feature is the incredible archeology and historic sites to be seen along the way. This region has been populated by Lycian, Greek, Roman and other civilisations and there is still heaps of evidence of these to be seen. Come to think of it, it would be difficult to imagine a better long distance trail to see ancient history!

Seasons I would say the normal seasons to walk here are mid-March to May and October-November. The summer would be too hot (at least for me!) although the area is a popular summer tourist destination. Winter could be good for hiking but the days would be short and the higher elevations could be snow covered and cold.

Overnights Another appealing feature is that wild camping is permitted. Along with the options of commercial camp sites I found the tenting options to be superb. Many people do the hike without a tent as well, and there are good accomodation options along the way.

My hike Brian decided to hike for a week from the western terminal at Ovicek near the city of Fethiye as a sort of sampler, and I ended up walking around 105 miles.

I hiked at the end of February to the start of March in 2025 and this is pre season in Lycia. As it turned out, the weather was great, warm during the day and cool at night. I had a day and a half of rain but otherwise it was pleasant with sun and clouds.

After a 3 1/2 hour bus journey from the city of Antalya to Fethiye, I set off late in the afternoon at the trail’s western terminal in low cloud and drizzle on Tuesday 25th February, but keen to get going.

The Way started on jeep tracks but soon I was hiking rough mountainous trails with grand, if hazy views down to the rugged coast indented with sandy bays. I pushed on until dusk at about 19.15pm after passing the cluster of houses at Faralya and fortunately found a lovely flat grassy terrace to camp. In the evening I could hear a nearby owl and the distant call to prayer from villages down the valley.

Next day I continued on rough trail in pinewoods about 400m above the sea before dropping steeply (and bushwacking after getting lost) to the somewhat grotty beach of Kabak – it was a bit too strewn with rubbish and building detriatus for me to linger, maybe it gets tidied up later in spring ready for the tourist season.

I climbed steeply up a well made path back to lovely woodland with views down to the coast and continued along high ground through forest and around rocky cliffs.

A stop for lunch at Alinca was fun (they opened the cafe for me!) and I hiked into the evening past the cluster of houses at Gey. I was working out that mosques can be seen (and heard!) from afar and provide beautiful fresh water fountains for the thirsty hiker. I stopped for the night at a irresistable small terrace overlooking a steep sided sea cove.

The trail passed right through a doorway of the ruined Lycian fortress at Pydnai next day. The huge polygon limestone building blocks were impressive along with the view north across the alluvial plain, now covered in polytunnels growing cucumber and tomatoes.

Later in the day I sheltered from rain for the night at an apartment in the nearby town of Gelemis and spent the next day visiting the ancient port city of Patara dodging downpours.

I had a few more days at lower elevations, at times along the seashore, even getting a swim (well, short dip) at one point. Interestingly the trail seemed rougher nearer the sea, with jaggy rocks and wiry bushes to weave around. Of note was the Roman aqueduct of Delikkemer, a rocky traverse past cliff tombs and some beautiful turquiose blue sea. Grand hiking.

I met a lot of dogs along the way, stray dogs (and cats) are common here. Most were friendly but some belonging to farms were pretty aggresive- maybe they could smell the fear eminating from me! Anyway I didn’t have any real problems and pretending to throw a stone at them seemed to work.

I wound up my hike at the town of Demre, home to the incredible ancient city of Myra.

Overall this was an interesting and superbly varied hike and I would love to return to complete the whole route….

Maps and Guides

I downloaded a trail gpx and with a map layer to my Android phone on the Caltopo app allowing me to navigate offline. I added in extra details that I found online to the gpx, particularly on water sources and shops. Trekopedia below was great for this.

I do like to have a paper map or guide as well though, as I dislike looking at my phone all the time. So I created and printed a Word document – with maps from Caltopo and helpful descriptions I had collated.

I also took along relevant sections of the Kate Clow Lycian Way 2014 guidebook (updated 2022 version now available). The guidebook is definately worth buying but I didn’t find it that useful for navigation unfortunately and deferred to my notes and the Caltopo app.

