4th-7th May
A year ago we were blessed with a week of amazing weather in April as we canoed a series of lochs and lochans in Inverpolly. Having counted our blessings, we signed ourselves up for another trip, this time in May to increase our chances of the weather gods smiling upon us. However the easiest way to make the God’s laugh is to make plans. For a short adventure through the Letterewe lochs of Maree and Fionn a surprisingly large amount of things went wrong, and the reality of canoeing in Scotland hit us pretty hard. Nonetheless, we persevered through some pretty low moments and as always were rewarded with some absolutely epic and amazing experiences.
Day 1
The same crew (Myself, Ali, Hugh, Jo and faithful hound Mags) set out on Wednesday morning from our respective haunts and met in Inverness for a quick Tesco shop before convoying up to Letterewe in the Wester Ross region. The aim was to drive the canoes straight up to Fionn Loch, unload, dump the cars and make it to the bothy on the far side of the loch by nightfall. Had this been the case, our trip would have been a whole sight easier. Unfortunately at arrival of the dirt track that took us off the tarmac road and 7km down to Fionn Loch we were greeted by a well-padlocked gate that scuppered any idea of an easy trip. This was a major setback, and the only option was to load up the canoes, get our new portage wheels out and trek the distance ourselves. In our naivety we expected this to take a couple of hours, and therefore not set us back too much. Little did we know just how tasking carrying the c. 120kg canoes would be, even with wheels.
We made it just over halfway before darkness started settling in, so we setup camp on the side of the track and decided to complete the portage in the morning. Keeping up morale is easy when you’re with best mates, but even the thought of the second portage of a similar distance still ahead of us made things hard to stomach. Luckily we had plenty of good booze, and an amazing meal of chicken and spiced rice to help.
Day 2
The next morning we were woken up by the ominous patter of rain on tent roof. However we were fresh this morning with full bellies so the going was a bit easier. Just as we thought we’d complete the final 3km in record time, one set of wheels broke. Whilst Ali, Hugh and I focused on carrying extra baggage and the final canoe down to the shore Jo focused on fixing the wheels. How the hell would these things get us across the next portage if they could barely handle the first?
However we finally made it to Fionn Loch through sheer will and ingenuity. We rejoiced as we hit the water in our canoes. We’d paddled barely 300m before we realised that we were actually in a Lochan below Fionn Loch and we were back out the water with a mini portage to get into the main loch. Things are never as good as they seem.
We were welcomed on Fionn Loch by a fairly strong headwind. Spotting an island full of trees and greenery ahead of us we saw that as the perfect lunch spot and put our heads down and edged towards it metre by metre. The most suitable reward available for our achievement so far in the day was a steak sandwich. As we cooked them, 2 golden eagles soared overhead.
We hoped that as we ate, the winds may drop - not through any scientific evidence, but through sheer hope. With another 6km paddling to our bothy at the end of Fionn Loch there was still quite a lot to do with not much time left in the day. Catching a lull in the winds we made a break for it, but halfway down the loch the winds punished us again and at times it felt like we were making no progress at all. Luckily, the end of Fionn Loch sits in an incredible bowl of rocky mountains, and as we arrived here the winds dropped and we cruised the last kilometre, able to appreciate the joy of canoeing for the first time, over 24 hours into the trip.
We bunkered down in Cranmore Bothy and gave everything a chance to dry, eating and drinking aplenty as the rains come down hard on the roof above us. (Were were told by some ghillies the next morning this was the wettest day of the year so far)
Day 3
We woke up hoping for a nice tailwind to ease us back down Fionn Loch to meet a track that would take us to Loch Maree. In keeping with the theme of screwing us over at every opportunity, the wind had done a full 180 on the day before and was once again presenting us with a savage headwind and serious challenge. Our best chance was to cross over to the other side of the loch where the hills on the far shore offered a bit of shelter. In order to get there however, we had to cross some of the choppiest waters a canoe can realistically handle. There was no other option, we were just going to have to brave it. Jo and I led the way, and if it weren’t for Jo’s cool head and perseverance I would have been tempted to turn back as we took on water and were rocked by waves. Capsizing at this point would have been pretty awful, with c 10 degrees water and far away from much shelter it could be potentially dangerous let alone not much fun. Luckily we all made it over, and after bailing out the canoes we crept up the edge of Fionn Loch, finally making it to the track.
No time to rest though, and after a chile con carne boil in the bag it was time to crack on with our main 7km portage into Loch Maree. This proved to be far easier than the initial portage with the majority of it downhill and on a far smoother dirt track. By this point our canoe wheeling technique was also well honed. As usual, just as we thought things were going to be easy, they got much harder. The final 3km of the portage was mostly uphill, and 1km before the loch and the last of our portaging for the trip, Jo and My Canoe threw a wheel and ground to a halt completely. The packhorses couldn’t shift it. We waited for Hugh and Ali to complete their carry, then took a wheel off their canoe and put it on ours. We finally made it to the shore of Loch Maree around 5pm- absolutely spent, but with another 2km canoe ahead of us.
Things were starting to clear up however, and Jo had managed to find some signal where he found a forecast that promised not just no wind or rain, but actual real sun. This put warmth in our hearts and we set out for the archipelago that sits in the middle of the northern part of Loch Maree. Here we found beautiful islands covered in trees and dense foliage, with calm channels separating them. Canoeing through this area felt otherworldly, like if we had paddled into a jurassic era.
We setup camp, and Jo cooked us some haggis n tatties. We went to bed dreaming of the prospect of sun.
Day 4
For the first time of the trip we woke up to silence. No rain, no wind. Instead, our tents were warming up as the sun beat down on their roofs. The forecast had actually completely undersold just how much of a stunner this day had turned out to be.
This presented us with a decision to make. We had planned to climb Slioch - a munro at the bottom of Loch Maree. However due to our delays, we were still a 10km paddle from the foot of the mountain. In order to climb it, we’d have to paddle there, complete the hike, and paddle all the way back - quite an undertaking. Jo and I were keen, but Hugh and Ali couldn’t resist the call of a quieter day filled with fishing and sunbathing - can’t blame them.
So Jo and I powered down the loch, completing the 10km paddle in just 2 hours. Easy to do with next to no wind, and Loch Maree almost a mirror.
The climb was fairly tough, especially as we’d not packed enough food. Every time I flagged at a false summit, Jo chucked me a caramel wafer, repeating this trick until we finally made it to the peak where we were greeted to awesome panoramic views for miles and miles - a just reward for the effort. Overall the climb took us 4 hours up and down. After briefly misplacing our canoe we were back on Loch Maree and heading campwards, meeting Hugh and Ali who had been fishing and had a fresh supply of beers for us.
We were all absolutely spent, and after Ali cooked us up some trout and black pudding tacos we all passed out.
Day 5
Although the sun disappeared, our luck continued and we had a tailwind that took us towards Poolewe - our final destination. We had an enjoyable end to the trip with 2km of river to cruise down with a few rapids to keep things spicy.
Hugh and I unpacked the canoes as Jo and Ali collected the cars so we could all head our separate ways (after a team Burger King of course).
Overall, this trip was hugely enjoyable although perhaps didn’t live up to last years success (which is a very high bar!). There were some moments of low morale, but truth be told they made the highs all the more sweeter. If you want to find the last true remaining wildernesses in Scotland, you’re always going to have to put in the extra work, and each time i’ve found that its been more than worth it. There are plenty more lochs for us to explore, and I look forward to the next adventure - there are rumours are that the group may try for a river next. Stay tuned.
