When I yomp across in stupid time due to my brother in law's schedule. 🤦♂️
Click Play above (YOU WON'T REGRET IT)
So, this was my now my new comeback year, having broken my leg during the 2004 TGOC..
What could go wrong?
Lochailort to Montrose was the intended route.
Oh... 1 or 2 pictures may be out of sequence
(Just get over it and move on)
Day 01 - Lochailort to Cona Glen (35km, 1290m Ascent)
Not too many pictures today, as I couldn't find the AA batteries for the Camera 🤦♂️
I started on time from Lochailort.
Plan A was to get as far as I could I think via Loch Baoraid ..
The black hole of nothingness.
A day when I would bang out some ridiculous non stopping yards because I was new to this and knew no better! 🤷♂️🙆♂️
We'll talk about the finish line later.
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| I was young fit and stupid in 2005 |
I left the inn (hotel) at almost bang on 9.
Walked up the road.
Headed up that path to Loch Beoraid with my Panasonic digital camera minus any batteries to hand.
I did have batteries, BUT I had burried them at the bottom of the rucksack 🤦♂️.
It's an OK walk up, but this was 2005, so err...
I can remember the plunge down to the darkest depths of the Loch.
The meandering path that went on for days.
Being young and fit and not stopping until I clawed my way out the far end.
I cannot remember really at what point I finally found a way across the river.
BUT I do remember managing to finally find the path down to Glenfinnan, and the fact that the hotel was open, and I got a mighty fine pint.
That was NOT going to be the end of the day though.
Having partaken I headed down to Cona Glen (after retrieving the camera batteries)
OK, so this was going to be a much much longer day than I had hoped.
Once leaving the main track everything became indistinct underfoot and I did a fair bit of off-piste (probably unintentionally), until finally picking up the main river.
Clouds were looming, and not many places to camp.
A spied a small island in the middle.
The water level was low, so I went across and finally put my tent up.
The tent this year was a borrowed Saunders.
AND, apart from being stupid enough to put it on a small island when it was about to rain 🤔🙆♂️🤦♂️, I also did about the worst tent pitch I have ever seen.
I was bloody knackered.
I may or may not have cooked something.. 🤷♂️
But tomorrow was going to be a much shorter day to Fort William so it was ok (OR SO I THOUGHT).
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| I just cannot believe how crap that pitch was! |
I ventured out for a pee, and that was it.
Day 02 - Cona Glen to Fort William (not all on foot) 🤔 [20km 410m]
Yes, it rained overnight.
Yes the river rose.
Yes I had to WADE the river.
Yes it was STUPID!
And so it was morning, I crawled out of the tent, looked at the river, left my trousers off, and waded the river to get to the bank.
It was higher but do-able, but it was a lesson...
That aside, the weather was looking good.
I walked up the rrack, and then took what looked like it ought to be the track up into the woods.
There was no track.
I just made my way up.
I may have headed up too early TBH..
As I climbed up it got easier, eventually picking up a better track that would eventually take me all the way up to the main road by the Loch.
When I got to the road, it was HOT, with wonderful views over to Ben Nevis.
It was still reasonably early, and I made my way along the loch heading to the ferry at Camasnagaul.
As I got near to the school, about 1½ km from the ferry a yellow van pulled up.
The window wound down and a chap in a uniform of sorts popped his head out.
"Are ye headin ta tha Ferry?"
"Yes"
"It'll nay be goin taday, engine is broken, and it'll not be fixed until Tuesday"
The best laid plans...
I was going to meet my Brother in Law in Fort William tonight 🙆♂️
I walked on forlornly , arrived at the ferry and sat down to look at maps and decide what to do.
Could I walk to the Corran Ferry?
If I did, what time would it go, and how would I get to Fort William.
I rang Uncle Roger and posed a question.
IF I could cadge a lift (I'd only seen one car all day), from the ferry to Fort William to the where the ferry would pull in, could I do that and still be OK, bearing in mind the ferry dilemma.
This was agreed as acceptable, I got ready to start to walk back along the road 😕
As I was about to head off, I saw a beige coloured mini coming up the road.
Faint heart and all that I stuck my Thumb out expecting it to speed on by.
But it didn't. It slowed down and stopped.
The lady inside, who I subsequently discovered was a nurse, was heading to work in Fort William.
I explained my predicament, and she said she could deliver me to my required location.
Yes, I know it seems like a miracle.
And it was.
A lucky lift.
Back when I was living in Bradford, I once managed to hitch a lift from just at the edge of the city, all the way to Bickley (near Bromley), only 1 mile from where my parents lived.