The Step by Step Lycian Way guidebook looks excellent as well, although I don’t yet have a copy I would buy that before going back to the trail.

Links to information

Trekopedia Very detailed and excellent guide to the trail, alternatives, accomodation, historic sights. I used this for planning but unfortunately the app wouldn’t work on my Android phone. It would have been great if it had!

Culture Routes Society From Kate Clow who conceived the trail (a fantastic job, thank you!), lots of info including recent trail updates.

Doing Miles hike in 2011 Reliable and interesting notes from US hiking couple.

Moray Coast, Speyside Way and Dava Way Trails

January 28, 2025November 18, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, brian dickson, Dava Way, Moray Coast Trail, Moray Way, scotland, Sea kayaking, Speyside Way

These are three well marked trails in the north east of Scotland providing easy walking at low levels and that are mostly doable all year round. Combining the trails creates a loop called the Moray Way. This page has an overview of each with some pictures from our hikes.

*MCT -Moray Coast Trail, DW Dava Way, SW Speyside Way, Moray Link*

In addition there are also short sections on sea kayaking along the Moray Coast and the ‘Moray Link’, an unmarked route that links the town of Forres to Inverness and thus connecting these trails up with the John O’ Groats Trail and Great Glen Way/South Loch Ness Trail.

Moray Coast Trail 74km

Speyside Way 138km

Dava Way 38km

Moray Link about 60km

Moray Coast sea kayaking

Moray Coast Trail 74km

This is a pleasant flat hike along a coastline with plenty of beaches and towns and some beautiful cliff scenery. I have an ascent comparison of trails and this one comes out the flattest by some margin!

Walkhighlands has good descriptions, maps, gpx -splitting the trail into 4 days.

The weather on this coast tends to be drier than say the mountains in the west and it could be a good choice as a first or early backpack, given; the weather, quite a few towns along the way, it’s at sea level and on mostly well signposted trail. It could be possible to hike this through the winter too (if the short days don’t bother you).

Forres to Burghead 20.5km

Burghead to Lossiemouth 14.5km

*Arch near Cummingston (the trail itself is above on the field margins here, we dropped down at low tide onto the shore to walk past this and the coast cliffs)*

Lossiemouth to Buckie 25.25km

Buckie to Cullen 12km

Speyside Way 138km

This trail takes you from the Moray Coast in the north roughly following the River Spey to Kingussie. Its very well sign posted and again is a fairly gentle walk with a good well made path. There are loads of whisky distilleries along the way too!

Walkhighlands has good descriptions, maps, gpx -splitting the trail into 8 days.

*Uath Lochans between Kincraig and Kingussie*

Dava Way 38km

This is a particularly gentle hike as it mostly follows an old railway line connecting the Speyside Way at Granton to the Moray Coast Trail at Forres. We have only done a short part of this route as part of a longer loop hike in the area.

Walkhighlands has good descriptions, maps, gpx -splitting the trail into 3 (short) days.

Moray Link about 60km

This is an unmarked route following the Moray coast that links the town of Forres to Inverness and thus connecting the Moray Coast Trail and Dava Way up with the John O’ Groats Trail and Great Glen Way/South Loch Ness Trail. I have split the walk into 2 stages below but it could also be done in 3 stages with a break at the village of Ardesier.

Forres to Nairn (about 22.5km)

I think this is currently the better of the two stages where you can follow existing trails and forest tracks with some short minor roads. The map above shows the rough route we have taken but other options are available. Of note are the lookout tower in Culbin Forest providing good views above the forest canopy, and the hike along the edge of the saltmarsh in Culbin. Oh also take note that its pretty flat!

There are bus connections between Forres and Nairn.

Nairn to Inverness (about 34km)

This is a longer stage that could easily be split at the coastal town of Ardersier or at Inverness Airport (roughly halfway). There is accomodation and good transport links at both to Inverness, Nairn and beyond.

The route is mostly along the shore or on minor roads but also with occasional pleasant trail. The shore sections mean that it is best done at lowish tides.

