Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 May 2026 - Around Fort William and Montrose

Tuesday - Fort William and Neptune's Staircase 

A slow start. The forecast rain didn't arrive. Sue made a nice scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast while I contacted some of Gary's mutual friends. Gemma (his daughter) said he had wanted to contact us but had deteriorated rapidly.

The funeral will be on 19 June.

The morning passed quickly in the conservatory, under the dulcet tones of the resident chaffinch.

After lunch, a 21 km bike ride for me and Sue, to Fort William and Neptune's Staircase. Here are a few pictures taken in between showers, including one above where the railway crosses the River Lochy.

Here's our 21 km route.

Cuckooflowers line the towpath at this time of year.

Wednesday - The Hermitage in Dunkeld, and Montrose

We drove in pleasant weather to Dunkeld, for a walk around the area known as The Hermitage.

Click on the next picture for a readable version of the highlights of the Hermitage.

There are several iconic bridges over the River Tay in this area.

The woodland is beautiful at this time of year, with many different shades of green as the leaves emerge from the year's new shoots.

Ossian's Hall is a long, thin building dating from 1757.

Nearby, the River Tay plunges down a series of cataracts.

Ossian's Cave dates from when the pleasure grounds were first opened in the 18th century.

A little further on, more white water flows under the Rumbling Bridge.

After pausing for lunch on a massive picnic bench near some beehives, we worked our way round a 7 km loop, passing through a magnificent avenue of pine trees before returning to the car park and our onward journey to Montrose.

Here's our route - 7.6 km with 180 metres ascent, taking us a leisurely couple of hours. Well worth it if you are passing through Dunkeld and fancy a short break.

Later, we got installed in the Links Hotel in Montrose - a lovely room with a balcony and a bath - and said hello to TGO Challenge Control next door in the Park Hotel, promising to help with tea and biscuits for the finishers over the next couple of days.

We soon met up with Ali, Gayle and Mick for an impromptu convivial evening with some nice Thai food at the Ma Yom restaurant.

Thursday - Teamaking at TGO Control, and a walk to the beach

We've been here before. Pictures are from a quiet moment in the Park Hotel, and a walk to the beach.

Friday - Challenge Control and a bike ride

After a busy morning with the teapot, Sue and I grabbed a chance to cycle 5 km to Charleton Strawberry Farm, where we met a variety of Challengers passing through with only 6 km to go to finish their walk from the west coast. Some of the paths in the disused aerodrome were bordered with the sweet coconut scent of gorse, a pleasant change from the sweaty atmosphere back at the Park Hotel!

Here's our 11 km route.

Back at the Park Hotel, a table of socks that participants could swap for the pair in their goody bag if that was the wrong size. These excellent Darn Tough socks would have to be returned to the sponsor, UltraLight Outdoor Gear. I'm not sure of the arrangement, but it seems a shame that the socks (albeit every finisher gets a pair) are not for sale.

Coming towards the end of tea and biscuit service, this next picture shows the team at work after several of us had returned from a largely uneventful vetters' meeting.

Later, there were about 100 people at the Friday dinner, which seems to be more popular every year. There had been 130 the previous night, and a good number on the Wednesday as well.

Speeches and awards... dinner finished quite late.

Saturday - Montrose parkrun, the strawberry farm, and a five hour drive home

After saying goodbye to our friends in the Park Hotel, we drove a couple of km to the start of the parkrun, where we were joined by Mick and Gayle and by veteran parkrunner (he lives in Bushey), Charles Harmer. I think there may have been a few more Challengers there as well. Gone are the days when Sue and I were amongst very few Challengers to have even heard of parkrun. 

Here we are with Charles at the start.

There were 193 finishers, and our results went something like this: (full results here)

Charles - 24:21, position 31 (well done, as he was the only one of us who had actually completed the Challenge)

Sue - 25:58, position 52

Martin - 34:19, position 146 (my 7th time here)

Mick - 48:47, position 179

Gayle - 49:10, position 182

It goes without saying that Mick and Gayle had decided to walk round, otherwise they would have been ahead of me. Here they are with Alethea McHardy near the end,

After cake at the parkrun finish, we went backto the strawberry farm for one of their iconic tarts, Alethea and Mags McHardy joined us, amongst other Challengers and parkrunners.

All in all, a successful TGO Challenge, ably 'controlled' by Di Gerrard and her team. Well done, everyone. The one week version - Challenge East - for less experienced or time constrained backpackers was also a success.

Then we drove home.

Saturday 25 May 2019 - Montrose parkrun number 98

 

 

 

 

Sue and I took part in the Montrose parkrun a year ago after spending a week on TGO Challenge Control. This year we were joined by Gayle, Mick having sensibly to spectate due to a damaged ankle.

