Reflections TGO 24

This Challenge was important.

I needed to complete my 9th Challenge, I needed to successfully cross Scotland so I can try to get my 10th next year. It's just taken me too long, failed too many times and it's become a monster. This monster has eaten away at my confidence and my anxiety has grown and become almost unmanageable.

I needed a plan.

Friend and fellow Challenger Laura was also having confidence issues, although probably not so much the anxiety thing going on, but I decided we needed a plan together, to get us both to the east coast and restore confidence in ourselves.

The plan was simple, but I think quite clever. I had already plotted a route for myself from Oban to Kinnaber Links, the first day would see me walk a coffin route from Achnaba to Barcaldine. I'd chatted to Laura about this as I had a few queries about it and after a while, she asked if she could walk that first day with me. This was a great idea, but the second day would be tough, through Glen Creran to Glencoe, and quite long, probably too long for me let alone Laura, so I had a think and worked out a way to take out a day from towards the end of my route and squeeze it in to the beginning, giving us three days to get to Glencoe. The basic plan was for us to meet up each night for the first week or so, plotting our own routes in between. This would then give us choice most days, we could choose to walk separately or together. Camping together every night would give us the chance to discuss our day, whether we'd enjoyed it or not and offer each other support and encouragement to carry on. After the first week our routes diverged and we planned to go our own ways to the coast.

We were very organised and had our routes vetted quite early on, this gave me lots of time to look more closely at possible pitches in case my intended spots didn't work out, what shops were available where for resupply, book accommodation and transport and generally iron out all the finer details. I love the planning and always enjoy this part. But as the Challenge drew closer, I got more and more anxious. Had I bitten off more than I could chew? Had I set myself up for failure? We are both solo Challengers for a reason, it's what we enjoy and works best for us. We walk together as friends outwith the Challenge, could we tolerate each other for a week? Two weeks before the off and I was so anxious I could barely eat, I lost weight, it was ridiculous. The day before we were due to travel to Oban, we had a slight hiccup with arrangements, but David came to the rescue and Laura arrived with her gear to stay the night before Ciara took us to get the train to Oban in the morning...

In the end, we reached the east coast, together!

It wasn't easy, Laura showed real determination and tenacity to carry on with blisters from very early on, due to the heat and a combination of the wrong socks and possibly the Gore-Tex lining of her boots. We looked after each, made decisions together, gave each other space at times, but we ended up deciding to stay together to the bitter end and we did it! We had a brilliant Challenge.

Of course, the Challenge wasn't just about us, there was the gear I decided to take with me and how that all performed.

The Good

Last year I'd had blisters for the first time in over a decade which ended my Challenge prematurely. I still don't know why, as I had worn socks and boots that usually suit me and that I have crossed Scotland wearing before. I decided to try different socks, Injinji liner and hiker socks, but also stick with my favourite, tried and tested style, Bridgedale Hike Midweight Merino socks. I also carried a pair of Bridgedale liners, just in case the Injinji pair didn't suit.

I found the Injinji socks very comfortable and they worked brilliantly with both pairs of hiking socks.

I had a new pair of boots, Hoka Sky Kaha II, but when I started to wear them in the lead up to the Challenge, realised that they were a tad short and I could feel the end of my boots with my toes. I was a bit surprised, they were the same size as the previous pair, but obviously, they were no use for the Challenge, so I'd bought another pair a half size up and they were just dandy.

No blisters this year. No sore spots at all. In fact, I usually have slightly swollen feet by the end of the Challenge, just because walking every day for two weeks, 20-25km most days, is hard on the feet. Once my feet settle down the skin usually peels off, a very odd experience.

I didn't even have swollen feet this year! So no skin shedding either. Brilliant!

I was very aware I was going to have limited laundry opportunities, so I had reverted to carrying long sleeve merino tops, one to wear walking, a clean one to walk in when the first could walk by itself, and one to sleep in. Long sleeve because I don't like bare arms and they give protection from insects and the sun.