The Google Map above shows a possible route Brian hiked and below is more detail for the eastern section between Nairn and Ardersier.

1 Nairn You can just walk the pavement west from the harbour. Brian walked the scenic beach along the golf course at the ouskirts of Nairn (but you can probably walk the edge of the golf course on grass at high tides).
2 Hilton of Delnies Head inland southwards after the golf course to pick up a narrow vehicle lane to the B9092. Brian’s track here followed a signposted trail around the edge of the course but there may be a more direct way.
3 B9092 Brian walked the road for about 2.5km. The traffic was light but fast moving and overall it’s not that great. However a direct hike may be possible between points 2 and 4 on the map through the Carse of Delnies – but I didn’t explore.
4 Haventus Port entrance The road going north west from here is fenced off with security so acts as a bit of a barrier to the possible direct hike above- or to going around Fort George. At least I was able to take the next minor road on the right and past the cottage (with Kebbuck standing stone in the garden!).
5 Carse Wood Turn left (west) onto nice trails through Carse Wood. I hiked below (north of) the escarpment but it may be possible to hike along the top for a while then drop down.
6 Minor lanes into Ardersier

This part of the coast has spacious views across the Moray Firth to the Black Isle in the north and there should be plenty of bird life around.

Moray Coast sea kayaking

In some ways kayaking along the Moray Coast provides better scenery than the walking trails. The coast has plenty of birdlife, cliffs, cave, arches with a chance of seeing dolphins and whales. Add in some old castles, lighthouses, lovely harbour towns… and its a great kayak destination. The coast is exposed to a north or north east swell so we find it’s best when the swell is down (forecasts at Surfline) and avoiding a north easterly on shore wind allowing us to weave in and out of caves and tunnels.

A great guidebook is North & East Coasts of Scotland Sea Kayaking.

2024 Green River kayak and hikes

October 4, 2024November 10, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Backpacking, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

AUTUMN 2024

We kayaked down the Green River in southern Utah for 8 days, from south of the town of Green River on I70 to the confluence with the Colorado River. This is a trip we have been thinking of for a few years now ever since paddling down the Colorado River to the Green River confluence in 2014, and it was worth the wait!

Our river distance was about 105 miles through two areas known as Labyrinth and Stillwater canyons, the latter being in Canyonlands National Park.

The Green River meanders through a beautiful desert canyon with steep cliffs for much of the way with access to lots of rocky side canyons for some remote hiking and scrambling. We wild camped by the river on sandy banks or rocky shelves and each day was a mix of mostly mellow paddling on still waters with the occasional ‘riffle’, along with exploring on foot.

Tex’s Riverways based in Moab, Utah provided a great service, renting us kayaks and some gear, taking us by dirt road to the entry point at Ruby’s Ranch, then transporting us from Spanish Bottom on the Colorado River by jet boat and truck back upstream on the Colorado River and on to Moab. The logistics all went super smoothly – they are a friendly and efficient team.

Part of the attraction of the Green River was that it allowed us to access remote canyons that we hadn’t visited along with an area rich in history; from native American cliff dwellings, granaries and pictograph/petroglyph artwork, ranchers, cowboys and mining to John Wesley Powell’s first European float down the river in 1869.

We set off at the end September 2024 and here are a few of the many highlights…

The chocolaty brown river was flat most of the way and provided a gentle flow and push of maybe 1-2mph which made for relaxed paddling and ever changing canyon scenery. Particulary interesting was the transition of rock layers as the river descended back through geological time.

We started with 2 days supplies of fresh water but managed to keep topping that up with relatively fresh water from side canyons thus avoiding drinking the silty, muddy Green River water (or taking all our water with us in the kayaks).

The hikes up side canyons and ridges were pretty fantastic, this is a superb area. Interestingly we didn’t see other people on any of the hikes.

