A Watershed Walk

18th October 2020

2020-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

18th October 2020

I started Sunday off with the Pennine Way following the watershed in the wrong direction! For a short section along a road above Oughtershaw Side, walkers going north on the Pennine Way are actually following the watershed as it heads south (though at this point it's actually going north-east temporarily). But the two routes quickly diverge.

Dodd Fell has shallow enough gradients that I doubt any water falling on the summit actually flows west. But it's impossible to identify where the actual 'corner' of the watershed route is lower on the slopes, so I went up to the top anyway. Wherever it really is, here the catchment area on the east changes from the Ure (Wensleydale) to the Wharfe; each new drainage river giving its name to one of the prominent Dales providing a pleasing indication of progress.

The Cam Woodlands and neighbouring forests in Langstrothdale Chase caused some minor navigation issues, and by the time I got out of them, it was sufficiently far into the afternoon that I had to decide where to break this stage. I had initially hoped to make it to Pen-y-ghent, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. It wasn't too disappointing though, the mist having descended during the day and now being sat on the tops of each of the Three Peaks of Yorkshire, so I made a rapid exit from Foxup Moor, dropping down to the station at Horton-in-Ribblesdale via Hull Pot.

October 2020: Garsdale to Horton-in-Ribblesdale

2020-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

October 2020: Garsdale to Horton-in-Ribblesdale

A last-minute weekend trip before travel restrictions tightened up again.

17th October 2020

2020-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

17th October 2020

At very short notice, on Friday evening, travel out of Manchester was still technically allowed, so I took the opportunity for a weekend on the watershed. It was past midday when I arrived in Garsdale, so I didn't have all that much hiking time.

Widdale Great Tarn sits basically on the watershed. The landranger suggests it drains to the east, but larger scales show it draining to the west. My interpretation - and that of the county boundary - places the tarn to the west of the watershed.

Wold Fell may only really be a subsidiary top of Great Knoutberry Hill, but here the streams on the Irish Sea side stop flowing via the Lune, and start flowing via the Ribble instead. Ribblehead is not far away - but technically the source of the river (albeit not named as such) must be somewhere in this direction.

3rd August 2020

2020-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

3rd August 2020

Today I passed - although neither were obvious on the ground - the source of the Eden, near Hugh Seat, and the source of the Ure, just a few km later at Ure Head.

The watershed turns to the west at Ure Head, and descends to the top of the Eden Valley, to where it crosses the Settle-Carlisle railway at Aisgill Summit, the highest point on the line.

Having lost all the height from the ridge to the east, the watershed then climbs back up a very similar elevation, to Swarth Fell Pike. From a peak-bagging perspective, it's a wasted ascent, since without reaching the true summit of Swarth Fell, it immediately starts descending back down again to the valley - and the railway - a little further south. However, Swarth Fell Pike is notable for a significant change of catchment area - this time on the west side. We've been following the Solway Firth catchment - via the Esk and then the Eden - for a long time, since barely half-way through the Southern Uplands. Now that changes: south of here, the watershed follows the Lune catchment, which in one sense moves us from north of the Lake District to south.

This was my final day, and though I had always intended to finish at Garsdale Head, I was in two minds as to whether to push on that little bit further, and reach Dent station instead. I might have had time, but I dithered, and eventually decided I had had a sufficiently successful trip, and that Garsdale station, being exceptionally close to the line of the watershed, made a sensible point to stop.

At Garsdale Head, the road, railway and watershed cross at more or less exactly the same point, where Wensleydale descends to the east, but all going in somewhat different directions.

Annoyingly missing one train by less than a minute, I had an hour and a half to wait at Garsdale station. I watched a red squirrel emerge through a fence, look around before crossing the platforms and track and then exit through the fence on the other side. Some minutes later it returned, following the same route in reverse. It was clearly habitual behaviour, since perhaps 15 minutes later it repeated the same journey, again in both directions...

2nd August 2020

2020-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

2nd August 2020

Some unfortunately timed showers made the next morning less pleasant than it might have been.

Crossing the A66, a busy dual carriageway, was more work than for some roads, with walls and fences to climb, steep slopes to descend and not a lot of visibility around slight corners, especially with the rain.

It's a route following a significant pass across the North Pennines, and not far up on the south side, I came across the Stainmore pill-box, strategically positioned to overlook the highest point on the road, and therefore right on the line of the watershed. It's kind of unusual to see wartime installations like this inland in the north of the country.

After a bit more fairly generic moorland, the rain finally cleared up, and I crossed the road that leads to the famous Tan Hill Inn, just a few miles east of the line.

Somewhere on Brownber Edge, the catchment on the North Sea side changes again - having been following the Tees drainage since Cross Fell a few days ago, the top streams of Whitsundale Beck now lead down via Swaledale, the Ure and the Ouse, and eventually empty out, like all the major Yorkshire Dales, into the Humber Estuary.

My immediate destination was one I had been looking forward to for some time - Nine Standards Rigg. The nine "standards" - cairns - were conspicuous from several miles before I arrived. Here is where Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk crosses the watershed.

I camped here a few years back, capturing a few fantastic shots of the night sky with the Standards silhouetted in front, so I was pleased to return, if only briefly.