Worked perfectly, kept me comfortable at all times, walking and in bed, no pong, this will be my go to for future Challenges.

I also returned to taking my Tilley hat. It is my trademark hat and gives the best sun protection.

I have been cold on the last couple of Challenges. In 2022 I had forgotten the silver mat I put under my Synmat and thought that was why I was cold, but last year I had taken the mat and still felt the cold. I'd also omitted my thermal tights in a bid to shed a few grams from my pack weight, about 100g, to be precise. So this year, I had a rethink. Instead of my primino hoodie, obviously I had a merino LS top. I also swapped my primino zip top for my Montane Allez Micro Fleece. I decided to take my Montane Prism jacket and RAB Xenair gilet, despite them being a few grams more than just taking my Montane Fluxmatic jacket, because I felt the combination was more flexible. And I took my thermal tights.

This was also a good decision, being able to wear thin layers under the Prism jacket, tights under my 'social' leggings and have the gilet loose in my bag over my hips really helped keep me warm and comfortable this year.

Sorted.

I've started to carry a GoPro to video my adventures. I'm not very good at it, but quite enjoy doing it. The problem has been carrying it, along with my phone, my maps and my compass.

This year, my compass was in a hip pocket of my belt. Last year, I had taken my OMM Chest Pouch, but I found it very faffy and annoying with the way it attaches to the chest strap of my pack but the bottom attachments or elastics and hooks and I haven't found a way to attach them that isn't a pain, so this year, I took my Montane Gecko waist pack.

It worked an absolute treat, proved to be very useful when we were in civilisation as a handbag (we do like gear to have two uses) and I only nearly lost it once...

I also took mesh Tesco fruit and veg bags as a food come shopping bag. They are super lightweight, you can see the contents easily and they are stronger than say a plastic carrier bag.

The Bad

I did consider carrying my Osprey Exos pack to save weight, but on closer inspection one of the webbing shoulder straps is worn and damaged and I was worried it might fail during the crossing, so I took my Ariel AG 55L. I do like the way it carries and I have a routine for where everything is packed, nothing dangling on the outside, but yet again I had very sore hips, grazed and bleeding, especially my left one. As one is worse than the other, it's clearly not just the hip belt that is the problem. I have realised that not only do my knickers have a seam in an awkward place, there is a label on the left side.

So, I need to solve the hip belt issue and the seam/label issue. I may get my Exos fixed, so long as I can keep my base weight low, currently 7.209kg without pack or food, the Exos should be fine. Or I could carry my Ariel without the top pocket, which would reduce its weight by about 200g, but I would still get sore hips.

I need to source different knickers...

I have an Exped Hand Pump for my Synmat and air pillow. It's great, but it does have a drawback. It's fine when the weather is good and I can pump up my mat with it inside my tent and me standing just outside, pumping with my foot, I just look a bit of a plank. If the weather is pants, I have to lie in my tent, with the Synmat lying on top of me and pumping the pump on my head to inflate the mat. Laura could hear all this going on and found it hilarious. Me, not so much... But I have solved this issue! For my birthday I asked for a Flextail Zero Pump. Weight wise, it is only one gram lighter, but it takes up so little space. It will also be useful for pumping up our Exped mat in Ellie. Perfect.

The Ugly

I love my Tarptent Notch. Or at least, I did. I like having two porches, the space inside the inner suits me, it is quick and easy to pitch once I got the hang of it, but I do think the half mesh inner is colder than my Terra Nova Laser.

I also discovered a leak.

Or more precisely, five leaks.

There are four ties to tie back the outer doors. Loops on the outside and a hook on a loop on the inside. It would appear that, despite having paid for seam sealing when I bought the tent, the ends of the loops caught into the seams have not been, or not done properly, and after a couple of periods of rain the loops wet out and moisture then tracks along the loops inside the tent and drips off the hooks onto the inner. The moisture makes the inner damp and anything that touches it then gets wet, including my sleeping bag, if I'm not careful or don't notice in time. The centre seam also appeared to spring a leak and again, looked like it had not been sealed properly.

