Our planned route and statistics for today are shown below:
1 Wild camp at 740 metres
2 Carn a' Chiaraidh
3 Beinn Mheadhonach (C)
4 Aonach na Cloiche Moire
5 Carn a' Chlamain (M)
6 South of Allt na Maraig
7 Path junction by Forest Lodge
8 Past bridge
9 Past Falls of Tarf
10 Fealar Lodge
11 Wild camp at Allt a' Ghlinne Bhig
- NO 020 790 (approx 600 metres)
Statistics
23 km
1100 metres ascent
10.0 hours
(1 Munro, 1 Corbett)
Our full route is here.
Once upon a time a girl and a boy called Sue and Martin decided to go on a long walk.
They chose a distant country in the Far North for their walk. It was called Ecosse.
It's barren and desolate in Ecosse
They prepared thoroughly for their journey from one side of Ecosse to the other. They were Well Equipped.
Everything went very well for the first week of the walk. Despite a little wind and rain, and a lot of burning sun, they stayed dry and warm and not too sunburnt. Their Good Equipment saw to that.
One of their pieces of equipment was a house called Nallo that Sue carries on her back. Nallo is like a Tardis. At one end is a library. There is a large storeroom stretching the length of the house, and it has a kitchen in the conservatory. The utility room has a washing line and there are two en-suite toilets. There is also a spacious bed-sitting room with two cupboards. (Alas,there is no room for a separate bedroom.)
On the eighth night of their walk, Martin and Sue were enjoying the evening in their little house, safely tucked away from the Hoplins and Redikins that roam the wilderness of Ecosse, where there are very few humans.
The Hoplins are about 50 cm tall. The males have long legs and can run very fast, but the females are small and usually pregnant. They all have white bobbly tails. Hoplins are mostly harmless except when they burrow in the ground and come up in the middle of your house. Something similar to this happened to Ticktock, a friend of Martin and Sue.
Redikins are big and scary, with sharp bony heads, bad tempers and a hoarse bark. But they are very shy because they are hunted by the wild savages of Ecosse, and are therefore wary of humans. Their meat is very succulent, and is sold all over the world by the wild savages of Ecosse.
Anyway, during a check on provisions, Sue realised one item was missing.
"Where's the chocolate?" she asked.
A big search followed but no chocolate could be found.
"How will we climb The Big Red Mountain tomorrow, with no chocolate" worried Sue.
"I don't know" replied Martin, who was responsible for the chocolate store (and must have eaten it all). "I expect we'll be alright though."
The next day they set off along the next stage of their 200 mile journey in the wilderness. They ascended an increasingly faint path beside a deep canyon.
"I wouldn't like to slip down there" said Sue.
"We'll be alright" replied Martin "our shoes are very grippy as well as being waterproof."
"It's just as well they are waterproof" said Sue, "or it would be very unpleasant."
The path across Ecosse is very boggy in places, and today's route was no exception.
Eventually they reached the head of the valley and descended to another, wider, valley called Glen Bruar. There was a good path here, but a cold wind blew up the valley.
"It's a good job we have warm clothes and gloves, isn't it?" said Martin.
Sue was very quiet. The Big Red Mountain was getting closer. 'How will we get up that with no chocolate' she worried.
They reached the junction with the path that led steeply upwards into the clouds.
"Let's have lunch" - both Sue and Martin agreed this could legitimately delay the decision as to whether or not to attempt to go up The Big Red Mountain without any chocolate.
By and by a kindly looking man with a long white beard appeared as if by magic.
"I'm Peter" he explained "and this is Barbara" (a glamorous lady appeared beside him) "we are going to Montrose" he said.
"Wow" said Sue, forgetting that she also was going to Montrose.
"We are taking the low road" offered Peter, "how about you?"
"Well, we wanted to take the high road over The Big Red Mountain" replied Sue, "but we have no chocolate."
"Oh dear" said Peter, fumbling with a piece of his body that should have belonged to a woman.
"It's Good Equipment" he exclaimed, noticing Sue's concern that he might be a....
"It's a new invention, "a Booby Bag" he enthused, extracting a long thin brown object from his breast.
"Here" he said, "we have extra supplies from The Martian Chocolate Shop. Have this, it will help you to climb The Big Red Mountain."
Sue and Martin were so thankful that this Good Samaritan with the long white beard and the glamorous lady had appeared at such an opportune moment. They were nearly the only humans they saw all day.