Today I wanted to get a bit further along, and after crossing the boggy Lamps Moss, I climbed up on to the enjoyable ridge above Mallerstang Edge, camping not far after High Seat.

1st August 2020

2020-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

1st August 2020

I had scheduled my trip specifically in order to reach High Cup Nick by this weekend - because the Warcop MOD firing range is situated across the watershed, and this was to be one of their pre-announced no-firing weekends.

After the sun of the previous day, I was surprised and a little disappointed to awake to mist, but it did move around and lift a bit as the morning progressed.

Apart from warning signs on entering and leaving the area, and a few distant glimpses of some kind of structures, perhaps temporary targets, there was actually little to distinguish Warcop from all the other moors I had crossed. I didn't see any items of unexploded ordnance.

By the time I reached the summit of Little Fell with its deteriorated OS triangulation column, the clouds had lifted well above the tops.

I continued on across Stainmore Common and Great Knipe, camping somewhere in the middle of anonymous and featureless Beldoo Moss.

31st July 2020

2020-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

31st July 2020

A warm and sunny day was in store for a significant landmark along the watershed.

After crossing the popular road summit at Hartside, I climbed steadily up to Cross Fell. It's the highest summit in the Pennines, and higher than anywhere else in England outside the Lake District, and is therefore also the highest point on the English watershed. It is also the location of a major catchment boundary change: on the eastern side, drainage changes from the Tyne to the Tees. And on top of that, Cross Fell, more or less, represents the half-way point of my entire watershed route, by distance.

Of course, given the nature of the geography, terrain, land use and rights of way along the watershed, I consider that I have long since passed the half-way point in terms of time, amount of ascent and effort. Nevertheless, passing Cross Fell is satisfying since it firmly puts me into the second half of the route.

The next few miles were easy, as the Pennine Way follows the ridge-line across both Little and Great Dun Fells, and up on to Knock Fell.

At one point, another owl came practically face-to-face with me, in mid-flight, just a handful of metres away. I didn't quite have my camera ready at this point, so the picture shows it on another loop, just slightly further away.

After a longer but more enjoyable day than yesterday, I arrived at what is definitely the most visually interesting place on this leg, High Cup Nick. A horseshoe of crags, jutting into the moorland with beautiful symmetry, frames High Cup Gill as it flows steeply south-west off the ridge. The watershed passes within metres of the top end of the Nick.

I aimed in advance to camp here, knowing it would be a great spot. There was already one other tent in place, and while I was pitching, another walker commented that he would camp somewhere not far away. There's plenty of space with reasonable pitches, so of course there was plenty of space for a few different campers.

A herd of black horses moved down above the escarpment on the other side, as the sun got lower.

30th July 2020

2020-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

30th July 2020

With quite a bit of rain falling in the morning, I delayed my start for some hours, and I wasn't feeling particularly energetic in any case.

After Cold Fell, the watershed ridge initially heads south with relatively few deviations or height losses.

The remains of a 1957 air crash on Farlam Currick were one of the few unusual sights on the ridge.

I frequently saw movements in the grass as I walked past - mice or voles, I think, darting back into their holes before I could look at them properly. And they were not ignored by predators in the skies. Over the course of the next few days, I saw numerous birds of prey - slightly to my surprise, most commonly owls.

I camped near Black Fell, and a short-eared owl briefly came and sat on a fence-post within 10m of my tent, apparently watching me.

29th July 2020

2020-07-29T00:00:00+00:00

29th July 2020

I returned to Gilsland on a fine day and made my way through one last forest before climbing into the Pennines.

On top of Whinny Fell, a local householder, walking his dog, was already aware of the proximity of the watershed to his house. He obviously knew a bit of the local history of the area, telling me about the dozens of former mine workings in the Talkin Fell area.

I camped on the way up to Cold Fell, on the shoulder of Brown Fell, within site of the lonely house of Gairs.

July / August 2020: Hadrian's Wall to Garsdale: the North Pennines

2020-07-29T00:00:00+00:00

July / August 2020: Hadrian's Wall to Garsdale: the North Pennines

An eventual easing of lockdown restrictions let me journey down the length of the North Pennines, via Cross Fell and Warcop MOD firing range, and into the Yorkshire Dales

26th August 2019

2019-08-26T00:00:00+00:00

26th August 2019

Surprisingly, I woke up to mist. It wasn't until I had left the forest, traversed a boggy section of moorland and re-entered the forest on the other side that it finally lifted for good.

Trudging along another squelchy, mossy ride

At the minor summit of Burn Divot, I was delighted to find a herd of sheep. Suddenly walking became easy again. But it wasn't to last. Before long, I was back to toilsome long grass, home to numerous spiders who took pleasure in inflicting sharp bites - my best guess is that they were four spot orb weavers. I was kind of counting down the kilometres by this stage. There were some interesting views south to the various lumps which lie in-between the Pennines and the border hills. The day remained hot as I crossed Thirlwall Common, and upon reaching Gilsland, at the foot of Hadrian's Wall, I ended this leg, finishing with an easy walk down to Greenhead to get the last bus back to Carlisle.

