West Affric Thistle Camp

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I have been participating in Thistle Camps since 1990, and in 2006 signed up for the West Affric one, in the famous Glen Affric, one of the most famous remote glens in the Highlands.

A history of Glen Affric

According to historical theory (disputed however by some academics), Glen Affric actually took its name from Africa. In the 2th century AD, there was a wealthy Roman colonist named Publius Arminius Strabo had established himself near Eboracum (York) living in a large villa served by a whole complement of slaves as was customary in the period. The man had somewhat exotic tastes and had bought several hundred African slaves, men and women, which must have cost him a fortune, having to be brought in from the upper valley of the River Nile. Although they were treated reasonably well, these slaves got fed up with the bizarre antics of their master, furthermore, as many of them were only in the first or second generation of servitude, they managed to escape from the villa while Strabo was on a business trip to Londinium. They were chased up North, but managed to escape and even cross Hadrian's wall, where they were further harassed by native Scottish tribes. Eventually they settled in a remote glen which reminded them of the harsh highlands of Ethiopia, albeit a bit wetter! This isolated glen seemed to be forgotten by everyone, and the Africans were able to quietly establish a community, doing some basic agriculture and domesticating animals. They occasionaly ventured out to the coast and had trade contacts with the native population, their area becoming known as Glenn Affric, the glen of the Africans. For centuries this African tribe flourished in the glen, and slowly absorbed Caledonian culture and habits. Poor living conditions, diseases and generations of inbreeding however took their toll periodically, and their actual number varied between a few dozen to a few hundred. By the early 18th century, the remaining Africans showed a strong support for the Jacobite cause, which would mean their final doom, the last member of the tribe, a warrior nicknamed An Dhubh Mhor (the big black one) being killed on April 16, 1746 at the battle in Culloden, ending a rather obscure chapter of Scottish history. As they did not have a written culture, very few sources about them are known in fact.

I had arrived in Scotland a week before, planning to walk in from Glenfinnan, this was a somewhat checkered trip though that finally got me to Inverness instead! You can read the report of my first week here.

08 April 2006

I had arranged to meet the work party at Inverness station, where the familiar blue minibus arrived straight on time at 3 pm, not heading for Cannich and Glen Affric however, due to excessive snowfall, but going to Morvich instead - another large detour! Would be a nice opportunity to visit the Morvich outdoor centre again though, known from my first visit back in 1990 but since renovated. Time to get to know the other members of the group, as usual a happy bunch of people from quite different backgrounds, some coming from as far as Minnesota or British Columbia, or even from exotic places like the Wirral!

09 April 2006

Pending our eventual departure to Affric, there would be work in Kintail for the first two days. And this mostly means pathwork of course: improving a bit of the Five Sisters trail. With the condition of my foot slightly improving, I could take up most of it, concentrating on tasks which had a stationary work post, for this day mostly digging a boggy path out. The weather was extremely variable, with snow showers exchanging with sunny spells. All this on a quite steep slope with magnificent views of Loch Duich. The evening, with the days getting longer, offered the opportunity to have a short excursion to nearby Eilean Donan Castle, and a after-dinner visit to the Kintail Lodge pub for those who liked to take the walk to it. No problem with my foot then!

10 April 2006

Further work on the path, today I did spend most of the time in the burrowing pit to dig out gravel and stones with my favourite tool, the mattock. The burn, usual source for these, was way too far down from here! Bucket after bucket went out from the pit, to replace the mud dug out of the path and improve its drainage. Pathwork can be very hard, but always quite rewarding too, and there is of course the landscape and the clean air! The weather remained dry today, and the work was hard enough for all to make it a quite short day and get to bed soon.

11 April 2006

As the weather forecast made it likely we could reach Affric tomorrow, the free day was organized today with a visit to the isle of Skye: a drive along the scenic twisting road to Elgol, and a short coastal walk there. Quite wet though, just like my former visits here, anytime I come to Skye it seems to rain! The evening, pub meal at the Kintail lodge, and then getting things together for the big trip tomorrow when we will be finally Affric-bound!

12 April 2006

	The big day: underway to Glen Affric, at last! So I would eventually be walking in the way I planned! We were happy to get a lift by Landrover for the first few miles through Glen Lichd, but then it was walking on, through a magnificent landscape. We thus had to walk just five miles or so, without luggage even, which was being taken the long way round in the minibus. Underway there was the opportuntity to do some small pathwork: drainage, landscaping, waterbars. All the place was very wet, with the path often inundated, and persistent rain continuing to fall down.
	Past Camban bothy the rain worsened even, and the final arrival at Alltbeithe hostel one was very welcome to get in a dry place. One is inevitably struck by the grandeur of this place and the isolation of its location. At 20 miles from the nearest village and 10 miles from the nearest main road, this must be one of the most remote places in the country. Unlike what to expect in this season and weather, the place was well filled with passing guests. Many people seem attracted to the magic of Glen Affric, if only because of the challenge it represents just to get there.

13 April 2006

	First day of work at Affric today. The planned bridge building could not go through, the wood not being delivered! Tree planting was done instead, on an enclosed area of several hectares. Willow and birch saplings were planted on turf bases which had to be dug out. The weather turned extremely bad however, horizontal rain making everything very wet, and cold with a strong wind which meant a windchill felt like below freezing. Cold and wet, an atmosphrere to feel quite miserable indeed!
	The evening would be nicer though, gathering all around the warm stove for a traditional Scottish dinner of haggis, tatties and neeps. The latter however (with some carrots and parsnips thrown in too) were prepared the "Belgian" way: stewed in butter, which was quite tasty. The necessary whisky went with this dish too of course! Furthermore, it was one of the girls' birthday today, and she was surprised with an appropriate homemade cake, very fine too! The place may be simple, but the ambiance is great here!

14 April 2006

Second day of planting, which went much easier, the weather being much better! The area should be revisited in several years to see how they took on. Sun spells by the end of the day offered some great views and nice photo opportunities, preparing ourselves for the last evening in this wonderful place.

15 April 2006

Alas, time to go! Another four mile walk, eastwards, until the roadhead at Strawberry Cottage, and then the long drive back south to what is supposed to be the 'civilised' world! We made it, and like all Thistlecamps this was, even considering all the problems of getting there and of the weather, a very enjoyable experience! I look forward to the next one already!