Bothy Adventure

[Mike Chambers]

There were just three of us, Andy, Dave and myself. Work gave up the fight on Friday and we were away in mid afternoon; heading for the western end of loch Arkaig at the southern end of Knoydart; a remote spot. We sheltered from the rain in the Moffat Chippy as we have done many times before pressing on to begin the walk-in. Our wild life drive revealed a pine martin, lots of deer and a dancing fox. An hour and a half's walk  in the wind, rain and darkness brought us to an empty bothy. It's a stone building sheltered by the edge of the forest with a lively stream running by. Congratulating ourselves for carrying in the coal we enjoyed a fire and marvelled at the wild weather battering our shelter.

On Saturday morning the weather put paid to plan A, and anyway the bothy was just too cosy. Eventually we set out for the coast, intending to check out another bothy. Progress was slow as we first paddled then waded across raging torrents of water. Our return trip featured some more extreme river crossings including my favourite; a novel deer fence traverse that carried us over what looked like a grade 5 rapid.

Back in the bothy Andy's culinary excellence brought the cous cous to life and another fire dried up the outer layer of water on some of our kit. It was still persisting down and by now the wind was shaking the stones. A frightened bat cowered in the corner. It needn't have worried as we had plenty to eat.

The plan for Sunday was to get out and look for some hills to tackle on the journey home. It was all goung well until a guy in a deerstalker wound down the window of his truck to warn us the road would be flooded. It was. We waited from 1 until 6 while the water level dropped a bit before, in the darkness and having tested the depth by wading the 300m section of submerged road, we tried out the amphibian capability of a VW Passat. It floated and, after a bag of chips in Fort Bil,l we were on our way home, celebrating a cracking weekend. Thanks guys!

[Derek Kenyon]

Made or Keen its all the same.  I'm impressed you saw a Pine Martin, mine you not many get up to that neck of the woods especially in that weather.