25th August 2019

2019-08-25T00:00:00+00:00

25th August 2019

The watershed essentially describes a half-circle around the catchment area for Kielder Water (which drains to the North Tyne). Today's walk covered most of that. It was hot throughout, and the going was just as tough as on the past few days, particularly on the overgrown open fell tops. I'm conflicted, because while this is probably closer to the natural state of wild ground, crossing terrain like this takes substantially more effort than walking on the shorn grass of the Lake District, say, or the windswept high mountain tops of Scotland.

A small there-and-back side-trip to bag Sighty Crag, a Marilyn, gave me my only opportunity to glimpse the reservoir; it otherwise remained hidden behind the gentle hills and forests.

A glimpse of Kielder Water

I camped by a junction of tracks in the middle of Wark Forest, with plenty of distance still to cover on my final day, but having satisfactorily achieved my distance objective for today.

24th August 2019

2019-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

24th August 2019

I woke to a beautiful morning, and went all of about 10m before discovering I had camped right above an open quarry - just a small one, on the east side of Needs Law.

I had an easy way out of the forest, largely on tracks, which took me to a major watershed waypoint.

On the summit of Peel Fell

Its location on the English-Scottish border means that the summit of Peel Fell is well-known to walkers of the Scottish section of the watershed - it's frequently the point where they officially start or finish their journeys.

However – less often mentioned is the fact that it's not quite the end of the watershed's journey in Scotland. The route continues south-west for about 14km, with the border roughly following it. So I was to briefly dip into England before crossing back over to Scotland and ascending the Larriston Fells, the summit-line of which lies entirely within Scotland.

The view from Peel Fell towards the Larriston Fells, roughly following the border.

The day continued warm and sunny. A substantial monument at the source of the North Tyne was a good spot for lunch. Walking across these largely ungrazed moorlands was hard work and time-consuming.

Finally I turned south-east towards Hobbs' Flow. With a name like that, I was expecting wet feet, but it turned out not to be so bad. It's certainly a less enticing spot than Peel Fell, but in its way deserves equal recognition. This is where the watershed crosses the border and leaves Scotland behind for good.

Fence-posts identifying the border at Hobbs' Flow

Not long after crossing the border, I properly entered Kielder Forest. The terrain was actually slightly easier in the forest, but no faster to cover ground. I camped shortly before leaving the forest, as the day's walking had taught me that there was likely to be little in the way of ground comfortable enough to pitch a tent on the open hillsides around here.

August 2019: Whitrope to Hadrian's Wall: the borders

2019-08-23T00:00:00+00:00

August 2019: the borders

Part 5 takes me across the border into England. (None of this was written at the time – I found the phone signal in these parts to rival the Highlands in its sparsity!)

23rd August 2019

2019-08-23T00:00:00+00:00

23rd August 2019

My plans to get the bus back to Whitrope failed, due in part to the bus company putting the wrong number on the bus in Hawick, and in part due to my own mistake in working out when and where alternative buses left from... So I walked several hours up the road - meaning it was already past 3pm by the time I was able to continue on the watershed route itself. Immediately I found long grass and awkward forest plantations would not be making my life easy. The forecast sunshine was invisible above the unexpected mist, too.

Fungi in Wauchope Forest

I had been hoping to make it out of the forest by the end of the day, but at sunset, having reached "Mag and the Bairns", the name the map gives to the cairns on top of Needs Law, I pitched camp.

28th April 2019

2019-04-28T00:00:00+00:00

28th April 2019

Sitting on Comb Hill, above the Mosspaul Inn which was my initial target. It's been much easier after leaving the forest... Nice to be back on the open hill. A few more hours this evening, and then one day more on this leg.

27th April 2019

2019-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

27th April 2019

A few rainy days delayed my plans a little. Nevertheless I made good distance today through the Craik and Eskdalemuir forests, despite the often horrible tussocky, boggy terrain. A bit further to go tomorrow, and then I'll be back out on the open hill.

25th April 2019

2019-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

25th April 2019

A long day took me to near Ettrick Head, where the route swings back on itself once again. Some rain, some mist, plenty of wind... But I managed to bag a few bonus peaks, and did find a break in the clouds to see the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall.

24th April 2019

2019-04-24T00:00:00+00:00

24th April 2019

I've been following the Clyde catchment for what seems like ever. (Since Ben Lui, if I recall correctly - several hundred kilometres.) But today another milestone passed - at the appropriately named Clyde Law, I finished with it. Water on my right now flows into the Annan and thence into the Solway Firth. The Tweed drains my left-hand side - I'm writing this about 1km from Tweed's Well, the river's source.

The ground is really dry, which makes for good progress. I had been hoping to end this trip at Mosspaul on the A7, but there's a good chance I'll get further than that - maybe even past Peel Fell.

But first to see what the coming days bring - the first touch of mist this morning, with rain forecast tomorrow and Friday.

The Southern Uplands have so far brought some excellent walking - hopefully more to follow.

22nd April 2019

2019-04-22T00:00:00+00:00

22nd April 2019

A shortish day took me to the point nearest Biggar. I used the evening to do a side excursion up Tinto, the most prominent hill nearby, and my first ever Donald. I bivvied on the hillside, aiming to resupply in Biggar in the morning before continuing into the Southern Uplands.