I need to have a look at these areas and see if I can seal them effectively myself, but I have lost a little confidence in the Notch now and I might just go back to using my Laser again, because I do love it.

So just a couple of projects to get sorted.

Reflections of TGO 2023

 I've taken my time to have a good think about this post. I think we can safely say, my Challenge this year didn't go to plan.

I didn't have any major changes of gear this year, except I carried my RAB Xenair gilet and the lighter of my two Montane primaloft jackets, the Prism, in the hope of a little more flexibility with my insulated layers. I also had my Montane Primino zip top instead of my Montane Allez Micro. The combination seemed to work, but I was still cold at night at times, so I might have a re-think.

My food plan works, so long as I can find suitable items to resupply. Kinlochleven was tricky, but I managed. Perhaps more imagination needed.

The route plan itself wasn't the best, I think I lost sight of my goal of a simple route across Scotland and took the easy option of cycle paths in the first few days which meant I had long days. Coupled with the added pressure of a ferry crossing on the first day, and missing the most convenient one back to the main land, the first three days proved to be quite taxing. The blisters that developed on Day Four were my own fault, I felt the hot spots but couldn't be bothered to deal with them, I was so close to camp. At the end of Day Five I really aggravated them after taking some heavy duty painkillers for my shoulder and didn't realise the damage I was doing until they exploded.

In the first few days after returning home, I was convinced I was not going to Challenge again. I have now failed four times out of twelve to get across Scotland, perhaps I'm not really cut out for this? There was some doubt in my mind that the Challenge itself might continue after 2024, meaning maybe I couldn't now get my 10th Challenge, so what was the point?

After a while, I decided that if I didn't get my 9th next year, and the Challenge did continue, it would take me longer to get my 10th.

Then I had news from my dear friend Alan that change my thinking completely. Alan had been hugely influential on my having entered the Challenge in the first place, back in 2009. Ever since, he had been the most wonderful support, always encouraging and interested. Not just to me, but to dozens of other Challengers and First Timers.

So now, I *have* to get my 10th. Because Alan had faith in me. So I must have faith in me too.

Thanks Alan xx

Alan and his pal, Phil, in the Mason's Arms, Tarfside

Reflections of TGO22

Gear

Tarptent Notch

The major bit of new or largely untested gear is my tent, Netty Notch. I had only spent about 3 nights in her before this Challenge, and the main test had been whether the midges could get in last June/July. Which they didn't.

This year, midgies weren't going to be the biggest issue.

The inner of this tent is half solid, half mesh, so it was possible that I could be cold, but I never felt that there was a cold draught coming through the mesh, so that was good. We had plenty of rain overnight, but Netty was completely water tight, which was also reassuring. The main problem faced this year was high winds, so pitching the tent and remaining upright was the concern. Because of some of the decisions I made, based on the forecast, meant I was mostly pitched safely with shelter, unlike some other unfortunate Challengers who had to endure several difficult nights. The worst conditions I faced were on the Invernahavon Campsite, so I was at least in a safe place, but I was still pretty worried by the huge gusts of wind over a two or three hour period, the torrential rain at the time meant that if Netty had failed my gear would all be soaked, so when the rain had first woken me, I had packed everything away in my rucksack and had a plan to rescue my sleeping bag and mat to keep them as dry as possible. As it was, Netty was awesome, my walking poles, Black Diamond Carbon FLZ, also new, were absolutely solid and we survived in tact.

As well as being pitched with my walking poles, the other main difference with this tent is having two porches. I find this incredibly useful. When Netty is pitched, she is pointy end into the wind. because of the way the doors open, one will open into the wind, the other will be sheltered, so when emptied I keep my rucksack in the windy porch as I won't be opening that one again till I drop the tent. The other porch is where I will keep my boots and water and use my stove, with the door open. Unless it is raining, this works well. If it is raining, it really depends on how the rain is falling as to whether I use my stove or not, I usually have enough food with me that I can cope without having to light my stove if necessary.

