Walk 172

Glenelg to Nostie 24miles

Bernera Barracks

It was a bit of a grey miserable day as I started out today, I walked out of Glenelg via the Bernera Barracks  I took a photo but unfortunately due to the conditions it all looks a bit dull!

I'd done some research on the Web about today's walk the night before and found that where I was walking today is part of the Lochalsh Dirty 30 which is a cross country running race, this was useful to know as it may mean a decent path today if its well trodden.....or so I thought!!!

The first part of the walk was along a road which leads to the ferry crossing taking you to Skye. This is the last manually operated turntable ferry in Scotland, fortunately for me the ferry was being loaded as I walked past and I stood for a while watching the ferryman in action, its quite a snazzy bit of kit!!

Skye Ferry

I continued my walk along a good track walking under the electric pylons which had been so helpful on yesterdays walk, this lead me eventually to Ardintoul Point, I stopped here to ask directions as it was unclear on my map which way I was supposed to be going, the man I asked pointed me in the direction of a hill and off on toddled, I got halfway up and thought that this is wrong but I continued on anyway but low and behold he was correct! a sign at the top of the hill pointed me towards Totaig.  The track was quite good until I reached the forest and then it just stopped!! I had noticed though a white piece of tape hanging from a tree, I started to follow these markers because I assumed that they had been put there for the cross country runners. The markers took me deeper into the dense dark forest and I can now see why its called the " Lochalsh dirty 30" because it was just horrendous, talk about mud, I could bearly walk let alone run!!!

The Markers

The white tape markers soon turned to wooden sticks with an orange flash painted on them, this was very useful and I stumbled on through the forest eventually coming out at a clearing at the top of Castiel-Grugaig, and what a view from the top looking down on Dornie and the castle at Eilean Donan!!

The View to Dornie

I made my way down the hill arriving in Totaig and started the long long long walk to Nostie along the banks of Loch Druich, there were thankfully small minor roads to Sheil Bridge but then I picked up the busy A87 taking me to Dornie, where I stopped for the obligatory photo of the castle at Eilean Donan.

Eilean Donan

Accommodation: Sheperds Cottage, Nostie £50.00 Bnb . Nice but no TV!