21st April 2019

2019-04-21T00:00:00+00:00

21st April 2019

Feeling much better today, with sun but a good breeze helping, and with a bit of luck in terms of terrain to cross, I covered a long distance today. I crossed right through the western edge of the Pentlands - without seeing a single other hiker, despite it being Easter Sunday.

The summit of Craigengar marked a significant moment on the route - I moved from the Forth as my lefthand drainage basin to the Tweed - and since this officially flows into the sea in England, at Berwick-upon-Tweed, my first geographical connection with England. To my right, waters continue to drain towards the Clyde for a little while longer.

20th April 2019

2019-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

20th April 2019

A few awkward bits of forest to negotiate, and a bit of dehydration made this a slightly tougher day than it should have been.

Saw a fox - in the middle of the day, unusually, and several deer, in the woods.

In the afternoon I went through the Black Law wind farm - at one point I stopped and counted 102 visible turbines.

Ended on Leven Seat next to another wind farm.

19th April 2019

2019-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

19th April 2019

I returned to Caldercruix on a warm and sunny spring day - in some ways even too hot for walking.

A typically winding route took me through fields and minor lumps in the landscape. In the early evening I crossed the M8. The next motorway the watershed crosses won't be until the M62, to the north-east of Manchester.

I finished the day close to Shotts. Finding water was slightly tricky, but I managed eventually. The night was pleasant so I didn't need to bother pitching my tent.

April 2019: Caldercruix to Whitrope: the Southern Uplands

2019-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

2019: Caldercruix to Whitrope: the Southern Uplands

Part 4 continues in mid-late April 2019 from where I left off last year, near Caldercruix.

July / August 2013: Dunnet Head to Dalwhinnie

2018-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

2013: Dunnet Head to Dalwhinnie

I started at Dunnet Head with the aim of walking the entire length of the route to Leathercote Point in one go.

After a preliminary leg along the watershed line from Duncansby Head (the main alternative end point in the neighbourhood), I started the route proper on 6th July 2013 at 11am.

resources

2018-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

Resources

Books and websites

Walking the Watershed - The Border to Cape Wrath along Scotland's Great Divide - Dave Hewitt (TACit Press, June 1994) ISBN 0952268019 - complete book online as part of the Glasgow Digital Library
britishwatershed.blogspot.co.uk - Malcolm Wylie's blog about his walk from John o'Groats to Land's End
Ribbon of Wildness: Discovering the Watershed of Scotland - Peter Wright (Luath Press, September 2010) ISBN 9781906817459
- ribbonofwildness.co.uk - Peter Wright's own website
The Backbone of England - Andrew Bibby (Frances Lincoln, 2011) ISBN 978-0711231290

Reference

Limits of Oceans and Seas (pdf), 3rd edition, International Hydrographic Organization 1953. Defines Dunnet Head and Leathercote Point as the limits of the North Sea on the coastline of Great Britain

Access

Access on MOD Warcop training area - Cumbria County Council

Mapping

Ordance Survey Explorer (1:25,000) maps
Bing maps - Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 mapping online
OpenCycleMap.org (helpful additional topographic information)

Mapping services and APIs

Ordnance Survey OpenSpace
- OpenSpace API
- Similar but not identical OpenSpace API
OpenLayers - from which OpenSpace was derived
- OpenLayers API

May 2016: Dalwhinnie to Crianlarich

2018-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

2016: Dalwhinnie to Crianlarich

Returning to Dalwhinnie after nearly 3 years, I was in luck with a spell of mostly fine weather.

May 2018: Crianlarich to Caldercruix

2018-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

2018: Crianlarich to Caldercruix

In May 2018 I returned to complete the section in the Highlands with the intention of reaching somewhere conveniently accessible in the Central Belt.

Diary

2018-06-26T00:00:00+00:00

About

2018-06-26T00:00:00+00:00

The route

About watersheds in general

Rain falling on either side of a mountain ridge naturally tends to run off in different directions into different streams. In some cases these each flow into different rivers, and in even more particular cases, these rivers empty into different seas. The line along the very top of the ridge which divides the waters flowing in one direction from those flowing in the other is a watershed.

Watersheds can be identified on any land-mass where the geography of the land causes rainfall in different locations to drain into distinct bodies of water.

A watershed is not by nature a single line, but a topographical tree of ridgelines dividing every portion of land according to its run-off. Such a watershed could in effect be plotted between any two points on the coast.

Related to the concept of watersheds is that of catchment areas. A catchment area for a particular river is bounded by a watershed line which defines the total land area over which fallen rain ends up in that river.

A note on terminology

On this site I use the meanings normally used in British English.

In some other parts of the world, notably the United States, "watershed" is typically used to describe not the ridge, but the catchment area. The ridge itself is known as the "drainage divide".

Choice of Dunnet Head and Leathercote Point

In the case of Great Britain, the two major bodies of water surrounding it are the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. For the purposes of determining a single major watershed line, the other lesser named waterbodies must be grouped with either one or the other. In particular, the Channel, the Irish Sea and the various other smaller seas and channels on the west coast are taken to be arms of the Atlantic Ocean. (In the case of the Channel, it's obviously significantly sized on its own, but can clearly better be considered an arm of the Atlantic Ocean than as a part of the North Sea.)

