DAY THREE - LECKIE BOTHY - SHENAVALL BOTHY
13M 21k 400m ascent
After a couple of cold clear days, we set off from Leckie bothy into squally rain and wind that intensified as we backtracked to the path junction at the Heights of Kinlochewe. The track up the glen to Lochan Fada was new and in excellent condition which made up for the worsening weather. We stopped briefly at the lochside for one of those “bung food down your neck” stops to keep us going.
A compass bearing took us uphill, skirting the tiny loch Meallan an Fhudair (061705), a handy navigational landmark that could be easily missed in poor visibility. The ground on this section is pretty rough with lots of peat hags. Staying high to contour round to Bealach Na Croise is definitely a good idea with a tricky river crossing at 060716. See map below
Once you’ve crossed the bealach, a decent track appears West of the river that takes you down to Loch an Nid where there is another potentially tricky river crossing. We were lucky (all the way through the trip) that water levels were very low, but it brought back memories of wading wist deep through rivers the previous year.
From Loch an Nid, the path is good and navigation straightforward. The weather even lifted for us and we made good progress, reaching Shenavall bothy just before dark. It had been a long tiring day and my body was still not quite adapted to the 20kg weight. Despite the stunning setting I arrived feeling a bit down and questioning why I was putting myself through all this.
Two things lifted my spirits. Firstly some kind soul had left us a perfectly built coal fire which we just had to light. As I wandered the rooms of this large bothy, I noticed that someone had carved into the wooden wall “Life is but a fleeting moment in time, live for every day”. That really spoke to me at that moment and gave me a much needed lift. I was once again realising that a long trek can be as mentally demanding as it is physically. My central heating pampered body was complaining loudly and I needed all my strength of will to whip it into line.
When planning the route we had both felt that the rest day which would come when we reached Ullapool the following evening was too soon. But with so little open in winter, we had limited options. Relaxing in the firelight, I didn’t mind admitting that the prospect of a shower the next night was very appealing indeed. As I wrote in my diary “beautiful bothy in a sensational location, large clouds hovering in the dusk, a few mod cons tomorrow night will be nice”.
Looking at the map, the route for the next day appeared relatively straight forward. I could not have been more wrong.
