TGO CHALLENGE 2015, THE END IS NIGH, DAYS 11 &12

Awoke on day 10 to another reasonable morning, the room in the Deeside inn was comfy enough, the dining room came across as a bit pretentious though. The kitchens must be in Aberdeen as the service was slower than a week in jail, as well as being semi cold it wasn’t what was ordered, we didn't send it back as we hoped to walk to stonehaven within the next few days. They also had a charge for paying the bill by card, ridiculous. 

Day 11

Ballater to Waulkmill

21 miles

A bit of a quandary this morning on what to do route wise.

My planned route from Ballater had been to cut along the tops via Glen Tanar, hill of cat, Clachnaben and into the Fetteresso. Unfortunately Susans feet had been in tatters with blisters since day 2 and how she had got this far is down to guts, ibuprofen, normal female stubbornness and being ever so slightly nuts, she also started the challenge with a chipped bone in her knee after falling out our front door (sober). 

The decision was either to get her put down and walk the planned route myself or change the plan completly and use the Deeside Way. Everywhere was still closed and we had already wasted about three hours at breakfast, so off we went down the old railway towards Aboyne

The Deeside Way is very easy going, not to hard underfoot like a lot of old railway lines, but it does stick pretty close to the road for the majority of time.

The fantastic cambus o'may bridge, we had a wee sit down here and bumped into three lads that recommended the scones at the Loch Kinord hotel, a wee bit further down the line in Dinnet.  Since I forgot to finish this blog off and it's almost a year later i thought I'd add the local news footage for the same bridge during storm frank (click link) Cambus O’May Bridge flood

Just before Dinnet the rain came on and we took the "amazing scones" advice and nipped into the hotel, best advice of the challenge, they were spot on, we'll never drive past again without stopping in by.

As we approached the Boat inn in Aboyne, the rain became torrential so we nipped in for a bit of shelter and a coffee, ended up having a fine crayfish sandwich and a bowl of mushroom soup, it was a bit cold, but I believe thats posh, personally I'd have stuck it back in the microwave for a quick ziz. 

After Aboyne we had quite a bit of road walking, a mistake on my behalf as we should maybe have gone back onto the Deeside Way until we reached Potarch. As it was we followed roads and forrest trails until we rejoined the Way at the Potarch hotel.

From the hotel it was a long climb up the hill, until we again left the way as it headed over towards Banchory while we kept on to Feughside campsite for the night, the rain had gone off and it turned into a decent enough night.

The campsite was very very quiet and we couldn't find anyone to pay, so we pitched up, got some food on the go and chatted to 3 or 4 other challengers that appeared at about the same time. 

Day 12

Waulkmill/Feughside to Stonehaven 

19..7 miles

Probably/hopefully  the last day dawned and it was a wee bit frosty, we were up and away before there was much movement from the other tents. (We found the proprietor and paid) we were on the short road section to Strachan (pronounced straan, you suvern heathens) in no time.

A bit of artistic photography on the move, I'm available for weddings or funerals...

This was a very long climb up into the Fetteresso, especially on sore feet, I embellished the truth slightly (possibly not for the first time) by stating it was the last uphill of the walk

A Roe deer having a snack in the middle of the Fetteresso, some folk don't really like the fetteresso but I actually find it quite peaceful and rarely meet anyone in it, I always forget how big it is though.

A popular last real option for stopping overnight in the forrest, before pushing on to a short hop into Stoney. I always feel it's to close to the end to stay, and again today we pushed on past.

Its raining again, but this is definitely the last hill of the 2015 TGOC, from the top Stonehaven lays before you and our first view of the north sea, at this stage it was a huge struggle just to keep hobbling along, if it didn't hurt then it wasn’t attached to us.

The final walk through stoney must have been comedy for any bystanders, the two of us were totally scunnered and hobbling along like we had our boots on the wrong feet.

That is my happy face...

Thats my really happy face, stoney is a cracking finish,  pubs and chippers everywhere. Added bouns its only 20 odd miles from home and I could hear a hot bath calling.

After moaning about wet feet for days on end, Suz was a bit adverse to now getting them wet deliberately,  after the obligatory photos it was into the ship for a well deserved pint or two until our lift turned up.

