Cape Wrath Trail

Overview

Britain's hardest long walk is not a trail at all: roughly 370km of unmarked, unwaymarked line from Fort William to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, the northwesternmost point of the British mainland. It threads the roughest country Scotland owns — Knoydart's rough bounds, the sea-loch head at Barrisdale, the sandstone giants of Torridon, the Great Wilderness around Fisherfield's remote six, Assynt's lonely inselbergs — finishing across the empty moor of the Parph to a lighthouse on 100m cliffs. Every day asks for decisions: rivers rise fast and the crossings at Fisherfield can be impassable after rain; bogs swallow boots; camps and bothies (Shenavall, Kearvaig) replace hotels for days at a stretch. The final sting is logistical — the Kyle of Durness passenger ferry and the MOD's Cape Wrath firing range both control access to the cape, so you check firing times before committing to the last stage. Most walkers take 14 to 20 days, resupplying at Shiel Bridge, Kinlochewe and Ullapool. May and June bring long days and fewer midges; September trades midges for storms. Budget around £320 in food, ferries and the odd bunkhouse — the trail itself charges in weather, not money.

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Prefilled for 1 May 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.