Afterthoughts

We are in our apartment in Edinburgh this evening getting ready to head home tomorrow morning. We’ve had a nice few days in Oban and Edinburgh touring around, relaxing, watching TV, drinking tea and coffee, and having a few awesome meals. Despite that, I think we are all ready to get home and get back to normal. It goes without saying it’s been an amazing trip for all of us. Here are a few final thoughts:

Favourite Spot:

Ben - Sgurr na h-Aide Ridge

Sam - Sgurr na h-Aide Ridge

JM - Sgurr na h-Aide Ridge

Least Favourite/Toughest Spot:

Ben - Ticklandia (Culra Bothy)

Sam - Walk into Fort William (chaffing issues)

JM - Long walk down Geldie Burn

Favourite Trail Meal:

Ben - Liked it all

Sam - Noodle pots with Tikka chicken

JM - Salami and cheese flatbreads (with stolen mayonnaise packs 😂)

Best Piece Of Gear:

Ben - Hoka boots and rain pants - always dry, no blisters

Sam - Shoes (Altra Olympus 5 GTX)

JM - Exped sleeping mat

The Big Question - Would We Do It Again:

Ben - Ask me in five years

Sam - Yes, definitely

JM - Still too early to say (but probably)

I think we checked all the boxes with this crossing - hardship, ticks🤮, rain, sun, accomplishment, satisfaction, meeting people, making friends, beautiful scenery, laughs, a couple differences of opinion, and spending some pretty serious quality time together.  I couldn’t have asked for better hiking partners - they kept me distracted and entertained, set a really good pace, helped make good decisions, and always kept an eye on me.  Thank you Ben and Sam!!  It’s been a pleasure and an honour to hike with you!

I think that’s it for this blog.  I will be updating maps and adding some of Ben’s beautiful pictures in the coming weeks, but this will be the last post.  Thanks to all of you who followed along with us.  Hopefully it was somewhat interesting.  It certainly made a difference to us knowing you were with us all the way.  Thank you, and goodnight!!!

 

The Beginning - From Morar Hotel

The End - From Edinburgh Hotel

Day 14 - Edzell to St. Cyrus

We made it!!!

Crossing Complete!!!

We are currently on a train headed to Oban, back on the west coast for a few days of fun and relaxation. We were pretty busy yesterday after finishing, and by the time we got settled for the night I was too tired to write the final day’s post.

The walk yesterday was all business. We had about 22 km to do, and at about kilometre 10 the rain started pouring down, and sideways!! There was not much discussion from that point on, and no point in taking breaks so we just kept walking. Despite the weather, the agricultural landscape was still on display, and was very picturesque. I am sure we were all patiently counting down the kilometres, willing the coast to suddenly appear, and after a little more than four hours it did. As we walked up the final hill approaching the church in St. Cyrus , the bells rang out twelve times - four for each of us about to finish the crossing…. Or maybe it was just because it was noon.🤣

St. Cyrus Church (BJJ)

We continued past the church with the North Sea finally in sight, and made our way to the top of the cliffs, which would be our last obstacle to negotiate. The view from the top of the cliffs down to the beach was stunning.

The End In Sight

As we descended the final path onto the beach I felt the mood lighten, the spirits lift, and I started to get a little emotional. I was wishing that Mandy and Ty were here with us, and at the same time I was so happy that Ben, Sam, and I were able to do this together. This crossing has been a physical and mental test for me, and finishing it brought feelings of relief, accomplishment, and happiness.😊

We dipped our feet into the North Sea, had a short moment of celebration, and then started making our way to Montrose where we would officially sign back in. It was a short bus ride to Montrose, but I think we all enjoyed the trip. Seeing the countryside go by at bus speed instead of foot speed was a nice change. The rocking motion of the bus was also very relaxing.

We got a very warm reception when we walked in to Challenge Control. It was almost as if they were waiting specifiacally for us. Lots of congratulations, handshakes, and high fives. Sam was treated like a mini-celebrity, being the youngest to finish the crossing, possibly the youngest ever. The volunteers do a really good job running the challenge, and deserve a lot of credit for helping us all stay safe and have a constant point of contact in case of emergencies.

With all of the formalities completed, we headed to our hotel to check in, wash up, and rest before the banquet. I ran out to the laundrette to do our laundry, as well as collect our train tickets for today, and pick up a few groceries. By the time I got back I had just enough time to lay down for an hour before heading out to the banquet.