I need more practice to pitch her nicely every time, but overall, I think I like Netty, and trust her.

MSR 9" Core Pegs

Yup, four teamed with four mini-ground hog pegs, did a great job.

MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe

I had a new stove this year, an MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, and I had an Alpkit MyTi mug to go with it. I had debated what size gas canister to take as obviously I expected to use more gas than with my Jetboil Flash, but had no idea how much. I settled on taking a 230g cannister, and if needed I could collect a small can from Laura's front porch or buy one in Braemar or Ballater. I also knew I wouldn't be on my own in the second week, so if I badly miscalculated, there would be someone who had spare.

I found that I was comfortable with the stove after a few uses, it burned well and usually brought a half litre of water to the boil relatively quickly, unless it was catching a bit of wind. I did not use it in the porch without the door open, which I have done with my Flash in my Laser, but I don't think I would use the Flash in Netty's porch either.

I almost got across Scotland with the one canister, I just needed to borrow a small canister from Barry on the last morning for my coffee, so that gives me an idea of how much gas I might use in future, I did not have a hot meal and drink every night and sometimes no coffee in the morning, mainly due to mood, not weather.

The Alpit MyTi mug is also great, no issues with that except I am stupid and kept burning my fingers. I have made myself a pot grab to resolve this.

Buff Trek Bucket Hat

I love my Tilley hat, I have taken it on all but one of my Challenges thus far, but the brim catches on the top of my pack and gets irritating. So this year after a little bit of searching I found the Buff Trek Bucket Hat and I have loved it. It fits nicely, has a handy little bit of adjustable elastic cord at the back of the had, a big enough brim to give protection but not catch on my pack, it is light and comfortable to wear and takes up no space in the pack. A good buy.

The Crocs

Croc Literide. These are not a lightweight option, but they are a really comfortable shoe to wear when I take my boots off, which after suffering Plantar Fasciitis for nearly two years and recently resolving the issue, I wanted something with support and comfort, so this was my choice. I decided to pack them in the parcel I would collect at Newtonmore, this was an illogical decision given the river crossings I was due to make on days One and Seven, but in the event, I made no river crossings that required a change of footwear and got away with the decision. I would also say that, once I had my Crocs, I was glad of them when I took my boots off at the end of the day. They may be heavy, but are likely to be high on the list next time.

Rab Borealis Jacket and Montane Primino Hoody

I wore the Borealis every day, either under my waterproofs, or as my top layer. I also wore it as a thin layer in bed over my Montane Primino Hoody. I love it. It is light and comfortable, very effective as a windproof and doesn't make me hot underneath my waterproofs. Love it. The Primino Hoody is super comfortable, surprisingly cosy for such a thin layer and the hood was fantastic instead a hat in my sleeping bag. I also wore this as my social top, as it is largely merino, it stays odour free for days, brilliant top.

Montane Dart LS top

A great t-shirt, worn every day to walk and only washed twice I think during the trip, just wish it was slightly longer.

Knickers

Back to the drawing board with these, I took two pairs of Sloggi knickers, Wow Comfort and Sensual Fresh, neither of which were comfortable to walk in, one was better than the other thankfully. Merino is definitely better for freshness, just need to find a comfortable pair that don't have an awkwardly placed seam that rubs on my hips. I had sore, rubbed hips again this year, I like the rucksack, it carries well, but there is conflict between my rucksack belt and knickers that causes the rubbing which I need to resolve. I put clear film waterproof dressings on this year, the kind used on a canular or new tattoo, they definitely helped, but it was still sore enough that I had to take painkillers towards the end of the longer days, so I need to sort this.

Hoka One One Sky Kaha boots

I love these boots, no rubs, no blisters, no sore toes, all day comfort. I will buy them again.

Kula Cloth

Hmm. Saved my carrying much toilet paper, needs much more sunlight to work at its best. Enough said.

Panda Bamboo Dry Wipes

Yup, work fine, will take again.

