Suggestions for Hiking: Wales, Scotland or Ireland

[ktmrider]

In August, 2014, my daughter and I hiked the West Highland Way from Glasgow to Ft Williams and then spent a couple weeks exploring the Isle of Skye and Edinburgh. I carried an M9 with 21/35/90 (all small lenses). This was a hiking trip, not backpacking as we had a company transport our luggage hostel to hostel so we only had to carry small day packs.

I am looking for another hiking adventure. Unfortunately, this will be a solo trip as my daughter is in grad school for physical therapy. I am thinking about departing from Fort Williams in Scotland and hiking about 150 miles over 14 days to the north coast. I have found a company that will do the baggage transport thing and make all the appropriate reservations along the way. However, they offer the same service in Wales and Ireland but the hikes are shorter so am looking for input.

And the Leica M9 was sold several months ago. This trip will be all film. My favorite film Leica is now the M5 which has bumped the M2 out of first place. I am planning an M5 body with 50. I may throw a 21 and 90 or 135 in the luggage but will hike with only the 50. Ten to fifteen rolls of ISO color print film would probably suffice.

Comments?

 

[Contarama]

Wales and particularly Scotland have magical colors so I would get film that will bring that out.

 

[ktmrider]

Ektar 100 or Porta 400?

 

[Fraser]

Having done most of the long distance walks in Scotlnad my favourite is still the St Cuthberts way thats only 100km so a nice easy one over a long weekend.

 

[bonatto]

If you come to Wales let me know, can meet up. Look up Brecon Beacons / Pen Y Fan, for moderate hikes or Snowdonia if you want to go up a mountain. I'm in Swansea.

 

[rybolt]

Check out the Wild Atlantic Way in Western Ireland. In particular, look at the Ring of Beara and south.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

This should give you a good idea of the long distance paths in Wales;-

http://www.ramblersnorthwales.org.uk/distanceEN.htm

You'll find a lot of castles in Wales of all shapes and sizes, plus a lot of small and not so small preserved railways. And, of course, friendly people and glorious scenery.

Regards, David

 

[michaelwj]

Sounds like an awesome trip. I like the idea of only hiking with one lens, good call. I'd also hike with a small tripod (i use a table top type) and a self timer equipped camera for shot with you in the landscape since you'll be on your Pat Malone. I'd budget an average of 2-3 rolls per day, but take 5 on any given day in a JCH small film holder.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

The Isle of Mull in Scotland is FANTASTIC. Beautiful drives, too, after you get off the ferry. I'm not much of a landscape photog but I went nuts on Mull. And the people were nice. I stayed in the oldest hotel in Britain, which is in the town of Dervaig.

I also love Portmeirion, in Wales—the small weird Italianate village where the TV show The Prisoner was filmed.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

I'll second that about Mull, if you only visit one of the islands of the North West coast of Scotland then it should be Mull.

Skye is best viewed from the mail boat from Mallaig going to Eigg, Rum and Canna (I hope it is still running and taking passengers). To get to Mallaig you catch a train from Fort William and can get a steam hauled one if you time it right. It goes along the well known route to Hogwarts Academy.

The steam hauled train is called "The Jacobite" BTW and a search will inundate you...

If I was immensely rich, I'd travel from London to Fort William on the sleeper service from Kings Cross (where you can be photographed with a trolley going through the wall to platform 9¾). Then "The Jacobite" to Mallaig and a hotel for the night and the mail boat the next day, another night in the hotel and then back to Fort William and then make my way along the NW coast to Ullapool, the Summer Isles (boat trip again) and so on. It's worth it just to see some of the finest displayed mountains in Europe and some magical scenery. Alas, I'm not that rich but I may have a cunning plan...

Regards, David

 

[ktmrider]

My daughter is a BIG Harry Potter fan! We did all that stuff 2.5 years ago including the studio outside London. She bought a wand and carried it for the next two months through Europe. We spent a week on the Isle of Skye and did the steam train.

I am really torn between Wales and Scotland.

 

[bonatto]

A totally biased suggestion: Wales.

