Wednesday 23 July
I won a trophy today from the running club at work for being the top fundraiser, esentially from the London marathon but as I had combined this with my end to end efforts, I don't really think anyone else had a chance! I was in London anyway today so popped into one of the offices to collect my cup (it's huge and will clearly now take pride of place on my desk at work!) and have the obligatory photoshoot. I'm hoping that I'll get copies so I can post one on the blog.
And then the lies continue! Unsure if I mentioned earlier but remember my first pair of shoes that I had retired at Earby? Tricia had taken them home but John told me that although he had hung them outside for a while, they smelt so bad that they overpowered the garage and he'd eventually thrown them away. I only found this out when I got back home and to be honest, I was a little sad as although I admit they did pong, they'd been part of my journey for so many miles. Anyway, a package had arrived this morning and Maureen and Barry, our lovely neighbours, had signed for and taken it in. Although addressed to John, he let me open it (I should have twigged then that something was afoot as he would never normally allow me to open his parcels!) and what a fantastic surprise - it was my trainers : Maureen had sugggested a 'bronzer' and he'd arranged to have them immortalised for ever in bronze and mounted on a wooden plinth with an engraved plaque 'Carole Loader ran Lands End to John O'Groats 25 April to 5 July 2008'. They look absolutely fantastic - it's rather like getting the taxidermist in! I can't believe it's actually my trainers underneath all the bronzing....and they don't smell anymore!
Wednesday 23 July 2008
Monday 21 July 2008
Tuesday 22 July (John's birthday!)
My certificate arrived last night confirming my membership to the 'End to End' Club and acknowledging my 'outstanding achievement' - that's going to take pride of place in a frame on the wall together with the 'before and after' signpost signs. Sarah and Kevin kindly put all the photos taken at the surprise Welcome Home party onto one disc - some of them are really really good - funnily enough, I've got a huge smile on my face in every single photo and a glass of wine in many of them!
Collecting of the sponsors is always a mammoth effort but it's not going too badly : quite a few people are giving me more than they originally sponsored and I'm also getting others supporting me who I didn't originally put their name down which is great. I was also in the on-line magazine at work last Wednesday and that prompted a further 8 hits to my JustGiving website.
So far I've collected cash and cheques (including the on-line JustGiving total) of just over £7,020 and with over £700 still to come I've easily passed my target of £7,500 and soooooo near to the £8,000 mark - how brilliant is that!?!
My certificate arrived last night confirming my membership to the 'End to End' Club and acknowledging my 'outstanding achievement' - that's going to take pride of place in a frame on the wall together with the 'before and after' signpost signs. Sarah and Kevin kindly put all the photos taken at the surprise Welcome Home party onto one disc - some of them are really really good - funnily enough, I've got a huge smile on my face in every single photo and a glass of wine in many of them!
Collecting of the sponsors is always a mammoth effort but it's not going too badly : quite a few people are giving me more than they originally sponsored and I'm also getting others supporting me who I didn't originally put their name down which is great. I was also in the on-line magazine at work last Wednesday and that prompted a further 8 hits to my JustGiving website.
So far I've collected cash and cheques (including the on-line JustGiving total) of just over £7,020 and with over £700 still to come I've easily passed my target of £7,500 and soooooo near to the £8,000 mark - how brilliant is that!?!
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Monday 14 July
The 'official' photos of me under the signpost at John O'Groats arrived this morning and I love them! I look like a real athlete and full of confidence with my arms in the air and I can't stop myself from keep looking at them - it's a marked difference from the picture at Lands End where I'm holding onto the post as if I'm apprehensive and afraid to let go. What a difference a journey of 10 weeks' makes.
Back with the BJs full-blown tonight. No repercussions from my couple of runs yesterday so eagerly ran with Caroline, Laura and Max on a 5 miler. Doesn't take long to get the competitive blood flowing....
The 'official' photos of me under the signpost at John O'Groats arrived this morning and I love them! I look like a real athlete and full of confidence with my arms in the air and I can't stop myself from keep looking at them - it's a marked difference from the picture at Lands End where I'm holding onto the post as if I'm apprehensive and afraid to let go. What a difference a journey of 10 weeks' makes.
Back with the BJs full-blown tonight. No repercussions from my couple of runs yesterday so eagerly ran with Caroline, Laura and Max on a 5 miler. Doesn't take long to get the competitive blood flowing....
Sunday 13 July
For the first time since I finished my adventure, I've got itchy feet to go out for a run...haven't tried going faster than a walk for the whole week so unsure how I'd actually feel. Although the puffiness round my ankle has gone and I've got no pain there anymore I decided to run round the Throop Mill footpath so at least most of the route would be on grassy tracks to give some cushioning underfoot. The first mile or so was really weird as I felt I was leaning all over the place and quite unbalanced and it took a while to realise it was probably because this was the first time in nearly 3 months that I run without the addition of 6.5kg on my back (by the way, that's how heavy my backpack was as Tricia and I had weighed it on the scales at Inverness airport!). At first I couldn't get a running style and was plodding quite heavily down the road towards the Mill but after a while I seemed to remember how to do this running stuff properly and by the time I'd got half way, was really enjoying striding along the lanes and tracks. We'd had a load of rain last week and despite this being July and today being quite muggy, there was standing water on some of the path and one of the lanes was totally flooded. I definitely was not going for a repeat of the bog wading that I'd done on my trip so shimmied under a barbed wire fence and trespassed over the farmers field (wouldn't have been so had I been in Scotland!).
By the time I got home I was really enjoying myself and decided to go out straight away for another run! It's addictive this running lark and I love it!
For the first time since I finished my adventure, I've got itchy feet to go out for a run...haven't tried going faster than a walk for the whole week so unsure how I'd actually feel. Although the puffiness round my ankle has gone and I've got no pain there anymore I decided to run round the Throop Mill footpath so at least most of the route would be on grassy tracks to give some cushioning underfoot. The first mile or so was really weird as I felt I was leaning all over the place and quite unbalanced and it took a while to realise it was probably because this was the first time in nearly 3 months that I run without the addition of 6.5kg on my back (by the way, that's how heavy my backpack was as Tricia and I had weighed it on the scales at Inverness airport!). At first I couldn't get a running style and was plodding quite heavily down the road towards the Mill but after a while I seemed to remember how to do this running stuff properly and by the time I'd got half way, was really enjoying striding along the lanes and tracks. We'd had a load of rain last week and despite this being July and today being quite muggy, there was standing water on some of the path and one of the lanes was totally flooded. I definitely was not going for a repeat of the bog wading that I'd done on my trip so shimmied under a barbed wire fence and trespassed over the farmers field (wouldn't have been so had I been in Scotland!).
By the time I got home I was really enjoying myself and decided to go out straight away for another run! It's addictive this running lark and I love it!
Friday 11 July
I'd had an email last night from Shelley at South West News so spoke to her this morning about the potential selling of my LEJOG story to magazines and such like. She was just about to go on holiday so whilst she sounded a bit rushed on the phone, she was handing my 'case' over to another editor whilst she was away. Fingers crossed then!
Ankle swelling is much better now and I went through the whole day at work without having to take my shoes off! Whilst I'm still slightly seizing up if I sit still for too long, it's much better than it was a few days ago.
I'd had an email last night from Shelley at South West News so spoke to her this morning about the potential selling of my LEJOG story to magazines and such like. She was just about to go on holiday so whilst she sounded a bit rushed on the phone, she was handing my 'case' over to another editor whilst she was away. Fingers crossed then!
Ankle swelling is much better now and I went through the whole day at work without having to take my shoes off! Whilst I'm still slightly seizing up if I sit still for too long, it's much better than it was a few days ago.
Monday 7 July....back to work day
I think everyone knew that I wouldn't be doing much work for the next few days - there's too many people that want to know how I got on and to be honest I really don't want to come down off this cloud too quickly. Walking in the door for the first time I got a huge round of applause so in reality, it wasn't too bad being back in the office and I certainly didn't get much done!
My right ankle is quite swollen at the moment and I don't have much movement in it at all. Whilst I got to work in shoes, they soon came off and I wandered around the office all day in bare feet. Occasionally getting sharp pains across the top of my right foot and I have to get up every hour or so from my desk as my knees are in danger of totally seizing up at right angles!
After work I was keen to see all the Bournemouth Joggers so didn't waste much time in getting back to club. They presented me with a whole load of footcare lotions so my tootsies are going to be in for a nice treat afterwards. Decided it would be interesting to go along with my fully loaded backpack but most had difficulty trying it on and politely declined my offer for them to try running a circuit of the athletics track with it on! It was great to see everyone again but feel that I may have interupted their intense track session as there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm for some speed work!
I think everyone knew that I wouldn't be doing much work for the next few days - there's too many people that want to know how I got on and to be honest I really don't want to come down off this cloud too quickly. Walking in the door for the first time I got a huge round of applause so in reality, it wasn't too bad being back in the office and I certainly didn't get much done!
My right ankle is quite swollen at the moment and I don't have much movement in it at all. Whilst I got to work in shoes, they soon came off and I wandered around the office all day in bare feet. Occasionally getting sharp pains across the top of my right foot and I have to get up every hour or so from my desk as my knees are in danger of totally seizing up at right angles!
After work I was keen to see all the Bournemouth Joggers so didn't waste much time in getting back to club. They presented me with a whole load of footcare lotions so my tootsies are going to be in for a nice treat afterwards. Decided it would be interesting to go along with my fully loaded backpack but most had difficulty trying it on and politely declined my offer for them to try running a circuit of the athletics track with it on! It was great to see everyone again but feel that I may have interupted their intense track session as there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm for some speed work!
Friday 11 July 2008
Day 72 - the day after.....
Woke up this morning and didn't need to put the trainers on....no running required. Wave 105 called to congratulate me on my achievement and interview me on how it all went - I was then on the news bulletins every half hour. They nick-named me 'Bournemouths Forrest Gump'!
The stewardess on the flight gave an announcement to all the passengers that I was on board and that people may have seen me on TV or heard me on the radio....I've got quite a celebrity status now! John met us at the airport and it was so fantastic to see him after such a long absence. It's the Wimbledon men's final today but luckily for us the match has been interupted by rain as John loves tennis and it would have been a shame if he'd missed vital games whilst picking us up.
Strangly I've forgotten where things are at home - not that John has moved stuff around it's just that my mind is so decluttered of 'reality' life that I can't remember. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things slowly as I certainly don't want to lose sight of what I've achieved over the last 10 weeks. John must have been reading my mind as he's cooked a roast beef dinner for tonight...yum! For once, although I scoffed everything put in front of me he left half of his and I assumed that it was because he'd been snack-attacking during the day - this was part one of a cunning arrangement. I'd already mentioned to Sarah and Kevin that I wanted to pop over and see them and apparantely John had arranged for us to go over around 6.30pm as 'it was a school night and Will, Eddie and Max all wanted to see me before they went to bed' - this was cunning plan part two. Whilst driving over there John also 'complained' that recently the staff at the park had taken to leaving their cars behind their house which meant he sometimes had trouble finding room to park which was exactly the situation tonight but there was a space right outside her gate - cunning plan part three. As I gleefully yelled 'I made it', a dog ran out of the gate 'that looks like Buttons, what's she doing here?' - cunning plan almost blown to smithereens but I still didn't twig! One or two people that shouldn't have been over there meandering round the garden...still naive! It was only when I got into the kitchen and found the room full of friends that I realised I'd been well and truely surprised - the house was full and they were all there for me! The great thing was that they had managed to get Paul into the kitchen too. Eddie's trumpet teacher, Malcolm gave a fantastic rendition of 'congratulations' on the trumpet just to seal my arrival. Sarah and Kevin had also secured the services of a photographer to capture the moment so we all stood (freezing in the balmy July weather!) on the mansion steps for the official snaps. There was also a running buffet (hence the reason John was 'suddenly' full when it came to eating a roast dinner) and a karaoke (complete with welcome home message for me) and although this didn't get too much use on the night, I heard that it had been well tested the previous evening! I was still wearing my running top and my hair looked like the picture of the Llama that John had sent me a couple of days ago so I wasn't looking at my best but that didn't seem to matter to anyone!
It was a fantastic night and one that I certainly had no idea about. Everyone's been telling me lies albeit little white ones for my own good and I'm amazed that no-one let the cat out of the bag...they're all too clever and I'll never trust any of them again!
Woke up this morning and didn't need to put the trainers on....no running required. Wave 105 called to congratulate me on my achievement and interview me on how it all went - I was then on the news bulletins every half hour. They nick-named me 'Bournemouths Forrest Gump'!
The stewardess on the flight gave an announcement to all the passengers that I was on board and that people may have seen me on TV or heard me on the radio....I've got quite a celebrity status now! John met us at the airport and it was so fantastic to see him after such a long absence. It's the Wimbledon men's final today but luckily for us the match has been interupted by rain as John loves tennis and it would have been a shame if he'd missed vital games whilst picking us up.