So The Big Red Mountain could be climbed, and it was, thanks to the big brown bar that Martin and Sue used to refuel themselves half way up. The clouds briefly cleared and they even had a view from the summit, their twelfth of the trip, all with views.
It was therefore a happy couple who romped down the hillside to place Nallo on the flat patch of grass that would be home for the night. That was done just before a big black cloud decided to empty its contents over that very spot.
But Nallo is Very Waterproof, and anyway the sun shone later whilst Sue busied herself in the kitchen, and Martin.....
...well, you'll have to guess what Martin was doing!
The End
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Our planned route and statistics for today are shown below:
1 Wild camp by Lochan a' Ghaorra
2 Path junction
3 Feith Ghorm Ailleag
4 Path junction
5 Beinn Gharbh
6 Beinn Dearg (M)
7 Northern summit of Beinn Dearg
8 Elrig 'ic an Toisich
9 Wild camp near col - NN 874 779 (approx 740 metres)
Statistics
20 km
1000 metres ascent
8.5 hours
(1 Munro)
Our full route is here.
This morning I was bragging to Martin Donaldson about our morning brew stops (half an hour for elevenses) and our lengthy lunch breaks of up to an hour. Today's breaks, however, were minimal as we chose a high level route on a cold blustery day with showers.
Not stopping much does have its advantages. Arriving here two and a half hours ahead of schedule enabled us to get set up before the onset of the storm that is currently raging outside.
I am happy in the library whilst my chef is busy in the conservatory. The only problem is that the Provisioning Manager faces the sack - it's chicken (flavoured) and leek soup again. Oh, and the tent is having a flap - she doesn't like the wind!
We were expecting bad weather today, so are pleased to have had no problems on our planned route, with views from both Munro summits, and to have remained warm (except Sue's hands) and dry.
Fuelled by a full breakfast, we fairly flew up Carn na Caim this morning, stopping only to note a slug and wood sorrel zone around 700 metres. (Your wildlife reporter is desperate for content today!)
It seemed very remote as we pressed on along a faint path beside Loch an Duin.
A cyclist had been along here, mostly pushing I expect.
We found this nice spot (given the current flapping 'sheltered' would be an optimistic description) in the lee of a sparse copse. 
Our planned route and statistics for today are shown below:
1 Dalwhinnie Inn
2 Leave the A9
3 Carn na Caim (M)
4 A' Bhuidheanach
5 A' Bhuidheanach Bheag (M)
6 Glas Mheall Mòr
7 Edendon Water
8 Path junction
9 Another path junction
10 Wild camp by Lochan a' Ghaorra - NN 758 835 (approx 450 metres)
Statistics
27 km
1000 metres ascent
11.1 hours
(2 Munros)
Our full route is here.
How to get misplaced and back in a forest:
•Follow the sign to Dalwhinnie and find an immaculate path leading to the ruins of a village in a clearing in the middle of a forest, where long-legged brown Soay sheep from St Kilda run freely.
•Return to correct 'path' = tramp through bog.
•Locate bridge that crosses stream on path leading in wrong direction.
•Go to corner of forest 1 km north of planned route.
•Brew up whilst congratulating oneself on bringing GPS and surprising a low flying heron.
•Head up boggy forest rides in attempt to locate planned exit from forest. ••Succeed!
•Giddy with success, euphorically head up deep steep heather to a rocky plateau with 40 metre drops all around.
•••Oops!
It had been a calm night.
But the cool easterly got up again during the day, so fleeces were required by lunch time. Another clear blue sky greeted us, with fluffy clouds soon scooting across the horizon. But later this afternoon the sky cleared again, so those camping (Patrick will soon set off up the aquaduct) may have a cool night.
Our planned route and statistics for today are shown below:
1 Wild camp
2 Kinloch Laggan
3 Feagour
4 Forest edge
5 Meall nan Eagan (G)
6 Path by ridge
7 A889 road
8 Dalwhinnie Inn (with a proper bed at 360 metres!)
Statistics
21 km
600 metres ascent
8.3 hours
(1 Graham)
Our full route is here.
Actually, this is where we went wrong - the beautiful path led to the ruined village of Druim an Aird - a delightful 'must visit' dead end. We were not alone in making this mistake, but only Heather T-S braved the 'direct exit' - the rest of us retraced our steps. All at different times, of course.
