Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
I wake in the bosom of my fellow Challengers, for the first time this trip. It's long overdue and with it the recognition comes that this has been a lonely Challenge so far. There's been a couple of days (ok, well technically I guess every day from day 4 onwards) that I really could have … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 8 – Glen Feshie to Geldie Burn
The noise of a vehicle on the track alerts me to a possible interruption. They're clearly checking me out as the noise is not moving. Then all of a sudden they're gone. Panic over. I pack up and continue to the bottom of the track, making my way to Loch Cuaich. The track takes me … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 7 – Not Far Past Dalwhinnie to Glen Feshie
I'm not enjoying the Challenge. There I've said it. Something is lacking. I've seen very few people, and it feels like a lonely one this year, and that's even before taking account of my missing walking partner. We'd have eaten up the miles on the walk if there'd been the two of us, but solo … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 6 – Dalwhinnie to Not Far Past Dalwhinnie
The day starts fine, but a bit fresher than the last few days, and with the promise of turning breezier and wetter still as the day goes on. I've already decided that I'm taking my Foul Weather Alternative today, missing out the climb over Beinn Bheoil in favour of the simplicity of the lochside path. … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 5 – Loch Ericht to Dalwhinnie
I'm awake early, with the knowledge that I've got quite a distance to cover today, and am walking for 8am. Gerry is camped up a couple of hundred metres down the track and we chat for a while before I crack on. The track itself fizzles out and I find myself following the line of … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 4 – Black Corries to Loch Ericht
A bit of light rain is falling, timed to coincide exactly with me packing away the tent. It's that infuriating sort of rain that's too light for the warmth of the jacket, but too heavy to go without. A few hundred metres up the road I switch to my windproof which is a relief. The … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 3 – Glen Etive to the Black Corries
A lovely fine and warm day greets me, accompanied by the sound of water gently lapping close by. Six feet away there's a bit of loch that wasn't there last night. I soon see, though, that it's retreating, although this does beg the question how close it actually got to me during the night! I … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 2 – Loch Etive to Glen Etive
This year, not having been bullied into signing out early, I'm downstairs in Oban youth hostel just a few minutes before 9am, and sign out for that time. I then linger a few minutes and find myself talking to David from Dartmoor. About Dartmoor, of course. The pair of us cross the road to the … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Day 1 – Oban to Loch Etive
It's two weeks before the Challenge, and I'm at work when a ping on my phone heralds a message from Paul. It's a message I expected, just a bit sooner than anticipated: he's pulling out of the Challenge. He was going to give it until the weekend, but clearly he could see the writing on … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2018: Getting to the Start
Things were looking good: the forecast was encouraging, workdays were slotted into place, and I was ready to drift off to Dartmoor for a few days of backpacking as a warm up for the big event, just as I did last year. And then Paul messaged me to say he was ill (again), and that … Continue reading Making it up as I go – The pre-TGO Challenge shakedown trip
I'm having a clear out of various items. Having recently upgraded my cook system to a Stormin Cone, I'm a bit oversupplied with stoves and cookware, so it's time some of this went to a good home. A few other bits listed below that I no longer need, including a camera and a backpack. Item … Continue reading Spring Gear Clearout
As a kid, I was engrossed by Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of books, and must admit to having re-read them as an adult too. The same goes for Cath too, and she's been trying to get her son into them (I gave up on this with my offspring years ago after being constantly … Continue reading The Secret Achipelago Expedition
After the big skies and open views of the previous sections, this one was a bit unexciting in comparison. Also, I did this section as a daywalk rather than planning to sleep out - which was just as well as there didn't seem like much of a choice of spots to secrete a tent either. … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 4 – West Bergholt to Mistley
Three years ago, I took my son for the Official Annual Birthday Camp (mine, not his), and chose a spot on the North Downs that has forever after been known in this house as Slug Meadow - you can probably imagine why. Well this weekend, my daughter, who's the same age The Boy was at the … Continue reading Return to Slug Meadow
It has been a month, and high time I ventured out to knock off the next section. Luckily the forecast was for two days of bright weather, little or no rain and wind and reasonable temperatures. It would have been wrong not to go for it. I dumped the car on the outskirts of Witham, … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 3 – White Notley to West Bergholt