TGOC2018 Braemar to Stonehaven, May 19 - May 22 2018

May 19, Braemar to Ballater, 33 km, ascent 350 m

Today I had to make a choice. I had to decide if I should stay on my planned route or if I should walk to Ballater, and then continue on the Deeside Way. Even though my back had been good for a couple of days I was a bit worried that it would get worse while out in the middle of nowhere. I decided to go to Ballater and then see how I felt, it would be possible to head into the Cairngorms from there.

Starting out I walked along the road. There were no shoulders and the traffic was heavy, so I was very happy when I finally arrived at the Invercauld Bridge and I left the road. Once I left the road the walk was lovely. I was very surprised to find that I was walking right behind Balmoral Castle. When I got closer I saw that there was a huge orienteering event taking place at the castle. There were people running everywhere, and I was tempted to go down there and see if I could find something to eat, but decided against it.

I kept walking and arrived in Ballater quite late. I asked around for a campground, but it was full, due to all the orienteerers staying in town. I finally found a guest house, The Netherly, that had a room. Nice as it was, it feels so very wrong to stay in a guest house instead of camping. 

Finally I leave the road

I wonder if Queen Victora walked here?

Balmoral

Netherly Guest House

May 20, Ballater to Aboyne, 21 km, ascent 16 m

This morning I started walking the Deeside Way. The route follows the line of the Old Royal Deeside Railway from Ballater to Aboyne, through woodland and farmland to Kincardine O’Neil and on to Banchory, and then rejoins the old line to Aberdeen. The morning was cloudy, but with no rain. I soon found that walking the old railway line was boring. For long stretches it was completely straight, sometimes for one or two kilometers. There were no hills, though, and my back felt fairly fine. At Dinnet I stopped for lunch. While I was sitting there an other  challenger walked in, so I had nice company. We were both going to Aboyne. He had a reservation at The Boat Inn, and suggested I check them, since it was a nice place. When I got to Aboyne my first stop was at The Boat, but it seemed all the orienteerers had moved to Aboyne over the day, so it was full. I asked for a campground, but there wasn't one, so I called a couple of places, but they were all full. I asked a couple on the street if they knew of any other places. They said that the only other place they knew was The Huntly Inn, but they didn't recommend it. By now I was beginning to get desperate, so I went to the Huntly Inn anyway. There seemed to be only one person working there. He told me that they hadn't had time to clean the rooms that day and that the only room he could offer was a double. I took it. It was difficult to find, I had to navigate winding corridors and pass several doorways to get there.

Today wasn't a long day, but all the long straight stretches made it feel very long.

May 21, Aboyne to Banchory, 26 km, ascent 347 m

When I came down to breakfast only one place was set. I felt like the only guest at the hotel, but yesterday I had seen two more people, so there must have been others. I didn't have much for breakfast, since I wanted to get going as soon as possible. When I asked the receptionist at the hotel where the Deeside Way continued he had no idea of what the Deeside Way is. He told me to cross the river and just start walking, but I knew enough to know that that was wrong, so I just started walking in the right general direction, hoping to stumble upon it. I didn't stumble upon it, but I met a couple who were walking their dog, and they showed me to the start of the day's walk. Fairly soon I came to the campground. It turned out there was one, and in a beautiful setting! Next time...

 The day was beautiful. And there were hardly any straight lines, so I was very happy. In Kincardine O'Neil I got lunch at the local store, and sat outside in the sun eating it. Kincardine O'Neil is a pretty village. As I left I passed the old church, and I just had to have a closer look. 
The afternoon was hot, and I was very happy to find a bench in the xhade where I could rest for a while and have a snack. By the time I got to Banchory I was very tired. I must have looked it as well. When I went to check in at the Burnett Arms (no campgrounds...) the lady at the reception desk had a long look at me and asked where I came from. When I said Shiel Bridge, on the west coast, she was shocked and upgraded me to one of their best rooms. Needless to say, it was a lovely room!

The old Banchory train station?

Loch of Aboyne, next to the campgrounds

Kincardine O’Neil, where I had lunch

Old Kincardine O’Neil church, from the mid 14th century

The Potarch Bridge, which I'm about to cross in a couple of minutes

Resting and having a snack

Thank you Rotary Club of Banchory

The Burnett Arms

May 22, Banchory to Stonehaven, 28 km, ascent 361 m

Walking the Deeside Way meant that I was making good time and today would be my final day. It was a cloudy day, which was good, since I would be walking along minor and not so minor roads all day, all tarmac. Sunshine would probably have made it a very hot day.

On the Challenge message board I'd been in contact with Brian, who helped me find a good route from Banchory to Stonehaven. I didn't really feel like going to Aberdeen, Stonehaven seemed like a much nicer finish. This route meant that I'd be walking along roads all day.
At first I was on minor roads. Walking along, I managed to miss a left turn, which made the day two kilometers longer, but hey, what's two kilometers when you're crossing a country?? Eventually the roads got bigger, with more traffic. I miss the shoulders we have on the roads in Sweden!

Somewhere along the road Brian came to meet me. It was nice to have someone to talk to, it made the long tarmac walk go by much faster. Also, he guided me onto some smaller roads, which was a lot nicer. Once we got to Stonehaven I walked down to the water, where I stepped into the sea to completely finish my crossing. If it just weren't for those two or three kilometers before Laggan!

So difficult to walk on this side of the road

First glimpse of the sea

I followed Slug Road for a long time today!