The walk back to the Hostel was in pouring rain, but who cares.
This was a life saver..
(See, even back before Mssrs Sloman & Lambert appeared in my TGOC timeline, there were still adventures. Maybe not as many laughs though!)
I arrived at the hostel wet but ok.
It was still only about 5.00pm
My Brother in Law was already there, and we went to get some food.
He was intending to walk with me for 4 days (the maximum non TGOC accompaniment at the time)
CHALLENGE COMPANIONS
Friends and family may join you for a few days
or visit you at planned stops, but they must not
act as back–up crew. Unofficial full crossings
are not permitted.
There were a lot of people about that night, as this was the same weekend as the 3 Peaks Challenge.
And so it was time to sleep.
Day 03 - Fort William to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel (35km 980m)
We had breakfast.
There had been activity all night due to the 3 Peaks.
We headed off on a cold and slightly drab, but dry day down the roads and then onto a track to skirt some of the road to head up Glen Nevis.
This was not going to be a high route today, but a reasonably long one, where the temperature would rise and we would end up tired and hot.
Part way along the road we met some of the Mountain Rescue crew, who were out looking for people that had still not managed to get down off the Ben.
It had been a cold night, with a snow dump up the top, and some poor visibility.
Therein lies the potential danger of these events.
Once past the end of the main track, the path became indistinct.
Eventually it became necessary to cross the incoming tributary stream.
Crossing the Allt Coire Rath near Tom an Eite.
Back then I carried far far too much and also had waders.
Nowadays I would have just run through it with trail shoes on.
I still have that coat in the car for emergencies.
Somewhere in the open ground after this I lost my water bottle.
It was a nice blue metal one too.
So after this it was back to single use plastic (except I used it for 12 days)
We cracked on up to have a second rest stop of the day opposite the bothy at Staoineag (we didn't cross the stepping stones as none were visible)
Past the lodge and taking the track along the edge of Loch Treig and then up the short rise which seemed to go on forever towards Corrour Station, branching left to take the narrow track towards Loch Ossian and the YHA.
Did I mention that we were NOT booked in here, it was a wild punt.
As luck would have it, when we got there, there were a couple of spaces left.
That was enough, the deal was struck and we went in.
A sheltered evening with a bed.
The latest arrival that night got in as 23.45
Day 04 - Loch Ossian Hostel to the Pub at Dalwhinnie 🙆♂️ (35km 708m)
Another earlish start, and a long but not arduous day of steepness.
Other than the fact I was carrying about 38lb, and my feet already hurt (boots 🤦♂️)
We headed up the right hand side of the Loch, taking in the colours of the many Rhododendrons.
Past the end of the Loch and then climbing up to the Bealach with the old bits of light plane wreckage.
We carried on down and headed inexorably towards Culra bothy (long long before the asbestos issues)
The day still had a long way to go, we trudged on towards Ben Alder Lodge and the track to Dalwhinnie, first making our way down through the trees and the forest tracks.
Finally making the long track along the loch that at this stage of the day goes on and on and on and on.
Ok, the best part of 9km
Feet were tired and the track was the last thing we needed.
It was I cannot lie (HELL)
We struggled into the Hotel (Pub) desperate for a bed (nothing had been booked).
They had a room.
It would be £90 for the night (I think Bruce actually paid for this, he's a Dr it is fine)
We waited with beers in the bar.
Surprisingly few TGOers in.
OR they didn't speak to us.
Then headed to our room.
And I inspected my painful feet.
I had blisters (bloody boots....I didn't know about trainers back then, I swapped to them in 2009 and all my blister woes went away)
Lucky for me my blister was on the edge of the heel.
Oh, and by the way, those tracksters were black.
The white spots are due to the picture taken with a flash and them being highly reflective.
GOD, I look so young then.....
Now, I cannot show you images of Bruce's feet BUT.....
He had put new inserts in his boots in Fort William....
And they had raised his heels too high.
He had pained it out, but I can tell you this.
I winced.
He winced.
His socks had welded to his feet and the boots with BLOOD.
It was truly HORRID and not beaten for several years until
"The Great Wilkinson Shreddies Disaster".
A long bath, and some rest and whisky and a big meal and a lot more beer and whisky and it was time to sleep...
Tomorrow was going to be another LOOONG day.
The theme of loooooonnnnngggg days is going to continue.
This is because it was during the beers tonight, that Bruce said we had to be in Braemar in 2½ days time so he could get the bus to Aberdeen for his flight home.
THIS WAS NOT HOW I HAD PLANNED IT 🙆♂️
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