Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019
On the Archduke's Path in Mallorca

Thursday 23 May 2019

TGO Challenge 2019 - Day 13

 
 
 
 
Date: Wednesday 22 May 2019

Route: Tarfside to North Water Bridge campsite (NO 649 662)

Distance: 28 km (Cum: 287)

Ascent: 300 metres (Cum: 9400)

Time taken: 8.7 hrs including 2.1 hrs breaks

Weather: showery until mid morning, then sunny periods and warm

After a cool night that left frost on the tent, we enjoyed breakfast at St Drostans after queuing for a while. The Rt Hon Sir Mick of Croydon excelling himself as usual by attempting to jump the queue (and just about getting away with it! - "Don't you know I'm Royalty" he bleats on...)

Everyone gradually packs up and leaves, with North Water Bridge being the destination for most of us. The Retreat was closed for 'restructuring'. Hopefully it will have reopened by the time of the next Challenge. Two kilometres down the road from Tarfside, it's a good breakfast destination.

Vicky followed us up past cuckoos and woodpeckers to the Masonic tower that allows up to three people to sit out a storm. Vicky works as a deck hand on luxury sailing boats. She went off towards the Fetteresso Forest.

We then joined the disjointed trail of people wending their way to Edzell. We were disappointed to miss the riverside 'Blue Door' trail due to a landslip. Later we were even more disappointed when Sabine told us the route wasn't really blocked at all. Health and Safety gone mad. She had been tipped off that the broadcast blockage didn't really exist to any extent.

Lunch was at the Tuck Inn café in the company of Nicole and others. We had walked with Nicole earlier when she needed help to get through a cow zone. That was after we had found her mysteriously scrabbling around a tree trunk. It turned out that she was looking for a geocache.

We spent nearly two hours at the café - much needed as we had walked for over 20 km in the five hours before lunch, without much of a break. Our longest single stretch without a brew stop on the entire walk. The Tuck Inn has changed hands since our last visit and although some of us were well satisfied with our meals, others perceived a fall in standards.

Another two hours saw us arrive by a mistaken route, due to my lack of concentration on the map, at this friendly campsite. En route we were distracted by a muck spreader that started up in a field right next to us. Yeuch! I blame that for my mistake. Anyway, we enjoyed more of the beautiful long green tunnel of foliage leading to our destination. Albeit the drivers seem to regard it as a race track. A speed camera here could make a fortune.

A refurbishment of the toilet block ensured that we all got a hot shower. In previous years the hot water has run out, but they have made a big effort this year to meet our needs.

Socialising at the campsite, dinner courtesy of Sue, and resting have taken up the rest of the day. We heard that the terrible trio - Roger, Viv and Steve - have finished today, and that my old school mate, John, who we called in to see on our journey to Montrose two weeks ago, has bumped into veteran Challenger, Russ Manion. As John says - it's a small world!

Later we learnt of Alan's exploits as a seaman in the Falklands when he was a young man. He proudly showed us a gallery of photos from the 1980s that he has on his phone.

Today's pictures:
Camping at Tarfside
The Masonic Tower in Glen Esk
The suspension bridge at Edzell
First brew at North Water Bridge, with Alan and Brian, and our tent in the background

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2 comments:

Gayle said...

When we found the Tuck Inn closed on Monday we weren't sure whether it was still in business. Happily, Sinclair's Pantry across the road serves good food and coffee, albeit at the 'fancy' rather than 'plentiful' end of the spectrum.

See you in Montrose later today.

Phreerunner said...

Looking forward to catch up later, Gayle. Now off to the strawberry farm.