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David Lintern

Bothies, which are managed by a charity called the Mountain Bothies Association, vary in their appointment; very few have beds, running water or a toilet, and most are simply rudimentary, water-tight shelters unlocked for courteous use by walkers. As most were crofting or gamekeepers' cottages, they are found in some of the most remote places in Britain.

The landscape of the Cape Wrath peninsula is comprised of ancient gneiss and sandstone sculpted by millennia of wave action. Once home to crofting communities and a strategic listening station for the military, it is now shared between a lighthouse, scattered bothies and the army who use the peninsula for exercises. Inaccessible by public road, it has also become a pilgrimage for adventurous hikers, drawn by its remote location and wild scenery.

The Forcan Ridge above Kintail is one of the always-wild Cape Wrath trail's more high-level sections. Though long-established in the hillwalking community as the most challenging long-distance routes in Britain, the Cape Wrath Trail is unofficial; there is no set or marked path along it, and several variations.

Scott: “I had the trail in mind for years, and during lockdown it became a bit of an obsession. It was good therapy, having something to look forward to, and gave me a focus. It took a few days on the trail to feel relaxed and gain some confidence, but I’m in the zone now.”

Like much of the Highlands, the glens through which the Cape Wrath trail passes were once populated by clan based rural communities, forcibly evicted by landowners to make way for sheep farming during the Highland Clearances, which were followed by further decades of depopulation. Some of the dwellings built later for shepherds and gamekeepers have been repurposed as bothies – free shelters for use by walkers – such as this cottage at Glencoul, which once housed a gamekeeper, his family and even a live-in teacher.

Hanna: “I quit my job recently and now I’m living in my car. My plan was always to travel, and that was interrupted by Covid for a year. But silver linings, because I’d never really explored closer to home, and definitely not Scotland. It’s been really spectacular.”

The military have had a presence on Cape Wrath since the early 20th century. Owning a large amount of its land, the Ministry of Defence frequently uses it for firing exercises – indicated to those who might be present in this wild area by incongruous red flags.

The landscape of the Cape Wrath peninsula is comprised of ancient gneiss and sandstone sculpted by millennia of wave action. Once home to crofting communities and a strategic listening station for the military, it is now shared between a lighthouse, scattered bothies and the army who use the peninsula for exercises. Inaccessible by public road, it has also become a pilgrimage for adventurous hikers, drawn by its remote location and wild scenery.

Quinag, one of the great mountains of Sutherland, is viewed beyond a derelict wall – another sign of a landscape once more peopled than it is today.

Seals wallow on the tide-break of Sandwood Bay, one of the scenic highlights of the Cape Wrath trail. In the foreground, a pole splays old communication wires.