*Overlooking the Green and Colorado confluence from the top of ‘Powell Canyon’*

*Five Window Arch above Two Mile Canyon*

*Above ‘Fort Ruin’ looking downstream to the Green River at dawn*

*Evening at camp at ‘Valentines Bottom’!*

For background and guidebook information the most comprehensive source was Michael R. Kelsey’s ‘River Guide to Canyonlands National Park‘ and we also had Belknap’s ‘Canyonlands River Guide‘ and made up our own topo maps using Caltopo software.

More photos here from our Pbase website.

Dolomites Alta Via 9 backpack

September 12, 2024August 8, 2025 by aweewalk, posted in Alta Via 9, Backpacking, Dolomites, Italy, mountain huts, Via ferrata

Introduction This was Brian’s third high level trail in the superb Italian Dolomites. There is a series of ‘Alta Via’ routes that criss cross the Dolomites range providing great passages with at times incredibly steep rocky trails through these mountains with options for scrambling and via ferrata (ladders, cables and steps to assist in steep terrain). Having done the more famous Alta Via 1 (photos) way back in 1994 and Alta Via 2 (blog) last year 2023, I chose the lesser known Alta Via 9 (AV9) this year.

The 100 mile (approx) AV9 takes somewhere between 7 and 12 days and follows an east west line (whilst all the other AV’s head roughly north south). It passes through many parts of the Dolomites Martina and I have previously visited during rock climbing trips- but I was looking forward to connecting them together this time and seeing them from the different perspective as part of a backpacking trip.

I also managed to sneak in a bonus hike on the northern 4 days of the Alta Via 1 at the end before my return flight.

Alta Via9 Blue (my 2024 variations Rust), AV1 Green (my 2024 route Orange), AV2 Purple

My Alta Via 9 Itinerary

Day 1 31st August 2024 Saturday St Cipriano to near Plattkoffelhutte

I took the train from Venice to Bozen, picked up at gas cannister for my stove at Sportler outdoor shop and bused out east to the trail start at St Cipriano in the steaming heat of early afternoon. There were no shortage of trail signs here but none for the AV9! Anyway it was easy navigation on good trail up a scenic river valley with spikey peaks of the Rosengarten range to the south. A variant northward gave some mild scrambling and via ferrata to pass my first hut, Rif Alpe di Tires and it was huge, feeling more like a high hotel.

From here I hiked east into the evening along a gentle ridge line but with some thunder and showers. A bigger fright came from some very aggressive dogs protecting herds of sheep near to the trail that hurried me along.

Day 2 1st Sep Plattkoffelhutte- Sassolungo variant-Sella Pass- Rif Boe

Today I diverted northward up through the Sassolungo range in the morning and through the classic dolomite cliffs around Sella Pass. I climbed onto the barren rocky Sella plateau to reach Refuge Boe mid afternoon. More thunderstorms had me unexpectedly booking into the hut for the night under cover.

Day 3 2nd Sep Rif Boe-Piz Boe- Rif Kostner-Campolongo pass-Falzarego Pass

*Refuge Boe and the rocky Sella plateau*

The sky had cleared in the morning as I headed up to Piz Boe at 3151m (small hut here on the top) for views across to the Dolomites highest peak Marmolada with its sadly receding glacier. There are options from here to the next hut Ref Kostner across the high plateau but I took the southerly route 638 including a steep rubbly gully to lower ground before traversing to the nicely situated hut, then down good trails past ski lifts to the road and the cluster of buildings including cafes at Laguscei.

I nipped down and back on the bus to the town of Corvara to pick up lunch and supplies at the small supermarket. My way eastward from here was on unusually gentle terrain and easy paths past ski areas to Pralongia then onto steeper slopes again to near the road at Passo di Valparola. There was a perfect small stream for a dinner stop and then I camped before the pass.

*Sheep dogs were friendly here in Sella*

Day 4 3rd Sep Falzarego Pass- vf to Lagazuoi- vf to Rif Giussani-vf to Rif Pomedes-Cortina d’Ampezzo (vf = via ferrata)

This was an superb day linking via ferratas near to the AV9 – first I climbed up to Lagazuoi summit on Via Ferrata Kaiserjagersteig with a great bridge spanning a ravine. Then along to the crowded summit hut (there is cable car access and the Alta Via 1 crosses here too) with spectacular views all round. I dropped down to Col dei Bois then up a 2nd vf- the Scala del Minighel- climbing a steep rock wall using a series of spikes hammered into the rock.

