Day 10 - Allt a’ Chonais to Kinlochewe

Today’s walk went unbelievably fast, probably due to our anticipation of showers and a hot bar meal at the end of the day.

On The Way Up To Coulin Pass

We made it to Kinlochewe by 13:30 including a couple of breaks and one lunch stop. It took us an hour before we could get into the bunkhouse, so we just relaxed on the sidewalk with a snack and a cold pop. Since then we’ve showered, done some laundry, caught up with friends and family, bought food for the next three days, and charged electronics. We are now laying in our bunks waiting for our dinner reservation at 18:30. We are all starving!!

Back from dinner now (details below). There are five other hikers in two groups in the bunkhouse now. We’ve had some nice conversations. It seems we are all headed the same way, although neither group has the same end goal in mind this trip. It is a little reassuring to know that we are not alone out there. As Ben put it, “It feels good to know that there are other people going through the same hell we are.” Hahaha!!!
That’s about it for tonight.  I had two good FaceTimes with Mandy and the cats, and our good friend TT popped in which was a great surprise.  It was so nice to see some familiar faces.  We have breakfast scheduled at 8:30 tomorrow so it will be a late start. Next post in three days if everything goes well. Good night everybody!!

Health update: The legs seemed to be working fine today, despite all of the climbing yesterday. Getting our packs off so early today will help our bodies also.

What we will probably order for dinner tonight:
Zach - Steak pie
Ben - Mac and cheese
JM - Fish and chips

What we actually ordered:
Zach - Prime steak and onion burger
Ben - Fresh haddock (not battered) with chips and peas
JM - Same

We justified dessert also!!:
Zach - Ice cream - 2 scoops strawberry, 1 vanilla
Ben - Creamy triple white chocolate cheesecake
JM - Sticky toffee pudding

We are stuffed now!!

What we will probably be dreaming about tonight:
Zach - Big Macs
Ben - Sleeping in
JM - Slippers and tea by the fireplace at home

Route details - We left our campsite beside Allt a’ Chonais and followed the track north to Craig. We took the A890 west for about a kilometre to the sign marking the old pony track to Coulin Pass. We followed this to Coulin then took the hydroelectric scheme road from Torran cuillin. This brought us over to the A896 at NH 018 593. We walked the A896 for three kilometres to Kinlochewe. We are staying in the bunkhouse at the hotel.

Day 9 - Iron Lodge to Allt a’ Chonais

By consensus this was one of our most strenuous days. We got out of camp at Iron Lodge a little later than normal (8:30), and did not get to our current location until 18:30. I’m usually in bed by then!!!! Our longer day was partly due to trying to take more breaks, but mostly due to over 1000 m of ascent.
We started with a climb from Iron Lodge over to Maol-bhuidhe. Maol-bhuidhe is a bothy. For those that have not heard of bothies, they are remote buildings in the Scottish wilderness that provide shelter to hikers that go by. They are all more or less in the middle of nowhere. Some are maintained, some are not. They all have the potential to provide for a unique hiking experience, especially when you happen to meet up with other hikers. Amanda and I had an amazing experience in a bothy when we were here in 2017, and met some people that we are still in touch with. The boys and I took a break at the bothy, looked around inside, and signed the guest book. Ben commented on how awesome it would have been to sleep there, and I fully agreed. But we had to press on.
From the bothy we had our first bushwhack of the day which led us to our beach lunch beside Loch Calavie. This loch (thank you Joyce!) is about two kilometres long, surrounded on three sides by mountains including Beinn Dronaig. We all laughed again because we were wondering why people bother going to Mexico or the Mediterranean to get away from cold, dreary weather, when you can just go to Scotland in April. I know I will eat those words before we finish this trip... It was a very peaceful and relaxing lunch of macaroni and mashed potatoes.

Looking Way Back to Lunch Spot

After lunch we walked along the lake and dropped into the glen by Bendeonaig Lodge to start our 6 km hike up to Bealach Bhernais. It was a real grind, but when we made it to the top, we were truly rewarded. With munros surrounding us, we sat at the top of the pass in the sun looking down to the valley so far below us. Again, we wondered how many people get to experience a spot like that, in those favourable weather conditions. I don’t think it happens that often. We were very fortunate.

