The camp stove sparked into life with
its reassuring roar, drowning out the noise of rain splattering on the window. Beyond
the glass the river, swollen by two days of torrential Torridonian rain, was an
avalanche of peaty water. It barrelled its way through the gorge with a
menacing roar. In contrast, the Scots pine and birch trees that crammed the
place were quiet and still with barely a shiver in their branches. Through late
afternoon and into evening, the low-lying mist would occasionally clear a little,
opening up a brief tantalising view of the rocky peaks above, before closing in
again. This was my world as I passed the remainder of the day and the night in this place.
Officially called the Easan Dorcha Bothy, it’s more affectionately known as the
Tea House.
A few days before my overnight stay in
the Tea House, I’d jumped off the Kyle train at Achnashellach and walked
through to Glen Torridon. Heavy bursts of rain had cleared to a glorious
evening of golden sunshine as I trekked up into Coire Lair. The tent was
pitched on a high shelf backed by the jagged rock giant of Liathach. If I drank
my evening cup of tea on a rock a few metres away from the tent, I had a view
to a sea shimmering silver in the late light.
The next morning provided a personal record
for me, being the latest date into summer (28 May) that I’ve walked in falling
snow. It dusted the summer tops in white. However, it was quickly banished
by a warming sun that provided two hot days of clear blue skies. I wandered the
beautiful coastal woodland trails along the south shore of Upper Loch Torridon which provided that heady mix of mountain and sea. That night, a grassy promontory on the loch shore
provided a stunning camp spot with a panorama of peaks.
And I climbed up Beinn Damh, a
Corbett on the south side of the glen. The path rose steeply through scented
pines before breaking out on top. The views
from here were astounding to the Torridon hills and the scalloped coastline. Across
a sapphire sea, an undulating line on the western horizon marked the Outer
Hebrides. Thereafter the clouds moved in and the only reward the next day for a
stiff pull up Beinn Alligin was the ubiquitous rucksack-at-a-misty-cairn photo.
When the rain set in for the rest of my trip, I walked through the hill passes and woods to the Tea House. It’s a gorgeous wee bothy in a delightful, hidden spot. About the size of a large garden shed, it’s clad in cedar on the outside and has a lovely wood panelled interior which gives the place a nice homely feel. There’s a small table and a long bench where I laid out my mat and sleeping bag for the night. Visitor books going back to 2010 are lined up on a shelf beside the door. An older one had a lovely pencil drawing of the Tea House. A window on each side affords a view up and down the gorge, which I enjoyed sipping endless cups of tea until bed time.
It was one of the loveliest places that I've spent a night. Though perhaps it wasn't the comfiest, as the bench was a bit narrow. I lingered a while the next morning, running my eye over the place one last time, before I continued through the hills to Achnashellach to catch a train home.
Fact File
Public transport: Inverness/Kyle of Lochalsh train stops at Achnashellach
My route: At the end of the platform, crossed the train line at the level crossing and continued on a forest track. At the first track junction turned left. A little further on, the footpath was marked where it left the track. Took this footpath north through Coire Lair and followed it through Bealach Ban and Bealach na Lice then continued on the path north to Annat. Picked up the coastal walk behind the Torridon Hotel and followed it west, finding a camp spot on the way back. The path up Beinn Damh is signed from this path close to the hotel. Walked on the road from the hotel to Torridon village and along the single track road that continues west along the north shore of Upper Loch Torridon. The road crosses a gorge with waterfalls beside a car park. On the west side of the bridge here the path begins for Beinn Alligin. From the village I then walked east along the glen road which was pretty quiet to Loch Clair. After the loch, the track begins south for the Coulin Pass. A couple of kms after the last cottages the track crosses a stone bridge. For the bothy, didn't cross the bridge but followed the track west and the bothy is just over a km further on. For the return to Achnashellach, I crossed the bridge and walked over the Coulin Pass, the track returning to the station.
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