Day 4 - Cannich to Drumnadrochit

Spent a rainy night at the campground in Cannich. Awoke a bit later this morning, 7:30 am. We decided to pack up our gear inside the campsite lounge to avoid a rainy pack up. It was so nice to sit on chairs inside a warm space and pack the gear. Chatted with a solo German trekker. We were easing into today after a long day on asphalt. We opted for coffee and tea at the cafe! A leisurely morning saw us start at 10 a.m., excited for the dirt Affric Kintail Way. But wait, what, what is happening???? Why is that road ahead??? Dang it!!! More asphalt. 🤦‍♀️. The walk must continue!!!

After about 12km of road we hit the dirt. Finally! Some crazy muddy sections but at least it was soft.

JM - Finally Off The Pavement!!

We stopped and chatted with a mom of five and her oldest - 17 yr old son. Had a nice chat about university, kids, adventures etc. Fifteen minutes later we were back to it. Saw some cyclists and runners and talked to a pair of young hikers from Germany on their way to Skye. The weather was sunny with light rain to start, the rain eased for beautiful breezy, sunny trekking weather. JM t-shirt, Mandy raincoat to ensure rain stayed at bay. Although we thought today would feel much shorter, the tough previous day made today challenging. 

Picnic Table Rest Stop!!

 

After huge climbs we FaceTimed a friend in Canada. I (Mandy) asked him to drop a pin as my last known location in case this route (planned by JM) gets much harder. JM is quite excited to walk the challenge that I map out next since I think it is so easy to choose light fluffy trails. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 

Beautiful Valley Views Approaching Drumnadrochit

The awaiting Bed and Breakfast spurred us onwards. The promise of a shower and bed were no match for sore feet. At the B and B our dirty clothes were washed, showers were had and a quick Co-op stop allowed for food re-supply.

Unfortunately JM has had about eight or nine ticks. Brutal. Brutal.
Tomorrow morning starts with a 3.5 km walk to the ferry to motor us across Loch Ness. We will meet our fellow Calgarian hikers- a reunion five years in the making! We will keep our eyes peeled for Nessie.

UPDATE - We forgot to mention that at about 11:00 this morning a British RAF Typhoon fighter jet came roaring by us at low elevation.  It gave us an immediate adrenaline boost and we were so pumped up by it.  Tonight we were reading the news and Mandy saw an article that said that the RAF scrambled the jets in response to four Russian aircraft approaching UK airspace. They were escorted away and never entered UK airspace.  Wow!!! So cool to have seen

RAF Typhoon (not the one we saw today)

Footnote - Burning 5000-6000 calories per day should and usually does results in weight loss.  For Mandy’s response to excessive exercise please see below:

Day 4 Route - 20.75 km, 475 m ascent