Therefore this watershed route runs between the two coastal points where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. These are defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as Dunnet Head, on the north coast of Scotland, near John o'Groats, and Leathercote Point, on the south-east coast of England, at St Margaret's Bay near Dover. (Ref: Limits of Oceans and Seas (pdf))

Alternative candidate points would include Duncansby Head (John o'Groats) and Cape Wrath, at either end of the north coast of Scotland, and Land's End in Cornwall.

Determining the route

I made use of a number of resources to determine the route.

These include: Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 mapping, books by Dave Hewitt, Peter Wright and Andrew Bibby, maps from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Malcolm Wylie's blog, local photographs and information from Geograph, Google Maps Street View and numerous other maps and details found on the web.

Further details can be found on the resources page.

Practical issues of route following

Paths and roads along the line of the route

The route is not at all official. There is no signposting, and often no right of way.

In some places paths or roads do run along the course of the watershed. Ridgeways frequently make effective routes for pedestrians and for vehicles. In other places unmade tracks may be found following the route. In yet others, I expect to have to find a route myself.

How closely can it be followed

Legally

In areas of open country (particularly in Scotland and the Pennine moors), there's mostly a right of access. Elsewhere, where it crosses farmland or built-up areas, there may be no easy way to follow the true course of the watershed. However, in most places, a suitable path or road can be found within, say, a kilometre or two of the route. I'll aim to follow the line as well as possible without being too overly pedantic about reaching every last possible location on the route. (For example, one could walk up every last road and path that crosses the line of the watershed, just in order to stand as many parts of it as possible, before having to return to continue along the nearest right of way running in the correct direction. Given the other sources of imprecision and difficulty following the exact route, this seems like overkill.)

The one major exception is the MOD Warcop training area in the Cumbrian Pennines. Although some people have managed to get permission to walk across it, the complexities of arranging this for an appropriate date, and visiting the base in advance for paperwork, make it impractical for me. I intend to follow a (somewhat large) detour to the east, partially following the Pennine Way.

Practically

Theoretically, the watershed twists and turns not only due to every spur on every hill, but also due to every rock, hummock and peat hag. For practical reasons, it's normally only possible to determine the line to a certain level of precision. I will attempt as far as possible to follow the high ground and avoid crossing running water, but where, for example, the route crosses a boggy col (as it frequently does!) I won't be too obsessive about finding the absolutely correct line.

Another issue is where the course of the watershed has been changed by human activity. There are many reservoirs and quarries on the hilltops, as well as culverts, canals and other channels diverting the actual course of the water. The natural line of the watershed is ideally the one to follow, but there are cases when this has been so altered that it becomes impossible to locate or impractical to follow.

Furthermore I think it's only sensible to assume that further information or opinions may later emerge which suggest a different line for some part of the route. These are unlikely to significantly change the route outside very localised areas, so I'll be satisfied aiming for a best-effort approach with all the information currently available.

Settlements along the route

The route is for the large part rural, frequently remote. In the Scottish highlands, very few settlements are even approached. The watershed frequently avoids large settlements, many of which have, of course, been established in locations with a fresh water supply. The way the route curves around the valleys wherein lie towns and cities like Glasgow, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, Cheltenham, Basingstoke and Crawley is evident.

However, there are a few major exceptions. Most significantly, the centre of Wolverhampton is directly on the route. Dudley and other parts of the Birmingham conurbation are also passed through. Further south-east, Crowborough is notable for actually containing a Marilyn within the built-up area of the town, which lies on the route. Elsewhere in densely populated (and lowly-elevated) southern England, the route is rarely far from civilisation.

Previous watershed walks

As far as I can tell, nobody has previously completed nor attempted this particular route. Nevertheless it may have been done before but either not documented or not become widely known.

However, a number of similar walks have been undertaken, mainly listed on the Wikipedia page for the Scottish watershed. Notably among these, Dave Hewitt appears to have been the first to walk the Scottish watershed to Cape Wrath, Malcolm Wylie walked from Duncansby Head to Land's End over the course of fourteen years, and Peter Wright walked (and thoroughly documented) the route from Peel Fell to Duncansby Head in sections during one year (see Ribbon of Wildness).

12th May 2018

2018-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

12th May 2018

Finally the warm spring sunshine has arrived! A beautiful day along the ridge and then dropping down to cross the Forth and Clyde Canal, the Antonine Wall and the M80. Made it through Cumbernauld and ready to find somewhere to camp as soon as I'm far enough out of town.

11th May 2018

2018-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

11th May 2018

Today has brought a few forests to navigate my way through, fire breaks or not… I'm now in the Campsies. The weather is dull, but was dry until a few minutes ago… Very wet underfoot (and indeed in-boot) for the past few days, although the sunny afternoon yesterday gave great views out as far as the Forth bridges.

9th May 2018

2018-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

9th May 2018

It's drizzled all day, and felt pretty cold with the wind too. Currently taking shelter in Balfron's pub-turned-Indian-restaurant. The forecast is a little better for the next few days, fortunately. Into the hills again tomorrow (initially the Fintry Hills, east of the Campsies proper).

8th May 2018

2018-05-08T00:00:00+00:00

8th May 2018

A damp grey day has finally cleared up… and I'm over Ben Lomond, and within reach of the Highland Boundary Fault. (I can see the islands marking its route across Loch Lomond from where I'm sitting.)