View From Bealach Bhernais

After this amazing break, we packed up and began descending to the valley floor. We quickly gave up every meter of elevation we had just fought for. The last few kilometres were tough, but we found another beautiful, solitary spot to pitch up. We are camped beside the Allt a’ Chonais, a small stream that will provide us the same soundtrack as all of our previous nights.
We are all excited to walk into Kinlochewe tomorrow where we are staying at a bunkhouse. We will have showers and flushing toilets. We will also be able to resupply for the next three-day stint. We will also likely get a pub meal at the hotel. Can’t wait!!
That’s all for tonight. It’s getting chilly again, and I am starting to yawn. Thanks for reading again. Good night!!

Route details - From Iron Lodge we took the trail heading north over to Maol Bhuidhe bothy. From the bothy we bushwhacked over the east end of Beinn Dronaig to the east side of Loch Calavia, where we picked up the trail. We followed this toward Bendronaig Lodge by turned north over the bridge just before reaching it. We followed this trail north then north-east until it petered out, then bushwhacked to the top of Beallach Bearnais. The path on the other side was easy to find. We followed it down to our camping spot beside the Allt a’ Chonais near NH 072 475.

Day 8 - Cluanie to Iron Lodge

As mentioned in the previous post we got a head start on today by doing the first 7 km last night. Good thing we did too, because 29 km today might have been rough.
We woke to a cool overcast morning. There had been a few light sprinkles last night but our pack-up this morning was dry. We started with an easy downhill bushwhack into Glen Affric at the Alltbeithe hostel/bothy. The boys were game for a quick river crossing across River Affric to shave off a little distance, which we were able to do relatively incident free - one of my boots slipped in but I didn’t get a soaker. At this point the clouds started to break up and we got some more of that Scottish sunshine that has been so kind to us this trip. We were joking tonight that we are so tanned that we are going to have to make sure to share our pictures with everybody in order to make sure they know we weren’t actually in Hawaii or the Bahamas!!

Carnach

The four or so kilometres off-track up Gleann Gaorsaic were surprisingly kind to us and before we knew it we only had the steep descent into Strath Duilleach and a couple more kilometres up the track to Iron Lodge where we are pitched up tonight. The view of the buildings at Carnach and Loch na Leitrich as we descended into the glen were very picturesque in the sunshine.
Our tents are set up underneath a huge maple tree tonight - three Canadians camping under a maple seems appropriate I think! There must be several dozen bees hard at work in the tree as it sounds like a bee hive down below in our tents. The flowers on the tree must be good because nobody has bothered with us since we arrived.

Maple Tree!!!

After dinner we went down to the river and had a good face and hand wash. It felt very refreshing. After that we walked up to a waterfall nearby, before coming back and having dessert and a hot beverage. It was a very nice wind-down for the night!

Today was interesting in that there was very little conversation during the walking. Things picked up at dinner, but it was very quiet during the day. I don’t think anybody minded, but it was just different than the rest of the week.
We did some more reflecting on the trip today and agree that 450 km in 18 days was ambitious. If I were to plan it again I would do it in two trips with a little more flexibility than this time. Live and learn, I guess. Next time we won’t make the same mistakes.
Feels like it might be chilly tonight. I’ve got everything I need either on me or keeping warm in my sleeping bag. I’m off to the loo one more time and will be bundled up for the night by 20:00. Not bad!! Thanks for reading, and good night everybody!

Health update - Blister situation is very positive right now. Legs are feeling decent all around. Ben is still struggling with his sore achilles, but was leading the way over the last few kilometres today. I will be keeping my eye on it and decide if we need another rest day when we get to Kinlochewe.

Best camp meal so far:
Zach - Ham and cheese buns with tomato soup
Ben - Same
JM - Same

Favourite hiking snack so far:
Zach - Fruit pastilles
Ben - Double Decker chocolate bar
JM - HobNobs at tea time

Route details:
We deviated from the SNT as per plan today. Once we got to Glen Affric we headed north through Gleann Gaorsaic. We picked up a trail at NH 033 247 and followed it as it descended into Strath Duilleach near Loch na Leitreach. We followed the glen NE and are wild camping beside Iron Lodge at NH 043 293.

