The Rob Roy Way is a Scottish long distance footpath that runs from
Drymen to Pitlochry. The path was created in 2002 and runs for 92 miles.
The route crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, a geological fault where
the Highlands meet the Lowlands
After walking the Great Glen Way, The West Highland Way, The East
Highland Way, The Speyside Way, The Formartine & Buchan Way, The
Deeside Way and The Three Lochs Way, the next long distance route would
be the Rob Roy Way.
The original plan was to walk the full 94
miles, from Drymen to Pitlochry via Amulree, but things didn't go quite
to plan (do they ever?) and we ended up walking the 77 mile route,
adding on an extra 12 miles by starting from Milngavie on the West
Highland Way.
Personally I would of quite happily walked the extra
miles to Amulree but my hiking buddy was on holiday in Scotland and felt
there would be no time left to relax after a days walk. So be it.
The Southern Upland Way is Britain's first official coast to coast long
distance foot-path. It runs 212 miles (340 km) from Portpatrick on the
south-west coast of Scotland to Cockburnspath on the eastern seaboard.
It offers superb and varied walking country, still undiscovered by many
enthusiasts.
Friday 16 May 2014 - Portpatrick to Knockquhassen Reservoir The old man (my father) dropped us off at Portpatrick Harbour about half past 3. We took a few snaps before making our way up the cliffs. We walked along the coastal path for about two and a half hours before following the minor road for the rest of the way. It turned out to be a nice evening.
We continued walking late into the evening and eventually about 9pm we came across Knockquhassen Reservoir which turned out to be a good spot for some wild camping.
Saturday 17 May 2014 - Knockquhassen Reservoir to Beehive Bothy We were up at the crack of dawn, the rain had appeared overnight, light showers mostly. We took down the tents and got everything packed away before making our way to the anglers hut to make Breakfast. We set off in the rain, returning to the Southern Upland route. The rain soon calmed down and it stayed dry for the rest of the day.
A couple of hours passed and we reached the outskirts of Stranraer, then it was minor roads and some woodland trails before arriving at Castle Kennedy.
Once at Castle Kennedy we stopped for supplies at the Petrol Station before making our way down to Castle Kennedy Gardens, where we had lunch.
We soon made a start on the long hike to Beehive Bothy, passing through some boggy fields, woodland and moorland. We saw some old farmhouse ruins. We eventually reached Beehive Bothy around 7.30pm, in plenty of time to get organised and have a bite to eat before dark. Nobody else was around. It soon got dark and we attempted to get a small fire going.
Sunday 18 May 2014 - Beehive Bothy to Bargrennan Up bright are early, we had a quick Coffee in the bothy before heading off on the next stretch towards Bargrennan. It had stayed dry through the night and for the remainder of the day. The path through the forest in the next section was difficult to follow due to missing waymarkers in the demolished forest.
Friday 2 May 2014 Four of us met at The Horse Shoe Bar in Glasgow on Friday afternoon. We visited a couple more bars and had some food before catching the train to Balloch where the walk starts. Having no idea where we were going to camp on the first night, the best idea was simply to head into a bar in Balloch, get tanked up and forget that we were camping. The DogsHouse Bar seemed as good a place as any, as we ended up spending most of the night there before stumbling our way out with our rucksacks, having no clue where we were going to end up! Balloch Country Park became our campsite for the night, two of us by the river where the ground was boggy and the other two, further into the woods where the ground was dryer and where we could be out of view from the public eye. (I am pleased to annouce that I was part of the latter two!) :D It was mostly dry through the night with some light rain.