We woke to clear blue skies - the day was cloudless
We thought we had found a calm spot for lunch. Tea had been brewed and I'd succeeded in opening my small can of mackerel with hot chilli sauce with only a minimal amount of the inevitable spray from the peel-top container. My spork hovered as I held back the saliva.
Suddenly, half the mackerel jumped out of the can and ran down my leg. The chilli sauce tried to follow.
A sudden gust of wind had given the last laugh to the dead fish.
Sue stood up in surprise. Her sitmat blew away...
Luckily we saw only one other person today. He didn't comment on the smell. Some washing will need to be done when we reach Dalwhinnie tomorrow.
The chap we met said it was 't-shirts and shorts weather down below', so we suppose most Challengers will be complaining of the heat. After all, the sun has been beaming all day from a clear blue sky - and it's dazzling me as I write this from the library at the back of the tent - we are pitched in exactly the same direction as yesterday; the wind hasn't changed.
But we spent over 7 hours today on Creag Meagaidh's gusty 16 km ridge - mostly over 1000 metres. Gloves and windproofs were needed for all of that, and anyone spying on us might have put money on us being afflicted by 'TGO Challenge Syndrome' (an affection for whisky).
Our planned route and statistics for today are shown below:
1 Wild camp
2 North top of Beinn a' Chaorainn
3 Beinn a' Chaorainn (M)
4 South top of Beinn a' Chaorainn
3 Beinn a' Chaorainn
2 North top of Beinn a' Chaorainn
5 Bealach a' Bharnish
6 Creag Meagaidh (M)
7 The Window
8 Stob Poite Coire Ardair (M)
9 Summit at 991 metres
10 Meall an t-Snain
11 Carn Liath (M)
12 Summit at 903 metres
13 Wild camp at stream junction by Allt Crunachdain - NN 510 909 (approx 450 metres)
Statistics
21 km
1300 metres ascent
9.6 hours
(4 Munros)
Our full route is here.
Above - Alan, Mike and Brian
The only other people we saw today were seven folk descending Beinn Teallach - some time later.
We passed this immaculate, deserted, remote white cottage by the south bank of the River Spean.
Meanwhile we enjoyed the leafy tracks that led eventually to a footbridge over the River Spean beyond Monessie, and the A86 road along which we endured 6 km. It wasn't too bad, as I discovered the road to be a 'hot spot' for a phone signal and internet access! A holiday was organised, and it was good to receive comments from Paul (yes, we were pleased with our route of descent to the River Carnach - we managed to avoid any serious difficulties), Louise, Nightbird, Stay at Home But Not For Long Hazel, Phil (we still don't know whether the 'stash' was located, "I bet he's pig sick he wasn't there" sympathises Sue), Bill/Alison and Martin. Sorry if we've forgotten anyone.
It was also good to hear from folk away from their computers in response to our limited circulation 'textblog'!
Yes, it's a wonder that we actually manage to take a daily stroll in between all these chores!
So the road walk soon passed. Beyond Burnside Cottage we headed north on a good path (compared with Knoydart) with only occasional bogs.
Remarkably, it's still a dry trip from the foot point of view, though Sue's are vying for attention with her painful shoulder.
Beinn Teallach was a doddle after the thrutch up Gulvain a couple of days ago, but the views were as fine, with snow-capped peaks in almost every direction.
On the way up we were treated to more low flying jets - one had tried to scalp us by Loch Arkaig yesterday - then a pair of black grouse seemed to be valiantly trying to imitate the jets, whilst a ptarmigan looked on, perplexed as ever.
A chill east wind had us donning fleeces and hurrying down to locate, at 6 pm, this dry but lumpy patch of heather near springs, about half a km 'off route'. It's not quite perfect, one of its flaws being that I am being dazzled by the low sun whilst composing this in the library (my small work station at the back of the tent).
The soup has been eaten (chicken and leek, but I don't think I got my share of the 0.9 grammes of protein) and the risotto is cooking - should be delicious.
Later: it was yummy, as was the butterscotch dessert.
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Our planned route and statistics for today are shown below:
1 Gairlochy Holiday Park
2 Spean Bridge
3 Bridge
4 Achluachrach
5 Burnside Cottage
6 Path junction
7 Turn to ascend
8 Beinn Teallach (M)
9 Wild camp near Cairn at Tom Mor - NN 371 867 (approx 600 metres)
Statistics
29 km
1200 metres ascent
12.0 hours
(1 Munro)
Our full route is here.