Day 7 - Loch Garry to Cluanie

We got back on the trail today after our rest day yesterday. After a very delicious and filling breakfast at the Bank House B&B we did a little sight-seeing around Fort Augustus. We walked down to the head (or foot depending on how you look at it) of Loch Ness. It was very cool to see it in person, and we snapped a few photos. After looking around, and sitting around, for a few hours we finally caught the 14:00 bus to Cluanie, where we were supposed to end today. The drive only took about an hour but the scenery was spectacular. The road seemed treacherous, especially in a big bus! The driver was a professional though and was clearly used to this, and delivered us safely to our bus stop literally in the middle of nowhere. We had decided yesterday to walk 4-5 km along our route for tomorrow in order to make tomorrow a little less demanding. It actually felt great to have the packs back on. After about 1.5 km back along the road we headed north and were on our own again five minutes later. The conversations started up immediately and we seemed to get back into our normal groove. We had a very nice walk up An Caorann Mòr. I have no idea what that means, but if I had to guess it might be something like “Beautiful Solitary Hike Up Glen With Spectacular Mountains on Either Side”.

How to get your coat on without taking your pack off!

After passing what seemed like a dozen perfect camp spots we decided it was time to pitch up, and of course couldn’t find anything suitable. After an other half-hour of searching, and a couple of kms later we found something dry and flat beside a babbling stream, which seems to be a requirement for our personal preferences now. Our spot is about three kilometres from a place Mandy and I camped in 2017, as our routes are about to intersect for one last time on this trip. I remember that day in 2017 as being one which Mandy had to drag me along to finish. It was also the day we discovered crème brûlée thanks to our very good friend TT - this was an event that changed our lives forever!! We are probably 7-8 kilometres into tomorrow’s walk now, which helps set us up for success.

Tomato Soup and Ham and Cheese Buns

I have had time to reflect these past two days and have made a few observations:

Not starting with some shorter days was a mistake - we should have not been so ambitious right off the hop.
The 29 km mostly road day was a mistake - we should have broke it up or looked for an alternative route.
We have not been breaking enough, and we have been walking at too fast a pace. I need to remember that this is not a competition, and we are not in a race.
Hopefully we turn a new page over the next few days, stay a little more healthy, and have a bit more success.
A good family friend of ours wrote me some good advice before we left. He told me to go and expect that everything will work out, and that when it doesn’t just to deal with it. His advice was very helpful the last couple of days, and I will be sure to thank him when I get home.
I think our morale is up tonight as we are laying in our tents reading and writing blogs. We had tomato soup and ham and cheese buns for dinner tonight, with hot chocolate for dessert - how could we not be happy???
That’s it for today. Time to visit the restroom, and then call it a day. Thanks for reading everybody. Night-night!

Best meal from civilization the last few days:
Zach - Fish and chips at the Lock Inn with a pint of Bellhaven Best
Ben - Had three good ones and can’t decide: fish and chips st the Lock Inn, baked haddock filet in Fort William, and steak pie with potatoes and veggies at the Lock Inn again
JM - I also had steak pie, which I enjoyed, but all of those cooked veggies were extra-delicious!

Route notes: We were to follow the SNT official route between Fort Augustus and Cluanie on Days 6 and 7.

Rest Day Photos

These are just a few pictures we took on our rest day today.

In Fort William

Ben Nevis

Bank House B&B Room

Day 5 - Garva Bridge to Fort Augustus

We made it to Fort Augustus yesterday at about 16:30. I was too tired and full to write an entry last night so I am doing it today instead.
We woke up yesterday morning to some very light drizzle. It looked like it might get worse but fortunately it stopped and we were able to pack up in relatively good conditions. We were pretty excited at the prospect of having a pub meal that night, but we were a little down after a tough day the day before. The road walking really took a toll on us. After a slow start we hit a bit of a groove through to Melgarve bothy. We stopped for a look and there were two gentlemen from Glasgow just getting their day started - Nick and Grant. Nick was having a very hard time getting Grant to wake up, so he was happy we were there to make some noise. Grant finally came down about 30 minutes later and couldn’t understand why we had all gotten up so early - it was already 10:15 at that point. Haha! We all had a great chat. They were in the area doing some climbing. We talked about tourism, the wind farms and hydro schemes, and somehow even Donald Trump - not the Scotts’ favourite person in the world! It was a nice break, and I appreciated getting their view on different things. After we left the bothy we started the climb over the Corrieyairack Pass, something Amanda and I did in a raging storm in 2017. This time it was sunny with clouds and a little wind. We had some tremendous views on the way up and down, and stopped for lunch about 15 minutes after we started the descent.