Saturday 3 May 2014 Up bright and early (and very hungover) we re-grouped and got some supplies at the local corner shop before heading down to the start of the walk by Loch Lomond Pier. My mate's buddy decided he'd had enough already and made his way back to the train station, leaving just three of us. Leaving Balloch behind, we head for the Hills, towards our first port of call, Helensburgh. It stayed fairly dry in the morning with some light showers later on. It was a trek over some open hills, across some moorland and through some woodland, including a steep muddy hill and a deforested area before a long dwindling descent down into Helensburgh, arriving in time for lunch. After a well earned rest and an enjoyable lunch at Weatherspoons, we set off towards Gairlochhead, amid lots of Hills. The best way to deal with the hills is just to think about the amount of calories you're losing without having to go to the gym. As we head away from Helensburgh we passed some Woods, farmland and moorland before following a minor road towards Gairlochhead, taking us onto the American Road which surrounds the MOD military training area. Once arriving in Gairlochhead the next task was to find somewhere to camp, but not before a drink or two at The Anchor Inn. Also phone charging time before heading to camp. A pint or two later and after speaking to Anchor Inn staff about suitable places to camp, (apparently none) we head over to the river at the other side of the loch, which was pretty much a perfect little location for a wild camp, although the local kids playing nearby could have been a little more welcoming instead of shouting "happy camping, hope you get p*ssed on!". Charming! It was a peaceful night, it rained through most of it but I slept like a log since I never got much sleep the previous night. It wasn't long before first light and we got up and had some Breakfast (Porridge & Coffee) before packing up again, making our way about 9am and spotting a wild Bear across the river! It looked hungry.
Sunday 4 May 2014
We went to the village shop for supplies then made our way back up to the american road, we still had a good few miles to walk through the military training area, before our first views of Loch Long. After a long hilly viewless walk in heavy rain and mist, we finally arrived at the village of Arrochar by Loch Long. We head to the Ben Arthur Bothy to put our feet up, certainly the most luxurious bothy I have ever encountered! We had a few drinks and a meal before deciding to retire for the day due to unforseen RAIN!! ...and pure laziness. While in the bar, we got chatting to one of the local B & B owners who offered us beds for £25.00 per person. Having no idea where we were going to camp that night we decided some Bed & Breakfast would be in our best interest. We could dry our clothes, shower and just chill for the rest of the evening. Monday 5 May 2014 Went downstairs for a fantastic cooked Breakfast plus Cereal, Toast, Coffee, Orange Juice... the works! Great start to the day, and I must use this opportunity to give the [b]Rowantreebank[/b] a mention. It wasn't the best accommodation I have encountered, the bathroom light didn't work, the ceiling was stained, but it was still better than a wet tent. (and the breakfast made up for its faults) [url]http://www.rowantreebank.co.uk[/url] After breakfast we took a walk over to Arrochar & Tarbet station to see Pete off, he had to leave us, expecting to have completed the walk the day before. There were now just the two of us with the last 6 miles to Inveruglas to complete. We head off from Arrochar & Tarbet station into the woods taking us round the outskirts of Arrochar with some fine views of Ben Arthur (The Cobbler) and the Arrochar Alps. After our visit to Inveruglas Pier, we walked 6 miles back to Arrochar & Tarbet station, plus an extra 2 miles to Tarbet Pier where we camped by Loch Lomond. We waited for it to start getting darkish before pitching the tents so we didn't offend any locals. In the morning my mate caught the train from Arrochar & Tarbet Station back to Glasgow while I caught the Waterbus across Loch Lomond to Rowardennan where my plan was to join the West Highland Way, where I would reach Fort William by the following Sunday and head home on the Monday. Unfortunately due to horrendous rain, I got as far as Tyndrum before calling it a day, catching the next bus and heading home on the Wednesday afternoon/evening. photo gallery here> https://get.google.com/albumarchive/100408387173570597610/album/AF1QipMyQHG2wYqNjOcIIPM-vlDN0pD1jPuIyKh6QqlU
The Deeside Way is a long distance path running from near the centre of
Aberdeen City, to Ballater, in the Cairngorms National Park. It is
mostly waymarked. The path is suitable for walkers and cyclists
with many sections suitable for horses as well and is Route 135 of the
National Cycle Network which is coordinated and promoted by Sustrans.