7th May 2018

2018-05-07T00:00:00+00:00

7th May 2018

I arrived back in Crianlarich on Saturday for part 3, and started with a warm-up day doing Ben More and Stob Binnein. Rather misty on the tops, but most of the snow had gone. Then after getting back to town, I continued just a little along the watershed in the evening, making it up above the trees. Five Munros yesterday (one a bonus one, not quite on the watershed) made for a tiring but short (in distance) day. Largely kind weather, in and out of the cloud on the summits. Currently stopped for a break above the north end of Loch Lomond. A circuitous route should line me up for Ben Lomond tomorrow, all being well.

17th April 2018

2018-04-17T00:00:00+00:00

17th April 2018

19th May 2016

2016-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

19th May 2016

I reached Crianlarich yesterday evening, and, slightly damp, have been relaxing at the youth hostel.

After a week of mainly sunshine, Tuesday rained from 13:30 until 04:00 the next morning - without interruption, I think, although I slept through some of it. I camped quite high, at the col between Ben Lui and Ben Oss, immersed in the fog. Wednesday was somewhat better, but still misty above 600m, but the ground was sodden by then - so my feet were too.

Still, a successful 9 days hike. Another 150km done, a few bonus summits climbed, some lovely views had, and my knees held up (though not without a few minor complaints).

16th May 2016

2016-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

16th May 2016

I'm in sight of Tyndrum now, just resting on a very steep downhill from Beinn Odhar towards the noisy road, the WHW and the railway line. Today's progress has been slow but steady, with a lot of ascent and descent. The ground's dry, however.

I've been very lucky with the weather so far; mostly it's been fine, if breezy and a bit cold. Tomorrow's looking like the first rainy day, so I'm not expecting to see much from Ben Lui et al.

Managed to bag three bonus Munros yesterday, since I had time to spare.

Due to travel back home on Thursday, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get to Crianlarich by then. 10km as the crow flies, or 30km as the watershed wiggles…

14th May 2016

2016-05-14T00:00:00+00:00

14th May 2016

The cloud descended yesterday, so it was a misty start to the horseshoe of Black Mount Munros. In the afternoon it lifted, however, so the last two provided amazing views in all directions.

I crossed the West Highland Way for the first time on Thursday, and then crossed it for a second time 24 hours later, only a few miles south…

Dropped back down to Rannoch Moor and now set for most of today crossing back east, before higher summits tomorrow. Today's looking fine, though cold.

12th May 2016

2016-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

12th May 2016

I started part 2 of my watershed walk 2 days ago, with another week to go. The sun has been shining, the ground mostly dry, with just a bit of wind. Good progress so far, across Ben Alder and on to the loop round Rannoch Moor. The only mishap was slipping on some squelchy ground below a melting patch of snow and landing on one of my trekking poles and bending it… Now heading towards Glencoe.

A long-overdue status post

2013-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

A long-overdue status post

I realise I should have written this much earlier; the disappointment of having to stop walking prompted me to procrastinate and avoid making this unfortunate announcement.

After several weeks in Dalwhinnie and then Newtonmore seeing only very slow improvements, I decided to prematurely end the walk where I got to, close to Ben Alder Lodge. Returning home, I had a series of sessions of physiotherapy over four weeks, which seemed to identify the actual injury, if not the exact cause, and go a long way to healing it. It eventually took until early November for my knee to stop hurting, practically three months after it first happened. So I am at least confident I made the right decision: walking on further would have only made it worse, and I don't think there's any chance I'd have been able to complete another three months.

However, the watershed route still remains to be walked. Realistically, I don't plan to attempt the entire route again, and have to repeat what I've done already; instead I intend to continue walking the remaining distance in a number of stages over coming years.

In the meantime, I have been and will be travelling (and hiking) elsewhere in the world. If all goes to plan, I'll be returning to carry on up Ben Alder and initially on at least as far as Tyndrum sometime in 2015. I'll keep this page alive and update it with further plans.

If you're interested in hearing about it next time I update, then you can either follow the RSS/Atom feed (see the link above) or email me any time (david.r.edgar@gmail.com) and I'll keep you informed as and when I've something more to say.

Update - 22nd August

2013-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

Update - 22nd August

My knee is getting better, but very slowly. Having visited the doctor at Laggan Bridge (himself a walker who knew something about the watershed of Scotland), I am now resting for a further few days to see whether progress is sufficient to allow me to continue. If it's not possible to hike by next week, I'll be looking at curtailing the walk and continuing at some date in the future… But I'm still hoping that won't be the case. Now staying in Newtonmore.

A setback

2013-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

A setback

Progress was good over a few days, and now suddenly I've hit a problem. I've hurt, maybe sprained a muscle in, my left knee. At first it ached a little on the back inside, then within a day, started stinging at the front whenever I bent it. There's no way I can continue until it's recovered. So after a day's rest camped near Ben Alder Lodge I made my way down to Dalwhinnie for some further rest days.

12th August 2013

2013-08-12T00:00:00+00:00

12th August 2013

It's been a satisfying day's walking today, though it isn't over yet. Despite the intermittent showers and on-and-off strong wind, the Stob Poite Coire Ardair ridge has made for good hiking.

Currently taking a short break on the sheltered side of the ridge, overlooking Kinloch Laggan.