There were 157 participants - about double compared with last year. (Meanwhile there was a record turnout of 439 for our 'home' run at Wythenshawe.)

The run director provided the TGO Challenge with a little publicity by introducing us and the event in which we had taken part. We thank him for that and for the friendliness of everyone we met.

With tired legs from walking nearly 200 miles across Scotland carrying backpacks, we all expected to be slower than usual. We were, but not by as much as we thought we would be. In fact, Sue and I were quickest in our respective age groups, and Gayle was well up in hers. 

Parkruns are, as many readers may be aware, 'an excuse to eat cake'. Today was no exception. We enjoyed cake supplied by a few 'landmark' runners taking part in their 50th or 100th events, at the end of the run. Then we revisited Charleton Strawberry Farm for more coffee and superb 'cake'.

Thanks go to Mick and Gayle for the treat that fuelled us for the 320 mile drive home, where we are now relaxing after our energetic holiday.

Today's pictures:

Sue speeds home just behind Gayle in about 27 minutes

The running TGO trio

Coffee and cake

Gayle's choice was the envy of all of us

Hopefully we will meet again next Saturday, but I doubt the cake will match today's standards.
 

Here are the full results.

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Marine House, Montrose

Last week Sue and I stayed in Alison’s apartment within the impressive building called Marine House, overlooking the golf course in Montrose. It’s an impressive building, dating from 1907, when it was built as an hotel.

However the site has been occupied by buildings for much longer than that. In 1781 the town of Montrose was unique among Scottish towns and cities in being the first to have an asylum for the insane. The Montrose Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary and Dispensary was completed after the institution of a subscription by local woman Mrs Susan Carnegie of Charleton, following concerns about "mad people being kept in a prison in the middle of the street".

It was described as "a house and garden in the links of Montrose". It occupied the site now bounded by Barrack Road, Ferry Road and Garrison Road, approximately where Marine House and the Fire Station now stand. A plaque to mark the site was mounted on the wall of the first Marine Hotel, which was apparently originally the Physician Superintendent's house, but unfortunately this building was demolished a few years ago and the whereabouts of the plaque is unknown.

The second, and current, Marine Hotel is a large gabled 2-storey, attic and basement, tall 3-bay house with extensive 4-storey and attic wings to the rear forming approximate an L-plan.

Alison’s and other apartments now occupy the large wings to the rear.

It’s a Listed Building, the current Category 3 listing arising from the interest of the east facing house, surprisingly vertical, and disguising the expanse behind, as pictured below (with thanks to Pinterest for this picture).

Thanks again to Alison for her generous loan of the apartment.

The above information is all I could find on Marine House. It is scant and slightly contradictory. Were there really two Marine Hotels? Any further information would be gratefully received.

Saturday 26 May 2018 – Montrose parkrun number 46

After the excitement of this year’s TGO Challenge had abated and we had enjoyed our last full cooked breakfast at the Park Hotel, said our goodbyes, packed the car, and popped Alison’s door key back through her letterbox, we realised that it was Saturday morning.

Time for a parkrun!

The venue in Montrose is on the links very close to where we were staying, so an excuse not to delay our departure from sunny Montrose could not be found.

All parkruns provide a friendly welcome to ‘tourists’ such as ourselves and Anne Kelly, who had found an excuse to avoid her ‘home’ run in Stretford this morning, but the welcome in Montrose was exceptional. It was a lovely event in which to take part, if a bit breezy for really fast times on the fast, flat (apart from a few rabbit holes) course.

I managed to finish in what may be my quickest time of the year, as I’ll be unable to run properly for a couple of months given the imminent hernia op, whilst Sue took her time and chatted to Hilary Murdoch as she walked round the 5 km course. It was a delight to run down grassy tracks lined with the coconut aroma of the bright yellow gorse bushes.

I’ve included a few pictures below. Note the green vests of some of the runners. These have large numbers on the back which indicate that they are pacers for particular times, the next but one picture being of Keith Black, who was today’s 25 minute pacer, and he succeeded in dragging in Hugh MacKenzie in just under the target time. Well done! I tried to follow the 22 minute pacer for a while, but couldn’t keep up. The full results are here.

Here’s the route, which is on the links close to Charleton Fruit Farm, to which fleshpot runners are encouraged to gravitate after the run.

We duly adjourned to the café at the fruit farm, as did a few others who are out of shot, one LTD having crept in to the next picture. Hello ‘Lucky The Dog’!

Yes, it was something of a surprise to find the cross dressing Pie Man (whose entertaining blog enjoys a vast readership) enjoying elevenses with his entourage. He proudly exhibited his 14th TGO Challenge t-shirt and vowed in front of his family to continue in his bid to become a 20-timer. This man is crazy!

Then we went home…