Journey for Wildness: Heather Graham

Before the end of her year-long internship, Development and Communications Intern Heather Graham embarked on an epic one-week journey to visit all properties owned or managed by the John Muir Trust. Here are some of her reminiscences.

Why are you doing it? Who inspired you?

As the end of my internship inched closer, I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion and ‘go out with a bang’. And thought, what better way to celebrate the incredible work of the John Muir Trust than to make a visit to each of the wild places we looked after during my time here.

What was your experience – tell us about the fun bits, and the challenges?

After mapping out the best route between each property and packing up our little hired campervan with a plethora of pasta, snacks and plenty water – we started our journey northbound (from Edinburgh).

Unfortunately, at Inverness, we realised that one of the van’s headlights was broken which put quite the spanner in our plans as it meant our driving time was limited to daylight hours. So the next morning, we made up good time and arrived to a very windy Sandwood Bay. We were lulled into a false sense of security by a fairly easy walk from Blairmore car park along the moorland track. But after a brief dip of our feet in the Atlantic Ocean, the weather became much wilder, and we headed back against 60mph winds, at which point I genuinely questioned whether it was safe for two fair weather walkers and a small Spanish street dog to be here.

The next morning, at the base of the magnificent Quinag, although sunnier, Storm Kathleen continued to rage around us, so we just took a very short wander around the base of Quinag where we admired the variety of moss and lichen species blanketing the undergrowth and peered into the small pools of water that dotted the peatland to search for frogs and newts. We even managed a brief glimpse of the gorgeous landscape around us.

Next we took the scenic coastal route down to Skye where the views were spectacular and we arrived at the base of Bla Bheinn in time to catch the most gorgeous sunset over the mountains. The next morning we walked along Allt na Dunaiche up to the waterfall. I wasn’t sure about the prophesised magical properties of good luck and eternal beauty of this particular river, but I felt compelled to splash my face with the crisp water, just in case.

After Mallaig, we took a little boat across the water to Knoydart and made our way straight to the bunkhouse to settle in. The wood burning stove, a hot cup of tea and a warm shower followed by dinner at the ‘most remote pub in Scotland’ were pure luxury after the few wild days we’d had on the road so far.

Early next morning, we packed up our bags and readied ourselves for the hike across to the other side of the peninsula. Despite the sunshine, we managed to take a number of wrong turns in the woodland and got slightly lost across the wet heath, but we eventually found ourselves on the right track and reached the end of the valley where we marvelled at the view down into the valley, surrounded by Ladhar Bheinn and Coire Dhorrcail. Being completely in the wild with no roads, paths, cars, pylons, or other humans for as far as the eye could see was something truly peaceful and awe inspiring.

Next stop: Glen Nevis, after spotting a number of magnificent red deer along the way. With only two days left and four wild places to go, we started our day at Steall Gorge early the next morning. After a very picturesque walk over and down through the rocky mountainside with gorgeous views back up the glen, we made it to the open grassy meadow and could see the impressive waterfall cascading in the distance.

At the Braes of Foss Loop car park, our legs felt very grateful for the easy walk around the base of the stunning Schiehallion. I reminisced about the previous time I visited and admired the hard work of all the partner organisations to restore the areas of mountain woodland here.

Our last day brought with it a burst of summer sunshine which filled the morning with enthusiasm and energy to complete our epic travels. A brief wander up Glenlude Hill brought us a lovely view of the valley where we could see all the new trees that had been planted the previous day by a wonderful bunch of volunteers. Seeing the success of this community engagement was very special and reminded me of how vitally important it is.

Driving down the motorway the sun started to shine once more giving us a false sense of hope that we might end our adventure with a dry walk, but on arrival we found ourselves in a damp and overcast Helvellyn. Although no longer one of our properties, it was kept on the planned route as it had been in the Trust’s care when I started my role a year ago, and I was keen to see our legacy in person. Our first attempted walk was cut unexpectedly short when the path suddenly submerged into the water, and I was brutally reminded of the article I wrote last summer about how common flooding is, here in the Lake District. Just as we reached the safety of the van the heavens opened to release a huge rainstorm, bringing our adventure to an end.

What was the highlight?

Our unexpected overnight stay in Maillaig: when we discovered that one of our van tyres was very flat while on the ferry to Mallaig, we were resigned to our fate, embraced the unusually sunny evening and treated ourselves to some fish and chips and headed to a nearby beach. After all was patched up the following morning, we found ourselves with a couple hours before the next ferry so had a poke around the shops and a hearty Cullen Skink before heading down to the harbour.

Did you learn anything/have any revelations about nature, others, yourself, anything?

On arriving back home the rain cleared up and the sun began to blaze down, creating a beautiful rainbow arching over my house and I couldn’t help but feel that mother nature was praising us for our resilience and determination to complete our feat. After unpacking the van, loading the washing machine with many pairs of damp socks and cooking up the biggest pot of macaroni cheese, I relaxed into my home comforts and felt truly in awe of all the wild places I managed to visit.

I feel humbled that not only did I have the great privilege to go and visit all these incredible places, but also to have contributed in my own small way over the last twelve months to the work that goes into caring for them. It is a bittersweet feeling to know that my time with the Trust is coming to its conclusion, but I am eternally grateful for all the experiences I have had and know I move forward with pride, knowledge and strength and that I will cherish these memories for many, many years to come.

• Inspired? Why not plan your own Journey for Wildness? 
• You can read Heather's full story about her Journey here.

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean..." John Muir quoted by Samuel Hall Young in Alaska Days with John Muir (1915)

The route