Mar Lodge, Part 1—Kingussie to Ruigh-aiteachain Bothy

The past two days have been quite special. I'm sitting in my cozy room here at Mar Lodge and marveling at what my money is buying me. A tiny fee gets me a great room, I'm sure the bunkhouse is good, access to the Gun Room where a roaring fire burns and snacks and alcohol can be shared amongst friends, the kitchen, and a tour of a remarkable ballroom that is impressive and unnerving (granted this might not always be the case). But I'm getting ahead of things.

Leaving Kingussie in late morning I plodded down the roads past the old Ruthven military barracks which once housed three score redcoats. Now a ruins you still have sense of the goings on there and most times it would've been hard. I know I missed a lot of information which gives me an excuse to return.

More road walking would lead to Glen Tromie and the working forests contained therein. At least I didn't walk through clear-cut but the effect was similar. It wasn't a pretty forest. Maybe it was the forest road or the skimpy nature of the woods but it had less charm than many such (working) forests back home. Crossing Baileguish Farm was OK but nothing special. The final few kilometers were on standard road that followed the Feshie River which is very nice. Were I to do the walk again I'd see if walking on the river edge would be possible. I saw some paths down at the shoreline but other times it looked like the shore was almost cliff-like. Maybe floating in a packraft would be an option. Hmm...

I found Cameron filming by the bridge. We would go to Ruigh-aiteachain bothy together. The setting here is quite nice with plenty of flowing water, good camping, a well kept building (although why they've blocked access to the sleeping loft I don't know. Safety reasons seems silly in a way since you're out in the woods already taking a risk. Seems quite a waste), and interesting people. I found Jock (sure that's spelled incorrectly) with his skittish alsatian named Wolf. Nice guy though maybe the mass of Challengers put him off a bit. Once we got a fire going in the wood stove chatting in the bothy was very enjoyable and the relaxed sense of community that seems to pervade the Challenge (and any gathering around a fire, even a contained one in a wood stove) took hold.

Photos

Ruthven Barracks. Although I spent a fair bit of time here I ended up missing quite a bit of stuff. Somehow I ended up just exploring the main barracks building that you see here. However, that just gives me an excuse to come back. May 15, 2008. 10:30.

I love walking by or at least near rivers. River Feshie is no exception. This gos lined path takes you down to the slightly shaky bridge I would cross to reach the bothy. May 15, 2008. 14:56.

Moonrise over our tent city at Ruigh-aiteachain Bothy. I am sure I will leave people off any list of names so I don't think I will try. Suffice it to say that this is the largest group I think I would ever camp with. We had a fine time here and this is a very nice bothy that I would stay at again. May 15, 2008. 21:41.

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Kingussie—Melgarve Bothy to Monadhliath Hotel to Kingussie

I arrived here at 1230 and haven't left. If I'd left with Hayden three hours ago I could be that much closer to Kingussie but I have settled - for a short day.

Leaving Melgarve at 0800 with a warming sun high in the sky I soon left the old military road for a single lane tarmac road. When I could walk the shoulder on dirt or grass I did. I passed farms with sheep and horses and birds of various feather. The peaks receded into the distance replaced by more rolling hills and even some forest. Pretty enough but hard on the feet.

In time I was caught up to by Hayden (not that long after crossing a bridge on what sure seemed like a canal of some sort). He's hiking Scotland on his own schedule and that opens up options a Challenger doesn't have. We walked the road chatting about various topics from the sub-prime mortgage crisis to world politics. Then just after River Spey came into view Vicki and Barbara caught up and we learned from Vicki about the footpath option into Laggan that popped us out below Spey bridge. We talked more about world travel as we moved along until the ladies fell back so Vicki could stay with Barbara whose feet were really bothering her.

Hayden and I found this hotel and had a tasty lunch. The ladies arrived and the mellow afternoon has continued on and on. Part of me feels I should've gone on but now I see no point and will do the 20 kilometers to Kingussie tomorrow. It has been nice to just hang out here, have some decent food and good beer (John Smith), chat lazily with other Challengers as they arrive and know that I am now doing pretty well all things considered.

Coming into Kingussie was another pretty day of open views of moors and sheep farming with small rivers thrown in for good measure. I hiked with Russ and his friends most of the day and we ambled all the way. Nick and I pulled ahead for the last bit (Andy trailing helping Vicki perhaps with Barbara) at the end. The last mile or so which travels roads drags on a bit. But still a very fine day. I would say that a highlight of the day is the variety of scenery we got to see. Especially before and after Phones as the landscape changed quite a bit in character. It may not be as stunningly beautiful as some places I have been but variety keeps one interested too.

