This is a book that will be of immediate interest to TGO Challenger, not least as they are always wanting options for those years when their applications for the event are not successful. The Cape Wrath Trail — from Fort William to Sandwood Bay — is a popular alternative; I suspect the Sutherland Trail is going to be joining it. And regardless of the Challenge or not this is a trail that many walkers and backpackers are going to appreciate.
The Sutherland Trail as laid down in this book begins at Lochinver north of Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland and winds its way in a north easterly direction to Tongue on the north coast. While the route is well documented this is no simple guide book. It is a tie-in to the BBC documentary that the pair produced on Sutherland — Sutherland — The Empty Lands?. I’m not sure whether this was ever shown south of the border but don’t let the TV connection put you off though because what we have ended up is a thoroughly satisfying book.
The TV programme featured not only on the walk but on the people who still live, farm and work in this scarcely inhabited piece of Britain. Much of this content illuminates the book.
As preparation for the programme Cameron and his wife Gina walked the whole length of the trail and this was covered in a recent edition of TGO magazine. It is to Cameron’s lasting credit that he realised that the best preparation for the programme was to walk across the land, taking everything in at the most natural of paces. Places and people were then revisited by both Cameron and Richard who’s superb photographs feature throughout, often with a TV crew in toe.
What we end up with is a far richer piece of work than you would usually expect for something that covers a walking and backpacking trail. We learn a great deal about the geology and natural history of the place, of the Torridonian rocks of the west that are almost 3,000,000 yeas old and of the changing landscapes as we move over the watershed from the lands of Sutherland to Caithness. The watershed formed the barrier for two ancient civilisations. To the west was the language and culture of the islands and the east that of the Orcadians — I think I’ve got that right!
To the natural history Cameron adds the more recent social history of the area which to a large extent has been dominated by the clearances set in motion by the Sutherland estate which valued the sheep more than human inhabitants. Some of residents of these lands were moved on to strips of lower land on the coast, while others were piled on to boats and shipped out to North America. Like cameron I have often fund this cleared areas to be very moving, There is often a lonely sense of sadness that prevails the land with its abandoned farming communities. Sutherland is now often referred to as the empty lands but once this was a far more populous place. But Cameron doesn’t just document history. Today he finds that there is a new vibrancy to the land with new families and communities seeking to build a new life away from urban Britain. And established communities are beginning to take control of their own destinies by using the Land reform Scotland Act of 2003 to purchase their land. The Assynt Foundation was the first to make use of this new legislation and become the inspiration for those that followed, for example the Knoydart Foundation. It looks as if this area has a bright future in front of it.
So, there is a lot more here than a description of a trail but there is not too much information. This is a book about the land and its communities and not a history book. What is here will enhance the walking of the trail and maybe prompt you to do someone research when you return.
But what of the trail?
Cameron and Gina spent six nights on the trail, three spent in hotels of guest houses and three camping out in the wild. They could have spent every night in real comfort or every night camping wild. Their’s was a low route tat took a week but you could easily extend this by taking in the surrounding mountains and probably stretching this for the best part of a fortnight.
In the book Cameron takes in the mountains sometimes relying on recent visits and on other times drawing on a life’s exploration of these hills. We have an exploration of Munros, Corbetts and Grahams — although I quickly moved on at this point in case I became infected with this bagger thing! But we have essays on the great Suilven, Quinnag, Ben Stack, Foinaven , Ben Hope and much more. And then there are the stories of lonely bothies, of bogs and the creation of the land distance paths and hill tracks.
You can see that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the Sutherland Trail is now added to my list of trail to walk one day. But there is another journey detailed here which adds to the spirit of the walk.
A couple of years ago I was chatting to Cameron at some show or another. He told me that he thought he should step down from the editorship of TGO sometime around the age of 60. It was simply not right to carry on editing a hill walking magazine at this age. Besides, there were lots of other things that he wanted to do, lots of other projects that he wanted to tackle. I guess The Sutherland Trail is one of these and the Mountain Media company that publishes it another. You get a sense of Cameron beginning to embark on another personal journey and in this book you can see so many other things as well. There was the realisation that the encounters with the people he had met for the programme has greatly enhanced the experience of walking in the area, this from a man who confesses he usually likes nothing better to be walking in solitude. I’m the same really but the people of places and the camaraderie of the trail is something that I’m just only now really beginning to appreciate. And then there’s Cameron conquering a life long suspicion of seafood and finally realising what he has been missing. Oh, and if you like a bit of comfort with your walking there are some great descriptions of meals taken and hotels stayed in!
Thoroughly recommended!
Great review Andy and a prompt reminder to buy this book. I found CMcN ‘s “Wilderness Walks” a seminal inspiration to my backpacking exploits. Now my enthusiam for the outdoors seems to have inexplicably waned and so I hope this new book will re-inspire me.
Steve,
I felt a little odd, me reviewing something from the curmudgeonly old Scot!
This will refresh your walking spirits, I’m sure about that!
It is a nice book. I found the layout not that pleasing to the eye. Too many different fonts, and the maps a bit small. Some photos are small and don’t do them justice. I have shown it to others who say the same. It is a good book and well written by a passionate person. One other point is the Gore-Tex advertising in it. I don’t know why. Maybe reducing the cost? Not something I like in a book. As for the walk. It has to be done. Well done to Cameron.