Strangly I've forgotten where things are at home - not that John has moved stuff around it's just that my mind is so decluttered of 'reality' life that I can't remember. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things slowly as I certainly don't want to lose sight of what I've achieved over the last 10 weeks. John must have been reading my mind as he's cooked a roast beef dinner for tonight...yum! For once, although I scoffed everything put in front of me he left half of his and I assumed that it was because he'd been snack-attacking during the day - this was part one of a cunning arrangement. I'd already mentioned to Sarah and Kevin that I wanted to pop over and see them and apparantely John had arranged for us to go over around 6.30pm as 'it was a school night and Will, Eddie and Max all wanted to see me before they went to bed' - this was cunning plan part two. Whilst driving over there John also 'complained' that recently the staff at the park had taken to leaving their cars behind their house which meant he sometimes had trouble finding room to park which was exactly the situation tonight but there was a space right outside her gate - cunning plan part three. As I gleefully yelled 'I made it', a dog ran out of the gate 'that looks like Buttons, what's she doing here?' - cunning plan almost blown to smithereens but I still didn't twig! One or two people that shouldn't have been over there meandering round the garden...still naive! It was only when I got into the kitchen and found the room full of friends that I realised I'd been well and truely surprised - the house was full and they were all there for me! The great thing was that they had managed to get Paul into the kitchen too. Eddie's trumpet teacher, Malcolm gave a fantastic rendition of 'congratulations' on the trumpet just to seal my arrival. Sarah and Kevin had also secured the services of a photographer to capture the moment so we all stood (freezing in the balmy July weather!) on the mansion steps for the official snaps. There was also a running buffet (hence the reason John was 'suddenly' full when it came to eating a roast dinner) and a karaoke (complete with welcome home message for me) and although this didn't get too much use on the night, I heard that it had been well tested the previous evening! I was still wearing my running top and my hair looked like the picture of the Llama that John had sent me a couple of days ago so I wasn't looking at my best but that didn't seem to matter to anyone!
It was a fantastic night and one that I certainly had no idea about. Everyone's been telling me lies albeit little white ones for my own good and I'm amazed that no-one let the cat out of the bag...they're all too clever and I'll never trust any of them again!
Saturday 5 July 2008
Day 71 Watten - John O'Groats
2 a.m. I can't sleep! For the first time on my trip, my mind won't shut down. Please, just one more dry day - is sun asking too much? I haven't got any problem with it being the only day where I have a time limit (nneed to catch the 6 p.m. ferry-bus back to Inverness) but in what order do I do everything? Signpost then photo, then passport stamp, then go to Duncansby Head or Duncansby Head first? When do I phone everyone to say that I have finished? Oh the stress of it all!! Maybe I'll just go with the flow and see what happens...
2 a.m. I can't sleep! For the first time on my trip, my mind won't shut down. Please, just one more dry day - is sun asking too much? I haven't got any problem with it being the only day where I have a time limit (nneed to catch the 6 p.m. ferry-bus back to Inverness) but in what order do I do everything? Signpost then photo, then passport stamp, then go to Duncansby Head or Duncansby Head first? When do I phone everyone to say that I have finished? Oh the stress of it all!! Maybe I'll just go with the flow and see what happens...
When I drew back the curtains this morning it was dry but very misty. Today's the day and I'm totally unsure how I'm going to feel when I get to the finish and how I'm going to react to the reality of what I've done. But, I have to do some running first.
I guess it's because it's the last day but I feel strangely a lot stronger than I have done for the past few weeks and I'm able to run for quite a long way (I'm talking a few miles here!) before stopping for a recovery. There were quite a few fly fishers set up on the Loch who gave me a cheery wave as I ran past. It was quite a zig-zaggy route along minor roads and past isolated houses and farms before I reached Lyth and from then on the road was dead straight. The mist was still down and with the addition of low cloud I felt I was in a bit of a bubble as I could only see around 50m in any direction and this distance didn't seem to change at all. Occasionally the mist would totally clear and it made everything so much brighter. A row of telegraph poles led the way ever onwards, still in a straight line, with the occasional hill bringing the hope of a view from the top of my destination. But, once I got to the top it was just a view of the road and telegraph poles ahead! I started to think of what I should do for my 'signpost' photo - arms in air? punching the air? casual? and ran along the road whooping and practising!
The internet connection at home was broken so Sarah kindly typed up my '2am' update for today as I thought people would be interested to know how I was feeling this morning. Quite a few friends called or sent a text wishing me luck which was really nice. I spoke to Tricia who asked 'are you there yet?'....not yet but around 6 miles to go. She appeared rather abrupt as she had 'other things to do and needed to get on'....this was one of the most important days in my life and she didn't appear to have the time to speak to me!
Anyway, eventually I was able to see the North sea at the very top of Britain and I turned eastwards to Canisbay. Quite a few car drivers smiled and waved at me as I ran past - clearly they see 'end to enders' all the time but are able to recognise that this is a momentus day for each of them so it was lovely to get the friendly acknowledgement. I still couldn't see John O'Groats because of the bad weather and disappointingly, although the Orkney Isles are only just offshore, these were shrouded in mist as well : it was a complete whiteout.
Running through Huna and seeing the almost fairy-tale, castle-like John O'Groats hotel was when the realisation of what I was about to achieve hit home and the tears started flooding down my face....try running whilst snuffling back tears!! it's hard to breath. I must have looked a right sight to others but to be honest I was too far removed from the reality at this point to even care. I was wandering all over the road and when I reached the signpost advertising JOG as the 'welcome at the end of the road' I had trouble focusing the camera because of the tears. The road had been going away from the hotel until this point but now it pointed directly to the finish line and when I got to the car-park I couldn't hold any of my emotions back and screamed with sheer joy and jubilation at what I had just achieved. Loads of people congratulated me as I made my way to the signpost. I did go with the flow as I had the photo (decided on arms outstretched with index finger showing #1!!) then got the final stamp in my passport. I couldn't actually see Duncasby Head and, with the pursuasion of John, decided that the finish line is the sign-post and I don't need to go any further!
A cyclist finished just after me and after chatting for a while he and his wife kindly offered me a brew up in their van...it was great to share the finish experience with someone else.
I was booked to return to Inverness that evening on the bus that meets the Orkney ferry. The weather had not got any better and it was actually really chilly, certainly not a temperature that befits the 5 July! I was quite keen to get into the warm bus but before I got on, Tricia got off! It was one of those moments where you're just staring at someone before the brain engages and passes the recognition signal....I'd been set up good and proper but in the most fantastic way! She'd planned her trip to meet me way back at the end of March, even before I'd set out and whilst almost everyone back home knew of the cunning plan, I had absolutely no idea. Tears flowed again! After she'd answered all the 'how / when / what' questions we got down to the serious business of celebrating my success with a glass of bubbly before getting back on board. It was really interesting to then drive back down the same route I'd run albeit it in 3 hours as opposed to the week and a bit that it had taken me to run it!
Back at the YH it was time for a quick shower and new clothes that Tricia had brought up with her....jeans were back and they still don't fit but I don't care! Unfortunately it would appear that almost all the restaurants in Inverness close at the unearthly hour of 10pm or even 9pm so we were beginning to think our celebrations were going to be shortlived. However Bella Italia came to the rescue and stayed open well past their official closing time. We had a fab meal with complimentary drinks and even a donation thrown in.
Mileage 18.26
Final total mileage was a massive 1,205.54. Against my original guess of 1,200 that's pretty close in my books!
I've done it, I've really done it.
As Forrest Gump said 'I think I'll stop running now'
And in answer to the immortal words of Heather Small 'What have you done today to make you feel proud?'....well, I've just run from Lands End to John O'Groats
Day 70 - Dunbeath to Watten
Oh groundhog weather - low mist and cloud this morning which cheered me up no end. The thought of more plodding along the A9 was so inviting....not! The B&B I was staying in is in the process of being built so in reality was more like a building site. The original Inver Guest House stands on their land, a relic from 1911 made almost entirely from wood. They've had demolition consent for the last 6 years but it still stands as the view from the dining room!
Once again legs were protesting in earnest this morning as I thumped slowly up the main road ever northwards. Only gentle undulations but it's a real struggle to get up them. At Latheron I said a fond farewell to the A9 as it branched off towards Thurso and the port of Scrabster whilst I continued on its' cloned brother, the A99 towards Wick. I met a cyclist chatting to a car driver...LEJOGger perhaps with his back-up? Yep, wasn't long before Conor caught up with me. He was on his last day and it was interesting to know he had a friend contemplating running it - he should get some good tips from my blog!
At Lybster they started drilling just yesterday at Scotlands' first land-based oil rig and I could clearly see the huge metal frame as I ran past. It wasn't far after Lybster that I was finally able to turn off the main road and instead head across the last north east peninsular of Scotland on a minor road, more akin to a Roman one as it was dead-staright for at least the first 5 miles or so. Passing the odd stone house and farm (many derelict) plus Broch remains : these are iron age stone mounds of two walls used either as fortifications or dwellings. The sun did try to come out which made the scenery look much nicer, albeit it was just rough moor only able to support sheep grazing. After about 3 miles the road entered forestry plantations and those pesky flies returned - they don't bite just simply buzz in their hundreds around my head and appear to enjoy a game of dare to see who can land on my nose or for bonus points, under my sunglasses!
The one 'attraction' for today were The Grey Cairns of Camster : two of the best preserved chambered stone tombs in Britain which date back more than 5,000 years to the Neolithic times. Both had open entrances so you could go inside but I must admit I found it really difficult to bend down and crawl through the tiny gaps - my legs simply would not co-operate that well! From then on it was simply acase of plodding on down the road. I could see huge peaked mountains to my left and there were a few wind farms dotted over the open expanse of moor. The birds were back in earnest from the massive buzzards 'mewing' overhead to the alarm calls of lapwing and curlew plus stonechats whose song simply sounds exactly like a couple of stones being knocked together : they're really pretty birds with red chests and black caps and hang around on the fence wires or gorse bushes.
The road led gradually downhill towards Watten and the Loch bearing the same name. At this point I was trying to guess what my last B&B would be like : top of the list would be a TV in my room and a bath! Second would be the bath, third the TV and fourth would be just a shower.....reality was the 2nd choice and having obtained the added luxury of bath foam I was really looking forward to a good long soak. Unfortunately the water heater hadn't been turned on so I was brought back down with a huge thump!
Mileage 20.82 and time 3.58
Total Mileage 1,187.28
Oh groundhog weather - low mist and cloud this morning which cheered me up no end. The thought of more plodding along the A9 was so inviting....not! The B&B I was staying in is in the process of being built so in reality was more like a building site. The original Inver Guest House stands on their land, a relic from 1911 made almost entirely from wood. They've had demolition consent for the last 6 years but it still stands as the view from the dining room!
Once again legs were protesting in earnest this morning as I thumped slowly up the main road ever northwards. Only gentle undulations but it's a real struggle to get up them. At Latheron I said a fond farewell to the A9 as it branched off towards Thurso and the port of Scrabster whilst I continued on its' cloned brother, the A99 towards Wick. I met a cyclist chatting to a car driver...LEJOGger perhaps with his back-up? Yep, wasn't long before Conor caught up with me. He was on his last day and it was interesting to know he had a friend contemplating running it - he should get some good tips from my blog!
At Lybster they started drilling just yesterday at Scotlands' first land-based oil rig and I could clearly see the huge metal frame as I ran past. It wasn't far after Lybster that I was finally able to turn off the main road and instead head across the last north east peninsular of Scotland on a minor road, more akin to a Roman one as it was dead-staright for at least the first 5 miles or so. Passing the odd stone house and farm (many derelict) plus Broch remains : these are iron age stone mounds of two walls used either as fortifications or dwellings. The sun did try to come out which made the scenery look much nicer, albeit it was just rough moor only able to support sheep grazing. After about 3 miles the road entered forestry plantations and those pesky flies returned - they don't bite just simply buzz in their hundreds around my head and appear to enjoy a game of dare to see who can land on my nose or for bonus points, under my sunglasses!
The one 'attraction' for today were The Grey Cairns of Camster : two of the best preserved chambered stone tombs in Britain which date back more than 5,000 years to the Neolithic times. Both had open entrances so you could go inside but I must admit I found it really difficult to bend down and crawl through the tiny gaps - my legs simply would not co-operate that well! From then on it was simply acase of plodding on down the road. I could see huge peaked mountains to my left and there were a few wind farms dotted over the open expanse of moor. The birds were back in earnest from the massive buzzards 'mewing' overhead to the alarm calls of lapwing and curlew plus stonechats whose song simply sounds exactly like a couple of stones being knocked together : they're really pretty birds with red chests and black caps and hang around on the fence wires or gorse bushes.
The road led gradually downhill towards Watten and the Loch bearing the same name. At this point I was trying to guess what my last B&B would be like : top of the list would be a TV in my room and a bath! Second would be the bath, third the TV and fourth would be just a shower.....reality was the 2nd choice and having obtained the added luxury of bath foam I was really looking forward to a good long soak. Unfortunately the water heater hadn't been turned on so I was brought back down with a huge thump!
Mileage 20.82 and time 3.58
Total Mileage 1,187.28
Friday 4 July 2008
Day 69 Helmsdale to Dunbeath
I was complimenting the navy guys for creeping in last night as they didn't wake me up only to find that they didn't get back in until 8 am this morning! Got them all to cough up their change - £19.64 but lamented the fact that they had spent most of it in the pub last night.
