TGO 2023 or Pieman's 19th Nervous Breakdown

 

Mallaig to Inverie Ferry

It's now the end of August 2024 (if it isn't, please don't point this out in comments because I won't publish them.) Anyway, Autumn is the time when many people's thoughts turn to whether or not they should "do" the TGO challenge next year and this account may well put a few off the idea altogether. It's mainly pictures anyway, which "Blogger" is determined to do daft stuff with - e.g. put them in the wrong order, say that the format isn't supported by blogger (they're all the same format) and/or make them disappear altogether.  This is harder than "doing" the TGO challenge, so if I can complete this blog post without turning to drink or calling for a mental health nurse, I could well be successful in the 2025 TGO challenge. This would be significant due to it being my 20th TGOC. It's all in the mind, y'know.

No idea who this is. Whoever he is is on the first bealach of Day 1

Camp near Sourlies

In May 2024, I started at Mallaig, ferried across to Knoydart  and walked over to Loch Arkaig. then to Fort William, through Glen Nevis to Corrour, then through an empty bit to the A9 and Glen Tilt. Braemar, Glen Clova, Kirriemuir, Forfar (five) and Arbroath. I'm not going to write a day-by-day account. Everybody else does that and I tend to lose the plot as to whatever day it's supposed to be. I'll probably just point out the good bits, the really good bits and the bits I won't ever do again. And if Blogger will allow, there will be a bunch of pictures in the right order.

Oh yes, and I won't be doing anything at all about gear. Don't talk to me about gear, I can't help rolling my eyes during discussions about gear. Evangelism has it's place in churches or on mad TV channels but I'm not interested if I'm in the wrong boots, or the incorrect tent or my rucksack is out of fashion.

Walked with this chap for a day. No idea who he was

An American at Meanach bothy

.... seem to have come a long way....

The start was superb. I got the 10:30 ferry from Mallaig to Inverie on a sparklingly beautiful, sunny summer morning. The anti.............cipation was buzzing on the boat. This was probably the best beginning to a TGO challenge I've ever had. The walk into the mountains was fantastic but my pack was far too heavy. Due to the impossibility of re-supply after Fort William, I had planned a five day section through the middle of all middleness, so I had a large amount of food. I also had a fair amount of whisky and cooking gas. This made the first heave up the first bealach a bit of a struggle. The struggle on hills continued to Fort William, where I got lost during a thunderstorm, having also developed a blister on the miles and miles of Caledonian Canal towpath (which is really boring by the way - my advice is not to go that way).

That's Ben Alder over there

Nice, breezu, sunney afternoon

Skippy's tent

I shopped a bit at Aldi a heaved myself up Glen Nevis and the path through to Corrour, being met by some American challengers who called me "Sir". Only policemen usually call me "Sir", so it was a bit unnerving. It seems that the TGOC is becoming quite popular with Americans due to one of them writing an article I think in the New York Times (I'm probably wrong about this.) Anyway - we all stayed the night in Meanach bothy and continued sort of separately but together, meeting some more Americans the next morning. My last proper scoff till Braemar was at the cafe on Corrour station. I pressed on East, being accompanied for a while by a veteran TGO challenger from Rotherham. The weather turned drizzly and windy and the clouds descended on nearby hills. I camped that windy night beside a small fishing loch somewhere in the middle of nowt much else.

Camp on the shielings Glen Tilt

An evening at Lochcallater Lodge

Somebody following me up Jock's Road

During the next five days I ate five days food and started moving significantly quicker up the hills. I was always a couple of kilometres short of where I should be each evening when my ageing frame gave up and I had to put up the tabernacle and go to bed. As it happened, I was using a Spot 4 device, so despite the lack of phone signals, everybody who ought to know, knew where I was, so nobody got worried. I did some high bits, met hares, deer and ptarmigan, but no actual people at all. I did pass a tent which I called to but got no response. In the evening of Day 4 out of the 5, I came across the tent again, and it was occupied by another veteran challenger. Its nice to chat to old friends in strange and remote places. This happens from time to time.

Then I was in the fleshpots of Braemar, with fish and chips, showers, beer and a noisy night in the boozer, followed by a proper breakfast, a short walk to Callater and a fun whisky and guitar night at Lochcallater Lodge. This was so much fun, I'll be putting it on my 2025 route.

And then it was Jock's road, Glen Clova, being vaguely told by the staff at Clova Hotel that they might not have any accommodation for me. So I camped by the river and plodded over the hills to Kirriemuir the next day where I had a bed booked at the Thrums Hotel - so more washing, charging up electronics and stuffing my face with calories. Later there was a Yellow weather warning for high winds and rain, resulting in a route rethink. Somewhere more sheltered and above-all, shorter.

Memorial shelter on Jock's road

Descent into Glen Doll/Glen Clova

Some kind of big dog with sticks on its head

I rang control and told them where I was going. Where I was going, was Forfar (five) (apols, done that joke already). In Forfar, there was a Greggs which provided a butty and coffee lunch. Thence to Nechatnsmere, the site of a battle during which the King of Northumbria came a right cropper against the Picts. It was windy, but it didn't rain much, which was a disappointment since I didn't have much water and had planned to collect some rain.

Eight or nine miles the next morning, I was on the slippery seashore at Arbroath, with another challenger. Before catching the bus to Montrose, we repaired to Wetherspoons for beer and curry.

And then we went home and told our mums all about it.

Peter Pan in Kirriemuir.

East coast rape fields

Windy night at Nechtansmere

The End

The huge walk from Fort William was beautiful and challenging and I enjoyed it and felt a bit smug about it afterwards. But it's too tough for an old codger. It's unlikely that I'll try anything like that again. 

Good, though.......It's all in the mind....

And I've fooled blogger by saving the file and coming out of blogger and back in again after each save.