The
route follows the line of the Old Royal Deeside Railway from Aberdeen
to Banchory, through woodland and countryside to Kincardine O’Neil and then
rejoins the old line from Aboyne to Ballater, total distance 41 miles. I completed the Deeside Way
over a
period of 4 days, between March and May 2014. I used buses to return
to Aberdeen after each walk. It would be possible to take a
tent and wild camp en-route, there are campsites at Aboyne and Ballater
but since it was only March, camping was not going to be
considered! Once again I made a video blog.
Day 1 (23 March 2014) Aberdeen to Banchory (17 miles, 5 hours taken)
It
was a sunny Sunday morning, Spring was in the air and it was too nice
to sit about the house. I headed off down to the Duthie Park and began
walking on the old Deeside line, towards Banchory.
Once arriving at Duthie Park, the path of the Deeside Way is picked up by the Polmuir Road entrance, and follows the Old Deeside Line/Cycle Route for the next few miles, passing many old stations, most of which have now been converted into homes. First up is Holburn Station (now flattened), followed by Ruthrieston, Pitfodels, Cults, West Cults, Bieldside, Murtle, Milltimber before finally reaching Culter.
Once reaching Culter, the path leaves the old deeside line and continues on a quiet country road to reach Drumoak, where there is a bus stop. That would be the first 10 miles covered but too soon to head home, I kept on towards Banchory, passing through Milton of Crathes and a randomly unexpected section of lottery funded restored railway. Crathes Castle can be visted here if there is enough time, I didn't have!
Five hours and 17 miles later I finally found myself pondering along the riverside on the outskirts of Banchory, late afternoon. Unfamiliar with Banchory, I wasn't sure if I was to continue along the river or head up to the roadside.
I hadn't seen any waymarkers for a while so decided to leave the riverside (a bad idea). I soon found myself lost in the middle of a housing estate and had to ask several locals how to get to the town centre. If I had just stayed on the cycle route!! Luckily I found my way into the town centre just in time for the 6:15pm bus back to Aberdeen, and what a relief!
Day 2 (26 March 2014) I arrived in Banchory for about 12, got supplies from the Co-Op and headed back down the river side to continue the Deeside Way from where I left it. The route continues to follow the River Dee straight through Banchory, crossing the River Dee then heads up into the Blackhall Forest.
This is one big forest and I must have walked through it for about 7 miles before it finally came to an end at the Shooting Greens car park. Unfortunately once I came out here, I had no clue which way I had heading, I didn't see any waymarkers and missed noticing the cycle route just hiding away on the right, my instinct was telling me to follow the minor road to the left... Bad Move!!
So I ended up a few miles out in the wrong direction in the middle of nowhere but with some great mountain views, time was getting on and my only option was to walk the road 4 miles into Strachen, where I could maybe jump on a bus... Ha, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon as the only bus that was scheduled to run through Strachen was the School bus early morning. So from Strachen it was another 5 miles walk on the road to return to Banchory, where I completed a circuit and caught the bus back to Aberdeen. Big fail this day!! Least it stayed dry. However, I returned some time later to try again. I successfully completed the route second time around which is when the video was made.
Day 3 (18 April 2014)
So after studying the route a little better I returned to Banchory for a second attempt at this stage. I hopped off the bus, grabbed supplies from the Co-Op again and crossed over the river Dee before ascending into the Blackhall Forest for the second time.
Upon reaching the Shooting Greens Car Park, I turned right and followed the cycle route towards the Hamlet of Potarch, following the River Dee to eventually arrive at the village of Kincardine O'Neil.
Once reaching Kincardine O'Neil I got lost again! There were no way markers to indicate the route I should be following and so ended up following the main road to Aboyne, assuming I would be able to pick up the path. I did eventually pick it up... about 5 miles later, halfway to Aboyne. I later learned that the route continues from Pitmurchie Road in Kincardine O'Neil.
It wasn't too long before I arrived in Aboyne, around quarter past 6, annoyingly just missing the bus by about 20 seconds and had to wait an hour for the next one.