Fantastic morning once again. The doorman at Dunrobin Castle had said that the route after Helmsdale was very hilly and he definitely wasn't wrong. It was straight up the hill as soon as I left the hostel and it just kept on going up. There were workmen working on the finishing stages of a new road and they kindly let me use it as a short cut but the foreman stopped me, saying it was a works access road only. I stood my ground, saying I had been told to us it as it was safer, to which he replied "those who gave their authority would get their butts kicked" jobsworth! Anyway, having taken the shortcut the road continued to follow the valleys so I seemed to be going a long way without getting very far. I entered Caithsness which many say is really pretty but to be honest, it was just a great expanse of moor with a busy main road going right through it. I stopped at the Badbea ancient village which was a collection of ruined stone houses dating from the 1700's but deserted in the early 1800's following the highland clearances. To be honest I couldn't really make out what it was as there were 6 foot high ferns everywhere but I guess in the Winter when the vegetation had died back it would have been easier to make out the remains. It is reputed that the cliff tops were so windy that animals, chickens and children were tied down to stop them blowing away. The curlews and lapwings were back in abundance but the mist came in to drown out any sort of view and then it rained - not heavy, just constant dreary drizzle.
I'm really glad I didn't go North to South as this is no joy at all and is now a means to an end, literally. A truck driver pulled over to offer me a lift which, of course, I declined - despite the lowness of today I would not cheat on my mission!
Dunbeath is yet another drab, pebbledash ridden village. The only place to eat is a pub which looks like a truckers greasy cafe - the lasagne and chips were horrid. Oh how I look forward to a proper home cooked meal.
mileage 16.47 time 3.39
Total mileage 1166.46
Fantastic morning once again. The doorman at Dunrobin Castle had said that the route after Helmsdale was very hilly and he definitely wasn't wrong. It was straight up the hill as soon as I left the hostel and it just kept on going up. There were workmen working on the finishing stages of a new road and they kindly let me use it as a short cut but the foreman stopped me, saying it was a works access road only. I stood my ground, saying I had been told to us it as it was safer, to which he replied "those who gave their authority would get their butts kicked" jobsworth! Anyway, having taken the shortcut the road continued to follow the valleys so I seemed to be going a long way without getting very far. I entered Caithsness which many say is really pretty but to be honest, it was just a great expanse of moor with a busy main road going right through it. I stopped at the Badbea ancient village which was a collection of ruined stone houses dating from the 1700's but deserted in the early 1800's following the highland clearances. To be honest I couldn't really make out what it was as there were 6 foot high ferns everywhere but I guess in the Winter when the vegetation had died back it would have been easier to make out the remains. It is reputed that the cliff tops were so windy that animals, chickens and children were tied down to stop them blowing away. The curlews and lapwings were back in abundance but the mist came in to drown out any sort of view and then it rained - not heavy, just constant dreary drizzle.
I'm really glad I didn't go North to South as this is no joy at all and is now a means to an end, literally. A truck driver pulled over to offer me a lift which, of course, I declined - despite the lowness of today I would not cheat on my mission!
Dunbeath is yet another drab, pebbledash ridden village. The only place to eat is a pub which looks like a truckers greasy cafe - the lasagne and chips were horrid. Oh how I look forward to a proper home cooked meal.
mileage 16.47 time 3.39
Total mileage 1166.46
Day 68 Brora to Helmsdale
Perfect blue sky this morning although still a bit breezy. Hadn't even gotten to the end of the road before I picked up another £5 donation. Crossed the river and headed over Brora golf course, which, like Dornoch, was in the sand dunes right next to the sea. The two couple that had stayed at Kyle View two nights ago were on the first tee! Can't get away from people recognizing me.
As the weather was so nice and I only had a "short" day today, I decided not to waste the opportunity to relax and enjoy the surroundings so sat on the dunes in the sun for a couple of hours. Eventually the clouds built up which was my signal to move on, running through the undulating dunes between the golf course and the sea. There were a few "free range" cows and sheep wandering the dunes and some were in the sea which was as bit weird. A couple of arctic terns were nesting on the beach and at one point were in gander of being squished by the roaming cows. Unfortunately the beach footpath came to an end at which point I had to cross the railway line and pick up my favorite route, the A9 although it is beginning to get a bit quieter I must admit.
The road now gently rose and fell past remote houses and the odd farm. Fields of cows and sheep were separated by stone walls and I could have been forgiven for thinking I was looking at Hadrian's wall at one point, the way had followed the edge of the cliffs with occasional stony buildings looking like the turrets on the true version. A couple of cars tooted their support of my efforts but these made me jump each time!
After dropping down a hill into the village of Portgower the road became increasingly narrow and one the blind corners it was impossible to move until the approaching cars had passed as they came too fast and too close to the curb for comfort. Lots of arctic terns were nesting on the beaches near Helmsdale; the fact they are here just shows how far north I am!
Helmsdale itself was originally a Viking settlement and in the early 18 hundreds was an important fishing station. Once again my fame has proceeded me as the LEJOG cyclists I met in Drumnadrochit stayed here and I was apparently the subject of conversation! There is a group from HMS Sutherland staying here - their ship[ is currently undergoing repair and servicing so the crew do community projects within the Sutherland county and have been here since Monday putting in a footpath down to the shore for the community to use.
I'd passed on the fish and chips from one of the top take aways all those weeks ago in Indian Queens and got so much abuse via the blog comments that I haven't made the same mistake twice. The one in Helmsdale ; La Mirage has appeared on TV and been commended by "The Two Fat Ladies" as being one of the best in Britain - certainly I couldn't complain about the size of the portion unless to say it was too big; two pieces of fish and a huge pile of tasty chips for a fiver - bargain!
Mileage 12.28 Time 2.35
Total mileage 1149.99
As the weather was so nice and I only had a "short" day today, I decided not to waste the opportunity to relax and enjoy the surroundings so sat on the dunes in the sun for a couple of hours. Eventually the clouds built up which was my signal to move on, running through the undulating dunes between the golf course and the sea. There were a few "free range" cows and sheep wandering the dunes and some were in the sea which was as bit weird. A couple of arctic terns were nesting on the beach and at one point were in gander of being squished by the roaming cows. Unfortunately the beach footpath came to an end at which point I had to cross the railway line and pick up my favorite route, the A9 although it is beginning to get a bit quieter I must admit.
The road now gently rose and fell past remote houses and the odd farm. Fields of cows and sheep were separated by stone walls and I could have been forgiven for thinking I was looking at Hadrian's wall at one point, the way had followed the edge of the cliffs with occasional stony buildings looking like the turrets on the true version. A couple of cars tooted their support of my efforts but these made me jump each time!
After dropping down a hill into the village of Portgower the road became increasingly narrow and one the blind corners it was impossible to move until the approaching cars had passed as they came too fast and too close to the curb for comfort. Lots of arctic terns were nesting on the beaches near Helmsdale; the fact they are here just shows how far north I am!
Helmsdale itself was originally a Viking settlement and in the early 18 hundreds was an important fishing station. Once again my fame has proceeded me as the LEJOG cyclists I met in Drumnadrochit stayed here and I was apparently the subject of conversation! There is a group from HMS Sutherland staying here - their ship[ is currently undergoing repair and servicing so the crew do community projects within the Sutherland county and have been here since Monday putting in a footpath down to the shore for the community to use.
I'd passed on the fish and chips from one of the top take aways all those weeks ago in Indian Queens and got so much abuse via the blog comments that I haven't made the same mistake twice. The one in Helmsdale ; La Mirage has appeared on TV and been commended by "The Two Fat Ladies" as being one of the best in Britain - certainly I couldn't complain about the size of the portion unless to say it was too big; two pieces of fish and a huge pile of tasty chips for a fiver - bargain!
Mileage 12.28 Time 2.35
Total mileage 1149.99
Tuesday 1 July 2008
Day 67 Dornoch to Brora
It rained overnight but no sign of the sun this morning although dry.
I created a traffic jam as soon as I stepped out the front door as my "advertising" caused a driver to stop to give me a donation and backed up the cars behind including a police car! Another £20 from a couple staying at the B&B. Ran back through Dornoch and over the golf course to Enbo where I had to pass through a holiday caravan site before picking up an unsigned footpath through grass covered dunes next to a sandy beach. Ahead I could just make out Dunrobin Castle over the other side of the Loch. Lots of rabbits and birds including raucous oystercatchers.
I then climbed over a couple of gates onto a minor lane that ran around the shoreline of Loch Fleet and below the ruins of Skelbo Castle. I was on the lookout for common seals and sure enough there were loads playing close to the shore but it was a shame the tide was in and had the mud flats been showing they probably would have been lying on them.
A very strange thing happened and I had no idea if it's the result of being on my own for 9.5 weeks but just after putting on my waterproofs because of the huge downpour I could clearly hear "hello hello" - there wasn't anyone around that I could see and I started thinking I was possibly on a "You've Been Framed" type show, then realised it was my phone! Reality restored, I had to rejoin the A9 to go over the end of the Loch where just ahead of me was a cyclist on one of those bikes where you sit in a chair with the pedals actually being on the front wheel - clearly a LEJOG entry! After following the main road for around 5K, I arrived in Golspie where thankfully a footpath ran on grass alongside the pebbly beach - another seal sighting, this time out on a rock.
Next on the agenda was a visit to Dunrobin Castle ; it was huge and situated right next to the beach with fabulous boxed hedged gardens. Nearest thing to a fairytale castle with loads of turrets and home of the Duke of Southerland.
Brora which is four miles away, the first two miles along the beach footpath on grass and pebbles (much like the terrain in The Grizzly run) below cliffs where kittiwake nest where in abundance and then back onto my favorite A9 into Brora.
This time I have eaten a proper meal and raised another £15 to boot!
One thing that is really weird up here is that whilst the temperature back at home is in the high 20's, people still have their fires burning and radiators on - it's 1st July today so this is crazy.
Mileage 20.66 Time 4.29
Total mileage 1137.71
I created a traffic jam as soon as I stepped out the front door as my "advertising" caused a driver to stop to give me a donation and backed up the cars behind including a police car! Another £20 from a couple staying at the B&B. Ran back through Dornoch and over the golf course to Enbo where I had to pass through a holiday caravan site before picking up an unsigned footpath through grass covered dunes next to a sandy beach. Ahead I could just make out Dunrobin Castle over the other side of the Loch. Lots of rabbits and birds including raucous oystercatchers.
I then climbed over a couple of gates onto a minor lane that ran around the shoreline of Loch Fleet and below the ruins of Skelbo Castle. I was on the lookout for common seals and sure enough there were loads playing close to the shore but it was a shame the tide was in and had the mud flats been showing they probably would have been lying on them.
A very strange thing happened and I had no idea if it's the result of being on my own for 9.5 weeks but just after putting on my waterproofs because of the huge downpour I could clearly hear "hello hello" - there wasn't anyone around that I could see and I started thinking I was possibly on a "You've Been Framed" type show, then realised it was my phone! Reality restored, I had to rejoin the A9 to go over the end of the Loch where just ahead of me was a cyclist on one of those bikes where you sit in a chair with the pedals actually being on the front wheel - clearly a LEJOG entry! After following the main road for around 5K, I arrived in Golspie where thankfully a footpath ran on grass alongside the pebbly beach - another seal sighting, this time out on a rock.
Next on the agenda was a visit to Dunrobin Castle ; it was huge and situated right next to the beach with fabulous boxed hedged gardens. Nearest thing to a fairytale castle with loads of turrets and home of the Duke of Southerland.
Brora which is four miles away, the first two miles along the beach footpath on grass and pebbles (much like the terrain in The Grizzly run) below cliffs where kittiwake nest where in abundance and then back onto my favorite A9 into Brora.
This time I have eaten a proper meal and raised another £15 to boot!
One thing that is really weird up here is that whilst the temperature back at home is in the high 20's, people still have their fires burning and radiators on - it's 1st July today so this is crazy.
Mileage 20.66 Time 4.29
Total mileage 1137.71
Day 66 Alness to Dornoch
I know it is getting to be a bit of a habit but another dry day beckoned. Running through Alness I believe I may have become affected by a new medical affliction, that of fusion of my ankle to me leg as they simply would not flex or bend at all. But I was back on the country lanes amid fields of crop and sheep. The plan was to follow the quiet lane as it passed through small hamlets and woods and then run through a much bigger wood thereby avoiding the A9
. The first part of the plan ran perfectly smoothly. I saw a couple of partridge and unfortunately disturbed a female pheasant who was quietly laid in the hedge at the side of the road with her young. It was actually the youngsters that flew away first in all directions leaving the mum to panic trying to round them all up again. I then stopped for a while watching a couple of young deer playing in a field oblivious to me spying on them. My only annoyance was a whole swarm of buzzing flies that seemed to be following me - either I had died (which obviously I hadn't) or I was beginning to really smell!
My maps showed what looked like a track existing in Lamington Park Woods which would then emerge onto the A9 at Dornoch Bridge but the trail simply didn't exist where it should have so I had to take the lane into Tain and then join the A9 there unfortunately. Whilst the traffic wasn't too heavy, it was fast and being a single carriageway there wasn't much room in the kerb for a runner!! The good news was that there was a convenient grass verge which made it a lot easier.