Scottish Laundrette 🤣

We headed over an hour early to meet everybody at the bar and mingle. Dinner was excellent, and the organizers made it very interesting, sharing facts from the crossing, announcing the 10/20/30 year crossing challengers, and making a big fuss about Sam being the youngest crosser.😁 We sat with Jayme (10th crossing this year), Pietr, and Mario, who Amanda and I met in 2022, and shared Indian dinner with in Montrose. This is one of the great thing about the Challenge - friends you meet only once or twice in the middle of nowhere are still your friends when you get to see them a few years later, without even being in touch in between!

After dinner we headed back to our room, packed up for our train trip to Oban today, and watched a little TV before crashing.

I think we’ll make one more post in a few days to wrap things up and give a few final thoughts. Thanks everybody for following the blog, it has meant so much to us these past two weeks. We have felt the virtual support, and it really helped us accomplish what we were trying to do!

Health Update - Sam woke up still a little nauseous, and decided to skip breakfast (sausage rolls 🤪).  He had to dig deep to complete the walk but was able to keep up.  After we finished he grabbed a light lunch (tuna baguette, and potato soup) and I would say his appetite and demeanour are now both back to normal!! 😁

Ben Catching Up On Some Well-Earned Rest

Sam Doing The Same

To be fair, I looked exactly the same about thirty minutes ago…😊

Day 14 Route - 21.7 km, 232 m ascent

Day 13 - Tarfside to Edzell

Thirteen days down, and only one to go!!!

Today was another quick day for us. We were excited that last night would be our last in the tents, and that we would be in our first hotel of the crossing tonight. The boys strapped rockets onto their boots and set a furious pace that had us in Edzell before noon. Our route took us through Glen Esk, along River North Esk. We left the hills behind and are now into the agricultural land which will lead us to the coast sometime tomorrow.

River North Esk And The Last Of Our Scottish Hills In The Distance

Quick Break

Agricultural Landscape

We’ve had exceptional luck with weather this trip, only having to deal with a couple hours of rain in two entire weeks. Shortly after we arrived at the hotel in Edzell, after picking up some snacks and cold drinks, the skies opened up. We were very happy not to have to spend the afternoon and evening stuck in our tents with the wind and rain pouring down on us.  Good fortune found us again!!

After a bit of resting, Ben and I found the billiards room and had a very relaxing game of snooker. Sam wasn’t feeling very well, so he stayed in his room and rested some more.

Snooker!!

After snooker Ben and I walked down the street to get a few last supplies for tomorrow’s walk.  We headed back to the hotel to check on Sam and rest a little more before dinner.  Sam still didn’t feel well so he skipped dinner.  Ben and I headed down and both had delicious meals, including some mixed greens which we have been having very little of the last couple of weeks.

Chicken (JM), Lamb (Ben), Greens Arrived After This Picture Was Taken 

Sam is feeling a bit better before bed.  He’s had a couple of fruits and some ginger ale.  We are hopeful he’s going to be feeling better tomorrow morning for the final leg of our hike.

I think we are all ready to complete our walk tomorrow.  It will be a mixture of relief, happiness, and a little bit of sadness as we dip our toes into the ocean.  It’s been an amazing adventure full of incredible scenery, interesting and friendly people, and lots of laughs.

That’s it for tonight.  Thanks for reading as always, and stay tuned for our last post tomorrow!!😊

Day 13 Route - 19.4 km, 154 m ascent

Day 12 - Shielen of Mark to Tarfside

Happy birthday, Benny!!!!!!

🎉🎂🥳🎈🎊🎁

Another day crushed and another early finish!

We had a nice evening at the Bothy last night. Ben and Sam slept inside, and I stayed outside in the tent. They seemed to be pleased with their decision to stay inside, despite some high decibel snoring from their bunkmate. I was pleased with the lack of snoring noises by my tent, but did struggle a little with the near zero temperatures. Fortunately we woke to another blue sky with sun quickly warming the temperature up. We were first of about fifteen groups to get rolling and never looked back.

The first couple of kilometres would be the last of our pathless walking for the trip. We followed a river then made a climb to the top of Muckle Cairn where we found a defined path that would take us the rest of the way to Tarfside. The walk down and through Glen Lee was stunning and very pleasant.