Day 4 (21 May 2014)(5-6 hours taken, 14 miles approx)
Approximately 1 month later, I returned to complete the long distance route. I jumped off the bus at Kincardine O'Neil to correct where I went wrong previously. I retraced my steps through Kincardine O'Neil, turning up Pitmurchie Road. A short distance up the hill, the cycle route continues, passing through farmland to later re-join the old railway line.
Once reaching Aboyne, I stopped for a bit before continuing on towards Ballater. The path leaves from the car park beside the Victory Hall in the village centre. From there it's back onto the old line again for most of the way, passing Deeside Gliding Club Airfield, Cambus O’ May and Cambus O’ May Cheese Creamery.
Once approaching Ballater the views improve with glimpses of hills and mountains beginning to become more frequent, closing in on the Cairngorms National Park. I arrived in Ballater at a decent time, and without getting lost again, with a cushy 15 minute wait for the next bus.
The Deeside Way was a fairly enjoyable walk which could be completed over 3-4 days with a tent, making use of campsites where available. For the more adventurous, the walk can be carried on past Ballater and into the Cairngorms.
Opened in the early 1990s, the Formartine and Buchan Way runs along the former route of the railway that extended from Dyce on the fringes of Aberdeen north to Maud, where it split with branches heading to both Fraserburgh and Peterhead. The line was a victim of the 1960s Beeching cuts, though it continued to carry freight to Peterhead until 1970 and to Fraserburgh until 1979. The Buchan Countryside Group began the work of reopening the route as a cycleway and footpath in 1987. Today the route offers a peaceful walking route through pleasant, lowland countryside and rich farmland.
I walked the length of the Formartine and Buchan Way over the span of 4 days throughout Spring 2014, starting on 9 March. I am not going to write a full report on this here but you can view a report I made earlier on the Walkhighlands forum which includes lots of pictures :
I had not been intending to walk The Speyside Way until 2014 but after completing the West Highland Way and the East Highland Way, and having crappy weather on both, I decided one last trek was in order.
Unfortunately none of my trekker friends were available to join me so it was off into the wild, all alone for the very first time.
I had planned to walk it over 4-5 days, just walking as many miles as possible in a day, camping at night. I managed it over 5 days and 4 nights), starting the walk in the afternoon.
The plan was to start at Aviemore and finish at Buckie, as I live in Aberdeen it would be an easy bus journey home.
DAY 1 Aviemore - Boat of Garten (6 miles) Boat of Garten - Nethy Bridge (5 miles)
So the big day arrived, I travelled to Aviemore by train via Inverness, arrived in Aviemore about lunchtime and after a quick walk around Tesco for supplies, I set off on my journey.
The first section was easy going, passing the Golf Course and railway line out of Aviemore, through the woods, joining the National Cycle Network Route 7 across open moorland to Boat of Garten.
I carried on walking into the early evening, passing through the Abernethy Forest, and arriving on the outskirts of Nethy Bridge before dark.
I found myself in a wooded area where there was a Picnic bench and small river flowing under the road bridge. It seemed a good little place to set up camp, it was a little exposed to passers by, but as it was to get dark soon, I felt I had no option but to stop here for the night. Unfortunately, one of the locals passing through the area didn't agree, so after a quick meal it was time to move on.
I packed up my gear and plodded on through Nethy Bridge with my torch trying to spot the way markers, not knowing where I was going to end up. I soon lost the route and ended up following the B970 towards Spey Bridge passing a scary old Church Yard/Graveyard and Castle Roy. I pondered on up the road for a couple of miles in the darkness before finally climbing over a locked gate into a farmers field, where I finally got a nights rest. Luckily there were no Cows or Sheep in the field and I had a peaceful night except for the occasional passing car and at one point, a UFO hovering in the sky.
