Last night was the perfect last night for our trip. We truly were blessed to have such ideal conditions as we watched the sunset and reflected on our trip and our time here in Scotland. We woke early and were packed up and on the trail for the last time at 7:00. I am not sure if it was the adrenaline, or just a dire need for a shower, but what we thought might take 4.5 - 5 hours ended up only taking 3.5 hours. I didn’t look back but there may have been a vapour trail behind us. We started with sunny and blue skies, but by the time we got to Cape Wrath it had been snowing and raining and blowing for over an hour.
I had booked us on the 2:15 shuttle to the Kyle of Durness ferry, but since we were there so early, and there was room, we jumped on the 11:15 shuttle. We noticed that the four hikers were all put on one shuttle, and all of the civilized and nice-smelling people went on the other shuttle. That was probably a wise business decision! As we drove along, one of the other hikers mentioned that it was a 5 km walk from the ferry into Durness. Wait! What???? I had not planned on this, and so it was a bit of a punch in the gut. So we toughed it out one last time, with waterproofs on, and six kilometres later we were really done.
We have since showered, relaxed, ate (I had haggis), relaxed again, and are now getting ready for bed. We are off to Fort William tomorrow to hand the camping gear over to Mandy and Kirsten who are starting their big crossing on Friday. Ben and I are are very excited to see them and give them the best send-off we can!
(Here comes the sappy part) How do I feel:
Rounding the corner and seeing the Cape Wrath lighthouse with my own eyes was a little emotional. Ben and I started this adventure four years ago when he was only 15 years old. To finish it with him today was very special for me, and something I will always treasure.
I also feel like I have accomplished something significant. To look at a map of Scotland and say that I have walked from the southern border, to the northernmost tip with my son, and from the west coast to the east coast with my wife makes me very proud - of them and of myself.
As mentioned in a previous post I also feel relieved. Waking this much is strenuous work. Being in charge of all of the logistics can be stressful. Waking up outside in the morning to rain or cold or snow isn’t the greatest way to start the day. To say I am not looking forward to regaining some of the creature comforts of normal life would be a lie. I can’t wait to get my slippers on, and sit beside our fireplace with a tea and milk. (I also can’t wait for one of Sammy’s world famous omelettes!)
Birdman update - Birdman walked up to Cape Wrath about twenty minutes before the 11:15 bus was leaving. We had an enjoyable ride to Durness and discussed our camp spots from last night, the big sea eagle we both saw, and more hiking stories and plans he has. He pitched up at the campsite in Durness, and will be on the same bus with us tomorrow morning as he starts heading back to his place in Southampton to start planning his next trip - likely to Australia for three long distance hikes, one of them quite challenging in the Australian outback. It has been a real pleasure getting to know Birdman a little, and he may have pushed me over the edge to start bird watching, which is something I have been considering the past few months. Thank you Birdman!
Route notes - We followed the SNT/CWT route without any deviations.
(Here comes the sappy part) How do I feel:
Rounding the corner and seeing the Cape Wrath lighthouse with my own eyes was a little emotional. Ben and I started this adventure four years ago when he was only 15 years old. To finish it with him today was very special for me, and something I will always treasure.
I also feel like I have accomplished something significant. To look at a map of Scotland and say that I have walked from the southern border, to the northernmost tip with my son, and from the west coast to the east coast with my wife makes me very proud - of them and of myself.
As mentioned in a previous post I also feel relieved. Waking this much is strenuous work. Being in charge of all of the logistics can be stressful. Waking up outside in the morning to rain or cold or snow isn’t the greatest way to start the day. To say I am not looking forward to regaining some of the creature comforts of normal life would be a lie. I can’t wait to get my slippers on, and sit beside our fireplace with a tea and milk. (I also can’t wait for one of Sammy’s world famous omelettes!)
What/who am I thankful for:
Zach Zanon for walking for 18 straight days on one of his first big hiking trips, and for keeping us thoroughly entertained with conversation, antics, and tick mishaps. We couldn’t have done the trip without you, Zach!!
Ben for wanting to come back and finish what we started, and for toughing out a strained Achilles early in the trip.
Birdman, Wouter, and all the other crazy hikers who walked and talked with us, helped us with navigation, and kept us occupied on long hard days.
The Scotts for being kind, curious, witty, and helpful as always. I would especially like to thank Moira, Joyce, Anne, and Martin (The Aberdeen Gang) for the unbelievable sendoff on Day 1, and Paul, Howard, and Nigel (The Melgarve Bothy Crew) for their humourous and thoughtful encouragement as we made our way. BTW, I did not find Nigel’s drawers that were cut off himself for chaffing reasons without even stopping, but I did notice they have posted a sign to warn others:
Ben for wanting to come back and finish what we started, and for toughing out a strained Achilles early in the trip.
Birdman, Wouter, and all the other crazy hikers who walked and talked with us, helped us with navigation, and kept us occupied on long hard days.
The Scotts for being kind, curious, witty, and helpful as always. I would especially like to thank Moira, Joyce, Anne, and Martin (The Aberdeen Gang) for the unbelievable sendoff on Day 1, and Paul, Howard, and Nigel (The Melgarve Bothy Crew) for their humourous and thoughtful encouragement as we made our way. BTW, I did not find Nigel’s drawers that were cut off himself for chaffing reasons without even stopping, but I did notice they have posted a sign to warn others:
Mandy Pandy for supporting us through all of the planning, and execution. It was so nice to get messages and the odd FaceTime chats along the way. Our trip was much easier knowing you were always thinking and worrying about us.
Everybody who read this. Blogger lets me know how many people are viewing these posts. I was overwhelmed with the interest, and really want to thank people for taking the time to read them. It truly helped me knowing people were keeping us in their thoughts. Thank you, everybody!!! For those that left comments, I tried to respond to all of you, but have had no success. I am sorry I couldn’t reply.
So, this is it. We are off to Fort William tomorrow, and Edinburgh the next day for a few days. There may be some walking but I suspect it will be much less strenuous. Thanks again everybody for all of the support and time spent reading these posts. I hope it was interesting or entertaining, and as I am sure you all know, if you ever want to talk about Scotland, or hiking, or hiking in Scotland, I am always more than willing to!! Good night!
So, this is it. We are off to Fort William tomorrow, and Edinburgh the next day for a few days. There may be some walking but I suspect it will be much less strenuous. Thanks again everybody for all of the support and time spent reading these posts. I hope it was interesting or entertaining, and as I am sure you all know, if you ever want to talk about Scotland, or hiking, or hiking in Scotland, I am always more than willing to!! Good night!
Birdman update - Birdman walked up to Cape Wrath about twenty minutes before the 11:15 bus was leaving. We had an enjoyable ride to Durness and discussed our camp spots from last night, the big sea eagle we both saw, and more hiking stories and plans he has. He pitched up at the campsite in Durness, and will be on the same bus with us tomorrow morning as he starts heading back to his place in Southampton to start planning his next trip - likely to Australia for three long distance hikes, one of them quite challenging in the Australian outback. It has been a real pleasure getting to know Birdman a little, and he may have pushed me over the edge to start bird watching, which is something I have been considering the past few months. Thank you Birdman!
Route notes - We followed the SNT/CWT route without any deviations.