Salt of the Earth Deodourant Crystal

Brilliant, I felt much better than I usually do, I had a wipe down at night using the Panda wipes and then applied the crystal. I use the bigger version every day at home and for me, it is amazing. Love it.

Aluminium mat cut off

Next time, don't forget it. I could definitely feel the cold coming up through my mat from the ground, just enough to notice it, if the weather had been colder, I would have been miserable. Take the mat!

At this moment in time, I think that was all my major new kit.

Struggles

Clearly, I had a bit of a crisis before the start of the Challenge this year. There was a combination of issues which ganged up on me, but Ciara's advice of step by step, go to the start, was crucial. Once there, I was able to focus on each decision, one at a time, and once walking, I relaxed and had no further issues.

I did not eat brilliantly for a few days before setting off which did not help, and the first few days on the Challenge I wasn't brilliant either. The evening meal I had at the Prince's House Hotel definitely helped, once I got to Newtonmore, my food problems resolved.

I felt as though I didn't sleep well, but I think in reality, I was often asleep much earlier than normal, and even if I was awake several times in the night, it was mainly for very short periods of time, and on the whole I got a good amount of sleep. This probably helped with my mood and with my decision making.

The most important thing was meeting friends in the second week. It gives an enormous boost to be able to discus your adventures and to have them put into perspective by hearing theirs. Don't underestimate the power of your friends!

Challenge Afterthoughts

If you have read the account of my TGOC21 here, you will know I suffered an unfortunate injury and had to retire from this year's event. It is not the first time this has happened to me, but I must remain positive and decided to make a few changes to try to ensure I can cross successfully next time.

The injury itself was caused by slipping as I tried to climb a boggy bank beside the Allt Innis na Larach. There is little that I could do to avoid that in itself, I did nothing wrong, it was just unfortunate. I did wonder though if my pack was lighter or less bulky if it would not have swung. And carrying a lighter pack is always preferable anyway, so I started to look through my spreadsheet of kit and examine it more closely.

I know the quickest way to save weight in a pack is to consider the biggest items first. I have already got a new down sleeping bag, it is super warm, doesn't leave my tent looking like I've been plucking chickens in the night and weighs less than a kg, so I am happy with that. I have an Exped Sunmat UL7, there is no need to replace that. I have a new tent, having replaced my Terra Nova Competition with a Tarptent Notch. I could have gone further and bought a Li version, but didn't like the idea of it being see through. I have changed my light Exos pack for a heavier Ariel 55 AG pack, I need the padding on the hipbelt and harness and will not be changing it. The next item to consider would be my Jetboil Flash.

I adore my Flash, I have carried it on all my Challenges so far bar one, when I borrowed David's Flash Lite. It has never let me down, I only boil water for rehydrating meals and making hot drinks and usually manage to cross using just the one 100g gas canister. However it isn't a particularly lightweight system, at 426g, as I have to carry a mug to drink from so that adds bulk and at least another 116g, so altogether about 737g. I could improve on that.

After some investigation and asking for recommendations, I decided an MSR Pocket Rocket was ideal, David persuaded me the Deluxe version was even better, so that is what I went for, at 83g. The Snowpeak pots I have would do the job, but the lid is a frying pan which I don't need and doesn't sit tight on the pot, so would probably be loose in my pack and annoying. I wanted a pot that was big enough to boil all the water I needed in one go, if necessary, and be used as my mug, to save taking a pot and a mug. After much thought and internet browsing, I suddenly remembered Alpkit and found they had the MytiPot 900 that fitted the bill, similar to the MSR Titan Kettle, but much cheaper.

Altogether, that would be a saving of 339g, if I took the same size gas. I would obviously need to be able to replace that as I crossed, so if I took a larger canister there would still be a saving of nearly 200g. I can make that decision nearer the time, depending on what the supply of gas is like next May.