A brilliant achievement for Susan, that she is quite rightly very proud of, she really grew into the trek as the days passed and without her humour and determination I might have been tempted to wrap a few times myself. For all the pain she went through, she still loved pretty much every moment of it, what was harsh and nasty at the time has evolved into great memories.  We both feel we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the fellow challengers (to many to name) who we met, chatted with in passing or walked alongside,  the friendliness, humour and encouragement was second to none

Since the challenge finished,  Suz has lost 6 toe nails, but is still waiting for her appointment to get her knee sorted, its only been 8 months.

CLICK FOR DAYS 8, 9 & 10

Good luck to the 2016 challengers 

TGO CHALLENGE 2015 IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE (metaphorically speaking) DAYS 8, 9 & 10

After a very pleasant night, a great sleep and a full fat lads breakfast we sat on the front steps of the Cairngorm hotel and donned our boots in glorious sunshine. It looked like being another cracker.


Day 8
Aviemore to Faindouran lodge 19 miles ish

Today's first leg was from Aviemore up to Loch Morlich, (funnily enough, where I learned to canoe in 1987, it will be forever embedded in my memory, as the course started by learning Eskimo rolls, after spending a day upside down in the loch, its easy to see why Eskimos find igloos cozy).

Leaving Aviemore began with yet another crossing of the Spey

I didn't expect to be over enamoured with the path which parallels the Cairngorm road, but it turned out to be a very pleasant start, fine weather, easy paths, scenery,  and especially the second breakfast at Glenmore.

A few challengers also leaving Aviemore turned off the road early to head through the forest towards the Lairig Ghru,  or maybe up and over the Braeriach plateau for the more adventurous.

Bonny loch in the Ryvaon pass, I'd read years ago that Lochan Uaine has loads of leeches, I don't know how true that is, but its a good story (with added embellishments) to give your walking parther the willies. 

Out of the pass and back into the hills

Pretty much at the start of the climb up Bynack More. Its still a nice day although the glorious sun of the early morning had disappeared and clouds coming in from the west looked rather ominous. 

All of a sudden the wind kicked in, the rain came on and the temperature dropped to "dashed nippy"

Detouring around Bynack More, the path splits hereabouts,  right for mountain goats, left for the weak, we went left.

Every now and then I had to check my partner was still there, the camera was the easiest option, turning my head in the wind would have resulted in whiplash. 

The wind around the east/south side of Bynack became pretty mental, if anyone at the cheese and wine party got smacked in the head by a bright orange, size small osprey rain cover, sorry. The story of why I even had a small osprey rain cover on a montane 55ltr bergan is a story for another day. Needless to say it made no difference being without it for all the good it was doing. 

"Avvvvalanche"

The last mile or so into the Fords of Avon were rather uncomfortable underfoot, along with a head on gale there wasn't much scenery enjoyment going on. I had offered Suz the chance of a shortcut by going cross country and up and over the saddle on Corie Riabhach, her feet decreed that sticking to the path was probably the best option.  

Looking through Strath Nethy.  It had been planned route into the Fords but the other (north) side where we intended to enter the glen looked decidedly wet underfoot,  hence a spur of the moment change of plan, up and around Bynack More instead. The strath remains as the one route into the Fords of Avon that I've never stepped foot in.

Heading down to the fords of Avon bothy, in reality an emergency shelter, a beautiful place on a nice day, nae much fun on a day like today. There were a surprising amount of folk milling about and a couple of tents already up, quite impressive as the ground is pretty rough and always soaking in the bowl. TBH, I couldnt think of a worse place to stay in this weather, Suz was knackered but even she demanded we push on and get somewhere slightly more three star.

As soon as we turned down Glen Avon the relief from the wind was instant

Pretty wet and knobbly underfoot for the next few miles, there was a spot here and there that would have been plenty comfortable enough to bang up a tent, but Suz had got a second wind and decreed we would stop at Faindouran lodge and not before, thats was me telt then.

Back up towards the fords, snow in the air.

It seemed a long three miles from the fords of Avon to Faindouran,  mostly due to the underfoot conditions, but every step was worth it, we arrived to three tents already up and a couple of hardy folk in the remaining bit of the bothy. We had the scarp up in record time, and were into our doss bags with a couple of XL tomato cup a soups within about 10 minutes of arriving. Happiness is boots aff, wrapped in a down bag with a cup a soup

Day 9

Faindouran lodge to Corndavon lodge Renatton

13 16 miles  

This early start thing is becoming a habit. Looking back to the lodge where most folk were still purring in their PJs, the slow and steady crew needed a head start though. The path had now become a LR track, not so much fun, but easier going.