On The Way Down From Corrieyairack

The next nice bit was at the bottom along General Wade’s Military Road in the Culachy Forests. The trees were very unique and it was very beautiful.

Optical Illusion??

Our first view of Fort Augustus was exciting. We could almost taste the fish and chips!! It ended up being quite a bit further than we thought, but we finally walked into town around 16:30 and found our B&B for the night. The first showers after five days in the bush felt sooo good, and the fish and chips at the Lock Inn were well worth all of the hard work.

At The Locks After Dinner

We had a strategy session at dinner, and made some tough decisions. I am not ashamed to say that Scotland has gotten the better of us in this first five days of walking. As a result, we decided to try and get some healing in and skip the Fort Augustus to Cluanie leg. We are going to rejoin our route tomorrow afternoon where we would have been and see how we do the following three days before we hit civilization again. We took a bus to Fort William today to look for some new hiking shoes for Ben, in addition to a few other supplies. The rest is doing us some good I am sure, both physically and mentally. It was also cool to get to see Ben Nevis. We also re-evaluated our daily routine and have agreed to focus on a few more regular breaks with snacks throughout the hikes. Wish us luck. I hope that I have some good news to report in four days when we get a signal again.
I think that gets us back up to date. As always, I really appreciate the support we are getting from everybody reading the blog. Thank you all so much!! I’m off to bed now. Good night!

Route Details - The route was very straight-forward today. We continued West from Garva Bridge, past Melgarve bothy, and over the Corrieyairack Pass. From the North side of the pass we stayed on the General Wade’s Military road all the way to Fort Augustus passing through the burial ground on the way into town.

Day 4 - Glen Tromie to Garva Bridge

We finished Day 4 with good spirits but slightly broken bodies. Zach seems to be getting stronger by the day. We definitely held him back this morning as he practically sprinted across the first few kilometres of Scottish bog. Ben and I, on the other hand, have seen our feet slowly deteriorate. Ben is dealing with two uncooperative blisters, and today I have developed a second one on my other foot. It has been tough getting around camp tonight but I am hopeful that we will get some good healing as we sleep.

We did 29 kilometres today and were helped along by a couple of strokes of good luck. Firstly we were able to make brief contact with the outside world as we walked through a few lightly populated areas. It was so good to hear from home and get a few encouraging words - thank you Mandy Pandy! Our second bit of luck came when we passed the coffee, cake, and gift shop that I mentioned yesterday, and it was open. We really really enjoyed the rest and the food: three sandwich buns, three cans of Coca Cola, and three pieces of cake (Zach - coffee cake, Ben - chocolate cake, JM - carrot cake). Soooooo good!!

What a Treat!

With renewed energy we hit the road for the last 10 km of the day. The boys got into a good discussion and I got into my own zone, and we arrived at camp at about 17:15. Dinner was maybe our best yet - One package of Dahl Delight (a rice with curry sauce), and one package of chicken piccata with noodles and capers. Mmmmm good!!!!

We are set up at Garva Bridge beside River Spey. It is a great spot beside a double arched stone bridge at the beginning of the approach to the Corrieyairack Pass. When Amanda and I came over the pass the other way a couple of years ago, it was in some of the worst weather I’ve ever been outside in. I have my fingers crossed that we are more lucky tomorrow... We will see.

Garva Bridge

Today was another short and T-shirt day, although much cooler towards the end. We had sun in the morning followed up by some more ominous looking overcast in the afternoon and this evening. I would say we have a 50/50 chance of some rain tonight, which would be the first precipitation of the trip.
Zach commented today how he was amazed at all the different geographies we have seen already and after listening to him I agree. Rural/agricultural, mountainous, plains/moors, lush vegetation (Glen Feshie), back to hilly agricultural, and now back to mountainous. It is pretty remarkable to have seen this all in just four days.
We are all looking forward to tomorrow - our first day in an accommodation. Yay!!! Hot showers, laundry, and fish and chips will all be on the menu. And of course we will be searching for Nessie!! Provided our feet cooperate, we should make good time there. I think the boys are very excited. I am too!
It’s 8:15 and we are in our tents. We are too tired and it’s too cold for dice. I can hear the boys laughing in their tent but I suspect it will get quiet pretty soon. I’m about to go brush teeth and then try to get some sleep. Thanks again for reading. Good night!