I must note that I ate a ridiculous amount of food. Had I known the potato wedges with cheese and bacon would be what they turned out to be I'd probably not have gotten the lasagna. I was expecting something more like standard potato skins not thick wedges of potato mounded over with bacon, onions, and cheese (more like chili cheese fries though better). And although I had a fair bit of alcohol it was over such a long period of time I never really felt it that much. As the night wore on I learned that a big football (soccer) game with a Scottish team playing some Russian team was on and that was garnering a lot of attention. The Scottish team lost and I'm sure many were very much down in the dumps (later I learned about the damage done down in Manchester by football fans). American sports fans don't hold a candle to what some of these football fans do when things don't quite go their way.

Things are going very well and with luck will continue to do so.

Photos

The church ruins I have pitched my Tarptent Virga within are adjacent to the Monadhliath Hotel. Maybe if I had known about the bunkhouse down the road before I pitched my shelter I would have gotten a bed, I did check it out (sort of), but I stayed put. It was a fine place to camp and I got a standard UK-style breakfast at the hotel the next morning for £5. May 13, 2008. 16:16.

Lunch with the rest of the group I had been hiking with today (Russ and his band of Mark, Sam, and Herman, Vicki and Barbara, Nick and Andy) was a real joy. In some way this probably rates as the best lunch spot of the entire trip. The scenery was varied and the company great fun. May 14, 2008. 13:30.

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Melgarve Bothy

Corryairack pass is quite something. This is a classic walk in the highlands. I could have gone farther but since I have decided to get to Kingussie in three days instead of two I am staying at Melgarve bothy tonight. This is a posh place with a great sleeping area on the second floor. The first floor has a table, comfy chairs, and fireplace (though no wood). It is leaps and bounds better than Canban. Getting here was a joy. Chris from the Caldonian Hotel walked me to the entry point of the track to the pass (one of General Wade's military transport roads which he built to great effect to move men and equipment to be used to keep the Scottish clans in line). We passed through a cemetery past just starting Bluebells. It was very good of him to do this and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk with him and the two others that joined us for a time. Once on the track, a 4x4 road really though it dates back to General Wade and so is well over two hundred years old. You slowly climb the winding road with bald mountains falling away on either side it reminds me somewhat of the undulating country near Wales, Alaska. There are even patches of snow near the pass. Today was mostly bright and clear so the viewing was pretty good. Even when some mist was clinging at lower elevations it was still good.

Sometimes it made far more sense to walk the lumpy grass on the roadside because the boulders were just too much hassle. This happened a lot on the far side of the pass. Chatting with Bob who caught up, hiking bear chested and clearly in fine shape, just before the pass was quite fun. We took a good lunch break just beyond the pass. It would have been a great spot to take a nap. If only I had a light blanket to roll up in. Arriving at Melgarve both at 1730 was great. I feel sure others will arrive in time but right now I have the place to myself.

* * *

People started arriving soon after I finished writing the first bit. First Cameron McNeish showed up with tripod and video camera in hand. He's working with the BBC to create a documentary about the Challenge that will air later this year. He also wanted to chat me up and make sure I was doing fine. I hope it was more co-incidence that he found me here than not but I know Roger Smith had told him about me so perhaps people are checking up on me. It is what it is. Other people would drift in too with some having a quick bite and moving on down the road (Ursula, Peter) and many others pitching tents or staking out space in the bothy itself. I had pitched my Tarptent Virga even though the sleeping area did look very inviting. Among the people here are Russ, Sam, Mark, and Herman would show up; Both and Ethel who I had started to morning with when leaving Fort Augustus; and the four brothers (A TGO first).

Photos

I am right at the top of the pass at this point, about 780 meter (2,560ft) and as you can see snow is lingering. We could see patches further up as well though this would be the only one I'd pass really close too. Photo by Bob. May 12, 2008. 15:03.

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Fort Augustus—Part 3, Cougie to Fort Augustus

Fort Augustus—Part 3, Cougie to Fort Augustus
The walk from Cougie to Fort Augustus is about 30 kilometers the way I did it. In fact since I goofed at Torgyle Bridge it became longer than that. I left with Tony, Peter, and George and we walked to Plodda Falls and then to my turn off point (they kept going on towards Drum)  it was overcast and spitting but not cold. The worst was that it was musty and you couldn't see much. While I walked the public path to the power-line track it didn't matter since I was in forest but once I began to ascend the rocky 4x4 track the mist took the world away. I'm sure the views would have been great had they been available. I'm just as sure I took the right route - the safe route.


All in all I was doing OK but when I blew it I really blew it. It isn't worth going into details here. I got it sorted out with the help of a passing motorist and In so doing he learned that he had missed his turn off to Fort William. Staying  at the Caldonian Hotel is definitely a decent way to make one feel better. Tomorrow I'll go to somewhere between Melgarve bothy and Garva Bridge.

Photos

This would turn out to be the most colorful stretch of hiking I would do all day. Sure, it would brighten again when I began to descend Inchnacardoch FOrest but that is hours away.

