With my head now in the game, I have started to look forward to the Challenge, and this post will cover the planned route, the process that led to it, and how I plan to get to and from the start/end. The Route I am one of a small handful of Challengers who have opted … Continue reading TGO Challenge Preparations – Part 2: The Route
Tag: Scotland
TGO Challenge Preparations – Part 1: Warming-Up
It's a week today until I set off for my 5th TGO Challenge, this time walking from Kilchoan to (hopefully) Kinnaber Links via an insanely rambling route that heads west more than a west to east route really should. This is a route I've wanted to do for a while, and sitting in the bar … Continue reading TGO Challenge Preparations – Part 1: Warming-Up
Southern Upland Way – Part 3: St John’s Town of Dalry to Sanquhar
Day 5: St John's Town of Dalry to Chalk Memorial Bothy Rain at first light meant a bit of a lie in, and when I finally peeped out around 7am, I saw Afke packing up. She'd gone by the time I was properly up. I set off handrailing through the forest and went wrong almost … Continue reading Southern Upland Way – Part 3: St John’s Town of Dalry to Sanquhar
Southern Upland Way – Part 2: Beehive Bothy to St John’s Town of Dalry
Day 3: Beehive Bothy to Caldons A cold night and I never felt quite warm enough, but I seemed to have slept ok. Partly because I wanted to cherish what warmth I had, I was slow in getting up, and when I did emerge found Afke on the point of leaving, and Wolfgang and Sophie … Continue reading Southern Upland Way – Part 2: Beehive Bothy to St John’s Town of Dalry
Southern Upland Way – Part 1: Portpatrick to Beehive Bothy
Day 1: Portpatrick to Castle Kennedy A bowl of porridge with stewed rhubarb and scrambled eggs on toast inside me (I highly recommend the Harbour Lights Guest House in Stranraer), we headed to Tescos for a few lunch bits before getting the bus out to Portpatrick. Portpatrick seemed a pleasant seaside town. However, it had … Continue reading Southern Upland Way – Part 1: Portpatrick to Beehive Bothy
The Southern Upland Way – Planning and Getting to the Start
A bit of Background The Southern Upland Way is one of the "Big 4" of Scotland's Great Trails, being one of the 4 dating back from the days of Long Distance Routes, and predating the re-badging of the English and Welsh ones as National Trails, and the Scottish ones as Great Trails. The Long Distance … Continue reading The Southern Upland Way – Planning and Getting to the Start
The West Highland Way – Part 5: The End (Kinlochleven to Fort William)
Just one more day to do, but the longest daily distance of all, and a deadline to do it by. Our train was booked for 19:50, which shouldn't have been a problem, but nevertheless it was still a deadline. If you add time to clean up and have a celebratory pint and meal, the real … Continue reading The West Highland Way – Part 5: The End (Kinlochleven to Fort William)
The West Highland Way – Part 4: The Good Bit (Tyndrum to Kinlochleven)
Breakfast in the Real Food Cafe set us up well for the day ahead. Back at the hotel we shouldered packs and grabbed parcels to drop off at the Post Office - although we could have simply walked up the main road from the hotel, we still had to do the bit of trail through … Continue reading The West Highland Way – Part 4: The Good Bit (Tyndrum to Kinlochleven)
The West Highland Way – Part 3: That Accursed Loch! (Rowardennan to Tyndrum)
Whilst it was a shock to suddenly find myself solo, it wasn't a huge surprise and I'd mentally prepared myself for it - by now I can recognise the signs. And so, I strode out towards Ptarmigan Lodge not too discombobulated by the sudden change in my circumstances. Here was the well-known honesty stall, but … Continue reading The West Highland Way – Part 3: That Accursed Loch! (Rowardennan to Tyndrum)
The West Highland Way – Part 2: To The Loch! (Milngavie to Rowardennan)
Milngavie really must be quite proud of the fact that the West Highland Way starts there, as they've taken every opportunity to draw your attention to the fact. Leaving the railway, there's various "to the West Highland Way" signs and the murals in the underpass before you get to the actual start point, itself with … Continue reading The West Highland Way – Part 2: To The Loch! (Milngavie to Rowardennan)
The West Highland Way – Part 1: Introduction
Well, this post may be titled "Introduction", but this trail barely needs one. One of the more popular trails, maybe even the most popular of the Great Trails in Scotland, I felt as though I already knew it quite well before I even set foot on it. Which is, of course, nonsense, but it's fair … Continue reading The West Highland Way – Part 1: Introduction
TGO Challenge 2022: Reflections
You know when you've waited and waited for something, and when it actually comes, it's a little bit of an anti-climax ? That. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the Challenge - merely to say that I built up such expectations of this one that they were never all going to be fully … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2022: Reflections
TGO Challenge 2022 – Day 15: The End
Darren and I agreed a meeting time last night, and I'm there a few moments early as Darren is walking over from his camp spot. That worked well. We cross the Cowie and head south to Hill of Quithel. As we go, and come into phone signal range, I'm messaging Brian. Brian had been stalking … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2022 – Day 15: The End
TGO Challenge 2022 – Days 13 and 14: Slow Down and Enjoy
The X-Mid dweller turns out to be Immo, a chap we've seen before on the trade route into Braemar. He's not in great shape and talking about getting the bus to Aberdeen. We make some encouraging noises about "seeing how you go", and leave him to it. Just along from the campsite entrance lies a … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2022 – Days 13 and 14: Slow Down and Enjoy
TGO Challenge 2022 – Days 11 and 12: Down the Dee
Ah, day 11, my nemesis. For some reason the day leaving Braemar has always been troublesome for me. On my first Challenge in 2017, I made the mistake of regarding Braemar as the point when I knew I'd make it, and fate unleashed itself on me - I got knocked off Carn of Claise by … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2022 – Days 11 and 12: Down the Dee