Health update - see above

Best part of the day - no question the lunch stop. The lady in the shop was so nice. The food tasted amazing. It was the best!

Route details - We headed NW from our campsite at NN 752 922 to pick up a path at NN 739 936. We followed this path to General Wade’s Military road, and headed SW from there. At the buildings marked Phones we followed a small road NW to an electrical utility building then bushwhacked down the hill and across the A9 to the Glentruim Road. At Catlodge we followed the A889 towards Laggan. Veer off onto the private road at NN 605 936. We then rejoined General Wade’s Military road and continued East towards Garvamore. We are now wild camping beside Garva Bridge at NN 521 948. We will be rejoining the SNT route tomorrow at Fort Augustus.

Day 3 - Geldie Burn to Glen Tromie

Day 3 - Geldie Burn to Glen Tromie
Note: Will tidy up and add pictures tomorrow when we have wifi.

I think we are getting into a bit of a groove. It’s 17:45 and we are already in our tents, dinner, freezing river shower, dessert, and hot beverage finished. Zach is repeatedly surprised at how early we are getting things done. I think it’s because he is having a tough time sleeping at night and doesn’t want to go to bed too early. I am having a bit of the same issue. Last night was better, but I’m sure I checked my watch five times. Once I checked it and it said 2:30 and I was relieved at how long I had gone without waking up, then I did a double-check and it actually said 23:01. Dang it!!! Ben is sleeping like a baby, no night sweating, and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about...
We had another super walk today. A little sun behind us in the morning, then high overcast in the afternoon. We were in shorts and t-shirt all day again.

On Way to Glen Feshie

Today was fun for me as I am now retracing some of my TGOC 2017 steps in reverse order. I had some fond memories of Paul, Nigel, and Howard on Glen Feshie day as we walked into the Glen today and stopped for lunch. I think they may have saved my marriage that day, as they provided some comic relief and calming words to Amanda and I after a particularly challenging day. Thanks again guys!!
We started the long climb out of Glen Feshie and over towards Glen Tromie after lunch. It was good training for days yet to come, and as always with this trip the conversations made it go by fast. Today there was a lot of focus on superhero movies, followed by some ranking exercises (see below).
We are pitched up beside River Tromie tonight. We had our best dinner yet (Kung Pao chicken with a side of powdered mashed potatoes), and topped it off with apple crisp and tea/hot chocolate. We call it Hike Trip Fusion. The upside of so much walking is that you can eat just about everything you can get your hands on!! Being camped by the Tromie tonight made me think of my good friend Mark (Mr. Dungpile), because we have recently been working on a bottle of Spey whiskey, which I believe is made with water from the Tromie. If I had any, I’d have a wee dram for us tonight, but I don’t...
Tomorrow we might briefly get some service so we are excited to check in with family and friends. We are also excited to stop in for a treat at a little tea and craft place Amanda and I had stopped in last time. I’m pretty sure I will get carrot cake again if it’s available!! We might need it as tomorrow is our longest day of the trip 29 km. The upside is that it will be relatively flat, the downside is that there is a fair amount of road/tarmac.
I think that’s it for tonight. Thanks again for checking in, and I hope you are enjoying the blog. Good night!!

Pitched Up Beside River Tromie

UPDATE - As of tonight we are all on our second pair of underwear. I won’t say who held out the longest, but I will say it was a close race! That might have been too much info, but I think we are a little delirious from the fatigue...

SECOND UPDATE - I forgot to mention to Joyce that the boys finished off their rainy day pick-me-ups yesterday (Day 2, on one of the sunniest days ever in Scotland). It was so good, that they could not resist. I haven’t opened mine yet, but I do owe Ben one square when I do because he shared one of his last ones with me. It was sooooo good! Thanks again for a great treat, Joyce!!

FINAL UPDATE - We just finished two games of dice. Zach won easily on the first one. Ben won the second one with one of the highest scores I’ve seen (14,450) due to the dice being passed around at least five times. Overall dice score is one to one to one now.

Health update - Feet are better, bodies still sore. I got my first blister - bottom of toe beside baby toe, left foot. I always get one here, so not too worried.

