What is the bog factor?

When seeking advice, soon after our arrival on Skye, we came across a term quite unfamiliar to us. A young woman in the tourist information centre was telling us about a great walk, but warned that the second half was very ‘boring’. We were surprised by her description, her thick Scottish accent made the word ‘boring’ sound like ‘booring’. She recommends a great website called walkinghighlands.co.uk and as she pulls it up on her computer screen we see a symbol which represents a bog. We then realise that she is not saying ‘boring’ but ‘boggy’.

The website is great and includes heaps of information about various walks including length, elevation, estimated time and a ranking system in terms of difficulty. The final factor mentioned is the ‘bog factor’ – the higher the number, the worse the bog.

The bog factor is simply a description of how much water and boggy ground can be expected on the walk. Surprisingly bogs can be found in unlikely places, on top of a hill, the side of a hill, at the bottom of a hill, across a seemly flat plateau. The track can be almost impassable because it is so wet and muddy and in many places gets wider and wider as walkers try to find dry ground. Often the only solution is rock hopping to avoid the mud and an unfortunate mistake sees your boot disappearing up to your ankle in the sticky mud.

The sun is shining and the northerly breeze (coming straight off the North Pole) is bracing as we set off on a clear 3º morning. The bog factor on our walk to Waternish Point is high and the going is slow. A few cobbled together bridges help, but the mud and water test our footwork often. The views are typically stunning and the ruins of ancient stone fortifications are fascinating. The lack of clear paths is quite understandable as these walks are not part of a National Park but are often nothing more than sheep tracks through working farms. In Scotland walkers have right of way through any one’s property.

Wendy has always championed the expression ‘Hard roads for hard dogs – puppies on the footpath’. In Skye it’s the soft roads that are the challenge, and there are definitely no footpaths.