The one thing that I worried about this year was my tent pegs. I didn't really consider these until the week of the Challenge, when it was too late to do anything. I realised that the MSR Mini Groundhog pegs that I love were perhaps not long enough to cope with the different forces on my new tent. There was nothing I could do, but I coped with the pegs I had , double pegging the main points and using the longest peg in my possession for the end into the wind. I don't know the origin or the composition of this peg, but I used it and survived. Mainly because there were no high winds. I can replace these pegs, I will take four MSR Groundhogs, four MSR Mini Groundhogs and six Terra Nova skewers to help pin the ends out and the inner. None of this will affect the weight I am carrying much.

I need to consider my washbag, there may be more in there than I really need to take.

If I can get nearer to the 11kg mark, or less, including food, I'll be happy.

And in the meantime. I am already back to running to maintain and improve my fitness and I will start back on the yoga and strength training as soon as I am completely happy with my shoulder.

All good.

2019 in Review

April 2019 saw us celebrating our Silver Wedding Anniversary, so we hired a campervan to have an adventure in Scotland. We spent a lovely few days on a whirl wind trip around Scotland.

 After the second half marathon distance in April

 Dornie Castle

 Silver Anniversary

 Schiehallion

 Stonehaven beach

 Cnoc Poll a' Mhurain

 Farrmheall

 The start of the Ghost Train Walk

 Loch Quoich

 From the first of three Munros, Carn Aosda

 Carn Leac Saighdeir

 Kelpies

 Mayar

 Driesh

 Clachnaben

 Geallaig Hill

 Loch Muick

 Ben Alder Forest

 Warth Hill

 Free mackeral

 Creag Dhubh

 Meall a' Chrasgaidh

Tap o' Noth

 Mither Tap

 Cul Mor

 Meall an Fheadain

 Falls of Kerkaig

Little did we know that we would be the proud new owners of our own van, Ellie, the following month. David sealed the deal and collected her whilst I was completing my 7th Challenge in May and he came to meet me so we could spend our first night together with her just a little south of Corgarff.

I had a successful and enjoyable Challenge, partly because I am much fitter, we had completed half marathon training mid-April, in fact, we ran the distance twice in two weeks.

Since May, we have tried to get with Ellie about once a month and we have had great fun and climbed many more hills than we usually get to do together. We were very pleased to have Ellie when David agreed to Assess a Gold Duke of Edinburgh group in the Ben Alder Forest when the weather was utterly dreadful and camping would have been no fun whatsoever. We have also been tourists around Scotland and had our first van meet with Mick, Gayle and Bertie in Inshriach Forest. Ellie has been a wonderful addition to our lives.

In June, we took part in the Ghost Train Walk, an over night walk on the Summer Solstace following the Dava Way from Grantown-on-Spey to the Dallas Dhu Distillery. We have walked the route together before when it first opened in July 2007, and I did the first Ghost Train Walk in 2009 with friends, so this was our first long distance overnight walk together and we had a great time.

In August, we took Conall to the Junior International Air Pistol and Rifle competition at Bisley. He had a good time and is doing well and gaining confidence. It is very strange to be there with just Conall though. There will be many more and much bigger competitions for him in the near future.

In November we were treated to a two night stay at Fonab Castle for our anniversary, which was quite an experience, but the weather was not conducive to walking, so we sheltered at House of Bruar in between fancy meals.

 The view from our room at Fonab

So, we are really looking forward to many more Adventures with Ellie in 2020 and I am hoping for another successful crossing on the Challenge in May.

Wishing all of you the very best for 2020.

Due to having to edit this post in Blogger, the photographs are randomly placed.

The Great Outdoors Challenge 2018

Well, I made it. A crossing with highs and lows, as one might expect when walking across Scotland, but so glad I perservered and pushed through the lows, I definitely finished on a high! The write up is here

So, That Was 2016…

Well, there was some walking this year, totalling around 1,201.84 miles 88,478.12 feet ascent, but I didn’t walk with Laura until February. We also went to a family wedding in February, which was a lovely social for us in Glasgow.

March saw some walking with Laura and our three young athletes were competing in the Scottish Air Pistol Championships in Edinburgh.

April saw more Challenge preparation with Laura on the Fishwives Walk.

