Friday 17th May
We’d fallen behind schedule once again, only by about 5km, but enough to lengthen our day more than I’d like.
It was another hot day, and I still wasn’t firing on all four – although I was hugely better than even a couple of days earlier, but I still wasn’t able to move at a decent pace.
Mar Lodge’s decaffeinated(!) tea was a bit of a shock – fortunately I had some proper tea bags on board so all was not lost. The biscuits, however, were full fat, and very welcome for that!
The trudge into Braemar was just that, a trudge. The cafes were closing as we got into town so we headed straight to the campsite….where we had ice cream.
The campsite staff were lovely – really friendly and extremely helpful. I last camped there on my first Challenge in 2004.
Braemar’s new Co-op still hadn’t opened which was a bit of a worry for those relying on it for supplies – although work was being carried out on the shop until late that evening. I was relatively okay, I’d sent a food parcel to the campsite – having said that, Croydon, Tracey, Gavin and me sat down to a slap-up chippy tea at the Hungry Highlander, or whatever it’s called these days.
A swift pint ended the day nicely.
Saturday 18th May
Braemar was teaming with Challengers, loads of the buggers, some even daring to drink at the ever-so slightly over the top Fife Arms.
My only visit to the Fife was to use one of the rather plush loos.
The Co-op was open – the shelves were fully stocked, they must have been expecting us!
A visit to Braemar Mountain Sports resulted in a much needed new T shirt – nice and bright it was too.
We all (Croydon, Gavin, Tracey and me) breakfasted at the Bothy, then slowly but surely it dawned on us that we’d be needing to get off to Callater – the weather forecast was for rain, hard to believe on such a sunny day.
As we left the fleshpots of Braemar to get to Callater Lodge the rain started….and it did so in a very convincing manner, it chucked it down.
I walked in with the always smiley Kevin, his company made the 6-7 miles to Callater simply fly by – thanks Kevin!
The ever cheerful Kevin
After my mouse-in-boot experience a few years back I opted to camp outside the lodge. Apart from anything else I like my own space, and that’s difficult to find in the lodge.
I walked through the lodge front door, and was immediately presented with a very welcome mug of tea.
I hadn’t been there for more than an hour when the word went out that special visitors were approaching – Denis Pigeon, his lovely wife Mary, and their daughter Claire (sp?). They’d parked at Auchallater and walked up the Land Rover Track to the lodge. It was Mary and Claire’s first visit, although Denis was an old hand – it was a well trodden path for him.
Denis & Mary
There were some non-Challengers staying in the adjacent bothy. They were, of course, invited into the lodge to join in the fun have a bite to eat....and maybe a little drinky too.
Michael once again excelled in his catering skills. He’d made three different, all equally delicious, curries. They weren’t overly spicy, but they were seriously tasty.
An evening of much jollity followed. Bill, our host, busied himself making sure everyone was comfortable – and had a drink.
Songs were sung, stories were told, tales of derring-do related – the atmosphere was, as always, magical.
It was a bit of a culture shock for Mary and Claire, they’d not come across anything like this before!
With Denis
With Croydon
With Mary
As the evening wore on folks began to slip away – everyone was a bit tired after spending 8-9 days of backpacking. I disappeared into my tent and midnight, Tracey and Croydon had bagged beds in the lodge, as had Mary and Claire, Gavin, I think, slept in the adjacent bothy.
Sunday 19th May
It’s always difficult to leave Callater Lodge, and this time was no different. Stuffed full of tea and bacon butties, we left rather later than intended (again!), my plan was to follow the trade route up Carn an Saigairt Mor > Carn Bannoch > Broad Cairn, and down to Loch Muick.
This was a mistake, I should have listened to Tracey who suggested descending down to Glas-Allt Shiel.
Visibility reduced dramatically the higher we climbed, we relied on map, compass and GPS to navigate our way. It was something of a relief when Broad Cairn appeared through the mist – but that was just the beginning of our trouble. Navigating around the boulder field when visibility was down to less than 10 metres was a challenge – it was horrible. I’m NEVER going that way again….EVER!
Whatever…
We eventually found the track down, taking a much needed break at the pony hut. We were both a bit knackered. We’d planned to overnight around Shielin of Mark but given our levels of knackeredness and the time we decided to keep an eye open for a suitable spot to camp, such a spot presented itself after about 2½ miles – enough flatness for two tents, Black Burn provided a slightly inaccessible water source, but beggars can’t be choosers.
We were once again behind schedule.
Monday 20th May
The day dawned warm and bright – this was going to be a hot one, we were away at a sensible time. First stop of the day was the Spittal of Glenmuick visitor centre, time for breakfast and a chat with fellow Challengers, we were joined by Sally who’d sadly decided to pull out.
Uphill, following Allt Darrarie, we decided to follow the Burn of Mohamed and continue widdershins along the watercourses rather than bog-trot to the bothy – good route choice!
The bothy was predicably busy with Challengers. Most, like us, were using it a convenient spot to rest, eat, brew up and so on. It was a very pleasant stop.
The climb over Muckle Cairn, whilst not far, is always a trudge, reminiscent of Kinder Scout.
Challengers were pitched by Stables of Lee, not us though – we needed to get to Tarfside.
It was late when we’d rolled into Tarfside. We didn’t realise the Mason’s was still open, Annette and Thilou were propping up the bar – if we’d only known!
Tuesday 21st May
Another hot day.
First stop was the Glen Esk Retreat to fuel-up with a good breakfast. We’d planned to overnight at Northwaterbridge, the bridge closure at Edzell meant a longer than usual walk, with rather too much tarmac.
The River North Esk flood plain was littered with whole trees that had been washed down the glen by the previous winter’s high winds and floods.
I still wasn’t moving too well, not helped by the heat of the day. Edzell’s Tuck Inn provided much needed sustenance – which included ice creams!
Time was getting on, we decided to stealth camp in Edzell rather than push on to Northwaterbridge. We’d call into the Panmuir Arm, have a pint, and wait until the light faded before we put our tents up, in a nice out of the way spot.
As I ordered pint No2 I casually asked if there were any rooms available ….there were! I really didn’t fancy a stealth camp, and the temptation of a real bed, a shower, and a cooked breakfast at a table was a temptation too far.
Wednesday 22nd May
Behind schedule. Again.
A day of tarmac. South through Edzell Wood, devastated by the winter gales, then on to Hillside. For the first time in a good few years I DIDN’T go to Charlton Fruit Farm, but went straight to Montrose. It had started to rain and we’d both had enough.
I felt rather more human after nice bath in the very tatty bathroom at the Park Hotel.
So that was it, probably my toughest Challenge – not because of route choice, but simply because I wasn’t firing on all four.
A challenge after my Challenge: my route home, via the West Coast Mainline was closed due to flooding – such fun in getting back to Manchester!
I'll (hopefully) be back next year - in slightly better health!
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