DAY 2 (THUR) Nethy Bridge - Grantown on Spey (6 miles) Grantown on Spey - Ballendalloch (13 miles)
I was up at first light, making sure I was packed up and away before the farmer appeared. I carried on up the B970 road for about 2 miles before spotting a trail which joined up with the Speyside Way.
Once back on route I found myself following the old Railway line for another 2 miles, before arriving at Spey Bridge then it was a short walk through some woodland to Grantown-on-Spey. I stopped by the riverside for a rest before heading into the town for supplies, it was then back into the woods for a long 13 mile hike, upwards, towards Ballendalloch.
This had to be the worst stretch of the entire walk encountering many ascents and descents over steep hills and rough ground, it was also the first day that I met other walkers. The route started off easy, strolling through the Anagach Woods and passing the old Cromdale station before a big ascent into Tom an Uird Wood.
There were many more ascents across farmland before rejoining the old railway path towards Ballendalloch, finally arriving at Ballendalloch Station Wild Camping area.
I was the only camper on site, until a short while after when another guy who had been a couple of miles behind me showed up and set up his tent nearby. We didn't speak. I cooked up some Noodles and brewed some well earned Hot Chocolate before calling it a night.
DAY 3 (FRI) Ballendalloch - Craigellachie (12 miles)
This was to be my easiest day, walking only 12 miles between Ballindalloch and Craigellachie. I decided not to do the Tomintoul spur, mainly because I can't stand hills when I have my backpack on, too much like hard work.
So I was up for 9am, then walked about a mile towards Tomintoul to get supplies from the Petrol Station. I then walked back to Ballindalloch Station and continued on the trail, crossing the River Spey and heading for Craigellachie. I spent much of the morning following the old railway, passing some old stations and many Distilleries.
There is a great free campsite with toilets at Craigellachie. I set up camp here before the rain came on, once again I had my Noodles and Hot Chocolate before retiring, as the heavy rain came on and stayed on through the night.
DAY 4 (SAT) Craigellachie - Fochabers (13 miles) Fochabers - Spey Bay (5 miles)
After packing away my soaking wet tent, I headed into Craigellachie in the pouring rain for supplies. It was then onwards and upwards towards Fochabers. Much of the route was by road with some forest tracks thrown in for good measure. I passed a couple of Fochaber locals who stopped for a chat.
I arrived in Fochabers at 4pm just in time for the Chip Shop opening and after a good feed at the Chippy it was back to the riverside, and what a beautiful evening it turned out to be.
After a sunny evening stroll through the countryside, I eventually arrived at Spey Bay around 7, in plenty of time to watch the sun set.
I had a quick look around the bay area before heading back about a mile to where I had found a great little camping spot in a Wildlife conservation area. I spent the night here scared out of my whits but comforted by my mp3 player and half bottle of Southern Comfort. I opened my tent up in the morning and "something" scarpered away from the nearby trees.
DAY 5 (SUN) Spey Bay - Buckie (5 miles)
I made it to see daylight, and I was out of there and back on the path to Spey Bay, passing the Golf course, via the forest, before continuing across the country railway path towards Port Gordon.
Shortly arriving at Port Gordon, it was just a 2 mile walk along the coast to Buckie, and a 40 minute wait for my bus home.
After adventuring on the Great Glen, South Loch Ness, The West Highlands
and a section of the Southern Uplands, my next long distance trek was
to be the East Highland Way.
It was to be completed over 5-6 days, backpacking and camping in the wilderness.
It
would be much more of a challenge than my previous hikes, as for the
first time I would be carrying all my camping gear in my backpack for a
period of more than 2 days. It was also to be the first long distance
route navigated without the use of Way Markers, however I had planned
ahead by purchasing a compass and a copy of the Guide Book.
Unfortunately
my usual trekking buddy wasn't available to join me on this occasion so
I put an ad online and it wasn't long before the emails came flowing
in. There were numerous responses but it narrowed down to just 2 other
people who were as keen on the trek as I was.
