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.
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| 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.
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.
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| On Break at the Entrance to Glen Tilt |
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| 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
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.
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.
Love your posts! Sounds amazing! Be safe!
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