May 15, Melgarve to Newtonmore, 30 km, ascent 177 m
Today was another beautiful day, warm and sunny. I slept well last night, and made an early start. After an hour or so my back started bothering me and around lunch time it was getting quite bad. For a while I couldn't walk at all, my right leg would hardly support me. As I was limping along a car came up from behind. It pulled up and the men inside asked if I needed help. I quickly decided that I did, thinking that my challenge was over. They took me to Laggan Stores, where I rested for a bit, and then decided to try and walk again. I did, however, decide to follow the A86 instead of walking up to Dalnashallag Bothy. Following the road was very easy on my back (though the traffic was a pain!) and I soon made it to Newtonmore. I learned that I had missed a beautiful walk along the Calder, I just may have to come back here!
Today was another beautiful day, warm and sunny. I slept well last night, and made an early start. After an hour or so my back started bothering me and around lunch time it was getting quite bad. For a while I couldn't walk at all, my right leg would hardly support me. As I was limping along a car came up from behind. It pulled up and the men inside asked if I needed help. I quickly decided that I did, thinking that my challenge was over. They took me to Laggan Stores, where I rested for a bit, and then decided to try and walk again. I did, however, decide to follow the A86 instead of walking up to Dalnashallag Bothy. Following the road was very easy on my back (though the traffic was a pain!) and I soon made it to Newtonmore. I learned that I had missed a beautiful walk along the Calder, I just may have to come back here!
Melgarve Bothy
The view from Melgarve
Newtonmore Hostel
Resting challengers (Bernie, Paul and Alan?)
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| Melgarve Bothy |
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| The view from Melgarve |
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| Newtonmore Hostel |
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| Resting challengers (Bernie, Paul and Alan?) |
May 16, Newtonmore to Ruigh Aiteachain Bothy, 23 km, ascent 281 m
May 16, Newtonmore to Ruigh Aiteachain Bothy, 23 km, ascent 281 m
What a different day today was compared to yesterday! After breakfast I set out, heading towards Kingussie, where I stopped for second breakfast at a coffee shop. I then continued towards Glen Feshie. The walk was very beautiful. It felt strange to pass from a rural village to wooded forests to highland all in one day. The final stretch to the bothy is one of the most beautiful places I have ever walked. By now it was also very hot, so hot that I forgot to take photos 😟
At the Ruigh Aiteachain bothy there was a group of DoE kids running all over the place (they were actually very well behaved, but quite loud as kids tend to be when outdoors). They were camping and it was difficult to find a good spot for my duplex, so I decided to sleep in the bothy. The bothy was just re-opened after being renovated and extended. It felt like a privilege to stay there. I was so tired I fell asleep even thought there were people sitting at the table 1 meter away, talking and laughing loudly. I woke at every laughter, but fell asleep right away again.
Second Breakfast in Kingussie
I'm pretty.
Feels like back home
So beautiful
Green fields and snow-capped mountains.
The Feshie
Paul and Alan
At the Ruigh Aiteachain bothy there was a group of DoE kids running all over the place (they were actually very well behaved, but quite loud as kids tend to be when outdoors). They were camping and it was difficult to find a good spot for my duplex, so I decided to sleep in the bothy. The bothy was just re-opened after being renovated and extended. It felt like a privilege to stay there. I was so tired I fell asleep even thought there were people sitting at the table 1 meter away, talking and laughing loudly. I woke at every laughter, but fell asleep right away again.
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| Second Breakfast in Kingussie |
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| I'm pretty. |
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| Feels like back home |
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| So beautiful |
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| Green fields and snow-capped mountains. |
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| The Feshie |
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| Paul and Alan |
May 17, Ruigh Aiteachain to White Bridge, 23 km, ascent 300 m
I woke up at 5.30, when a challenger came in to make breakfast. After a slow-ish morning I left before the other challengers in the bothy. Need I say that the day was perfect, again? A landslide south of the bothy had swept the path away, and the new path meant two fords, nothing difficult, though. The bridge across the Eidart was ominous-looking, but didn't feel too bad to cross, even though the hand rails were very low. Maybe I should have forded the river instead, that would have been a little closer as well.
After the bridge I kept going up over the watershed, and then down on the other side. The ground was boggy in places, I was glad that the weather had been so good lately. A couple of times it was difficult to see the path, but I just kept going and after a while the path was there again. All the way to White bridge I didn't see any challengers, but at the bridge there were a couple of tents, with more people coming after a while to form a small village of about 15 tents.
Ok...
Supper
I woke up at 5.30, when a challenger came in to make breakfast. After a slow-ish morning I left before the other challengers in the bothy. Need I say that the day was perfect, again? A landslide south of the bothy had swept the path away, and the new path meant two fords, nothing difficult, though. The bridge across the Eidart was ominous-looking, but didn't feel too bad to cross, even though the hand rails were very low. Maybe I should have forded the river instead, that would have been a little closer as well.
After the bridge I kept going up over the watershed, and then down on the other side. The ground was boggy in places, I was glad that the weather had been so good lately. A couple of times it was difficult to see the path, but I just kept going and after a while the path was there again. All the way to White bridge I didn't see any challengers, but at the bridge there were a couple of tents, with more people coming after a while to form a small village of about 15 tents.
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| Ok... |
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| Supper |
May 18, White Bridge to Braemar, 16.3 km, ascent 159 m
When we got up the sun was shining, but after a while the clouds came rolling in. It made for a nice day, not to warm to walk. Off and on I walked with other challengers and time went by fast. At Mar Lodge I stopped for a chat with all the other challengers that gathered there. It was nice to see people that I hadn't seen since the beginning of the challenge, as well as some that I had crossed paths with frequently over the course of the past days. After a while I left for the final push into Braemar. In Braemar I met Alan, who was staying at Rucksacks Braemar. I managed to get a bed, and since nobody else came that day I got the room to myself.
Checking the map
White bridge in the distance
Mar Lodge
Tea and cookies
Braemar
When we got up the sun was shining, but after a while the clouds came rolling in. It made for a nice day, not to warm to walk. Off and on I walked with other challengers and time went by fast. At Mar Lodge I stopped for a chat with all the other challengers that gathered there. It was nice to see people that I hadn't seen since the beginning of the challenge, as well as some that I had crossed paths with frequently over the course of the past days. After a while I left for the final push into Braemar. In Braemar I met Alan, who was staying at Rucksacks Braemar. I managed to get a bed, and since nobody else came that day I got the room to myself.
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| Checking the map |
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| White bridge in the distance |
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| Mar Lodge |
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| Tea and cookies |
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| Braemar |
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