In May of 2024, my friend Paul and I set off on a new adventure. There is a tiny village on the shore of Loch Nevis that can only be reached by ferry, or a 2-3 day hike through the Highlands.
Paul and I opted for the 3-day adventure, starting from Glenfinnan on the shore of Loch Shiel. After spending the night in an old sleeper rail car turned hostel, we set off, hiking under the Glenfinnan Viaduct (made popular by the Harry Potter movies) and disappeared into the Highlands with no cell reception.
Our first day was....challenging. I lost count of how many times I fell, slipping on muddy, boggy grass, even losing half of my left leg in a bog. Worse, before the day came to an end, both of my trekking poles had bent out of shape and I had to perform a duct tape repair on one of them!
Our first night was spent at the A'Chuil Bothy where we met a lovely couple from the Netherlands (and who graciously dried our shoes in front of their lit pot-belly stove).
Day 2 was just as challenging but I seemed to had been able to find better footing. We had lunch in the mist of a saddle ridge between two peaks and found lodging at the Sourlies Bothy, this time on the shore of Loch Nevis. The Dutch couple we met the day before had arrived ahead of us and motioned for us to stay silent as we approached the old farm house. As we made our way through the tall reeds, we found a family of red deer grazing in front of the bothy, making their way up and down the shore of the loch.
Paul and I silently set our pack down and took a seat outside the bothy and watched the deer graze for over an hour. They were so close we could hear the grass being pulled from the ground as they ate.
Day three was wet, challenging and so rewarding.
We left the safety and shelter of Sourlies ahead of the Dutch couple (who just caught up and passed us later on), and made our way up and over a massive rock that prevented us from following the coast line of the loch. Once back on the shore, we passed across a massive bog and made our way past the ruins of Carnoch village and climbed up over 600m to our last saddle ridge before Inverie.
Inverie and The Old Forge Pub awaited us at the end of a long descent from the ridge line. The pub bustled with activity, music and friends - a visit and adventure neither Paul or I will soon forget.
Visit my YouTube channel to see the journey for yourself!