The sun always shines on the Sutherland Trail

I fear that the title of this Collection might be somewhat misleading as, for one blissful week in April 2023, we had a rain-free, midge-free 93-mile (150 km) trek across Northwest Scotland. The only thing rarer than that up here is a sighting of the Loch Ness monster!

I first heard about the Sutherland Trail on the Long Distance Walkers Association website. It appeared to be the most northerly trail on mainland Scotland and that's what initially made it stand out to me. I wasn't able to find a great deal of information about it online, so I bought a copy of ‘the Sutherland Trail’ by Cameron McNeish and Richard Else. I learned that the trail is actually quite new and was designed by Cameron and Richard in 2009 when they produced both a documentary and a book about the area. Their aim was to show that the 'Empty Lands' of Sutherland were in fact anything but, that the land was teeming with life – human and natural – rich in history and with plenty of stories to tell.

The walk starts in Lochinver, a small fishing village north of Ullapool on Scotland's northwest coast, and ends at the coastal village of Tongue, in North Sutherland. The route gives you the flexibility of adding in ascents of iconic mountains along the way to suit the time you have available and whatever the weather allows. Without any summits, the route is 67 miles (108 km) long but it could be up to 109 miles (175 km) in length with the potential mountainous detours.

These include Suilven, at 2,398 feet (731 m); Canisp, at 2,779 feet (847 m), Foinaven, at 2,989 feet (911 m); Arkle, at 2,582 feet (787 m); Meall Horn, at 2,549 feet (777 m); Ben Hope, at 3,041 feet (946 m); and Ben Loyal at 2,507 feet (764 m).

You'll see that we built a few of these into our hike. Suilven turned out to be one of the best mountain experiences of my life. There's nothing quite like it anywhere in the UK, rising up from the ground so dramatically and recognisable for miles around, this place is ever so special.

Foinaven and its long ridge of quartzite pinnacles is a worthy 'out and back'. The sense of achievement scrambling up this remote mountain is huge.

Ending the trip with a sunset on Ben Loyal overlooking Orkney was also a moment I'll never forget. These three mountains added complexity to the walk, including some tough pathless walking over loose ground, but they were totally worth it.

This is one of the most committing walks I've ever undertaken, as we passed very few amenities along the way. It's a great way to get that feeling of self-sufficiency and a real sense of remoteness, of being out there. What makes the walk quite unique is the requirement for logistical creativity. If you're unable to leave cars at the start and finish of the route, taking a punt on hitch hikes totalling around 84 miles (135 km) is your only option.

Back in the day, there was the concept of post buses, a tradition which died out after 50 years of Royal Mail posties carrying travellers, locals, cyclists and dogs across northern Scotland on their daily rounds. By 1993 there were 140 post buses across Scotland, which carried 80,000 passengers a year. But, by 2017, demand had decreased and the last Postbus retired. We hitchhiked three times during our challenge, each of which took about an hour and approximately 15 vehicles passed us by before each successful hitch. We considered this to be very good going for such a remote area.

Our first hitch hike took us 13 miles (21 km) from Inchnadamph to Lochinver, courtesy of a Dutch couple travelling the NC500 in a motorhome. The second took us from Tongue to Lairg, a journey of 38 miles (61 km). This was provided by a local couple in a motorhome heading home after dropping their son off at work. Last was the 33 miles (53 km) from Lairg to Inchnadamph, completed thanks to a local couple in a small hatchback heading west for a weekend away.

Late April was a great time to undertake this walk as we didn't have to contend with midges. The ticks were out in force though, so tick removal tweezers are an essential item in your first aid kit. The wind was a mere whisper on Suilven and Ben Loyal, which was such a treat. It was much stronger on Foinaven and we'd have probably needed to retreat had it been any more ferocious.

All in all, this was one of the most fulfilling trails of my life and I vow to return to hike Arkle and Canisp one day in the future – plus Stac Pollaidh and Cul Mor, two other Sutherland icons.