Sarah Perry

Feeling the wrath of the path to the lighthouse

Was I prepared for Cape Wrath? In a sense, yes. I'd scrutinised the kit list and quizzed my multi-day experienced friends for tips. I still had a knot of uncertainty in my stomach, this wasn't like anything else that I had attempted before.

I think it's fair to say that unless you've somehow reccied the whole route before (which is a very unreasonable request) it's hard to understand the nature of the trail. I was also apprehensive about my first multi-day event, but also about how my body would respond to asking it to run 20-40 miles every day for 8 days.  

The journey didn't live up to my expectations, it exceeded them greatly. Cape Wrath Ultra is the perfect mix of stunning scenery, challenging terrain, camaraderie & food (lots and lots of food). It was truly breathtaking at times - perhaps in more than one way.  

The route itself is beyond beautiful: weaving through endless vallies, climbing over rugged mountain passes with a sprinkle of bog-hopping, river-crossing and heather-bashing along the way. You won't find a book boasting family-friendly walks along the Cape Wrath Trail: it's wild, rugged and remote. What a treat to wander along for hours each day, exploring the beauty of the Highlands on foot.

What went well? I could not believe how good my body felt day after day - if anything I felt stronger towards the back end of the week! 

Ourea events have thought of absolutely everything -the team were phenomenal and spirits were high all of the time - they couldn't do enough to try to ensure that we completed the challenge. The food was well thought out and was delicious too! My 'must have' item has to be a pair of waterproof socks for most days: this helped my feet stay in good condition - something that can make or break your race! 

There are, however, some things that I would do differently. The luggage weight and volume limit is surprisingly hard to work with and I made a few mistakes when weighing up what was essential for the trip. I definitely took too much food but not enough savory snacks: I love real food on ultras so this aspect was challenging for me. Some tortilla wraps and spread would have been perfect!

I also found that my sleeping bag was not heavy enough. The nights get surprisingly cold and even with a synthetic jacket and base layers, I wasn't really sufficiently comfortable.

In hindsight, experiencing a shorter multi - day race such as the Great Lakeland 3 day event first, would have been a wise decision to help me iron out some of the above issues. None of them compromised my overall experience though, and if anything, added a bit more of a ruggedness and sense of challenge to the week.

230 miles, 200 million midges, 300 million bogs and probably about 400 million plates of chips later: 88 of us had completed the Cape Wrath Trail. Glued together eternally by the unique experience of 'the class of 2023'. What a phenomenal journey & the experience of a lifetime.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Without hesitation.