About this blog

The journey from John o'Groats to Land's End took place in 14 sections, starting in 1996 (a week or so each year). The idea came to me in 1995 and I completed the British JoGLE Watershed in June 2009.

I was joined by a number of relations and friends from time to time. Most notable among my walking companions were my son Tim (7 sections) and nephews Peter and Jonny.

After walking the first section in 1996 I discovered that Dave Hewitt had already pioneered the Scottish Watershed (to Cape Wrath) in 1987, and had published his excellent account Walking the Watershed in 1994. We have been in touch since then, and he has been a great encouragement.

A simple definition of the watershed is that any rain falling to the left of the path finishes in the North Sea or English Channel, and anything to the right flows into the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea or the Bristol Channel.

I believe that this was the first walk along the full length of the British JoGLE Watershed. I became aware just after I completed the journey that the late Mike Allen walked a slightly different version (from Land's End to Cape Wrath) between 1988 and 1994, so he will have covered the same ground apart from the most north-easterly 220km.

There have subsequently been several walks and publications about parts of the JoGLE watershed, including Peter Wright's 2010 Ribbon of Wildness account of his Scottish section walked in 2005, which has brought the subject of watershed walking in the UK to a wider audience.

I hope you enjoy this blog. I'm planning to publish a full account in 2013/4. A summary of the walk appeared in The Angry Corrie volume 76 in 2009.

Malcolm Wylie.

Sunday 24 May 1998

Day 26 - Sgurr na Ciche and friends

I climbed this solo on 11/5/99 because we had bypassed it in 1998 in order to meet our relations in time.

I'd been looking forward to it for a long time, because Sgurr na Ciche is the most westerly Munro on the Watershed, and it is very prominent on the skyline from many angles (a bit like Schiehallion). This photo was taken looking west from Sgurr nan Coirechan; Garbh Chioch Bheag is on the left and SnaC on the right.

I climbed from our previous campsite by the west Loch Quoich dam, having walked round Loch Quoich from the Kinloch Hourn road. This ascent is not frequented, and there was no baggers' path - just a lot of large slabby rock. From the summit it was easy walking along the ridge to the east, until a steep descent and re-ascent to Sgurr Cos na Breachd-laiodh.

The next section of the eastward ridge was walked uneventfully with Tim as far as Lochan Dubh (062958) on 9/5/99. This is where our detour in 1997 had rejoined the Watershed.




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