Left the Great Glen two days ago in the evening, camping not far above the forest.

Yesterday it rained for hours and hours, but I still managed most of the distance I intended.

Profuse bilberries on the lower slopes have been very tasty over the last few days. I've also found a few very sporadic cloudberries, which are extremely yummy!

Summary: Ullapool to the Great Glen

2013-08-10T00:00:00+00:00

Summary: Ullapool to the Great Glen

I arrived at the Great Glen on the 8th August. This is a bit of a milestone. While I haven't yet quite done quarter of the distance, I reckon I've exerted at least quarter of the total amount of effort. I've done 3/5 of the Munros, and over half the Corbetts, so from here there should be a bit less climbing. I've gone through the Rough Bounds and had some of the harsh weather of the North-West Highlands. This afternoon I'll set out on the last really long stage without resupply - I hope I'll reach Tyndrum in 10 days, but it could be 12 or more.

Setting out from Ullapool, I had some great weather, and enjoyed some fantastic hiking over Seana Bhraigh and the mountains immediately after. I arrived in Kinlochewe in fewer days than I expected. Sadly the good weather didn't last out, and I subsequently had two weeks where it rained at least a little every day. The ground was waterlogged and so I spent many days walking permanently wet boots and socks.

The going was tough - in places very tough, so I sometimes only managed 12km in a full day. Ridges full of ups and downs to negotiate and some awkward crags; tussocky grass, hard to step through and wet and slippery to descend; moss which sinks under every footstep; and occasional thick heather or bracken.

Nevertheless, these are some great mountains. The Fannichs were lovely, Kintail remote and desolate, the Rough Bounds memorably wild and rocky. They're not very popular - I saw a few hikers on the Fannichs, and some on the south Glen Shiel Ridge, but few elsewhere. Deer, grouse and frogs are the most common creatures around.

I grew ever more hungry. Kinlochewe and the Cluanie Inn made good stopping points, where I ate lots and lots to refuel. I managed to stay reasonably fit and healthy however - with the exception of one toe rubbing against another one, my feet are in good shape. My legs often ache in the mornings, but not excessively, and other complaints are similarly minor.

I feel like I'm putting off leaving today… although it really should be a rest day, it's not yet raining like the forecast said it would. Worrying about the weight of my bag when I finally come to leave. I've still a bunch of food to eat through first, after already eating a self-made fried breakfast and plenty of other stuff.

So - I'm steadily working my way through the high mountains. I have to say I'm looking forward to reaching the end of the area where phone reception is mostly non-existent, accommodation rare and shops even less common. The wilderness is awesome, but the logistics prove quite a struggle. But there are some interesting locations to look forward to over the next couple of weeks first, Stob Poite Coire Ardair, Ben Alder and the Black Mount among the high summits.

8th August 2013

2013-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

8th August 2013

Made it through the Rough Bounds, and “turned the corner” - now heading east towards the Great Glen. Not even crossed a road for 4 days, so a bit of civilisation will be welcome.

Weather's been changeable, but the ground is really sodden, resulting in wet feet every day - neither pleasant nor good for lots of mileage. Am several days behind the estimates I made at Kinlochewe…

Stayed at Kinbreack bothy last night. Two friendly couples were also staying there, from whom I gladly scrounged spare food… (Looking forward to stocking up soon.) They, like most of the other people I've talked to about it, seemed very interested in my watershed walk.

South Glen Shiel ridge very impressive… Decent views to start with before the rain set in. Didn't move from my tent the next day, the weather was so poor.

Hard work walking in the Rough Bounds, but it's an amazing place, as rough as its name suggests in terms of terrain, contours and remoteness.

Camping high on Geal Charn now, just had breakfast and about to pack up and make a move. A few tough hills to come, even though I've now done all the Munros on the watershed north of the Great Glen.

1st August 2013

2013-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

1st August 2013

Slowed down, mainly by poor weather for the past few days since Kinlochewe. Made it through to Glen Shiel yesterday evening. Looks like a really wet day today… contemplating a rest day. The north ridge to Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg was quite something though… A sharp ridge. Concealed by the cloud, but still quite a walk / scramble. Cloud lifted as I approached Glen Shiel, so a good view in the evening. It's quite a place, steep sides and dramatic ridges reaching down from the summits.

26th July 2013

2013-07-26T00:00:00+00:00

26th July 2013

Finally some sort of internet connection… Camping on top of another hill, after resupplying at Kinlochewe this morning.

Thunderstorm as I set off up the road, and a heavy shower later on - the ground everywhere is sodden.

Had a few good days in the Fannichs, though, did the stretch to Kinlochewe faster than I had expected. So I revised my estimates, and hope to get through to the Great Glen without needing to stop at Shiel Bridge. This does mean a heavy bag, though. And bad weather could slow me down.

23rd July 2013

2013-07-23T00:00:00+00:00

23rd July 2013

Top day's hiking yesterday, four munros from Seana Bhraigh through to Beinn Dearg, plus a few subsidiary hills. I camped right on the summit of Beinn Dearg, so this morning I'm starting high… Looks another decent day today, the wind has died completely overnight. One day out of Ullapool is of course when I find that a few things need replacing or mending… But nothing critical, I'll be able to make do.

