Wildcamping on Ulva // Testing out our Mountain Warehouse Microlite 1400 Sleeping Bags
Awaking to a glorious day we left our designated wild camping spot behind a flock of sheep who’d come bounding into the grassy campground a few minutes before, jumping for joy at all the fresh grass to consume. Much to their dismay they were shepherded further onwards down the road with us behind them, edging closer until we emerged on the other side with no sheep casualties limping away.
Theo had chatted to a couple that morning who were also in a campervan and had stayed nearby a waterfall some miles west down the road. The single track road from Calgary Bay is a wondrous drive, skirting along the coast with plentiful islands dotting the loch and trees along the roadside casting dappled light along the way.
Drawn by the mass of cars we could see upon the horizon we turned right towards Ulva, discovering the cars we’d seen glinting in the sunlight belonged to daytime pilgrims to the non-drivable Isle of Ulva.
Spur of the moment we packed our bags, emptying the last of our water reserves into our 2L water bottles, grabbing what food we could, and locked the van up for the night. Crossing onto Ulva requires the use of a passenger ferry – a small boat carries groups of people to and from the island pretty much every day, stopping after 5pm. Pushing the ferry signal over to display the red square requesting the ferries services we watched the boat approach from the other side of the short expanse of water, laden with excited looking people.
£6 per adult gives you a return back when you’re ready. Theo and I were the only passengers heading to the island at this time, anyone else entering the island this late would be staying the night along with us and the 15 other permanent residents somewhere along the secluded land. The quiet guy maneuvering the boat pointed out a Seal bobbing along the water around 30ft away from the boat, making its way to the shore. This was most definitely a sign of things to come.
We were handed a map in the small café by a member of staff once we’d paid for our return trip. The map became an instant hit as we used it to find a route for the evening and hopefully a place for the night. Choosing the trail to Ormaig, we spent roughly 2 hours hiking along a rugged path through woodlands, fields, and across the many hills of the island. The weather was hot with a slight breeze cooling us down occasionally. It was t-shirt weather in the Scottish weather and we were extremely chuffed with the outcome. If we hadn’t grabbed the tent and chosen to wild camp today then we would have been kicking ourselves for missing out on such an epic day.
Approaching the bothy we’d spotted on the map we were sad to discover it was closed. The guide didn’t mention whether it was a working bothy or not so we had no idea it had actually been rented out to a group of people for the week. Good thing they didn’t return to the house whilst we had our faces up to the window!
The trail continued once we’d passed Ormaig and the bothy, so we carried on for another hour or so, crossing through marshland peppered with blooming Iris and the constant peel of the Oyster catchers careening overhead. A golden beach beckoned us, overlooking Mull and Ben More we settled into our new patch for the evening.
We pitched our tent directly in the centre of the grass, giving us wonderful views through the fly screen. A light breeze ensured no midges could harass us as we spent the evening taking photos, cooking a simple meal, and watching the 10 or so seals who’d followed the two canoeists into the bay behind some rocks next to our beach.
We’d brought along our new Mountain Warehouse Microlite 1400 sleeping bags - sent to us when we arrived back in the UK to test out on our new wild camping adventures. We’d already been using the cosy sleeping bags in lieu of our extra duvet in the van, they seemed sensible as they inevitably provide better heat retention in colder climates (something we’re used to by now).
This was our second time trying them out in the wild, and once again we were happy with the result. The night was cool, with a constant breeze wafting through the ventilation in the tent; whilst we were cocooned in our microfibre insulated sleeping bags we didn’t feel a thing. We’d decided to test these out as they’re a season 4 bag, ensuring protection against temperatures as low as -21°C, and we wanted to make sure we’d be more than warm enough in the Scottish wilderness. We needn’t have worried; they kept us snug and toasty all night, especially with a multi cord system around the hood - cold air was kept out whilst warm air was trapped in.
Season 4 sleeping bags are never going to pack down small, and with a synthetic filling they’re not going to fit in the palm of your hand once stuffed into their compression sack (20cm x 44cm). Fitting within our medium sized packs (I carry a LoweAlpine Cholatse II 60 litre, whilst Theo carries a LowePro Rover 45 litre bag), there is still enough room for Theo to carry all his camera gear, clothing, and other camping equipment, whilst I carry the food, cooking equipment, and other camping equipment too.
Having sleeping bags gives us the freedom to move away from the van now and again, something we couldn’t do last year which we longed for on more than one occasion.
It was a long evening for Theo as sunset was a stunner. The light breeze had turned into more of a persistent chilly gust which made the option of staying wrapped up warmly in bed reading my kindle much more enjoyable than trying to hang around outside to watch the sunset.