One of the famous Scottish whiskies is Glenmorangie and the distillery was now on my route; whilst I'm not that interested in how they make and mature the drink, if the tour had been free as advertised, then I would have joined but they were now charging so as they also had no soft drinks to offer as refreshments, I passed on the opportunity.
This time I didn't have any real choice but to cross Dornoch Firth via the A9 bridge which luckily had the addition of a pavement. A couple of terns flew overhead plus a heron. Just afterwards I was able to divert through Cuthill onto a much quieter lane. I passed on the opportunity to sample the fitness trail in the woods! Met a couple of elderly gents who'd got slightly lost and was able to point them in the right direction. When I told them where I had started from one of them replied "Was that today?" duh!
Dornoch sprang to fame for where Madonna and Guy Ritchie were married in 2000. The cathedral itself is actually the smallest in Scotland.
Tonights B&B, Kyleview House is excellent and I spent an enjoyable evening watching Andy Murray's comeback at Wimbledon. I was also really naughty as I couldn't really be bothered to get anything to eat so made do with cake and biscuits washed down with a pot of tea!
Mileage 21.66 Time 4.05
Total mileage 1117.05
. The first part of the plan ran perfectly smoothly. I saw a couple of partridge and unfortunately disturbed a female pheasant who was quietly laid in the hedge at the side of the road with her young. It was actually the youngsters that flew away first in all directions leaving the mum to panic trying to round them all up again. I then stopped for a while watching a couple of young deer playing in a field oblivious to me spying on them. My only annoyance was a whole swarm of buzzing flies that seemed to be following me - either I had died (which obviously I hadn't) or I was beginning to really smell!My maps showed what looked like a track existing in Lamington Park Woods which would then emerge onto the A9 at Dornoch Bridge but the trail simply didn't exist where it should have so I had to take the lane into Tain and then join the A9 there unfortunately. Whilst the traffic wasn't too heavy, it was fast and being a single carriageway there wasn't much room in the kerb for a runner!! The good news was that there was a convenient grass verge which made it a lot easier.
One of the famous Scottish whiskies is Glenmorangie and the distillery was now on my route; whilst I'm not that interested in how they make and mature the drink, if the tour had been free as advertised, then I would have joined but they were now charging so as they also had no soft drinks to offer as refreshments, I passed on the opportunity.
This time I didn't have any real choice but to cross Dornoch Firth via the A9 bridge which luckily had the addition of a pavement. A couple of terns flew overhead plus a heron. Just afterwards I was able to divert through Cuthill onto a much quieter lane. I passed on the opportunity to sample the fitness trail in the woods! Met a couple of elderly gents who'd got slightly lost and was able to point them in the right direction. When I told them where I had started from one of them replied "Was that today?" duh!
Dornoch sprang to fame for where Madonna and Guy Ritchie were married in 2000. The cathedral itself is actually the smallest in Scotland.
Tonights B&B, Kyleview House is excellent and I spent an enjoyable evening watching Andy Murray's comeback at Wimbledon. I was also really naughty as I couldn't really be bothered to get anything to eat so made do with cake and biscuits washed down with a pot of tea!
Mileage 21.66 Time 4.05
Total mileage 1117.05
Sunday 29 June 2008
Day 65 Inverness to Alness
Got a rude awakening this morning when one of the others in the dorm crashed onto the floor in the early morning - I think she had forgotten she was on the top bunk!
Followed the national cycle route number 1 back to the river (I would actually end up following it all day) and round an incredibly dusty, dirty and smelly industrial estate before climbing the steps onto Kessock Bridge. This was a huge suspension bridge over the Moray Firth and it was a tad on the windy side running over - thank goodness they had a guard rail between me and the traffic. Unfortunately non of the dolphins made an appearance although there were plenty of white horses leaping in the water. The route then followed the shoreline through North Kessock against the wind to then cross under and run initially parallel to the A9 before taking quieter lanes alongside woods.
I'm already missing the peace and quiet of the forest tracks and footpaths as I now have the drone of traffic in my left ear. I think my whole body is going into protest as I am so tired and it's a real struggle to keep putting my left foot then right foot forward and plod along. After arriving in the village of Tore I then changed direction and took the cycle path up the side of the A835. Now not only did I have the traffic noise (although I did get a couple of horn toots acknowledging my efforts being promoted by my shirt hanging off my backpack) but an uphill directly into a headwind. Then just to add to my increasing torture, the sun totally disappeared behind a huge blanket of dark grey cloud! But, once I reached the top and instead had a sidewind I bravely picked up the pace, albeit it feet still thumping the pavement and headed downhill into Conon Bridge.
There were a couple of really cute Shetland pony foals in one of the fields. All I need now was a tea shop for a sugar intake and hey presto found one...albeit it strangely located in
the middle of a tropical fish shop! Sill beggars cant be choosers so tucked into soup, roll and a pot of tea for which there would be no charge. Duly refreshed I headed further downhill where into Dingwall where I saw a sign for "Th
e North" - I'm sure they normally only say North so I'm assuming it's because I can't a
ctually go any further!! It was then a long drag up above Cromarty Firth and I could easily see notorious mud and sand flats as the tide was out . I was back in farming country and there were huge fields of barley and oats ; the wind made them move like huge swathes of running animals. I could see the A9 crossing the Firth via a huge bridge below me and I was very glad I'd not taken the option to go that route although it would have been shorter. I was offered water by a passing motorist in a minibus which, although I declined, was a nice gesture. The lane undulated all the way to Evanton where I sheltered from a brief rain shower before running along a sandy track alongside the B817 into Alness.
I am sure I saw a huge bird of prey but my description back to John didn't reveal what it was and I've either discovered a brand new species of found a hybrid! After passing an estate or drab grey pebble dash houses arrived early at my B&B and as I was completely exhausted (can't understand why!) I crashed out on the bed in front of the TV for a few hours before venturing out for something to eat. I'd had a recommendation for Teaninich Castle which I had assumed was a pub but when I walked down the gravel path to the front door I certainly hadn't been expecting an actual castle. I'm now feeling much better after a fabulous three course roast beef and apple crumble dinner!
Remeber the cyclists I just met yeasterday? Well true to their word I'm now on their blog site and I've even made it as their "Inspiration of the Day".....
Inspiration of the day: meeting Carol, who was running from Land's End to John O'Groats. She set off on 26 April, has so far run over 1000 miles and will get to John O'Groats in 10 days time - a really amazing person.
Mileage 26.47 Time 5.09
Total mileage 1095.39
Followed the national cycle route number 1 back to the river (I would actually end up following it all day) and round an incredibly dusty, dirty and smelly industrial estate before climbing the steps onto Kessock Bridge. This was a huge suspension bridge over the Moray Firth and it was a tad on the windy side running over - thank goodness they had a guard rail between me and the traffic. Unfortunately non of the dolphins made an appearance although there were plenty of white horses leaping in the water. The route then followed the shoreline through North Kessock against the wind to then cross under and run initially parallel to the A9 before taking quieter lanes alongside woods.
I'm already missing the peace and quiet of the forest tracks and footpaths as I now have the drone of traffic in my left ear. I think my whole body is going into protest as I am so tired and it's a real struggle to keep putting my left foot then right foot forward and plod along. After arriving in the village of Tore I then changed direction and took the cycle path up the side of the A835. Now not only did I have the traffic noise (although I did get a couple of horn toots acknowledging my efforts being promoted by my shirt hanging off my backpack) but an uphill directly into a headwind. Then just to add to my increasing torture, the sun totally disappeared behind a huge blanket of dark grey cloud! But, once I reached the top and instead had a sidewind I bravely picked up the pace, albeit it feet still thumping the pavement and headed downhill into Conon Bridge.
There were a couple of really cute Shetland pony foals in one of the fields. All I need now was a tea shop for a sugar intake and hey presto found one...albeit it strangely located in
the middle of a tropical fish shop! Sill beggars cant be choosers so tucked into soup, roll and a pot of tea for which there would be no charge. Duly refreshed I headed further downhill where into Dingwall where I saw a sign for "Th
e North" - I'm sure they normally only say North so I'm assuming it's because I can't a
ctually go any further!! It was then a long drag up above Cromarty Firth and I could easily see notorious mud and sand flats as the tide was out . I was back in farming country and there were huge fields of barley and oats ; the wind made them move like huge swathes of running animals. I could see the A9 crossing the Firth via a huge bridge below me and I was very glad I'd not taken the option to go that route although it would have been shorter. I was offered water by a passing motorist in a minibus which, although I declined, was a nice gesture. The lane undulated all the way to Evanton where I sheltered from a brief rain shower before running along a sandy track alongside the B817 into Alness.
I am sure I saw a huge bird of prey but my description back to John didn't reveal what it was and I've either discovered a brand new species of found a hybrid! After passing an estate or drab grey pebble dash houses arrived early at my B&B and as I was completely exhausted (can't understand why!) I crashed out on the bed in front of the TV for a few hours before venturing out for something to eat. I'd had a recommendation for Teaninich Castle which I had assumed was a pub but when I walked down the gravel path to the front door I certainly hadn't been expecting an actual castle. I'm now feeling much better after a fabulous three course roast beef and apple crumble dinner!
Remeber the cyclists I just met yeasterday? Well true to their word I'm now on their blog site and I've even made it as their "Inspiration of the Day".....
Inspiration of the day: meeting Carol, who was running from Land's End to John O'Groats. She set off on 26 April, has so far run over 1000 miles and will get to John O'Groats in 10 days time - a really amazing person.
Mileage 26.47 Time 5.09
Total mileage 1095.39
Saturday 28 June 2008
Day 64 - Drumnadrochit to Inverness
Once again the sun was shining when I set out this morning. First stop was the local supermarket to pick up a sarnie and Mars bar for my lunch and I was amazed when I saw that a whole load of cyclists were stopped outside : they were also doing the LEJOG challenge (their website is http://www.lejogcycle2008.co.uk/) this time for Macmillan Cancer but they had only left home on 22 June and were going to reach John O'Groats tomorrow
whilst I've still got 9 days of running left! However, they were very impressed with my solo effort, stocked me up with fruit and nuts (they were being sponsored by Haribo sweets too!) and after a 'team' photo gave me a hero's send off!
I first followed the main road back through Drumnadrochit before hitting the fields again and climbing back up through the trees (there was an excellent view point looking back to Urquart Castle en-route). It was only once I was back in amongst the pine trees that the route really hit the incline button and once again I was zigging and zagging up and up wi
th the weather also getting muggier and muggier until I was a little bit on the wet side!
After emerging from the trees it was then a km or so across open heathland and the sky turned incredibly dark whilst in the loch, what I initially thought was smoke turned out to be a deep mist that covered all the views back towards Fort Augustus - it was amazing how quickly it came in but it didn't progress any further than the loch. Back on forestry trails I suddenly became totally lethargic so walked for quite a while until the track eventually maintained a steady descent and then running became no problem at all and I covered several miles fairly quickly.
I once again met the family who had provided me with food donations last night and this morning : Jim and Mandy and their sons John and Craig (happy 18th birthday Craig!) and we had the most amazing experience at a 'coffee shop' - there were loads of home-made signs along the route and Jim had heard that the guy who ran it, Rory, was quite a character so we couldn't pass by without dropping in. It wasn't exactly a shop as such, more just a table and chairs in his 'garden' which stretched for 8 acres : he lived in a shack and had chickens and a rooster roaming free, a dragonfly pond and the odd red deer dropping in. He has a list of things he'd like to buy...including a house, but it never gets to the top of the list! Anyway, he had fabulous tales to tell like the 'townies' who plan to walk the GGW but only get as far as his shop with expensive and new boots and backpack only to find they are totally exhausted, end up staying two nights and then return home! We had 'real' tea with tea-leaves and scottish shortbread and he even gave me a receipt!
The next few miles were on a very quiet lane and fully refreshed I ran along extremely happily and easily - I saw 3 more deer but this time Roe rather than Red. The track then followed a Drovers Road used originally to 'drive' cattle from the top of Scotland all the way down to England. I left a thank-you message and a smiley face in the sandy trail for Jim and Mandy so hope they saw it. I then went back into trees and once more thoroughly enjoyed the journey along the flat sandy path : the trees are much less crowded than in other woods I've been through but again, the floor was covered in moss and ferns - the company that maintains the footpath is trying to revert the forest back to it's original state which includes careful management of the deer population to ensure the trees grow. They should also be congratulated on the fantastic markings along the trail : the pale blue posts with the Scottish thistle logo are regularly placed and there are numerous information boards all the way along the
route - I certainly can't fault them and really didn't need any of my maps to be honest. Some of the woods appeared to be really old as even the stone wall was almost covered with a thick layer of moss and in some places the trees appeared dead with all their lower branches covered with spagnum moss. I did meet someone that I'd met a few days ago and they said that today had been 'boring' with all the trees and not much of a view of anything else - it just goes to show you how drastically different, peoples expectations and experiences can be.