After lunch at Ref Giussani I circuited round the east side of the mountain Tofane de Rozes to a 3rd vf, Sentiero Astaldi, on colourful rock traversing the south side of Tofane massif. Some drizzle added a bit of spice to the already grainy, gravelly rock. I continued on a long descent past ski slopes to the bustling and touristy Cortina d’Ampezzo, the largest town in the area.

Day 5 4th Sep Cortina-Passo Son Forcia-Passo Tre Croci-Lago Misurina-near Rif Fonda Savio

This was another great day, ascending out from the bustle of Cortina to reach a rocky pass at Forcella Zumeles onto easy trails past the looming Monte Cristallo to a roadside lunch stop at Passo Tre Croci. Then on northwards to another picturesque tourist hotspot at Lake Misurina – on the map this section had looked a bit of connector trail only, but the hiking turned out to be very pleasant.

I pushed on through forest then up into the huge rocky, barren valley of Ciadin de La Neve with some scrambling and via ferrata through the wild Forcella del Diavalo. A tiny spot to camp further down the other side was a welcome sight in an otherwise bouldery ragged landscape.

Day 6 5th Sep Rif Fonda Savio-Rif Auronzo (short bad weather day)

I was away early as heavy rain was forecast today and I had some via ferrata to traverse. Past the grandly situated Ref Fonda Savio along a well crafted trail northwards roughly following a ridge and just finishing the short assisted section before the heavens opened. I scampered on quickly to shelter at the crowded Ref Auronzo (passing a very wet wedding photoshoot!).

With rain, cloud and wind I beat a retreat by bus back down to Cortina for the night.

Day 7 6th Sep Rif Auronzo-Drei Zinnen Hutte-Zigmondy Hutte-Rif Fondo Valle-near Rif Prati di Croda Rossa

Next day was still cloudy as I set off in mist round the north side of the famous and fabulous Drei Zinnen mountains. Nothing to see here today unfortunately and I kept going on good mountain trails bypassing some via ferrata options past three mountain huts with spells of heavy rain along with the odd clear spell.

With the rain ongoing I took the decision to avoid the supposedly excellent vf Strada Degli Alpini and instead dropped down valley to Ref Fondo Valle (a road end restaurant/hotel) before going straight back up steeply on good trails aiming for Passo della Sentinella. Into the mist again, the trail disappeared into steep, loose bouldery scree and I couldn’t see a way through the headwall cliff so I retreated back. It was getting late so I picked a high traversing trail route skirting the northern tip of these mountains around the Sextener Rotwand ending up at the top of the ski slopes above the Ref Prati di Croda Rossa.

A long wet day today with heaps of ascent and descent but still fun!

Day 8 7th Sep Rif Prati di Croda Rossa-Rif Berti-Rif Italo Lunelli-Padola

Everything was still wet in the morning but it least looked like the cloud might clear as I set off traversing the east side of the Sextener range on a mix of trails. I hadn’t any information on this area other than a map so I had a some surprising WWI relics and an assisted cable ascent scramble over a pass, down to Ref Poperu/Berti and connecting with the AV9 again. Still in ‘pea soup’ mist though I opted for a lower set of trails south round the mountains than the continuation of the AV9. And so I headed on through forest and eventually dropped down to the small town of Padola and called my own version of the Alta Via 9 hike over. It had been a wonderful trip and I would love to return to do the ‘official’ AV9 in this eastern side in the Sextener mountains – what I saw of it looked great!

Bonus Alta Via 1 hike

Day 1 9th Sep Lago di Braies-Rif Fanes-Bivouac della Pace (AV1 variant)

I headed by bus to Toblach/Dobbiacho through heavy rain and cloud. Toblach is a pleasant town at the northern end of the Dolomites near the Austrian border and has an Austrian feel to it. Leaving by bus again in rain to the start of the AV1 at the touristy Lago di Braies I hoped that the forecasted clearer weather would arrive soon.