Favourite superhero movie of all time
Zach: The Watchmen
Ben: Spider Man (the one with Toby Maguire)
JM: Batman

Favourite superhero
Zach: Batman
Ben: Black Panther
JM: The Hulk

Route details - Today we deviated from the official SNT route, as per plan. As mentioned above, when we got to Glen Feshie we crossed the river at NN 853 906 and headed SW over the pass. We took a small shortcut through the woods at NN 823 902 and bushwhacked down the hill to join a trail at NN 791 892. We followed this trail into Glen Tromie and wild camped near the ruins at NN 752 922.

Day 2 - Glen Tilt to Geldie Burn

Another unbelievable day today!

I would say we all got marginally good sleep at best last night. Ben and I both woke up around 2:30 and had difficulties getting back to sleep until 3:30-4:00, unbeknownst to each other. After a little debate we figured it was likely that in our hearts we knew the Leafs were about to start their game, and that we wanted to be supporting. Zach made two trips to the loo and said that he was also a little restless. It was also a little chilly last night and we are still figuring out the best way to stay warm without sweating - not an easy task it seems. We ended up waking up around 6:15 and had a leisurely breakfast and pack-up. Despite being chilly all night we left camp around 7:45 in shorts. In fact, we hardly saw one cloud all day. The back of my legs and my left arm are actually a little sun burned - in Scotland!! In April!! I know!! I have probably just given this trip the kiss of death by saying that, but it had to be said. Unbelievable!
Walking up Glen Tilt the last two days has been one of my favourite sections in all of these hiking trips. It was so beautiful, and unforgettable. I am super excited for Amanda and Kirsten to walk through in a few weeks from now. I think they will also love it. We stopped for lunch at 10:00 (hahaha) at the Falls of Tarff. What a perfect place for lunch and a break. There is a beautiful grassy area on the north side of the bridge where we lazed in the sun and ate our veggie ramen noodles. Not to sound pretentious, but it was really a moment that I will never forget. It does sound pretentious, but it isn’t meant to, I just really thought it was special.

Lunch at the Falls of Tarff

After lunch we continued up the Glen which ended at Geldie Burn - site of the now famous Aberdeen Gang initial meeting and gourmet dinner. We stopped in for a few pictures and another rest before the last push of the day. It was too nice out not to.

Break Time at Geldie Burn

At this point we had had to cross four rivers. The boys managed to find a way to do them all in their boots without getting wet. The old man put his river shoes on for the last one. About six kilometres later, one kilometre further than our goal, we found another great spot to set up camp next to the Geldie Burn. We finished walking at 15:45 thanks to our early start and had camp set up by 16:00. I promptly jumped into my tent and had a quick nap before dinner. I am loving this technique, and am thinking that it should become part of the normal hiking routine. I’ll test it out tomorrow just to confirm. The boys rested and I heard them playing Would You Rather. I broke out laughing at “burp confetti, or fart glitter”! We couldn’t decide.
Having Zach with us this trip has been great. I have really been enjoying the conversations these two are having - from serious and thoughtful, to silly and entertaining. Today also saw them break out with a number of impromptu raps - anything from the Easter bunny to sore feet. It really took our minds off the walking and made for lots of laughs.
I’m snuggled in my sleeping bag right now with the sun going down. Actually there is probably another hour before that happens - it’s only 19:30. Hahaha!!! Thanks for reading everybody. Nighty-night!

Pitched Up by the Geldie Burn

UPDATE: We decided 19:30 was way too early so I went over to Ben and Zach’s tent. We taught Zach how to play dice and had one game. We also had a couple of Hob Nobs each for our bedtime snack.

We are now debating whether or not to pick up hotdogs next time we go through town (three days from now). Zach is very in favour. Ben says he has dibs on the hot dog water because that’s where all the nutrients go. Hahaha!!!
Goodnight for sure now!

Health update - Feet situation better than yesterday, but consensus is that feet and legs are more sore. We also had troubles taking full breaths without coughing later in the day, but that situation seems to have cleared up for all of us. Strange.

Best part of the day -
Zach: Not having to put water shoes on
Ben: Lunch at Falls of Tarff, and break by the Aberdeen Gang shack at Geldie Burn
JM: Lunch at Falls of Tarff

Route details - Not much to say. We continued north through Glen Tilt, crossed Geldie Burn, and headed west from there. We are wild camping at NN 950 872.

Day 1 - Pitlochry to Glen Tilt

We could not have had a better first day for our trip!!