Eventually the trail emerged back out of the trees and presented
me with a fantastic view over Inverness below. The way then dropped back down to real civilisation, initially through a housing estate and then back along the Caledonian Canal for a short distance. After crossing the river via two lovely white suspension bridges it was then a shortish run upto the castle and the finish point of the GGW where I used my monkey-pod to take a 'congratulatory' picture next to the huge stone plaque. Less than a mile later I found my YH - I'm back here a week today once I complete my adventure.
I've really really enjoyed the GGW and it's definitely lived up to any hopes and expectations that I had before I'd even left home.
Mileage 21.3 and 4.24
Total mileage 1068.92
Once again the sun was shining when I set out this morning. First stop was the local supermarket to pick up a sarnie and Mars bar for my lunch and I was amazed when I saw that a whole load of cyclists were stopped outside : they were also doing the LEJOG challenge (their website is http://www.lejogcycle2008.co.uk/) this time for Macmillan Cancer but they had only left home on 22 June and were going to reach John O'Groats tomorrow
whilst I've still got 9 days of running left! However, they were very impressed with my solo effort, stocked me up with fruit and nuts (they were being sponsored by Haribo sweets too!) and after a 'team' photo gave me a hero's send off!I first followed the main road back through Drumnadrochit before hitting the fields again and climbing back up through the trees (there was an excellent view point looking back to Urquart Castle en-route). It was only once I was back in amongst the pine trees that the route really hit the incline button and once again I was zigging and zagging up and up wi
th the weather also getting muggier and muggier until I was a little bit on the wet side!After emerging from the trees it was then a km or so across open heathland and the sky turned incredibly dark whilst in the loch, what I initially thought was smoke turned out to be a deep mist that covered all the views back towards Fort Augustus - it was amazing how quickly it came in but it didn't progress any further than the loch. Back on forestry trails I suddenly became totally lethargic so walked for quite a while until the track eventually maintained a steady descent and then running became no problem at all and I covered several miles fairly quickly.
I once again met the family who had provided me with food donations last night and this morning : Jim and Mandy and their sons John and Craig (happy 18th birthday Craig!) and we had the most amazing experience at a 'coffee shop' - there were loads of home-made signs along the route and Jim had heard that the guy who ran it, Rory, was quite a character so we couldn't pass by without dropping in. It wasn't exactly a shop as such, more just a table and chairs in his 'garden' which stretched for 8 acres : he lived in a shack and had chickens and a rooster roaming free, a dragonfly pond and the odd red deer dropping in. He has a list of things he'd like to buy...including a house, but it never gets to the top of the list! Anyway, he had fabulous tales to tell like the 'townies' who plan to walk the GGW but only get as far as his shop with expensive and new boots and backpack only to find they are totally exhausted, end up staying two nights and then return home! We had 'real' tea with tea-leaves and scottish shortbread and he even gave me a receipt!
The next few miles were on a very quiet lane and fully refreshed I ran along extremely happily and easily - I saw 3 more deer but this time Roe rather than Red. The track then followed a Drovers Road used originally to 'drive' cattle from the top of Scotland all the way down to England. I left a thank-you message and a smiley face in the sandy trail for Jim and Mandy so hope they saw it. I then went back into trees and once more thoroughly enjoyed the journey along the flat sandy path : the trees are much less crowded than in other woods I've been through but again, the floor was covered in moss and ferns - the company that maintains the footpath is trying to revert the forest back to it's original state which includes careful management of the deer population to ensure the trees grow. They should also be congratulated on the fantastic markings along the trail : the pale blue posts with the Scottish thistle logo are regularly placed and there are numerous information boards all the way along the
route - I certainly can't fault them and really didn't need any of my maps to be honest. Some of the woods appeared to be really old as even the stone wall was almost covered with a thick layer of moss and in some places the trees appeared dead with all their lower branches covered with spagnum moss. I did meet someone that I'd met a few days ago and they said that today had been 'boring' with all the trees and not much of a view of anything else - it just goes to show you how drastically different, peoples expectations and experiences can be.Eventually the trail emerged back out of the trees and presented
me with a fantastic view over Inverness below. The way then dropped back down to real civilisation, initially through a housing estate and then back along the Caledonian Canal for a short distance. After crossing the river via two lovely white suspension bridges it was then a shortish run upto the castle and the finish point of the GGW where I used my monkey-pod to take a 'congratulatory' picture next to the huge stone plaque. Less than a mile later I found my YH - I'm back here a week today once I complete my adventure.I've really really enjoyed the GGW and it's definitely lived up to any hopes and expectations that I had before I'd even left home.
Mileage 21.3 and 4.24
Total mileage 1068.92
Day 63 - Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit
The waif and stray was looked after again this morning with yet more food
donations! Another dry but overcast day was in prospect. Back in the forest, the trail had a bit of a sting in the tail first thing in the morning as it was a relentless uphill for the first couple of miles : zigs and zags and steepness thrown in, however the treat was the fantastic views back down the loch towards Fort Augustus which were fabulous and the higher I climbed the more spectacular they were. I could even see the hills beyond the sides of the loch. This is just the moment I was waiting for to impress you all with my gaelic knowledge : Tha seo alainn (Ha sho aa-layne) which means 'this is beautiful' and never a truer word said. But what goes up, must come down (BJs will know this is my 'glass half full' attitude phrase!) and the trail descended gradually through lush green pine trees : a much softer, smaller and lighter green variety (sitka spruce) than the huge trees of the last couple of days (Scots pine).
The track got narrower and the trees changed to birch before I followed the route around the remains of a fort and out onto a lane dotted with the occasional house. The one farm that I passed was a bit run down and the poor cows had to share their field with abandoned tra
ctors, rusty feeders and discarded plastic buckets. I can't understand why farmers allow their land to become such an eyesore and an accident waiting to happen for their own animals : to me it's just downright lazy. Anyway, enough of my ranting! The lane continued across a gorseclad moor dotted with my favourite cottongrass which only means one thing - bog! A mini disaster happened in that my map case decided to self-destruct (one of the strap fasteners had started to pull away from the case itself about a week ago but I'd hoped that it would last until the John O'Groats). I spent several minutes trying different ways of tying it but none worked without bashing my legs so I'll have to get a safety pin to try to fix it in Drumnadrochit.
I'd decided to take a slight detour to see the spectacular ruins of Urquhart Castle which stands right on the edge of craggy rocks jutting into the loch, so instead of following the lane in Drumnadrochit, side-tracked into the woods to follow a well-worn trail through the heath and down through the woods. It emerged overlooking the castle with superb views over
the loch. In case you're interested, Loch Ness is the biggest stretch of inland water in Britain holding more H2O that all the other lakes put together. The Post Office Tower in London would be submerged at its' deepest point and apparantely the world's population could be fitted 3x into the area it covers! Pretty impressive stats huh!?
After stopping my GPS at my backpacker lodgings I walked into 'town' for a soup and coffee after which I learnt all my fascinating stat stuff in the Loch Ness Experience. By the way, there is still no proof that anything large exists in the loch but it's nice to have an unsolved mystery. Two nights ago they created a lazer image of 'Nessie' below Urquhart Castle to promote the new 'River Horse' film - the pictures were in the paper today and it looked really good.
Mike Best from Poole Runners sent me a text today : he's in the middle of walking The Cotswold Way and had just
seen my entry in the Dyrham Wood comment book. It seem's so long ago and unbelievable that it was on this trip.
To round off a fab day I had dinner in the Loch Ness Inn which had only opened 3 weeks earlier and it was a fab place. I've certainly gained a lot of confidence during this trip as I once again asked the landlord if I could do a collection (I even had my response line ready if he said no ie would his answer have been the same if it had been Ian Botham asking the same question? I think not!!). Anyway, didn't have to use the back-up question as he was all in favour and also 'pre-warned' all the restaurant eaters.....fantastic donations totalling £119.20 - WOW!! In response to Clare's question, I've now received £1,615 in donations since leaving Lands End plus my justgiving site is now up to £2,800 as there's been several people that I've met on my journey who've directly donated. Plus I've got further sponsor promises that I've got to collect when I get back home that bring the total up to around £7,200 I think, which is phenominal. I really want to get at least £7,500 and more if I can so keep it coming!
Mileage today was only 11.19 and time 2.21
The waif and stray was looked after again this morning with yet more food
donations! Another dry but overcast day was in prospect. Back in the forest, the trail had a bit of a sting in the tail first thing in the morning as it was a relentless uphill for the first couple of miles : zigs and zags and steepness thrown in, however the treat was the fantastic views back down the loch towards Fort Augustus which were fabulous and the higher I climbed the more spectacular they were. I could even see the hills beyond the sides of the loch. This is just the moment I was waiting for to impress you all with my gaelic knowledge : Tha seo alainn (Ha sho aa-layne) which means 'this is beautiful' and never a truer word said. But what goes up, must come down (BJs will know this is my 'glass half full' attitude phrase!) and the trail descended gradually through lush green pine trees : a much softer, smaller and lighter green variety (sitka spruce) than the huge trees of the last couple of days (Scots pine).The track got narrower and the trees changed to birch before I followed the route around the remains of a fort and out onto a lane dotted with the occasional house. The one farm that I passed was a bit run down and the poor cows had to share their field with abandoned tra
ctors, rusty feeders and discarded plastic buckets. I can't understand why farmers allow their land to become such an eyesore and an accident waiting to happen for their own animals : to me it's just downright lazy. Anyway, enough of my ranting! The lane continued across a gorseclad moor dotted with my favourite cottongrass which only means one thing - bog! A mini disaster happened in that my map case decided to self-destruct (one of the strap fasteners had started to pull away from the case itself about a week ago but I'd hoped that it would last until the John O'Groats). I spent several minutes trying different ways of tying it but none worked without bashing my legs so I'll have to get a safety pin to try to fix it in Drumnadrochit.I'd decided to take a slight detour to see the spectacular ruins of Urquhart Castle which stands right on the edge of craggy rocks jutting into the loch, so instead of following the lane in Drumnadrochit, side-tracked into the woods to follow a well-worn trail through the heath and down through the woods. It emerged overlooking the castle with superb views over
the loch. In case you're interested, Loch Ness is the biggest stretch of inland water in Britain holding more H2O that all the other lakes put together. The Post Office Tower in London would be submerged at its' deepest point and apparantely the world's population could be fitted 3x into the area it covers! Pretty impressive stats huh!?After stopping my GPS at my backpacker lodgings I walked into 'town' for a soup and coffee after which I learnt all my fascinating stat stuff in the Loch Ness Experience. By the way, there is still no proof that anything large exists in the loch but it's nice to have an unsolved mystery. Two nights ago they created a lazer image of 'Nessie' below Urquhart Castle to promote the new 'River Horse' film - the pictures were in the paper today and it looked really good.
Mike Best from Poole Runners sent me a text today : he's in the middle of walking The Cotswold Way and had just
seen my entry in the Dyrham Wood comment book. It seem's so long ago and unbelievable that it was on this trip.To round off a fab day I had dinner in the Loch Ness Inn which had only opened 3 weeks earlier and it was a fab place. I've certainly gained a lot of confidence during this trip as I once again asked the landlord if I could do a collection (I even had my response line ready if he said no ie would his answer have been the same if it had been Ian Botham asking the same question? I think not!!). Anyway, didn't have to use the back-up question as he was all in favour and also 'pre-warned' all the restaurant eaters.....fantastic donations totalling £119.20 - WOW!! In response to Clare's question, I've now received £1,615 in donations since leaving Lands End plus my justgiving site is now up to £2,800 as there's been several people that I've met on my journey who've directly donated. Plus I've got further sponsor promises that I've got to collect when I get back home that bring the total up to around £7,200 I think, which is phenominal. I really want to get at least £7,500 and more if I can so keep it coming!
Mileage today was only 11.19 and time 2.21
Thursday 26 June 2008
Day 62 - South Laggan to Loch Nessie!
Boy oh boy, am I living a dream!! I know that I'd been looking forward to the GGW and it definitely is not disappointing me : after the Scotch Mist weather of yesterday (and yet I was still smiling and enjoying myself), today heralded blue sky and sunshine so back to t-shirt wearing. Received £30 donations before I'd even left my overnight B&B and s
tocked up on porridge and yet another full Scottish brekkie I set off initially back along the A82 to pick up the GGW where I'd left it yesterday. The first mile was in a small wood alongside the Caledonian Canal before crossing the road and entering Laggan Forest along the dis-used Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway which was built between 1897 and 1903 and designed to be the first stretch of a Fort William to Inverness line. Unfortunately there was stiff competition between the different Highland railway companies and the 2nd stretch to Inverness was never completed and ultimately meant a death sentance for the line. The route ran along the shoreline of Loch Oich and along the way gave a good view over to the ruins of Invergarry Castle.
At the end of the loch I crossed over at the Bridge of Oich to the opposite bank and ran along another stretch of the Caledonian Canal past Cullochy and Kytra Locks. A whole load of cyclists past me going in the same direction and it wasn't until the last rider passed that I saw the 'end to end' message printed on his back -
none of them had any sort of panniers carrying their luggage so I can only assume that they have the luxury of a back-up support team doing all the donkey work for them : clearly not doing it properly as I am! For the first time I was 'advertising' what I was doing whilst running as I had tied my long sleeved top to my backpack (another reason was to dry it out from yesterday!) and think I'll do this from now on.