Thankfully it did and I started hiking south round the rather lovely Lago gradually leaving the mist and the tourists behind. I met many AV1 hikers in the first few miles, wow this trail is popular compared with the AV9 where I saw only a couple of groups doing a section of that route.

I pushed on for a long day of good undulating trails and gradually gaining height with clear weather, splitting from the main Alta Via 1 south of the bustling Refuge Fanes to take a variant up to Bivouac della Pace. There were at least 4 Refuges that I passed along the way that could be used as overnight stops for those on the AV1. I left the other hikers behind here and saw no-one else until the impressive hut perched at the side of a rocky ridge. All told about 18.5 miles and 7,800 feet ascent, so quite a long but great day.

*Evening light with the Tofanes de Rozes behind*

Day 2 10th Sep Bivouac della Pace-Forc Col dei Bos-Forc Averau-Rif Nuvolau-Passo Giau-Rif Cinque Torre-Rif Bai de Dones (bus to Cortina)

After a good night in the hut shared with 2 friendly young English guys and 3 Germans arriving in the dark, I went out and ‘bagged’ a small peak to the south, Mt Ciavel, with huge panoramic views in the early morning light.

From there it was a big, steep drop to the east on scree slopes with a faint trail to the river Travenanzes at the foot of the Tofane mountains and crossing my Alta Via 9 route from last week. It was a bit of a grunt back up to the Forcella Col dei Bois and then down all the way to the road at the ski lifts of Refuge Bai de Dones.

More great scenery circuiting the mountain of Averau (scene of a fab climb Martina and I did here on the south face) and then up to the stunningly situated and ‘mobbed’ Refuge Nuvolau. I think opening parts of the movie Cliffhanger were filmed around this spot. I wanted to catch a bus down into the Cortina so finished off with a loop round and back to the north past the cool Cinque Torri rock towers.

This was an incredibly scenic two days of hiking where I covered four short days from the Cicerone guide book. To wrap things up I managed a quick visit to Venice before flying back home….

Notes for hikers

Getting there I used public transport from Venice airport to both west and east terminus’s. The transport network is superb and good value. Although I was surprised that many buses only took cash, so its worthwhile carrying some cash if using buses (and cash is handy for some refuges too).

Terrain Any backpacking in the Dolomites is likely to involve a fair bit of ascent and descent – I produced an ascent comparison chart for some well known trails including ones I have done. But the upshot is that if you like flat walking only then the Dolomites are going to offer limited backpacking trips! There was some scrambling and via ferrata on the route I hiked but mostly I sought those out and easier options could be taken from the large trail network in the area.

Supplies Bozen at the west end is a big town with all supply needs including gas cannisters at Sportlers outdoor shop. I saw cannisters in Cortina (Cooperative) and Lake Misurina Spar shop too.

There are grocery stores on route at Cortina (end of my Day 4) and Lake Misurina (end of my Day 5) and you could easily take a bus to access the towns of Canezai (my Day 2) and Corvara (my Day 3). Of course you could also eat and stay at the many refuges along the way.

The Dolomites are not a wilderness and although it can certainly feel rugged, mountainous and wild, on the AV9 you are probably never more than say 4 hours from a refuge or road. It seemed like I crossed a road about 6 out of 8 days. Most of these if not all had bus stops allowing access to towns. This does mean that you don’t have to carry too much food as meals and some chocolate bars can be bought at the refuges or at bar restaurants at road crossings.

Guides and maps I didn’t have a AV9 guidebook but since hiking I see there is a German guidebook for the AV9 from Rother which I would have taken. I used the OutdoorActive mapping website and app – colour printing my own A4 topo ‘stripmaps’ for the route from the website using the Kompass map layer. This worked out really well for me as I could access the paper maps quickly from my pocket without looking at a phone app all the time. You could also purchase ‘normal’ paper maps whilst out there, Kompass and Tobacco are both good and widely available.