Back On Trail, Heading Towards Glen Lee

Abandoned Building In Glen Lee

Best Buds - Invermark Estate (BJJ)

We exited the Glen via the Invermark Estate, and then a short path took us right into Tarfside at about 11:45. First stop at Tarfside is the St. Drostan hostel to check in with Challenge Control, and then to enjoy some treats. We all had a bacon butty and a glass of squash. So yummy!!

Next we headed down to the village green where it is customary for challengers to pitch tents. We were first to pitch, but by the time I crawled into our tent to write this there is over thirty tents pitched for the night.

After some setting up, some exploring for the boys, and some napping for me, we headed back to the hostel for showers which I had paid for when we first arrived. Next we headed back down to the tents for dinner #1 - noodle cups with pre-cooked turkey tikka. After a little cleanup, it was back to the hostel for some tea/coffee and visiting.

As the land continues to filter challengers to similar locations we continue to meet new friends and reconnect with old. Today was a great day for both!! We finally caught up with Sabine, one of our very first TGOC friends (2017) and crossing legend!! I also met up with Jamie and Pieter, who kindly invited Amanda and I to Indian dinner on our final day in 2022. Finally, I met up with Immo, who Amanda and I met at Corrour Bothy in the Lairig Ghru also in 2022. I feel so lucky!!

Sabine!!!!

Immo!!!!

Stuart and Alec!!!!

The final activity for the night was a community barbecue where they were serving delicious burgers - dinner #2!! The three of us had a drink in honour of Ben’s special day. After some great visits with several friends we headed back to the tent for our nightly hot beverage and cookie snack before tucking ourselves in for the night.

The village green is alive with bird song (at 9:00 at night), the sound of people pitching tents, the community barbecue, and maybe the first signs of snoring neighbours…. It might be rough to get to sleep, but we aren’t too worried because tomorrow is a relatively easy day that will see us end at our first hotel of the challenge. We are all excited and looking forward to it.

Our Tent Village For The Night

That’s it for today. Thanks again for reading, everybody!!

 

Day 12 - Route - 19.3 km, 186 m ascent

Day 11 - Braemar to Shielen of Mark

It’s amazing how much difference a couple of days can make. The last two days have seemed much easier, like we are in a groove. Yesterday was a short hike with the promise of showers. Today’s hike was to be long with a significant amount of elevation. Despite that, we cruised through the kilometres and made it 5 km past our planned stopping point before dinner time. We had some great conversations throughout the day, ranging everywhere from sports to politics to egg salad sandwiches!! Our feet feel good, our spirits are high, and anticipation is building as we near the end of our journey.

The scenery today was spectacular. This area is new to me and I was so surprised at how beautiful it all was. First we climbed through Ballochbuie Forest. 

Walking Through The Forest

As we exited the forest the vistas opened up and we started skirting around the east side of Lochnagar, the most prominent mountain in the area. It has a beautifully curved shape that cradles a high mountain loch in it. The views back down the valley below and up to the pass to come were unforgettable.

Nice Spot For Early Lunch Break

East Side Of Lochnagar

We descended into the Spittal of Glenmuick before we started our last climb of the day up the Allt Darrarie gorge. Once at the source of the stream we went off trail for a few kilometres over one last hill to the well hidden Shielen of Mark bothy.

Spittal Of Glenmuick

Allt Dararrie

Footbridge

Ben And Sam’s Bunk

We were the first to arrive and the boys were quick to claim their bunks. I decided to tent it on my own for this evening. I may regret this because as I am typing this my fingers are starting to freeze out here…We’ve had a wonderful evening greeting at least 15 challengers as they have arrived and pitched up by the Bothy. It’s been a very nice way to end a long day of walking. I think the boys are really enjoying and embracing this part of the challenge. I have seen them hanging out with new friends, laughing, and trading stories. It is very cool for me to watch.

Hanging Out At The Bothy

Bothy Shot (BJJ)

Tomorrow should be an easy walk to Tarfside where I suspect we will run into even more Challengers. We are planning to start early, which will hopefully give us a luxurious afternoon of doing nothing after we set up camp.

That’s it for tonight. Thanks for reading everybody!!

JM About To Freeze For The Night 🥶

Day 11 Route - 28.5 km, 864 m ascent

Day 10 - Geldie Burn to Braemar

Today we must have had wind on our backs because we finished our hike at about 11:45. We had an easy walk from Geldie Burn, through Lin of Dee, past the Mar Lodge, and into Braemar.