A month or so
passed and all the arrangements had been discussed and finalized. We
would begin the hike on the Monday morning of 12 August 2013 and finish
on the Friday evening/Saturday morning. So after much
anticipation the 12 August finally arrived. The weekend was spent
camping with friends at Loch Lomond before heading on up to Fort William
on Sunday evening. I checked into my accommodation then went to meet
my new buddies for a pint (or three) at The Great Glen (Weatherspoons).
After an enjoyable evening, we returned there in the morning
for a delicious full Scottish Breakfast (A full english breakfast in
disguise), before heading out of town and into the wilderness...
DAY 1 - FORT WILLIAM TO ACHLUACHRACH
It wasn't long before we arrived at our first destination, Spean Bridge, just in time for lunch. It was peeing it down and we looked like drowned rats, we took cover in the Commando Bar, where the menu had a wide variety of food on offer from Fish and Chips to Fish and Chips. It was a difficult decision but in the end I settled for Fish and Chips. We waited for the monsoon to die down before creeping back outside and venturning about a mile uphill to see the Commando Memorial. It was then back downhill to get supplies from the local shop before carrying on towards Tulloch.
It was a long wet hike through woodland, farmland and countryside. We found our first way marker after about 9 miles into the walk, always good to know we're on the right track.
It was clear we weren't going to make it as far as Tulloch on the first day, we were about half a mile from Achluachrach and decided to call it day. We didn't know if there was a camping area in Achluachrach so we just carried on walking eastwards, following the river Spean towards the ruins of Achnacochine, where we could try to find a camping spot by the river.
After following the river Spean for about a mile, we found the perfect little spot to set up camp. Luckily the rain held off for a bit, while we got the tents up but it wasn't long before the rain was back on for the rest of the night. There was nothing to do but retire for the night, but after walking 18 miles, I think that is all we wanted to do anyway.
DAY 2 - ACHLUACHRACH TO EAST LOCH LAGGAN
Day 2 arrived, it had been a peaceful night by the river. We got up bright and early and had Breakfast before packing up our gear, burning our rubbish and heading for the hills. The rain had finally stopped.
We passed the ruins of Achnacochine and soon had to cross the stoney burn of Allt nam Bruach. There was no bridge so it was a case of finding a suitable place to cross. As I began to step across some stones, I under estimated the weight of my rucksack, lost my balance and fell in the burn, hurting my hand and soaking myself as far as my hips. Luckily no pictures were taken!!
Feeling refreshed from a dose of comedy, we pressed on, up through the forest (currently undergoing deforestation), now with very wet feet heading towards Feagour, passing Inverlair, Tulloch and Moy Bridge. It was a very long tiring day of forest tracks and road walking, not easy on the feet (especially wet ones!). After miles of forest tracks we eventually reached the west end of Loch Laggan.
It was time for a quick break before the next long stretch to the east side of the loch, where we would hopefully be able to set up camp. It turned out to be a nice evening as we were presented with some terrific views of the Loch and its sandy beach. We eventually reached the wild camping area at the east side of the loch with plenty of time to spare before dark. We got our tents pitched and explored the area, finding a water source, and firing up the stove with not a soul in sight. It was a very peaceful night and stayed dry right through.
DAY 3 - EAST LOCH LAGGAN TO DALNASHALLAG BOTHY
Wednesday morning arrived and soon there was to be only two. We packed up and got on our way, we had some trouble finding our bearings to begin with and headed off in the wrong direction, not the wrong direction as such, but towards the motorway instead of the countryside. We had to backtrack about a mile or so to get back onto the East Highland Way route, unfortunately one of our group didn't like the idea of going back the way. It was at that point he went off on his own, via the roadside, we felt bad leaving him but it was his choice. We expected to see him again once we reached Laggan.
So the team of two took the East Highland Way through the countryside heading for Laggan, passing Pattack Falls and Feagour before a quick detour to the Wolftrax Cafe for lunch. The little outdoor cafe was a sight for sore eyes, it's amazing just how delicious a Bacon & Egg Roll and a Cup of Tea with Milk can taste when you're living in the wild. Truly luxury!