The AV9 and variants were marked for most of the way on the Kompass maps. I didn’t see any AV9 signposts on the ground whilst hiking, but the route follows a number of existing trails each with a signpost number which were easy to follow.

As a back up I also had the topo maps downloaded to my phone using the OutdoorActive app along with an Alta Via 9 route gpx.

*Sample Kompass map with AV9 as an orange triangle (and AV1 in blue)*

Via Ferrata I had a ebook copy of Cicerone ‘Via Ferratas of the Italian Dolomites Volume 1’ for reference to be able to see more details of vf options along the way. This is a great guidebook and I made good use of the descriptions helping me plan out interesting variations to the AV9 route.

Two other blogs from other hikers on the AV9:

Walk! Matts trips and trails August 2013

Baxter Nature August-September 2024 (about the same time as me!)

Austria – Karwendel and Stubai Alps 2024

July 7, 2024 by aweewalk, posted in Austria, Backpacking, brian dickson, Karwendel Alps, Stubai Alps

Brian had 4 days at the end of June to hike near to Innsbruck. Firstly I went to the Karwendel, a range of jaggy limestone mountains between Innsbruck and the German border to the north. They are crossed by a few hiking routes; the 6 day Karwendel Hohenweg, the longer 324km Adlerweg running east- west and the even longer 570km north- south Munich to Venice Traumpfad or Dream Way. I sampled a section of the Karwendel Hohenweg between Seefeld in the west to the Nordkettenbahnen cable car above Innsbruck.

Map of Karwendel Hohenweg, Austria near Innsbruck — *Karwendel Hohenweg*

I left my tent behind (its a Nature Park and it seems like wild camping is prohibited) and stayed in the Nordlinger Hutte the first night which was lovely, with friendly staff and great views once the cloud cleared.

This is still early season in the mountains and there were quite a few snow patches around. Since the mountains can be really steep sided, lingering hard snow can make hiking in summer gear a bit tricky- I wore running shoes but also carried microspikes and an ice axe. I only used the axe but was happy to carry the spikes as well just in case.

Overall the mountains are incredibly steep and scenic with good, well signposted trails going in all directions. There are options for scrambling or Via Ferrata and this would be a great area for longer multi-day hikes. My only caveats are that wild camping is limited so staying at huts are the main option and that I suspect these get a bit busy in the peak season of July-August so may need to be pre-booked. Overall though I had a lovely short sample of this area.

Next I went to the Stubai Alps to the south of Innsbruck and explored the start and end of the Stubai High Route. This is in the higher central alps and there is a transition from limestone in the north to the schists and granites prevalent in the main alpine ranges with more snow, glaciers and great alpine scenery.

*Stubai High Route (Innsbruck is to the north of the map)*

I found the food in Austria to be excellent, the huts provide a vegetarian option for evening meals and the breads and cakes in the local bakeries and huts are superb.

We hiked part of this route in 2018 in a longer link up with the Zillertal and Otztal ranges. I would heartily recommend the Stubai High Route for a hut to hut hike that traverses amidst magnificent mountain scenery that takes about 6-8 days.

Affric Kintail Way

May 4, 2024November 1, 2024 by aweewalk, posted in Affric Kintail Way, Backpacking, scotland

This is a short backpacking trail (AKW below in map) running east west, connecting the west coast of Scotland at Morvich in Kintail with Drumnadrochit and Loch Ness in the east. It also acts as a link between the Great Glen Way (GGW) and the Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) at Morvich.

Walkhighlands Affric Kintail Way provides a good description of the 76km (47 mile) trail including a gpx track and off line map.

*Approaching Glen Lichd with the Kintail mountains behind*

The character of the trail is one of scenic low lying glens with the iconic and beautiful Glen Affric in the middle and a route through wilder mountain scenery in the west. Almost all of the walk is on good trail or vehicle tracks with only the odd bit of bog at the head of Glen Affric- I wore running shoes throughout and stayed fairly dry. Given its short length, signposts and quintessential Scottish highland scenery it would make a good introduction to backpacking in Scotland.