Sunday 4th September 2022
We ferried one car to North Ballachulish and returned to Appin with the other car to resume walking. It was a wet, grey morning; the mountains were grey shadows and the lochs dull. We were all togged up in waterproofs and set off along the cycle path for Route 78. It makes for easy, mindless walking; there was very little view and I kept my head down to keep the rain off my glasses. We did officially enter the Highland region.
Sometimes the cycle path is on the seaward side of the road and we had glimpses of the water usually between the trees. We soon decided that it was easier to follow the cycle path pretty much regardless.
Near Dalnatrat I was surprised when we turned a little inland and started to climb. The OS map gave no indication of a route this way, though I found it on Google Maps. It was a bit of a long-cut, parallel with the road, but it did go through a nature reserve where they are re-habilitating wild cats and so that made it worth it.
The track was tarmac all the way and the forest was very densely planted and dark.
Just before Duror we turned left up a no-through road to Cuil. From there a path contoured through a glen overlooking the sea to Ardsheal Farm and Ardsheal Hotel. The path was not difficult to follow but, even though it was wet and muddy, it made a welcome change from tarmac.
Ardsheal Farm is actually a holiday let as were two other neighbouring houses. All of them were unoccupied. We wandered onto the patio of the farm to admire the view and there was a rather welcoming patio table and chairs. It seemed rude not pull out a couple of their patio chairs and eat our lunch enjoying the view.
After lunch we continued along the tarmac track until we reached Ballachulish.
We crossed on the steel bridge which was opened in 1975 to replace the ferry. From there it was just a few hundred yards to the car.
Since it was only just gone 15:30 we decided to extend the walk. Jill drove the car to the Corran Ferry and I walked there.
Meanwhile Jill started to walk back to Ballachulish and we crossed somewhere in the middle.
When I got to Corran, I drove the car back to Ballachulish where Jill joined me bearing ice creams she had bought at the nearby garage; the afternoon had steadily improved and it was now a glorious sunny day and 20 degrees. It was worthwhile getting the extra four miles walked today and since it was just a rather tedious road walk it didn’t really matter that one of us had walked it in the opposite direction.
Just Coasting 