And then there was May, when I backpacked across Scotland with my world on my back to for two weeks, this time crossing from Oban to Stonehaven. I had a fabulous time.

More local strolling for me around Altyre Estate during June, with a little DofE thrown in for fun.

July saw us venture to York for a few days of leisure.

August was a bit busier, we took the athletes to Surrey to compete in the Junior International Championships, we did some more DofE, we had a wonderful time with visitors Mick and Gayle and Rhiannon and Ciara moved into the flat they’re sharing in Aberdeen whilst they are both at University there.

A fab walk with Mick and Gayle

In September, as well as finally seeing our Silver Group pass their Expedition, I also found ‘Harry Houdini, the Disappearing Hernia’, hopefully he should be sorted in the next couple of months…

October, November and December saw me enjoying lots of local walks and some with Laura too. Aedan was still competing and performing well at two competitions at Cardiff.

The Lovely Laura

All in all, we’ve had a busy year, all good fun and hopefully there’ll be more to come in the New Year, who knows!

Slàinte mhor!!

PS I apologise for the lack of photographs, I’ll come back and add some over the next few days!!

Challenge Afterthoughts

So, it's more than three weeks since I got home from the Challenge, have I had any thoughts of how it went?

A few.

On the whole, it was brilliant.

My planning was thorough and well executed. I'm getting the hang of it. I somehow managed to plan my food to  as near perfection as I think I can. I ate enough most of the time, I certainly didn't appear to suffer as much from food deprivation as I sometimes do. I think the dehydrated meals I buy from mountaintails.org.uk are the best, for me anyway, and I ate as much fresh food as I could when it was available. I mainly slept well, but I think that was down to the nights not being so cold rather than any of my gear in particular, although I do think thermal tights under my merino leggings works for me. I only had two nights in accommodation and three nights on a campsite, so slept most nights in my wonderful little Laser, however, I still have never managed a solo wild camp.

I was really excited about my route, it was covering an area largely unknown to me and I really enjoyed the new views and places of wonder that I found along the way. Even when I re-routed through Glen Tilt from Blair Atholl, I was still in unknown territory until I crossed the Geldie Burn. I was unfamiliar with the Morrone Birkwood, but I do know Braemar and Ballater quite well.

There was a change in the wildlife that I saw and heard as I made my way across Scotland. There were plenty of dippers and wagtails by the rivers, the woods were full of chiffchaffs and willow warblers and I heard a cuckoo every day as I walked. I saw ravens, a golden eagle and a kite and lots of roe deer, but no red deer. I heard a green woodpecker when I was camping at Innerwick, which was wonderful, having never heard one before. One day I'll see one, but not this far up north perhaps! On the whole, I think most of the ground I covered was more rural than usual, hence the different wildlife.

I could cover my gear in a different post, but most of it was the same as usual so I don't feel the need. I've mentioned the thermal tights already, they worked for me. This year I carried a spare pair of thinner walking socks instead of my thick sleepy socks and a pair of 'social' socks (as opposed to anti-social socks, obviously...) which meant I had choice of what to wear in bed if necessary and whether I wore an ordinary or thinner pair for walking in, depending on the weather and how much road walking was planned. I took the hat I had crocheted over the winter and I loved it, wearing it at the end of the day as I pitched camp and through the night, when necessary. I took my Velez Light instead of my regular one, which allowed me to wear my Rab Lunar top underneath in necessary or I was happy to carry the Velez Light if I didn't need to wear it, which I an not inclined to do with the regular one. I also found my Cascada II trousers very comfortable in all conditions. I still love my Osprey Exos 58, although with my new skinny collar bones, I found the need to make some extra padding to put underneath my shoulder straps. My sit mat came in handy for that. My Phd sleeping bag performed better, but I think that was down to the weather conditions. My lovely Laser is my best friend, I have no complaints at all. My Meindl Burma boots are in the same category.

There's not much else to say at the moment. If this was my last solo Challenge, (or possibly Challenge ever) I am happy that it was the most successful and enjoyable so far.