We passed by some of our new friends at White Bridge packing up their camp, including our friend Nell who we met at Glen Pean on day 2!!! After a quick catch-up we continued on our way joined by Martin, a gentleman we briefly met the day before. Martin walked with us all of the way to Mar Lodge, which was about the halfway point for the day. We had a great chat the whole way. He told us about his 38-year military career in the RAF as a flight and communications engineer. We traded stories about this challenge and other hiking adventures. Martin only started last Monday (three days after us), and plans on finishing this Tuesday (two days before us). Whoa!!

Heading Out From Geldie Burm Towards Braemar

Before we knew it we were at Mar Lodge, which is a traditional stop for challengers, where you can pick up parcels, have a tea and biscuits, and catch up with whoever has been through already. We stopped in for twenty minutes, saw a few familiar faces, and a few new ones as well.

Tea At Mar Lodge

Anxious to get to the campground in Braemar we pressed on, just as fast as before. Again before we knew it we had blown through the kilometres and had arrived in Braemar. We decided to get to the campsite first, clean up, then head back into town for some fun and some errands. As always, the showers felt amazing, and rejuvenated us for the day. After setting up camp and getting a little organized we walked back into town.

First stop was Gordon’s Tearoom for tea/coffee, and scones with jam and clotted cream. Mmmmmmmm!!! We had a reservation for dinner at 5:00 so that left us an hour or two to walk around and explore a little. I think half of this time was spent walking, and the other half was spent sitting on park benches. It was all very relaxing, and I think we all enjoyed it quite a bit. Braemar is a very cute town in the Cairngorms, with shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants, and a few other amenities. It is an ideal spot for tourists and backpackers alike.

Dinner was out of this world! Balmoral chicken (JM), chicken kebab (Sam), and traditional beef cobbler (Ben). We were joined by Fedor (Austrian living in London), and sat at a table beside David (Scottish Texan - long story) and his hiking partner Susan. With full tummies we headed to the grocery store for our re-supply, then back to the campsite for laundry and phone charging. All in all a very nice day, that has left us in good spirits for the final four days ahead of us.

Next post should be in three nights from Edzell, which will also be our last night of the crossing. It’s hard to believe it! Thanks again for following along, everybody. Off to bed for us now!!

Day 10 Route - 18.7 km, 115 m ascent

Day 9 - Glen Tromie to Geldie Burn

Even with a 6:30 wake-up this morning we all probably got at least 10 hours of sleep last night. We would need it today as we had a long hike planned from Glen Tromie, up and over into Glen Feshie, and finally to Red House bothy beside the Geldie Burn.We woke up to a lot of condensation on the tent owing to a cooler overnight temperature. The skies were completely clear, with the sun bound to be a factor for today’s hike.

We started off with a couple kilometres of boggy off-trail including a couple of river crossings that cost Ben and I some wet feet/boots.🤬. After that, most of the day was pretty quiet with steady progress.

When passing through Glen Feshie in 2019 on our way to Cape Wrath we spotted three seemingly wild white horses in the field. As we descended into Glen Feshie this year, Ben spotted the same three white horses! We couldn’t believe our luck to be seeing them again.

Starting The Descent Into Glen Feshie

We are starting to meet up with more challengers than the first week. At one point we caught up to Stuart and Alec from the Dalwhinnie hostel, along with some new friends, Steve, Ryan, and Roland (Challenger #100). These meetings with people from all over the world are chances to get information, share stories, talk about gear, and just have a good laugh. It is a part of what makes the Challenge special, and it is really fun seeing the boys experience it.

The bothy we are staying at tonight is a special place for me. Amanda and I stayed here on our first TGOC in 2017, when the bothy was more like an abandoned building with no doors or windows. On that night we met some people who would end up being very close friends of ours - Joyce, Moira, and Martin. Here I am seven years later enjoying an evening at the same place, and meeting some new and interesting people. Very cool! We have enjoyed pleasant discussions this evening with UK locals, as well as people from Vienna, Sri Lanka, India, and the USA.

Tucked In At The Bothy

We will have an easy walk into Braemar tomorrow where we will shower and do wash at the campsite, and hopefully meet up with a few more old friends.

Day 9 Route - 27.2 km, 503 m ascent