We noticed quite a bit of fresh snow higher up this morning, that made us a bit smug at our decision to keep going last night and get a bit lower.

White hare in there somewhere, quite a few around the glen.

Hinds keeping an eye on the dafties in the glen.

Just before we reached the bridge, we were faced with a choice of following the road that went up and over a wee hill, we left the track and followed a wee path alongside the river, pretty easy going, until the bank become a 20/30 foot sheer (ish) cliff with a fence at the top, we weren't going back so hanging on by our teeth, fingers and remaining toenails we traversed along like real adventurers. (Probably not that dramatic really, but its my story.)


Between the bridge in Glen Avon and the junction of glens at Glen Builig we started bumping into the "cheese and wine crew", big ginger brutes, all scarred and battle hardened, we shuffled past without making eye contact as they jeered and threw tangerine segments.

The Avon is pretty impressive here

I really really like Glen Builig,  i wish it was a bit longer, theres always wildlife of some variety, last year I watched as a pair of sea eagles worked the hills right above me here and through into glen Gairn, sadly they weren't about today.

The burn needs fording a couple of times while walking through,  today it was easy enough, last time I passed through I got wet feet.

Loch Bulig, as bonny a loch as you'll see hereabouts.

A raft of colour as a very civilised lunch is taken, note the bergan cover, what sort of fool carries two...

All to soon we were passing through the huge deer fence out of Glen Builig and into Glen Gairn,  we followed the land rover track and burn down to Corndavon Lodge, our evening stop over. It was early afternoon so we sat against the old lodge and debated our options over a bag of cashews, two tents were already up, but we decided to keep going down to the railway bridge and see how we felt once there.


The old railway bridge over the Gairn, i rekon there isn't actually a proper railway for at least 40/50 miles in any direction.  Local legend is that this bridge was destined for the Aberdeen to Braemar line, until Queen Vic said "they'll be nae bloody railway passing my wee hoose". Hence the now defunct line stopped at Ballater and the buckshee bridges from the Balmoral section were sold at car boot sales to the local estates.

At the bridge a couple of fine upstanding fellows were scratching around, we presumed in the hunt for the perfect pitch, so we decided to just wander on a bit, another mile and a half as it turned out.

 The two chaps were right behind us as we indicated left and turned off at Renatton, A nice pitch beside the ruin gave a bit of shelter from the wind, the other lads pitched just across the garden.  A lovely sunny evening,  but a biting wind and random squalls ensured another early night.

Day 10
Renatton to Ballater
9.5 miles

Again up early and rather surprised to see about 9 tents pitched, its a very large area so everyone had plenty of room to stretch out. The bigger surprise was the iced up tent and frost on the ground, there had been a few chilly nights, but last night had been more February than May. Looking back to the hills it was fairly obvious there had also been a decent dump of snow higher up.

A mile or so on LR track took us to the road at Braenaloin, from there it was a simple wander along the road past Gairnshiel lodge.

Second year running ive come across a car wreck in the back of beyond,  this one looked very recent, looks like we weren't the only ones surprised by the frost this morning

Just after Stranlea we left the road and crossed the burn on the footbridge,

Away from the road, the going became very pleasant again

 a steady climb along tracks and paths through inverenzie saw us top out at Lary

where we joined a quiet wee road that would take us all the way down to Ballater.

A mile or so down the road we came across the only traffic we encountered.

No passing places but he/she? kindly moved over to allow us past. Last seen heading north up the middle of the road.

Ballater,  straight across the road and down onto the riverside path for a pleasant last mile into the square.

It was a very early arrival, but the barrel was open so we popped in for a swift livener and a bag of crisps, friendly bunch in there who made us feel very welcome (does sarcasim work in print?) Changed days, it was once "the" bar in Ballater.

After the fastest relaxed pint ever we headed round to the Alexandra. Different class, a fantastic lunch, very friendly service and loads of good company as challengers started coming in, We disappeared after a couple of hours to check in to our digs, the Deeside inn, more on that later.

After a laundry and shower we headed back to the Alex for a grand supper, again in fine company, the place was wall to wall challenge legends, all enjoying the atmosphere and local fruit juices.


CLICK TO RETURN TO DAY 6 & 7     Click for Day 11 & 12