My daughter is a BIG Harry Potter fan! We did all that stuff 2.5 years ago including the studio outside London. She bought a wand and carried it for the next two months through Europe. We spent a week on the Isle of Skye and did the steam train.

I am really torn between Wales and Scotland.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Have you considered Cornwall? Amazing cliffs; beautiful coves; gorgeous villages.

We're not really part of England: the last time we invaded them was during the Anglo-Cornish War in 1549.

Cheers,

R.

 

[rodt16s]

Share the routes that the company's suggesting for both Ireland and Wales

 

[ktmrider]

I am just a bit hesitant on Ireland as my daughter wants to take us (parents) there when she graduates from physical therapy school next May. Do not want to spoil the trip so to speak.

I have just started investigating possible trips. I get the walkhighlandway newsletter and picked this company out of their suggested list primarily because it listed trips outside Scotland. I don't care for lugging a 40 lb pack so was looking for a company to transport luggage and make the necessary lodging reservations. The trip is now looking like it will be in the Aug/Sept time frame as June is too soon so I am heading to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for two weeks in the back country.

Anyway, this thread has produced some great suggestions already. The company has suggested the offas dyke path, wye valley walk, glyndwes way, or pen broke shire for possible routes in Wales.

And the ramblersnorthwales.org site is great. Again, many great suggestions and will be spending time at the computer to narrow down the choices.

It is curious that my black 50f1.4 Nokton weighs less then my chrome 50 Summicron.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

If it will help, Scotland is majestic and Wales is pretty with lots of walks, coastal paths, Bara Brith, rivers and waterfalls and castles from when the evil Normans were trying to subdue us.

Hire a car, learn what "ARAF" means, and you could see the lot in about 3 weeks, with breaks of a day or two to walk every now and then. I shall be in the Wye Valley and later on the Pembrokeshire National Park this year and maybe Snowdonia as well (probably a week in each).

I'd also recommend the ¼" map of Wales, only these days they call it the "OS Travel Map No 6 Wales / Cymru". Anyway, worth buying now for armchair travel and planing. Open it up on a table top and you get a sort of bird's eye view.

One last point, Wales is not as big as people think.

Regards, David

 

[ktmrider]

If flying from the US, I am assuming London is the international airport. Airfares from Dallas are amazingly cheap right now at $520 round trip. One great thing about Britain is the abundance of public transportation so also guessing a train from London to Wales would be easy to find.

 

[Tim Murphy]

I vote for Wales

I vote for Wales

Dear kmtrider,

I only say that because many years ago I belonged to fishing message board. One of the most active participants was a Welshman living in the USA.

He posted many pictures taken on his trips back home to visit family and friends and fish. I was positively taken by the ruggedness and stark beauty of the Welsh backcountry lakes and streams he hiked in to fish.

No matter where you decide to go, have fun and record a lot of memories.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[rodt16s]

Offas Dyke is in effect the old border from about the 8th century, should have varied countryside. The Wye Valley walk might even be part of it.
Pembrokshire would take in a rugged coastal wander, similar to Roger's description of Cornwall.
Looking at Glyndŵr's Way, that takes in some stunning places... visited that area a couple of years ago... fantastic countryside

 

[ktmrider]

Still Searching

Still Searching

I still have not made a decision on which trail or even which country to hike in this fall. Due to a lack of accommodations, I have decided to go at the end of August or even early September.

I am wondering if northern Scotland would be too cold at the end of September. My daughter and I did the West Highland Way in August, 2014, and ended up buying an extra pile sweater for use on our trip.

Is there much difference between Scotland and Ireland and Wales. I don't mean culturally but physically. I suspect northern Scotland would be the wildest and perhaps least populated.

There is a 85 mile hike starting in Dublin called the Wickwire Way and I am thinking about it as it seems to be a loop and starts near an international airport. Is anyone familiar?

Which country has the best food? I know that is very subjective and I did try haggis when we were in Scotland. I am also a fan of scotch whiskey but honestly when we were hiking a beer was so much better at the end of a 15-20 mile day.



By the way, have you all heard the joke that hell is where the politicians are French, the police German and cooks English. And I would add where Trump is president.