Martin, Moira, Joyce, and Anne with an E (I call them the Aberdeen Gang) arrived in Pitlochry right on time. Unfortunately the three of us were not ready because they wouldn’t serve breakfast before 8:00 at the hotel. Once breakfast was sorted we made our way down to the war memorial on Atholl Street where Ben and I ended our trip in 2015 for a quick photo-op. With that done, we were on our way.

JM With the Aberdeen Gang

Martin took the lead and the Aberdeen Gang set a furious pace!! They had us all the way to Blair Atholl in under three hours. We had some amazing conversations and shared some hilarious stories. Not to worry Joyce, I won’t tell anybody about the time you ended up like a turtle on her back with her knickers down, behind a culvert on the way to Brechin during TGOC 2017!! That secret is safe with me!! I had such an enjoyable walk hearing all about everybody’s lives, families, different trips and hikes they had done, kids, grandkids, and so much more. I can barely remember the walking part because I was so distracted by the great conversations and banter.

We stopped for lunch at the Atholl Arms Hotel. I had my first beer of the trip, Bellhaven Best, and a delicious panini with all the sides. The boys had mac and cheese, which Zach confirmed was the best he’d ever had. After lunch we packed up and the Aberdeen Gang walked us another couple of kilometres up to the entrance of Glen Tilt where we said our goodbyes. I want to thank these four amazing people so much. To take the time to come join us for this leg, on Easter Sunday no less, and to provide us with such a great send-off was very special to me. Thank you Moira for making it happen. Thank you Martin for the future shortcut suggestions. Thank you Anne for the gummy Easter bunnies, the kind words, and great talk. Thank you Joyce for providing us with the magic treat which is going to help us through our toughest day at some point, although if I am being honest the boys were too intrigued to not have a couple of tastes this afternoon. And thank you Joyce’s husband for putting the Lamb Casserole in at 16:30 today so it would be ready for everybody’s return! Thank you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The second part of our day walking up Glen Tilt was fantastic. We are already in the wild and have seen some great scenery, on a beautiful and sunny day. We arrived at our destination at about 16:45 and relaxed in the sun for a half hour before setting up camp. With our tents up we all had a rest - I probably had a good 45-minute snooze. Around 18:30 we were all getting hungry so we got up and made dinner. Tonight we had Chicken Burrito Bowl with tea and hot chocolate, and “Crème Brûle” for dessert. Mmmmmmmm, good!!! We all felt much better after that and I am sure we will be ready to go tomorrow morning.

On Break at the Entrance to Glen Tilt

Pitched Up in Glen Tilt

Health update - we have one blister on a heal so far, but other than that everybody is feeling good.

Best part of the day -

Ben: Meeting and talking with all the pals
Zach: Seeing sheep for the first time
JM: The Aberdeen Gang sendoff

I’m in my tent now ready for a good sleep. It was windy earlier but has died down for now. I can hear a slight breeze, the babbling of River Tilt, and the occasional burst of laughter from the boys in their tent not too far from mine. It is starting to cool off with the sun down so time to zip up the sleeping bag and hunker down. Thanks for reading everybody. Good night!!

Route details - We followed the Walk Highlands route almost exactly. Started in Pitlochry, past Loch Faskally, and up to Killicrankie where we made the very short detour to Soldier’s Leap (spot where an English Red Coat jumped 18 feet across River Garry to evade Scottish soldiers - impressive!!). From there we crossed to the south side of the river and continued following it to the footbridge that leads into Blair Atholl. After lunch we headed north and then northeast following River Tilt the whole way. We are now wild camping somewhere between Marble Lodge and Forest Lodge on the west side of River Tilt.

Made It To The Starting Line!!

On Our Way!

After about 17 hours of travelling we are finally sitting in our little hotel room in Pitlochry - the town where this whole Scottish obsession started in 2012. That was the time I met my dad here prior to a work conference in Aberdeen. We chose to come here based on a guess, and it turned out to be a life changing experience, which has led to SNT 2015 (Kirk Yetholm to Pitlochry - JM and Ben), followed by SNT 2017 (Plockton to Scurdie Ness Lighthouse in Montrose - JM and Mandy), followed now by SNT 2019 (Pitlochry to Cape Wrath - JM, Ben, and Zach), and soon to be followed by TGOC 2019 (Oban to Dunnattor Castle - Mandy and Kirsten). Did I not say it was an obsession???No major snags on the way here, we made it to Edinburgh in time for 30 minutes of groceries, and 30 minutes to find our train to Pitlochry. For Ben and I there was lots of snoozing along the way, and for Zach there was six minutes. What???? It’s the truth. I don’t know how he’s even still awake. Although the way he was drooling during those six minutes, they were probably a very restful six minutes.