Full of beans, we made our way back up the hill and back onto the route, passing Spey Dam. From here it was a 3 mile descent through woodland and around country roads to reach Laggan village. It turned out to be a grand afternoon and even required Sunscreen.
We reached Laggan late afternoon, no sign of Gary but there was still plenty of time to find a pub before the evening hike to Dalnashallag Bothy. We made our way to The Monarch for a much deserved Pint (or two). It was a nice place but apparently now closed, probably due to the high prices that were encountered.
We made our way out of Laggan and back into the country, heading for Dalnashallag Bothy. We passed through some old farmland with some boarded up stables and crofts, then as the rain arrived it was a cold, wet, misty trek across the heather moorlands and through the mountains to finally reach Dalnashallag Bothy... and what a relief that was!
With about 2 hours of daylight left we got the fire going, clothes dried, noodles on the boil and our feet up, all refreshed and ready for day 4.
DAY 4 - DALNASHALLAG BOTHY TO KINGUSSIE
Thursday morning arrived, it had rained through much of the night, it was good to know there was no tent to take down. Had a Coffee and Porridge, signed the bothy guestbook and made our way out of the mountains towards [b]Newtonmore[/b].
The sky had cleared and we now had some spectacular views of the mountains and beyond. It was about 5 miles to [b]Newtonmore[/b], it mostly stayed dry. Once reaching the outskirts of [b]Newtonmore[/b], we kept an eye out for Scottish Wildcats, there were many to be found as we passed through the town... made of ceramic! We got supplies from the Co-Op and paid the Highland Folk Museum a visit before the next stage to Kingussie. There was much variety in terrain and environment during the next stage, as we were led through Woodland, farmland, across heather moorland and around Loch Gynack into more woodland, before eventually arriving at Kingussie. It was then a quick pint in the Silverfjord before hitting the road towards Kincraig.. or wherever we were going to end up!
It was early evening we left Kingussie, it turned out to be a lovely evening as we stopped for a photo shoot at Ruthven Barracks. We then carried on walking along the B970 for a short distance to reach the Insh Marshes RSPB Reserve, where we followed the Invertromie Trail to find a perfect wild camping spot by the river Tromie. We set up camp, and had our grub before the sun went down. Once again it was a peaceful night and not another soul in sight. It also stayed dry =:)
DAY 5 - KINGUSSIE TO AVIEMORE The final day arrived with just 18 miles to go, and still no sign of Gary! We spent the morning walking to Loch Insh Watersports Centre where we grabbed some Breakfast at the Cafe before a couple of miles stroll to the shop at Kincraig for supplies. From the outskirts of Kincraig it was then just 10 miles to Aviemore!!
So it was off on the final stretch to [b]Aviemore[/b], visiting the Frank Bruce Sculpture Park and passing the Island Castle of Loch an Eilein and Inshriach bothy. We had the enjoyment of wild Raspberries along the way. The weather stayed dry and we finally reached [b]Aviemore[/b] late afternoon, plenty of time to check in at the campsite before heading into the town for Beers, Beers and more Beers.
So... It was a long tracherous hike through the Scottish Wilderness. I got rained on, attacked by Midges, hounded by Wolves, chased by Wild Cats and haunted by Bothy ghosts. I even fell in the river, while escaping a roaring Bear, but at the end of the day, it was worth it, just for that experience and adventure of surviving the Scottish Wilderness!
Overall it was a great hike, weather wasn't too bad, there weren't many hills, the ground wasn't boggy. There aren't many waymarkers but the EHW guide book kept us on the correct route and If I have the opportunity to walk it again, I will, most likely in the heat of summer but with different company, just for the change. Would probably make it a long one and continue onto the Speyside Way, right on up to Buckie. That was my original plan but due to work, I had to delay the Speyside Way until September. See my other reports for The Speyside Way.