Loads of hikers were out and also lots of boats on the canal - most of them returned my cheery smile and wave but there were a couple of miserable people who couldn't be bothered to give me the time of day...their loss!
Fort Augustus was amazing - after Neptune's Staircase, this is the biggest set of locks lowering boats from the canal into Loch Ness and I spent well over an hour mesmerised by the whole process. One of the last powerboats (#747 Miss Daisy) was making her way down to Inverness : unfortunately she had suffered the loss of one of her engines so the crew were hoping to get to their destination in time to fit a new engine before the next stage of racing tomorrow. I hadn't realised how long it actually takes to get from one end of the canal to another but the locks are only open during certain hours and with a max speed of 5 knots, it takes a minimum of 14 hours over 2 working days.
After my fundraising missed opportunity yesterday, I didn't want a repeat today so publi
cised my efforts first to the crew of the powerboat and successfully obtained £25! Message repeated at the other 5 boats 'stuck' in the lock and a further £32 banked...easy money. With another couple of donations en-route I've managed to raise £90 today so well pleased with myself!
After Fort Augustus the route took me round the back of the village and back into the forest where once again I was running on fantastic undulating tracks amongst thick pine trees : again the floor of the wood was covered with moss and ferns with the odd stream cutting through them. Apart from the dull noise of cars travelling along the side of the loch beneath me on the A82, the only sound I could hear was bird song and the creaking of trees. At Invermoriston the trail did several loops to descend down into the valley floor and cross the river where there was what looked like a really ancient stone bridg
e. The road on the other side of the valley went to Skye and there was a sign outside the newsagents advertising 'last shop for 35 miles'. It was then a very, very steep (did I mention it was steep?) lane that zig zagged up the hill back into the forest. My legs started to feel very sleepy at this point which I guess is hardly surprising! However, despite their dull ache I co
uldn't resist climbing even further up the hillside to a viewpoint overlooking Loch Ness. Fighter planes had been zooming over the Loch all afternoon (plus a Hercules at one point) and whilst I was up there, 2 more came over but this time they were actually below me which was quite a sight to see.
Another couple of miles and I reached the Loch Ness YH which can't be any closer to the Loch : if it was, I'd be swimming! Didn't have any food with me but several people took pity on me and I've ended up with a great banquet....everyone is taking to their heart this poor little waif and stray and admiring me for my efforts!
By the way, Cancer Research have told me that they are nominating me for a 'fundraiser of the year' award!
Mileage 22.8 Time 4.56
Boy oh boy, am I living a dream!! I know that I'd been looking forward to the GGW and it definitely is not disappointing me : after the Scotch Mist weather of yesterday (and yet I was still smiling and enjoying myself), today heralded blue sky and sunshine so back to t-shirt wearing. Received £30 donations before I'd even left my overnight B&B and s
tocked up on porridge and yet another full Scottish brekkie I set off initially back along the A82 to pick up the GGW where I'd left it yesterday. The first mile was in a small wood alongside the Caledonian Canal before crossing the road and entering Laggan Forest along the dis-used Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway which was built between 1897 and 1903 and designed to be the first stretch of a Fort William to Inverness line. Unfortunately there was stiff competition between the different Highland railway companies and the 2nd stretch to Inverness was never completed and ultimately meant a death sentance for the line. The route ran along the shoreline of Loch Oich and along the way gave a good view over to the ruins of Invergarry Castle.At the end of the loch I crossed over at the Bridge of Oich to the opposite bank and ran along another stretch of the Caledonian Canal past Cullochy and Kytra Locks. A whole load of cyclists past me going in the same direction and it wasn't until the last rider passed that I saw the 'end to end' message printed on his back -
none of them had any sort of panniers carrying their luggage so I can only assume that they have the luxury of a back-up support team doing all the donkey work for them : clearly not doing it properly as I am! For the first time I was 'advertising' what I was doing whilst running as I had tied my long sleeved top to my backpack (another reason was to dry it out from yesterday!) and think I'll do this from now on.Loads of hikers were out and also lots of boats on the canal - most of them returned my cheery smile and wave but there were a couple of miserable people who couldn't be bothered to give me the time of day...their loss!
Fort Augustus was amazing - after Neptune's Staircase, this is the biggest set of locks lowering boats from the canal into Loch Ness and I spent well over an hour mesmerised by the whole process. One of the last powerboats (#747 Miss Daisy) was making her way down to Inverness : unfortunately she had suffered the loss of one of her engines so the crew were hoping to get to their destination in time to fit a new engine before the next stage of racing tomorrow. I hadn't realised how long it actually takes to get from one end of the canal to another but the locks are only open during certain hours and with a max speed of 5 knots, it takes a minimum of 14 hours over 2 working days.
After my fundraising missed opportunity yesterday, I didn't want a repeat today so publi
cised my efforts first to the crew of the powerboat and successfully obtained £25! Message repeated at the other 5 boats 'stuck' in the lock and a further £32 banked...easy money. With another couple of donations en-route I've managed to raise £90 today so well pleased with myself!After Fort Augustus the route took me round the back of the village and back into the forest where once again I was running on fantastic undulating tracks amongst thick pine trees : again the floor of the wood was covered with moss and ferns with the odd stream cutting through them. Apart from the dull noise of cars travelling along the side of the loch beneath me on the A82, the only sound I could hear was bird song and the creaking of trees. At Invermoriston the trail did several loops to descend down into the valley floor and cross the river where there was what looked like a really ancient stone bridg
e. The road on the other side of the valley went to Skye and there was a sign outside the newsagents advertising 'last shop for 35 miles'. It was then a very, very steep (did I mention it was steep?) lane that zig zagged up the hill back into the forest. My legs started to feel very sleepy at this point which I guess is hardly surprising! However, despite their dull ache I co
uldn't resist climbing even further up the hillside to a viewpoint overlooking Loch Ness. Fighter planes had been zooming over the Loch all afternoon (plus a Hercules at one point) and whilst I was up there, 2 more came over but this time they were actually below me which was quite a sight to see.Another couple of miles and I reached the Loch Ness YH which can't be any closer to the Loch : if it was, I'd be swimming! Didn't have any food with me but several people took pity on me and I've ended up with a great banquet....everyone is taking to their heart this poor little waif and stray and admiring me for my efforts!
By the way, Cancer Research have told me that they are nominating me for a 'fundraiser of the year' award!
Mileage 22.8 Time 4.56
Wednesday 25 June 2008
Day 61 - Fort William to South Laggan
Woke to rain this morning and the forecast for the whole day wasn't looking too g
reat either. Had to finish the last 2 miles of the WHW with a run down the valley road into Fort William where I had the obligatory photo next to the finish sign. The plan was to get to Neptunes Staircase before 10.20 in order to catch the Jacobite train going past - thought that would make a good photo, but once I started out on the Great Glen Way, it was clear that I wasn't going to make it so instead waited for it to pass underneath Ben Nevis. Initially I was going to take a short-cut along the A830 but decided that as I hadn't officially finished the PW nor started from the beginning of the WHW, I was going to follow the GGW all the way from the start to the finish. My day's mileage was planned at around 22 but the GGW took me all around a housing estate (where garden gnomes and ornaments seemed to out number people by around 50:1) and it was a full ho
ur before I actually got to the start of the Caledonian Canal.
The Round Britain speedboat race was in progress and I only found out this morning that they were all due to travel along the canal to Inverness : unfortunately they'd already go
ne through the Staircase first thing in the morning which was disappointing as I would have liked to have seen that, but I've since found out that only a handful go via the water - most are hauled overland on trailers.
Neptune's Staircase is yet another piece of engineering by that Telford guy : it's a series of 8 locks that raise or lower boats 19.5 metres over a distance of just 1/4 mile and takes around 1 3/4 hours to get from the lower to top lock.
My route was following the Caledonian Canal for the first 9-10 miles and this time, the canal running wasn't so boring. I met quite a few hikers along the way and there were 4 fishing boats leaving the top lock just as I ran past.
Unfortunately they were going at the same pace as me so rather than hear the 'chug chug' of their engines I stopped for a while to let them pass and get out of sight before setting off again. The craggy top of Ben Nevis was under low cloud unfortunately but you could still get a sense of the height.
At Gairlochy I crossed the lock bridge and after initially climbing via a lane, the route then continued through pine woodland and then fell down to the shores of Loch Lochy (really imaginative name! In English this would be Lake Lakey!). After initially running through dense pine forest with great views over to the other side of the loch, the heavens opened and the mist came down which totally obscured all views. Waterproofs went back on and stayed on for the rest of the day. Midges were everywhere so I plastered up with Avon Skin So Soft (everyone swears by it as the #1 repellent). I was merrily running along the track when a fairy directed me into a woodland glen on my right. The whole place was full of fairies,gnomes, teddies and all sorts of weird and wonderful creature
s. Apparently a woman had left a present for the fairies on behalf of her daughter a year ago and now people add to the collection and it continues to grow. There were trees covered in baubles, fairies, candles, tinsel, pipe cleaner spiders, bears and even a CD tree with a guitar underneath. How fanstatic that something like this exists without having been trashed and it really was wonderful to walk through. The next couple of miles were on a very quiet lane, still following the edge of the loch and down to Clunes where it diverted back into thick pine forests : first Clunes Forest and then South Laggan Forest. Two more red deer sightings and it was difficult to know who was more interested in watching who. The mozzie stuff really works as my legs were plastered with the 
little blighters albeit they were stuck to my defense repellent and quickly killed off.
The forest tracks were lovely to run along : undulating but wide and sandy. Occasionally the trees on the right disappeared to give misty views down and over the loch. The pine forests themselves were immense with huge tall trees, I guess at over 75' tall and the steep hillside floor was completely covered with moss and fern - doesn't appear much natural daylight gets through the canopy. There were also loads of waterfalls and streams running down the hillsides.
Eventually I emerged out of the woods at Kilfinnan, site of an old graveyard where the clans used to bury their dead and then crossed the end of the loch at Laggan Lochs. There were 4 motorcruisers in the loch and they 'dared' that I couldn't beat the first boat to where the GGW met the road...a challenge I couldn't turn down! It was only a mile and the fi
rst two boats had quite a start on me. The route was slightly uphill but through some lovely woods and on reaching the road I was the victor! They all waved congratulations but I kicked myself afterwards as I'd missed a golden opportunity whilst they were in the loch for some fundraising - I could have charged them an exit fee!
Laggan is famous for being the location where much of 'Monarch of the Glen' was filmed although it was difficult to see any of the places in the driving rain!
Another really long day but I loved it...even in the rain! And to top it all another milestone passed.....I have now run through the 1000 mile point, amazing!
Mileage 27.13 and time 5.23
Woke to rain this morning and the forecast for the whole day wasn't looking too g
reat either. Had to finish the last 2 miles of the WHW with a run down the valley road into Fort William where I had the obligatory photo next to the finish sign. The plan was to get to Neptunes Staircase before 10.20 in order to catch the Jacobite train going past - thought that would make a good photo, but once I started out on the Great Glen Way, it was clear that I wasn't going to make it so instead waited for it to pass underneath Ben Nevis. Initially I was going to take a short-cut along the A830 but decided that as I hadn't officially finished the PW nor started from the beginning of the WHW, I was going to follow the GGW all the way from the start to the finish. My day's mileage was planned at around 22 but the GGW took me all around a housing estate (where garden gnomes and ornaments seemed to out number people by around 50:1) and it was a full ho
ur before I actually got to the start of the Caledonian Canal.The Round Britain speedboat race was in progress and I only found out this morning that they were all due to travel along the canal to Inverness : unfortunately they'd already go
ne through the Staircase first thing in the morning which was disappointing as I would have liked to have seen that, but I've since found out that only a handful go via the water - most are hauled overland on trailers.Neptune's Staircase is yet another piece of engineering by that Telford guy : it's a series of 8 locks that raise or lower boats 19.5 metres over a distance of just 1/4 mile and takes around 1 3/4 hours to get from the lower to top lock.
My route was following the Caledonian Canal for the first 9-10 miles and this time, the canal running wasn't so boring. I met quite a few hikers along the way and there were 4 fishing boats leaving the top lock just as I ran past.
Unfortunately they were going at the same pace as me so rather than hear the 'chug chug' of their engines I stopped for a while to let them pass and get out of sight before setting off again. The craggy top of Ben Nevis was under low cloud unfortunately but you could still get a sense of the height.At Gairlochy I crossed the lock bridge and after initially climbing via a lane, the route then continued through pine woodland and then fell down to the shores of Loch Lochy (really imaginative name! In English this would be Lake Lakey!). After initially running through dense pine forest with great views over to the other side of the loch, the heavens opened and the mist came down which totally obscured all views. Waterproofs went back on and stayed on for the rest of the day. Midges were everywhere so I plastered up with Avon Skin So Soft (everyone swears by it as the #1 repellent). I was merrily running along the track when a fairy directed me into a woodland glen on my right. The whole place was full of fairies,gnomes, teddies and all sorts of weird and wonderful creature
s. Apparently a woman had left a present for the fairies on behalf of her daughter a year ago and now people add to the collection and it continues to grow. There were trees covered in baubles, fairies, candles, tinsel, pipe cleaner spiders, bears and even a CD tree with a guitar underneath. How fanstatic that something like this exists without having been trashed and it really was wonderful to walk through. The next couple of miles were on a very quiet lane, still following the edge of the loch and down to Clunes where it diverted back into thick pine forests : first Clunes Forest and then South Laggan Forest. Two more red deer sightings and it was difficult to know who was more interested in watching who. The mozzie stuff really works as my legs were plastered with the 
little blighters albeit they were stuck to my defense repellent and quickly killed off.The forest tracks were lovely to run along : undulating but wide and sandy. Occasionally the trees on the right disappeared to give misty views down and over the loch. The pine forests themselves were immense with huge tall trees, I guess at over 75' tall and the steep hillside floor was completely covered with moss and fern - doesn't appear much natural daylight gets through the canopy. There were also loads of waterfalls and streams running down the hillsides.
