UKC

After recently watching some Survivorman and Ray Mears for i don't know how many times it got me thinking about getting out into the wilds this summer.As i have a lack of funds it will have to be UK based.

So,

Where in the UK would be good to spend a few days, maybe a week on a wilderness journey? I assume Scotland but my knowledge of Scotland is limited.

What is the remotest (i.e. furthest from civilisation) spot in the uk?

I would look to take a couple of days walking 'in', camp and explore for a couple of days and then a couple of days walking out. Now i don't have any aspirations of burning my money and heading 'Into the Wild' alla Alexander Supertramp. I would take enough food and maybe look to catch a fish or pick some wild flowers as a bonus to supplement what i have but not rely on this.

Anyone have any recommendations, experiances or ideas?

In reply to KarlH:

I'm sure some of the scottish posters may have more knowledge than me, but the Cairngorms or the Monodliath moors might be among the best.

In reply to KarlH:

I would suggest either the Cairngorns or the Fisherfield wilderness. Both have potential for multi-day trips. If you avoid the Cairngorms honeypots you need not see a soul.

In reply to KarlH:

Knoydart is pretty quite, if you avoid Barrisdale bothy.

In reply to KarlH:
Knoydart. Or Moiddart.

Cairngorms is pretty poor for bushcraft, not many trees in wild places.

In reply to KarlH:

sounds like a cool idea. might be good if you could find somewhere close to the shoreline for a bit of beachcombing so I'd agree Knoydart.

In reply to Neil Kazimierz Sheridan:

whoops, I don't think it has a sandy beach!

In reply to Neil Kazimierz Sheridan:

Why would you need sand?

In reply to Neil Kazimierz Sheridan:

Sounds like a good idea.

From what i have read Knoydart area does not have any roads so would necesitate walking in and out. Can someone with some knowledge of the area confirm or correct me on this?

In reply to KarlH:

It has a road into Kinloch Hourne from where it's about 8 miles to Barrisdale.

No roads anywhere else.

I spent a week out there in May a few years back and saw about ten other people in the whole time.

We were on the main paths too.

In reply to Queequeg:

Surely you need a sandy beach for beachcombing or nothing much will be washed up? At least I've always seen Ray Mears using a sandy beach.

In reply to Neil Kazimierz Sheridan:


Hehe, I like your logic, but thankfully no. Stuff does wash up on stoney beaches too!

In reply to KarlH: another nice area is from loch ericht to glen nevis, a lot of bothies

In reply to KarlH:

How about Cape Wrath to Kinlochbervie? On second thoughts reverse that so the prevailing winds are behind you. There seems to be public transport at either end in summer, it's about 12 miles as the crow flies but more along the coast, should have spectacular scenery, be deserted (don't break a leg there) and I suspect that the bus journeys will be an experience in their own right.

In reply to KarlH:

>
Try Paisley, not much further from civilisation there and you will get to use your bushcraft knife too (Just to survive a day)

In reply to KarlH:

I recently walked Fort William to Aberdeen across the highlands and during that time we only bumped into 2 ppl except obviously when we were passing a village. Theres many places around scotland where you can be isolated. The Staonaig bothy near corrour station is pretty remote but close enough in case in an emergency

In reply to KarlH:

Some of my favorite areas for this type of trip are:

North end of Jura
West side of Rum
Pairc estate on Lewis/Harris - Caitseal is about the remotest hill in the UK
Kinlochbervie to Cape Wrath

I suggest getting a load of maps or looking at Google maps, find a spot that looks interesting and go for it.

In reply to benbers:


Agree
here are some of my photos from there to persuade you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22776031@N05/sets/72157603721799284/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22776031@N05/sets/72157603866063931/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22776031@N05/sets/72157612169769282/

I go in by train, but only for the day, I've not stayed overnight.

In reply to newhey:


Memory map is great for this. I manage to waste loads of time looking around Scotland!

In reply to KarlH:

You can get a boat from Mallaig (which has a station) if you don't fancy the walk in/out.

Thanks guys, there's a few ideas for me to look at to get me started.

In reply to Jim C:

Thanks for the photo link, i just about to finish work but will check them out tomorrow.

Thanks all.

Hi Karl,

Again, I've been to most of the areas quoted here including Fisherfield Knoydart and the Isles.

Personally, I find the sheer size of Fisherfield mindboggling once you get into it and look from bottom to top (or vice versa). The problem with Fisherfield is often that the tussocks make progress very very slow and arduous. Approaching from Incheril will give you the best wilderness experience, but the hardest walking. Approaching from Poolewe will give you less arduous walking on day 1, but make progress into the area quicker - perhaps camping first night near Carnmore / Dubh Loch. Day 2's walking is then real wilderness stuff - typically no paths which is either goo or bad, depending on how confident you are.