May 11, 2008. 11:27.

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Fort Augustus—Part 2, Canban to Cougie

Where day one went very well with just a couple slip ups in navigation that didn't quite hold true on my second day where I lost the trail around Allt Garbh along the footpath (somewhere around NH184 212) to the main track that leads past a surprisingly warm lochan (NH 209 217). I lucked out when Tony, Peter, and George (last two names are English spelling of the Dutch names) heard my whistle blast and called me to the right trail that was certainly quite close to where I was. We had a great time at Cougie. Val is an excellent hostess spinning Scottish country attitude with good stories with an able assist by her daughter, one of 8 (I think) children, Tina. We had a great time first around an outdoor patio eating soup and scones with beer and tea, followed by a short rest and then a fine dinner all laced with fine conversation.

Photos

Canban Bothy isn't much too look at from the outside. It's not much too ook at from the inside either. Bothies, mountain shelters that were built ages ago mostly by shepherds are now maintained by the Mountain Bothy Association which is a volunteer based organization. They run the gamut from somewhat dingy to pretty posh for a backcountry shelter. Canban is closer to the less positive end of that spectrum. May 10, 2008. 05:46.

None of us can find a name for this small lake that is just a few kilometers away from Cougie. But that doesn't matter. It remains a great place to take a load off and relax. I am sure it would makea good swimming hole. May 10, 2008. 14:23.

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Fort Augustus—Part 1, Dornie to Canban

I've not written until now and even tonight I'm rather tired so doubt I'll say much. It has been a tough three days. On day 1 the hiking wasn't bad. I had little trouble finding my way. A small slip up here and there but nothing to remarkable. The weather, especially for Scotland, struck me as very warm easily mid 70s and sunny. While the sun would eventually give way to clouds the temperature never really seemed to cool that much. Granted when walking along a tarmac road, as I was in the beginning between Dornie and Morvick, that's understandable. The back-road out of Dornie is really rather pretty. I saw no traffic and the views of the loch below were wonderful. I had a stretch on the main traffic artery which was so-so but at least it was short and then I entered forest-style roads and tracks. These took me through long valleys with lambs all around, plenty of flowing water, and a few local folks out for a stroll. Easy walking and a nice introduction to the lowlands of the Scottish Highlands. At Glenlicht House I had a small bit of confusion about where the cross the river but that was as rough as the navigation got. The waterfalls I would see later on, though not the wondrous Glomach (sp) Falls I'd heard about were nice enough as they poured off the empty mesa down into the river valley below. I was climbing up to that point to go through the mountains towards Canban bothy and feeling reasonably good though a bit tired. Although my "official" end point for the day should have been at Alltbeithe Hostel I decided the bothy was good enough.

Photos

Standing at the turn off to my small road. My waiitng is, at long last, over. I'm really starting and I'm nervous. May 9, 2008. 09:05.

I bet more sheep and lambs live around here than people! I quite some time walking through farms nestled in a valley like this. May 9, 2008. 13:51.

While this may not be the largest waterfall in Scotland it would turn out to be the grandest I'd see the entire trip. May 9, 2008. 16:07.

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TGO Challenge 2008 - Getting There

It took longer to get here than it should have and I sincerely hope this is not an omen I should be paying attention too. Up until the bus went off the rails as it were things had been going swimmingly. Then the driver drove us past Dornie and if I hadn't been playing with the GPS and saw us moving away from the tho start point I don't know when I'd have figured it out. I got dropped off at a caravan campground (RV campground) about 4.5-5 miles away. The driver said a bus going the other way would be by soon and I should tell the driver what happened and he would ferry me back gratis. I saw buses, lots of traffic in general, going the direction I didn't want to go but no bus going the other way. I gave up after too long. I walked trying a little to hitch with no luck. At least the weather is near ideal and the scenery is nice with mountains not far from here, some peaks dotted with some snow, scattered forest, ample water in many forms, and what I'm sure are boggy fields.

I actually overshot the hotel even though I saw the sign when I asked I must've said the wrong thing and the fellow in the fruit and seafood barn sent me across the bridge. The lady at Sonas B&B set me right and even drove me back across the bridge.  So after an extra three hours I am finally at the Loch Duich Hotel The best and worst can be seen In this bit of adventure.

I'm feeling less sanguine about this all the time. Constant comments on how treacherous things are and my own wavering doubts about what I've written versus what is on the map versus what is on the digital map (e.g.,where is the yellow back road out of Dornie?) and I just don't feel good. It doesn't help that I woke up this morning, Friday, very early and can't do anything until I check out and their still are no signs of hotel staff life and it is almost 0800. I need to leave and see if I can do at least Day 1. God a partner would be invaluable now.

Dornie Castle as seen from the Hotel. I was up by 5:00AM and had nothing to do but dither and think about what could go right, and especially wrong. The events of the day before had not been a good start.