Summary of the first two weeks

2013-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

Summary of the first two weeks

After lots of planning, but still many things left unprepared, I set off on the preliminary bonus day from Duncansby Head on the 5th July and then officially from Dunnet Head on the 6th. I initially felt quite intimidated at the scale of what I had committed to that lay ahead of me, but focusing only on the first resupply / rest day helped.

After a few days, it became clear I was setting a good pace, 28km per day or so, and I was quite optimistic. The bogs turned out easier than I had feared, perhaps drier due to good weather.

Then tiredness began to hit, along with pains from my rucksack straps among other things. I realised I had to ease off a little…

As I got into the mountains, the weather deteriorated, but I got into a reasonable rhythm, doing somewhere just over 15km per day. I felt the gradual depletion of energy, however, having weak legs and tiredness in the mornings. I began to feel hungry regularly, and longed to arrive at Ullapool to get some proper food.

Meeting Chris Townsend, doing the Scottish watershed in the other direction, on top of Beinn Leoid, was great, especially given the small number of hikers you generally see here - I think less than 10 on the whole trip so far.

I saw deer practically every day, frogs everywhere, a surprising number of lizards, fewer midges than I'd have expected due to the wind (though the cleggs were nasty…), and a few other interesting natural sights.

How easy is it to follow the watershed exactly, and how much trouble am I going to in order to go the right way? Well, it's not always easy to follow the correct ridges over every knoll and mound. I haven't been as dedicated to total correctness as I could have been - I've certainly tried to get to all the main tops, even minor ones, and to go the right way around lochans and so on, but there's a limit… I've often taking an easier path rather than follow the very top of every ridge, and have avoided small bumps and so on. Given the inherent uncertainty about the exact course, and the deviations which are inevitable due to unsafe terrain, forestry and land use and ao on, I feel this is acceptable. I try not to cut too many corners, to go the extra distance where there's a meander etc. Certainly the actual distance I walk is more than the distance shown on my map - what with bog-hopping, navigating peat hags, finding a route up steep slopes and the like.

Rain makes a mockery of the idea never to cross running water - every stone, every tussock of grass has water running off it. And I, myself, am a watershed, shedding water from every hair, item of clothing and part of my backpack…

A hot and sunny weekend in Ullapool has helped dry things out after the miserable weather on the Conival / Breabag day, and I've managed to do and buy everything I need, I think. Spirits revived and stomach filled…

Still an immense amount of the route ahead, but I think I'm at least ready for the next week on to Kinlochewe.

20th July 2013

2013-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

20th July 2013

I'm on my first rest day in Ullapool. It's a rest from walking, but there are a lot of other things to do - buying food, fuel, gear, first aid stuff, and sorting things out while I have the opportunity of an internet connection on a PC.

I tried to fix the problems with the blog on the wiki. I haven't been using it properly… unfortunately there are a few broken links, and all the comments were deleted… but at least it may work better in the future.

17th July 2013

2013-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

17th July 2013

Today's route took me to my first munro of the route, Conival, and to a Corbett, Breabag. I suspect Conival in particular was a very nice mountain - not that I saw any of it, since I've been immersed in fog, rain and wind the whole day. Really nasty… Now found a not particularly great spot to camp, and everything's kind of damp… Sodden clothes awaiting me tomorrow, and probably the day after too. Would love it to be sunny tomorrow, or at least dry anyway… I can but hope.

16th July 2013

2013-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

16th July 2013

Weather took a turn for the worse and gave me strong winds, mist and rain as I entered the mountains. Looking a bit brighter today, but the wind remains. So slower going than I would have liked, hoping to get to Ullapool as soon as possible because I'm hungry! Too much camp food… Mountains beautiful though, nobody much here either… Saw a few hikers at the weekend just before reaching the Crask Inn, no-one else.

9th July 2013

2013-07-09T00:00:00+00:00

9th July 2013

Today started nicely with sun and a breeze. The wind continued, so there have been no midges all day. Unfortunately it also brought cloud down, and with it drizzle… So not a lot of visibility crossing Knockfin Heights, but I nevertheless managed to negotiate it (it's a peat bog with multiple peaty ponds in, which you can't cross straight…) Crossed a practically unused A-road at Forsinard, and camping on a hillock for the night.

8th July 2013

2013-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

8th July 2013

Feeling a bit tired and hungry this morning, and seemed to be going slowly… Things improved in the afternoon, though, and with Ben Alisky as my target for the day I pushed myself on. Finally ready to pitch camp at 9.30. Midges have been on-and-off today, interspersed with these bigger flies, I don't know, horse-flies and the like. Love the wilderness up here though, barely any buildings, nobody around, hills in the distance with huge areas of marsh in front. Picking my way through has sometimes been a challenge, but dry feet today…

7th July 2013

2013-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

7th July 2013

Camping on top of Stemster Hill; to my south-east, the sea, to my south-west, the first real hills, to my north, where I came from, and to the west, an endless expanse of flow country. 10 in the evening, and it's still light.

Some nice Scottish Wildlife Experience already - deer every day so far, seals before I reached Dunnet Head yesterday, at Ham and at Brough, a mole (I think) today and plenty of birds.

Me at the official start yesterday, at Dunnet Head.