Not Tired Zach

After checking in to our room we hit the main street to find food. There seemed to be lots of busy pubs, but most of the food places were closed. We thought we hit the jackpot when we walked into a fish and chip place but they turned us back - it was 9:59. Dang!! So in the end we settled for another Scottish delicacy: Khan Baba’s. Donairs, pizzas, burgers, kebabs, wraps, and ice cream - everything a few Canadians looking for a Scottish experience could ever hope for...

We are now back in the room, full, showered, and ready for some rest before our big start tomorrow. Moira, Joyce, and Martin will be meeting us at 8:00 to help us with the first leg. This is the type of Scottish hospitality that continues to amaze me. As mentioned briefly in a previous post we met these three amazing people on Mandy’s and mine last trip, and despite the fact that we only spent a few hours with them, they are going to get up early tomorrow morning to get here and walk with us. What a great way for us to start the trip. Thank you so much guys!!!!

Next post will likely be in 5 days but feel free to check back in case we locate some signal on top of a Scottish hill. Thanks for reading, and thanks for all of the moral support.

As the Scots are fond of saying - Bonne Nuit!!

Only a Few More Days To Go...

We are now only a few days away from heading back to Scotland, in an attempt to finish what we started four years ago - The Scottish National Trail.  For those who haven't heard about the SNT, you can check it out here: Scottish National Trail.  The SNT is an 850 km long distance South-to-North hiking trail that starts in Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, and ends at Cape Wrath on the very northwest tip of the island.  Ben and I walked from Kirk Yetholm to Pitlochry in 2015 (check out our blog here: JM and Ben - SNT 2015).  Now we are going back, along with Ben's buddy Zach, to attempt the Pitlochry to Cape Wrath leg.

What our route looks like on Day 18...

What's in store:

• 18 days of walking
• 14 nights of wild camping
• 3 nights accommodation (1 hotel, 1 B&B, 1 hostel)

What I'm looking forward to right now:

• A big send-off on Day 1 in Pitlochry, where friends Amanda and I met during TGOC 2017 (Moira, Joyce, and Martin) will meet us and walk with us to Blair Atholl.  Check out the funny story of how we met them here: Moira, Joyce, and Martin.
• Good conversations with the Ben and Zach - I predict politics, skiing, Tanki memories, school memories (Ben and Zach went to the same school between grades 5 and 11), wishing we had bikes, what we will get to eat at the next town, who gets the first shower, why does it rain so much in Scotland, and what time is it back in Alberta.
• Being outside for 18 days in a row, with little or no cell service - enough said.

What I'm a little nervous about right now:

• A couple of tight connections on the way to Pitlochry.
• Whether or not there will be restricted access while walking across Cape Wrath bombing range - more on this in a later post
• How my feet and body are going to hold out.  I'm four years older, and pain and fatigue come a little easier than they used to.  One consolation from previous trips is that I am always amazed by how much recovery is possible with one night's sleep!

What I hope I don't have to write about during this trip:

• midges
• falling into a river
• blisters
• chaffing
• ticks
• broken/ripped gear (especially tent)

We have been planning this walk for about a year now, and it's hard to believe it's finally here.  I am very excited, and feel very fortunate that I am able to have the support of my family and friends to make it a reality.  As anybody who knows me knows, I love Scotland.  I have been blessed to have met many wonderful people there.  They have all been kind, generous, and witty, and they all appreciate their country, and their unlimited access to the land.  I am hopeful that we get the opportunity to meet some new people on this trip, who will undoubtedly help make the experience another unforgettable one.

Thanks to everybody who reads this, and please leave comments if you have any questions or feedback.  My intent is to provide a little more detail about the daily route than I have in previous blogs.  I hope you all enjoy following along.

That's it for tonight.  I better get some rest - I am sure to need it!!

Test Post From Phone

We’ll be walking in one week from today...😬.  This is just a test post from my phone.  We better get packing!

I don’t want to jinx it, but looking good so far!!