Eventually I emerged out of the woods at Kilfinnan, site of an old graveyard where the clans used to bury their dead and then crossed the end of the loch at Laggan Lochs. There were 4 motorcruisers in the loch and they 'dared' that I couldn't beat the first boat to where the GGW met the road...a challenge I couldn't turn down! It was only a mile and the fi
rst two boats had quite a start on me. The route was slightly uphill but through some lovely woods and on reaching the road I was the victor! They all waved congratulations but I kicked myself afterwards as I'd missed a golden opportunity whilst they were in the loch for some fundraising - I could have charged them an exit fee!Laggan is famous for being the location where much of 'Monarch of the Glen' was filmed although it was difficult to see any of the places in the driving rain!
Another really long day but I loved it...even in the rain! And to top it all another milestone passed.....I have now run through the 1000 mile point, amazing!
Mileage 27.13 and time 5.23
Tuesday 24 June 2008
Day 60 - my last holiday.....
Had a great evening yesterday as I did meet up with George who I'd run with for a while whilst he was competing in the WHW race (and he did successfully complete in a fab time of just over 27 hours) and his support team of Simon and Lizzy. All of them are completely into the ultra-marathons / long distance races and Simon and Lizzy have also finished some of the events I've either taken part in (eg The Terminator) or contemplated (eg Tough Guy). It was great to be able to talk to others on my amazing journey who totally understood the running game. We were still in the pub at chucking out time so this was probably the latest I've got to bed during my whole trip! Raised a total of £
60 today.
Decided to have a jog up to the summit of Ben Nevis this morning.....only kidding! Gonna take it easy today and planned to take the scenic journey on The Jocobite Steam Train through the Highlands from Fort William to Mallaig. Unfortunately there was only one bus from the YH down to the town and that had already left so had no choice but to walk the 2 miles. But fortunately, I got the very last train ticket....in first class! The journey was spectacular : past lochs and dramatic mountains. As the train only runs once a day, there were quite a few spectators dotted along the route obviously waiting the arrival. I don't think there is anything quite like the sound, smell and sight of a steam train puffing around the corner. This time I'd remembered to bring my sunnies so that I could hang out the window and get the best views - no worries about getting soot in the eyes, just a bit of a blackened face! The 'highlight' of the trip is the Glenfinnan viaduct - those who have seen the Harry Potter films will recognise it instantly! It's a massive 416 yards long with 21 huge arches 100' off the ground.
On the return journey the engine driver kindly slowed down to give everyone the opportunity to hang their cameras out of the window for a snap of the train on the bridge. Beneath was Loch Sheil and the Glenfinnan Monument (this marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard) : the views here are brilliant.
Did you know that 'Nessie' has a cousin? She's called Morag and lives in Loch Morar (the village of Morar incidentally was where Highlander was filmed!).
Approaching Mallaig, the islands of Rhum, Eigg and Skye could easily be seen. Unfortunately it started to rain when we pulled into Mallaig and to be honest, there's not much there. Whilst it is the terminal for the ferry to Skye, all the tourism is centered around the fishing industry so virtually all the shops are fish restaurants....you're fine if you like fish! So I had take-away sca
mpi and chips and loads of it!
On the wildlife front, I saw quite a bit....clearly a noisy clanking train journey is the best way to see it rather than running quietly in the open air! There were baby herring gulls at the railway station, a seal sunning itself on the banks of one of the lochs and in total I spotted 8 red deer including 2 fantastic stags with full sets of antlers just watching the train go by!
After walking back the 2 miles to the YH it was a DIY chilli for tea followed by a full tin of rice pudding....carbo loading in earnest!
The school party has just turned up having all but completed the WHW (they're doing the remaining 2 miles tomorrow like me so I'll have to beat them to the finish sign down in the town centre!) - they're a nice bunch and all credit to them for completing it.
Just 11 days to go until I reach my goal - can't believe it's almost over.
Had a great evening yesterday as I did meet up with George who I'd run with for a while whilst he was competing in the WHW race (and he did successfully complete in a fab time of just over 27 hours) and his support team of Simon and Lizzy. All of them are completely into the ultra-marathons / long distance races and Simon and Lizzy have also finished some of the events I've either taken part in (eg The Terminator) or contemplated (eg Tough Guy). It was great to be able to talk to others on my amazing journey who totally understood the running game. We were still in the pub at chucking out time so this was probably the latest I've got to bed during my whole trip! Raised a total of £
60 today.Decided to have a jog up to the summit of Ben Nevis this morning.....only kidding! Gonna take it easy today and planned to take the scenic journey on The Jocobite Steam Train through the Highlands from Fort William to Mallaig. Unfortunately there was only one bus from the YH down to the town and that had already left so had no choice but to walk the 2 miles. But fortunately, I got the very last train ticket....in first class! The journey was spectacular : past lochs and dramatic mountains. As the train only runs once a day, there were quite a few spectators dotted along the route obviously waiting the arrival. I don't think there is anything quite like the sound, smell and sight of a steam train puffing around the corner. This time I'd remembered to bring my sunnies so that I could hang out the window and get the best views - no worries about getting soot in the eyes, just a bit of a blackened face! The 'highlight' of the trip is the Glenfinnan viaduct - those who have seen the Harry Potter films will recognise it instantly! It's a massive 416 yards long with 21 huge arches 100' off the ground.
On the return journey the engine driver kindly slowed down to give everyone the opportunity to hang their cameras out of the window for a snap of the train on the bridge. Beneath was Loch Sheil and the Glenfinnan Monument (this marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard) : the views here are brilliant.Did you know that 'Nessie' has a cousin? She's called Morag and lives in Loch Morar (the village of Morar incidentally was where Highlander was filmed!).
Approaching Mallaig, the islands of Rhum, Eigg and Skye could easily be seen. Unfortunately it started to rain when we pulled into Mallaig and to be honest, there's not much there. Whilst it is the terminal for the ferry to Skye, all the tourism is centered around the fishing industry so virtually all the shops are fish restaurants....you're fine if you like fish! So I had take-away sca
mpi and chips and loads of it!On the wildlife front, I saw quite a bit....clearly a noisy clanking train journey is the best way to see it rather than running quietly in the open air! There were baby herring gulls at the railway station, a seal sunning itself on the banks of one of the lochs and in total I spotted 8 red deer including 2 fantastic stags with full sets of antlers just watching the train go by!
After walking back the 2 miles to the YH it was a DIY chilli for tea followed by a full tin of rice pudding....carbo loading in earnest!
The school party has just turned up having all but completed the WHW (they're doing the remaining 2 miles tomorrow like me so I'll have to beat them to the finish sign down in the town centre!) - they're a nice bunch and all credit to them for completing it.
Just 11 days to go until I reach my goal - can't believe it's almost over.
Monday 23 June 2008
Day 59 - Kinlochleven to Fort William
That was the most uncomfortable night's sleep I've had : the mattress felt really hard so as I ended up being the only one in my dorm, I nicked one of the other duvets and slept on that. Then, in the middle of the night I had a huge cramp attack in my right leg....what else is going to happen!? No porridge or full Scottish breakfast this morning unfortunately, just 3/4 of a malt loaf and a banana, washed down with 2 cups of tea without any sugar. After yesterday, a fine day was in prospect (to be honest I've been really lucky with the weather and only had about 6 days of rain so far). There was a waterfall nearby called Gray Mare that had been name
d by one of the Kings although I forget which one. Only a small detour but it was really pretty albeit you could only see from the side on and there was a tree in the way of the view if I was being really critical!
Once again my right knee gave out just after setting out so unsure if this is going to be the norm from now on. At least it doesn't appear to give me any problems afterwards which is a good thing but parts of me are starting to really show the stresses and strains of this amazing journey.
After following the road out of Kinlochleven, the trail headed up through the woods and once out on the open hillside gave some terrific views back to the village and down the valley and the loch. I then dropped down to run (for once the surface wasn't too bad underfoot) in the valley on an undulating track flanked with massive craggy mountains (most of these are munros which is the name for hills over a certain height). There were quite a few hikers on the trail today and as I pass them I tend to walk and chat with them for a b
it as it's a good way of 'publicising' what I'm doing and sometimes ends up with a donation. This exercise again worked today as I accumulated another £20 towards the fundraising.
The trail was eventually supposed to go into a few pine forests but yet again, drastic clearance had and indeed was in the process of happening and there was little of the trees left other than the occasional lonesome pine making a heroic stand! The pass I'd just run though had been famous for being where the Campbells had defeated the MacDonalds (at least I think it was that way round) and then pursued them in their retreat. A cairn marked the spot where the Campbells had given up the chase and in honour of that, every time a MacDonald passes the cairn they add a stone, and a Campbell would remove one.
Ben Nevis suddenly came into view but unfortunately the top was covered in low cloud. The trail then rose and dropped quite steeply through very thick pine forests before a diversion had me literally sliding down a muddy path and suddenly out into glorious sunshine. There was a side path leading to the reamis of a fort but rather than visit that, I wanted to get a really good view of the mountain! It didn't disappoint and just as I reached it, the cloud cover on the top lifted....fantastic!
It was then a lovely drop down to a forest track before reaching the minor
road running through Glen Nevis. The YH is actually right at the foot of Ben Nevis and following the view I had of Loch Lomond several days ago, I've now got the view of the mountain straight out of my bedroom window - how cool is that? I had a lovely postcard from Debs waiting for me : it shows views of Bournemouth beach including joggers running along the beach, just to remind me of the BJs back home!
My shoes now pong after the soaking they got yesterday from the rain and the bog water so they've been consigned to the drying room and I've also been wandering round the YH in my pj's as I've taken the opportunity to wash and dry all my other clothes! When I arrived, one of the runners from the WHW race recognised me and hopefully I'll meet up with him and his support crew this evening down the local eating house...ie the pub! Have some good stories to share.
Mileage 14.5 Time 3.41
That was the most uncomfortable night's sleep I've had : the mattress felt really hard so as I ended up being the only one in my dorm, I nicked one of the other duvets and slept on that. Then, in the middle of the night I had a huge cramp attack in my right leg....what else is going to happen!? No porridge or full Scottish breakfast this morning unfortunately, just 3/4 of a malt loaf and a banana, washed down with 2 cups of tea without any sugar. After yesterday, a fine day was in prospect (to be honest I've been really lucky with the weather and only had about 6 days of rain so far). There was a waterfall nearby called Gray Mare that had been name
d by one of the Kings although I forget which one. Only a small detour but it was really pretty albeit you could only see from the side on and there was a tree in the way of the view if I was being really critical!Once again my right knee gave out just after setting out so unsure if this is going to be the norm from now on. At least it doesn't appear to give me any problems afterwards which is a good thing but parts of me are starting to really show the stresses and strains of this amazing journey.
After following the road out of Kinlochleven, the trail headed up through the woods and once out on the open hillside gave some terrific views back to the village and down the valley and the loch. I then dropped down to run (for once the surface wasn't too bad underfoot) in the valley on an undulating track flanked with massive craggy mountains (most of these are munros which is the name for hills over a certain height). There were quite a few hikers on the trail today and as I pass them I tend to walk and chat with them for a b
it as it's a good way of 'publicising' what I'm doing and sometimes ends up with a donation. This exercise again worked today as I accumulated another £20 towards the fundraising.The trail was eventually supposed to go into a few pine forests but yet again, drastic clearance had and indeed was in the process of happening and there was little of the trees left other than the occasional lonesome pine making a heroic stand! The pass I'd just run though had been famous for being where the Campbells had defeated the MacDonalds (at least I think it was that way round) and then pursued them in their retreat. A cairn marked the spot where the Campbells had given up the chase and in honour of that, every time a MacDonald passes the cairn they add a stone, and a Campbell would remove one.
Ben Nevis suddenly came into view but unfortunately the top was covered in low cloud. The trail then rose and dropped quite steeply through very thick pine forests before a diversion had me literally sliding down a muddy path and suddenly out into glorious sunshine. There was a side path leading to the reamis of a fort but rather than visit that, I wanted to get a really good view of the mountain! It didn't disappoint and just as I reached it, the cloud cover on the top lifted....fantastic!