I love Knoydart though - there is a huge network of paths there - all of which are generally quiet - apart from those near Barrisdale. Approaching from Fort William by car down the very long singletrack road to Strathan certainly gave me a fine wilderness feel. You have a long approach still through Glen Dessary on day 1 to perhaps Camasunary Bothy - often deserted but beautiful.

Not many trees in either option though - none in Fisherfield, very short supply in Knoydart !

All the best

Alan B

In reply to KarlH: in 2007 me and a few friends went to the cairngorms and camped for two nights in the lairig gruh valley. we saw about 3 people as we walked past derry lodge, a plane or two, and another group or two on the walk out over ben macdui and the usual array of families as we came over the top of cairngorm to see the nice roped path up the hill. bit of a dissapointing end to the journey when the walk out into aviemore was along a well maintained tourist path.

In reply to alanbill99:

I've been going to Fisherfield the last couple of years. Last year, I spent four days and saw three other people, two of them together.

Why am I telling you this? It will be heaving this year!!

Y.

In reply to alanbill99:

Thanks Alan

So Knoydart is sounding like the better propisition at the moment.

There is wilderness and there is all out warfare with tussocks and i hate that! Not all of Fisherfield can be tussocks though can it?

In reply to alanbill99:



Are you sure you mean Camasunary Bothy?

Is it not A' Chuil bothy that you reach heading west through Glen Dessary, then Sourlies bothy once Loch Nevis is reahed?

There is a Camasunary bothy in the Cuillin, although of course, that doesn't mean that another doesn't exist?

Just checking.

Cheers.

In reply to KarlH:

Some very good suggestions have been made for places to go, but it does kind of depend on what you really want to do - your original post suggested that you'd want to spend a couple of days walking into a remote spot. I'd suggest that there is nowhere on mainland britain that is more than an afternoon's walk to a public road. That doesn't mean that you can't walk for a few days without meeting anyone but there is nowhere that is really that remote. In particular, I've found that Knoydart can be pretty busy - lots of people with big rucksacks wandering around the place - so if you like meeting people with big rucksacks go there! I've only been to Fisherfield once but it is lovely, don't worry about the tussocks!

In reply to KarlH:
I spent a few nights in Fisherfield a few years ago and don't remember battling with tussock at all - probably depends on where you go in from etc. I walked in from Kinlochewe with the intention of walking out near Dundonnell a couple of nights later but whilst ambling along one day suddenly realised I had no idea where my wallet was, tipped my entire rucksack out onto the ground near the summit of A'Mhaighdean and discovered I'd left it at the shop in Kinlochewe - necessitating a round trip after all....There were some really good stalker paths etc but I also just picked my own route several times without too much hassle (or tussock).

If you're interested in feeling "alone" then my suggestion is to avoid hills -especially munros. I've spent many a day wandering through the glens in torridon/glen affric/glen nevis etc and never seen another soul. Much harder to do that on a hill.

In reply to KarlH:
Fisherfield has some of the best preserved stalkers paths in the country. Walking on these is a pure joy and tussock-free. You'll get more exersise if you find yourself in any peat hags - the north shore of Lochan Fada brings back painfull memories of very slow progress trying to negotiate these monsters.

Craig Mc at work

In reply to KarlH:

If Foinaven hasn't been mentioned then it'll be quieter than Knoydart and there is a bothy at the end of Loch Eribol.

Awesome country.

In reply to KarlH:


I would say that somewhere near the centre of Milton Keynes fits that description.

In reply to KarlH:

Start in Keighley and keep walking north. It is prety much all open moorland until you hit Stirling.

In reply to Queequeg:

I don't think it takes a day to walk into A'Chuil though, you'll do it in an hour or two. I know that Sourlies and 'Glen Finnan Lodge' Bothy (I don't know whether this one is called Camasunary or not) are about a days walk from it...though it's a tetchy river crossing if you're headed back towards Glen Finnan, or at least it was 2 years ago. The bridge may have been repaired by now.

In reply to Mike Hartley:

Ah yes, that would explain it.
Cheers.

In reply to KarlH: be aware though that if you go to the cairngorms you will need to know how to kill a deer, gut it and sleep in its carcass.

according to bear grylls anyway.

In reply to KarlH:
>
I would check the Scottish fishing licence rules. They will differ from area to area, depending on who has the fishing rights. You don't want to be caught red handed by some laird's heavy bailiff. You know what they do to birds of prey, they poison them! Think what they could do to you!

In reply to fxceltic:

You're kidding?! Paddington Bear actually said that?!

In reply to KarlH: I'd start at Glen Affric and plot a route across the hills to Maol Bhuidhe bothy if you want a true wilderness experience.