Monday 12th May, TGOC2014 Day 4

Cannich to Ault-na-Goire

We were up early (well I was up early) to get our damp washing into the campsite’s tumble drier….and to make Viv her first cup of tea. She doesn’t say much until she has that cup of tea. The day could be quite ‘difficult’ if that cup of tea wasn’t forthcoming. So she got her cup of tea.

It had been a still night and the tent’s flysheet was wet with condensation. A quick wipe down helped but it was soaked. The wonderful Sheila had opened the campsite cafe early and she was providing and excellent breakfast for norralot of dosh….all served up with a cheery smile. A nice start to the day. A bit like a cup of tea in bed I suppose.

I’d dangled the flysheet over the outside veranda of the cafe to dry as we tucked into our breakfasts. It dried nicely in the warm sunshine.

Eggs & bacon (with all the trimmings) later we set off to Drumnadrochit. The cafe at Bearnock was our next planned stop (for a cuppa) and were a bit disappointed to find the place closed. Well it was SORT of closed. The owner let us in and allowed us to brew up and have a sit-down. Nice eh?

Denis, Viv, Martin and Alan outside the ‘closed’ cafe at Bearnock 

The shortest route into Drum is on tarmac….but it’s a bit boring. Martin had come up with A Plan to avoid the boredom: he suggested we headed south, away from the road, towards Shewglie to pick up a LRT through the woods. The LRT would take around the south side of Loch Meikle and then back to the road. It wasn’t much of a detour but it would avoid around 2.5 miles of quite busy road.

That was the theory anyway.

Shewglie

A navigational error <koff> led us onto a horribly overgrown footpath, adorned with fence wire, mud, overgrown and overhanging treelets, fetid mud. Apart from that it was lovely.

We missed the LRT entirely and somehow managed to extricate ourselves from the jungle. Before we’d had the chance to check our location properly, Viv, Martin and Alan went off due south to try to pick up the LRT….into the jungle again.

Denis and I had had enough of the rough stuff so we had a nosey at the map and worked out where we were and plotted a different route. We shouted for the others but they couldn’t hear us. 5 minutes later we gained the LRT and went off in search of the others. Half an hour of walking up and down the LRT and shouting resulted in a DNF (Did Not Find).

My mobile rang, it was Alan. They’d given up and doubled back, finding their way to Loch Meikle. We arranged to meet up en-route into Drum – no point in trying to locate each other now.

Flahs, on the Drumnadrochit road

Denis wanted a gentle walk into drum so I shot off, arranging to meet him later. Residents of Drum are well used to seeing Challengers and I was greeted by cheery waves as I entered the town. Nice to feel welcome!

I entered the town and spotted Viv & Alan. Next up was a grim-faced Croydon. He’d been to the Post Office to collect a Poste Restante food parcel he’d sent the previous week. The Post Office staff denied all knowledge of the parcel – or the Poste Restante service, unbelievable! Worse still, the staff were quite obnoxious to him. No excuse for that at all.

We both suspected that the Post Office staff had taken one look at the parcel, didn’t have a clue what to do with it, and just sent it back. Croydon had done everything by the book – he’d even asked his local Post Office to talk him through the process – in fact I think they addressed it for him.

This could have been a disaster but the Post Office also sold food and the local OS map so it wasn’t the end of the world – but it was expensive for Mick.

We’d booked ourselves onto the 5pm ferry crossing of Loch Ness. It’s a surprisingly long 2.5km from Drum to Temple Pier and we didn’t want to risk missing the boat so we set off in the blazing sunshine (honest!) in good time.

Gordon arrived to meet his fares – and Denis arrived just in time. It’s a pleasant crossing in good weather and the passengers were (mainly) very chatty, enjoying the crossing. A storm was visibly brewing at the south end of the loch, we all hoped it would stay where it was. It did.

L-R: Alan, Gordon Menzies, Laura (worshipping at Gordon’s feet) and Andy Howell

L-R: ?, Martin Angell, Croydon, and Kate

? and Denis

Disembarking at Inverfarigaig, Andy Howell seemed to have lost one of his PacerPoles – probably over the side of the boat. A bit of a bugger, that.

Gordon leaving to go back to Temple Pier for his next boat-load of Challengers

It’s a bit of an uphill tug to Ault-na-Goire, the home of Janet & Alex Sutherland. We’d arranged to camp in their back garden and for them to provide our evening meal and breakfast the next day.

Janet was waiting for us – she’d baked an enormous Bran Loaf and brewed what seemed to be the biggest pot of tea in the world. Just the job! It really hit the spot.

Janet and her Challenge guests

A pleasant evening followed. with good food and good company. Alex had been out for a run and didn’t arrive until mid-evening. It was good to catch up with the Sutherlands again, they’re good people.

Around 10pm we drifted off to our tents for a well-earned kip. We’d had a good day, apart from PacerPole-less Andy. And food parcel-less Croydon.

No day is absolutely perfect. It just wouldn’t be right.

This is what we did:

16 and a bit miles, 2100’ of ascent.

I’ve not posted the route from Inverfarigaig to Ault-na-Goire, it’s pretty easy to guess though!