It was then a lovely drop down to a forest track before reaching the minor
road running through Glen Nevis. The YH is actually right at the foot of Ben Nevis and following the view I had of Loch Lomond several days ago, I've now got the view of the mountain straight out of my bedroom window - how cool is that? I had a lovely postcard from Debs waiting for me : it shows views of Bournemouth beach including joggers running along the beach, just to remind me of the BJs back home!My shoes now pong after the soaking they got yesterday from the rain and the bog water so they've been consigned to the drying room and I've also been wandering round the YH in my pj's as I've taken the opportunity to wash and dry all my other clothes! When I arrived, one of the runners from the WHW race recognised me and hopefully I'll meet up with him and his support crew this evening down the local eating house...ie the pub! Have some good stories to share.
Mileage 14.5 Time 3.41
Day 58 - Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven
Well, I definitely would not have wanted to be camping last night as the wind howled and the rain lashed down for most of it. I really felt for the runners in the WHW race as not only did they have to run in the dark across difficult terrain but now against the horrible elements too. I was going to suggest this as a future BJ challenge but not so sure now! However, by the morning the wind had dropped and it wasn't raining as heavily. After filling up with porridge and full Scottish breakfast I ventured out onto the trail. To be honest a boat would've come in handy as all the paths had now turned to streams and all the proper streams to frothing masses of brown bog rivers, some of which came right over the footpath so it wasn't long before my trainers and socks were drenched.
The route initially went uphill through trees before emerging onto the open hill. Low cloud covered the tops of the higher peaks
but I could make out the lochs in the valleys. A cobbled track led down to Inveroran at which point my left knee decided to give me 
a real scare and completely collapsed : I have no idea how I managed to stay upright. Bit of a weird sensation and I walked for a bit in order to give it a chance to improve. The trail then led gradually uphill on an old drovers road built by Telford (bet you thought he only built bridges?) but it was really difficult to run on the slippery cobble-stones : he'd specifically built the route using small stones so that the sheep and cows didn't hurt their little tootsies! I actually saw 2 or 3 red deer (yahoo!) but they were about 1/4 mile away so not really good viewing. Just as I bridged the top of the ridge the heavens opened so waterproofs were then the order of the day. Carefully watching my steps on the very rough track, I could just about make out the chair lifts of the Glencoe ski resort to my left, before I crossed the A82 and ran down to the Kings House Hotel. Thi
s was built in 1750 as a rest stop for the King's troops and is now a popular mountaineering hotel. The 4 people I'd met on the WHW first suddenly turned up, having decided it was too wet and nasty to walk, so they'd caught the bus!
The trail then briefly followed the road before heading up the side of Stob Mhic Mhartuin (have no idea what that is in English but clearly some sort of mountain's name) where I had to negotiate the Devils Staircase : a run of zigzags up to the top. Once over, it was then a case of again watching my feet as I ran back down on the rocky path which was still posing as a stream. A couple of times I turned my ankle on rocks but no damage done luckily - it's just really hard to avoid the stones. The last mile or so was down a sandy road which dropped steeply with sharp switch backs and gave the knees a bit of a beating.
Kinlochleven initially looked like a lovely brightly coloured village. A lot of the houses are wooden and painted in cream and burgandy, but suddenly they're dominated by the huge aluminium smelting factory building (no longer in use), the massive pipes delivering water to the plant and a huge stone building that houses an ice and rock climbing centre.
I was really really tired tonight so after making a DIY pasta meal and watching the first half of the footie match I was tucked up by 8.30!
Mileage 21.21 and time 4.58
Well, I definitely would not have wanted to be camping last night as the wind howled and the rain lashed down for most of it. I really felt for the runners in the WHW race as not only did they have to run in the dark across difficult terrain but now against the horrible elements too. I was going to suggest this as a future BJ challenge but not so sure now! However, by the morning the wind had dropped and it wasn't raining as heavily. After filling up with porridge and full Scottish breakfast I ventured out onto the trail. To be honest a boat would've come in handy as all the paths had now turned to streams and all the proper streams to frothing masses of brown bog rivers, some of which came right over the footpath so it wasn't long before my trainers and socks were drenched.
The route initially went uphill through trees before emerging onto the open hill. Low cloud covered the tops of the higher peaks
but I could make out the lochs in the valleys. A cobbled track led down to Inveroran at which point my left knee decided to give me 
a real scare and completely collapsed : I have no idea how I managed to stay upright. Bit of a weird sensation and I walked for a bit in order to give it a chance to improve. The trail then led gradually uphill on an old drovers road built by Telford (bet you thought he only built bridges?) but it was really difficult to run on the slippery cobble-stones : he'd specifically built the route using small stones so that the sheep and cows didn't hurt their little tootsies! I actually saw 2 or 3 red deer (yahoo!) but they were about 1/4 mile away so not really good viewing. Just as I bridged the top of the ridge the heavens opened so waterproofs were then the order of the day. Carefully watching my steps on the very rough track, I could just about make out the chair lifts of the Glencoe ski resort to my left, before I crossed the A82 and ran down to the Kings House Hotel. Thi
s was built in 1750 as a rest stop for the King's troops and is now a popular mountaineering hotel. The 4 people I'd met on the WHW first suddenly turned up, having decided it was too wet and nasty to walk, so they'd caught the bus!The trail then briefly followed the road before heading up the side of Stob Mhic Mhartuin (have no idea what that is in English but clearly some sort of mountain's name) where I had to negotiate the Devils Staircase : a run of zigzags up to the top. Once over, it was then a case of again watching my feet as I ran back down on the rocky path which was still posing as a stream. A couple of times I turned my ankle on rocks but no damage done luckily - it's just really hard to avoid the stones. The last mile or so was down a sandy road which dropped steeply with sharp switch backs and gave the knees a bit of a beating.
Kinlochleven initially looked like a lovely brightly coloured village. A lot of the houses are wooden and painted in cream and burgandy, but suddenly they're dominated by the huge aluminium smelting factory building (no longer in use), the massive pipes delivering water to the plant and a huge stone building that houses an ice and rock climbing centre.
I was really really tired tonight so after making a DIY pasta meal and watching the first half of the footie match I was tucked up by 8.30!
Mileage 21.21 and time 4.58
Saturday 21 June 2008
Day 57 - Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy
This is definitely the weirdest place I've stayed in - the rooms look as if they've been put together with pieces of mis-matched timber and although I haven't got anything sinister lurking in my room (apparantely there are stuffed animals in some of the rooms including one with a polar bear!) it does feel like I'm staying in somewhere that needs an awful lot of restoration but that's supposed to be the idea! But as a positive, I raised a total of £70 yesterday either whilst on the trail or in the bar in the evening. There was a full-on midge battalion waiting for innocent passer-bys this morning : unfortunately breakfast was over the road from the hotel and the door was locked so I did get a few 'hits' before retreating back to the inn. Must get some midge repellent stuff at Tyndrum today as these little nasties are causing me my first bit of stress! Once again the weather was dry but it would remain overcast today and also get quite muggy.
The West Highland Way race had already been in progress for 10 hours by the time I hit the trail but immediately I w
as greeted with spontaneous rounds of applause as there was a check-point just around the corner - whilst I did politely tell them that I wasn't actually part of the race, by the end of the day I was lapping up the applause anyway! The race itself is just short of 100 miles and the cut-off for completion is 35 hours which is midday tomorrow. It was really surprising how my attitude to the task ahead suddenly changed (BJs will totally understand!) as there were now other runners on 'my street' and that just meant one thing - I had to catch them up and pass them as this was a race that I'd joined! Many of them were already suffering (they'd already covered around 40 miles and had another 60 to go) and were quite surprised when this fresh 'whippet' suddenly loomed up and wanted to chat to them to see how they were feeling and stuff like that. For once, I was the one in awe of the other runners and congratulating and urging them on.
The route today wasn't that inspiring (which was probably a good thing) as it followed an old military trail alongside a railway line, the river and the main road through the Highlands for the whole day. There were a couple of times where I had to cross under the railway line and this involved being almost bent double through a tiny tunnel - it would definitely have been a struggle for someone with a huge backpack. Everyone that I've met since the start of the WHW was either heading for Crainlarigh or Tyndrum so whilst I passed them all again today, it was to be the last time that we'd meet. Whilst most of the route was out in the open on the hillsides, there was one large section of pine forest which had quite a few steep ascents and descents. The only notable wildlife I saw today was a tiny mouse-like creature whose eyes and legs seemed far too big for his little body. There was more evidence of the elusive red deer : this time huge clumps of hair left on scratching posts but though I was looking very carefully on the hills, didn't see any.
As I'd been 'racing' for the first 10 miles or so, I decided I needed to stop this silly game so when I got to Tyndrum I made sure I stayed there for a couple of hours. Tyndrum is basically on the T junction of the two main roads and has a famous cafe as it's hub : The Green Welly Stop. It did actually serve really nice food and I also picked up some de-bug stuff and got another stamp in my passport (can't actually decipher what the stamp depicts but it does also have the 'Green Welly Stop' on it). Out on the hills I literally bumped into a herd of real Highland Cows
and they really did look at home, unlike the ones that I had seen down south in Devon! There's a railway station at Bridge of Orchy and quite ingeniously, they've turned the station into a bunkhouse complete with drying room - I'm not staying there by the way, but thought it was a great idea.
One of the check-points for the race is right outside my bunkhouse so, as I do at home when I'm either not racing or have already finished, I was out there cheering everyone in (some were really really looking very worse for wear!). Word had got out through the competitors what I was doing and they in turn were congratulating me! Now feeling stuffed as I've just eaten a fab posh meal and found out the internet is free so another evening's holiday for John! The weather for tomorrow is not looking good at all and by 8.30 the rain is lashing down and the wind howling. I've got open moorland to cross tomorrow so by the look of it, will be getting a little bit windswept and damp!
Mileage 20.19 and time 4.27
This is definitely the weirdest place I've stayed in - the rooms look as if they've been put together with pieces of mis-matched timber and although I haven't got anything sinister lurking in my room (apparantely there are stuffed animals in some of the rooms including one with a polar bear!) it does feel like I'm staying in somewhere that needs an awful lot of restoration but that's supposed to be the idea! But as a positive, I raised a total of £70 yesterday either whilst on the trail or in the bar in the evening. There was a full-on midge battalion waiting for innocent passer-bys this morning : unfortunately breakfast was over the road from the hotel and the door was locked so I did get a few 'hits' before retreating back to the inn. Must get some midge repellent stuff at Tyndrum today as these little nasties are causing me my first bit of stress! Once again the weather was dry but it would remain overcast today and also get quite muggy.
The West Highland Way race had already been in progress for 10 hours by the time I hit the trail but immediately I w
as greeted with spontaneous rounds of applause as there was a check-point just around the corner - whilst I did politely tell them that I wasn't actually part of the race, by the end of the day I was lapping up the applause anyway! The race itself is just short of 100 miles and the cut-off for completion is 35 hours which is midday tomorrow. It was really surprising how my attitude to the task ahead suddenly changed (BJs will totally understand!) as there were now other runners on 'my street' and that just meant one thing - I had to catch them up and pass them as this was a race that I'd joined! Many of them were already suffering (they'd already covered around 40 miles and had another 60 to go) and were quite surprised when this fresh 'whippet' suddenly loomed up and wanted to chat to them to see how they were feeling and stuff like that. For once, I was the one in awe of the other runners and congratulating and urging them on.The route today wasn't that inspiring (which was probably a good thing) as it followed an old military trail alongside a railway line, the river and the main road through the Highlands for the whole day. There were a couple of times where I had to cross under the railway line and this involved being almost bent double through a tiny tunnel - it would definitely have been a struggle for someone with a huge backpack. Everyone that I've met since the start of the WHW was either heading for Crainlarigh or Tyndrum so whilst I passed them all again today, it was to be the last time that we'd meet. Whilst most of the route was out in the open on the hillsides, there was one large section of pine forest which had quite a few steep ascents and descents. The only notable wildlife I saw today was a tiny mouse-like creature whose eyes and legs seemed far too big for his little body. There was more evidence of the elusive red deer : this time huge clumps of hair left on scratching posts but though I was looking very carefully on the hills, didn't see any.
As I'd been 'racing' for the first 10 miles or so, I decided I needed to stop this silly game so when I got to Tyndrum I made sure I stayed there for a couple of hours. Tyndrum is basically on the T junction of the two main roads and has a famous cafe as it's hub : The Green Welly Stop. It did actually serve really nice food and I also picked up some de-bug stuff and got another stamp in my passport (can't actually decipher what the stamp depicts but it does also have the 'Green Welly Stop' on it). Out on the hills I literally bumped into a herd of real Highland Cows
and they really did look at home, unlike the ones that I had seen down south in Devon! There's a railway station at Bridge of Orchy and quite ingeniously, they've turned the station into a bunkhouse complete with drying room - I'm not staying there by the way, but thought it was a great idea.One of the check-points for the race is right outside my bunkhouse so, as I do at home when I'm either not racing or have already finished, I was out there cheering everyone in (some were really really looking very worse for wear!). Word had got out through the competitors what I was doing and they in turn were congratulating me! Now feeling stuffed as I've just eaten a fab posh meal and found out the internet is free so another evening's holiday for John! The weather for tomorrow is not looking good at all and by 8.30 the rain is lashing down and the wind howling. I've got open moorland to cross tomorrow so by the look of it, will be getting a little bit windswept and damp!
Mileage 20.19 and time 4.27
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