On failing the East Highland Way.

Or, why we raised £250 for Aberdeen MRT.

Fundraising for Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team (Aberdeen MRT).

On August 7th ‘I’m’ (read ‘we’ —Bex and Stew) will attempt the East Highland Way. It’s a little known, relatively new, long distance walk. The 82 mile route begins in Fort William and ends in Aviemore.

It’s been four years since I attempted this kind of challenge. We haven’t really prepared…

Aberdeen is Bex’s family home, and somewhere I called home for five years of my life.

Aberdeen MRT members are heroes. Sponsor us and support their life saving voluntary service.

We bailed out on day 3.

The plan was—

Stage 1.

Fort William to Roybridge via Spean Bridge. Approx 24k (15 miles).

Reality:

It would be a lie to say day one of our walk was much fun. Bex’s toe appears to be bruised/broken, it rained so hard between 14:00 and 18:00 that our gear is now damp and we attempted a shortcut (never advised) that didn’t work out (hardly surprising). But we’re at Roy Bridge with a huge portion of Fish ‘n’ Chips.
I guess that means we’re ‘fine’?

Stage 2.

Roybridge to Laggan Dam. Approx 16k (10 miles).

We’ll take it easy today with a short walk to the West end of Loch Laggan. The weather is forecasted to be fine, hopefully an opportunity to wild camp in relative comfort!

Reality—

We didn’t expect the bus back to Spean Bridge to impact our mental state. But it did. It felt like a massive step backwards and cost us most of our morning.

Thankfully the first leg of our second stage went well. The sun was shining, Lucozade was flowing and we made good time. Things had changed by 15:00.

As we passed Achnacochine on the south bank of the River Spean we fell foul of non-existent wayfinding. We didn’t correct our course fast enough and made slow progress through boggy farmland.

By 20:00 we had made camp over 6k from our intended destination. The midges were out…

Stage 3.

Laggan Dam all the way up Loch Laggan to Kinloch Laggan. We might break early if the shore looks good for wild camping.

Update: We’ve taken a rest day today (Monday 10th) as progress was halted by a brutal combination of sun, lack of water availability and fast depleting sun cream. Will keep you posted.

Calling quits—

We checked the weather forecast before resuming our walk and decided against continuing. High temperatures and lightning storms seemed like a dangerous combination.

On reflection this was the right decision. Though we are gutted to have failed to complete the route, we are safe and in good health. Our fundraising total is over £250 (plus Gift Aid), and we didn’t require assistance on an MRT ourselves.

It’s not too late to donate to Aberdeen MRT. Thank you for your support!