The two weeks on the WHW and the GGW went by far too fast. On the train home from Inverness, the first stop was Aviemore. The end stage to the East Highland Way and the Speyside Way. The temptation to just get off at the station and walk the EHW in reverse was almost overwhelming.

Alas the tug of the real world dragging me back for work stopped me from what would have been a great twist in my adventure and blog!

I have also learnt from this backpacking experience. Lessons that I will take with me for the Camino next year and future long distance treks. In a way, Covid postponing it and allowing me to do these two walks, maybe a blessing in disguise.

I have my eyes set on either the EHW or the Speyside Way, spring next year (if I have enough leave available). It should warm me up ready for the Camino.

As an analysis of this adventure, I am going to do a little frequently asked questions type debrief, hopefully it will explain what I learnt and maybe help anybody thinking of tackling these two walks.

What should I have left at home?

Straight off, I’d say the candle lantern. It didn’t produce enough light to be usuable and the citronella candles did not deter the air piranhas.

We took a spare stove incase our gas one faltered or the fuel ran out. We didn’t end up cooking on it as much as we first intended due to the weather conditions. We had plenty of fuel left by the end, however it did break. The ignition mechanism for the stove stopped working, but we got around it with the lighter. So for future treks I would just take the one; we passed plenty of places that sold the gas canisters.

I would also have left behind the insect repellant. The air piranhas did not mind any of it. In fact the Nordic Summer that dad had brought made better waterproofing for his boots than fending off the midges. At least the Avon skin so soft masked the smell from the day’s walking!

We found the best way to keep the blighters from munching on you, was to ensure you’re completely covered. We utilised the midge head nets, that worked a treat as long as you didn’t get any trapped inside! The only advantage of our wet weather was it kept them away. In fact on the GGW we had no bother from the wee beasts.

What should I have brought along?

Easy. The poncho. Not bringing them was our biggest mistake. Even though our packs had a rain cover and we wore our waterproofs for the majority of the walk. This didn’t prevent our rucksacks getting wet.

We found that the rain was running down our backs causing it to ingress in to our bags from this unprotected area. Had we brought our ponchos, these would have covered our rucksacks and the gap.

I hadn’t put my clothes and sleeping bag inside a waterproof liner, so you can guess how that turned out.

At the end of day 2 from spending the day in the rain. I had to dry my clothing on the porch of glamping tent on the campsite. Due to Covid the backpackers facilities were closed, so I couldn’t even dry my gear there.

Luckily I was able to get a few bin bags from the site office but it wasn’t until day 4 when we stayed at the BnB in Crainlarich, that I was able to dry anything. Upon reaching Fort William I did buy some dry sacks. I will be ordering some more in the near future.

For me, the waterproof jacket did not breath. This made me uncomfortable and hot very quickly. By the end of the day I was just as wet through perspiration as if I hadn’t worn it at all. With a poncho, I would have been able to easily remove it after the rain showers and put it back on when required.

As I was having issues with my pack, having to take it off after getting it comfortable for a jacket wasn’t ideal. On numerous occasions, I wore my jacket like cape/poncho that worked until the wind picked up.

Was the tent a good choice?

I think the Scafell 300+ was a little too big and heavy for long distance trekking. The awning space was really handy to store our wet bags and gear over night, however I think we could have got around this by using large plastic bags or even a dry sack to put the packs in and bring them into the inner tent without getting it wet.

We also found that over the course of the trip, the sides weren’t as taut. We tried adjusting the straps etc but we couldn’t get it right. It seemed like the tent had to be pegged 10cm off the ground at opposite corners to get the tension. The night at Beinglas and Gairlochy it was really windy, where at one point we thought the outer tent would be sailing off across the campsite. The constant flapping of the tent also disturbed our sleep.

If we were to do another long distance walk, we would each take a small lightweight tent. This would be more versatile and reduce our carrying weight. Some campsites would only allow pitches for small tents to allow sufficient social distancing.

Even though my Vango Banshee 200 is the right size, it weighs over 3kg without a footprint. There are reasonably priced tents that are half that weight. So I’m looking into getting a new tent.

Did the anti-gravity backpack work?

Yes and no. The Osprey Atmos withstood the rigor of the adventure. However, like most things, they are not made for people, like me, who are built like poles.

Even at the shortest point, the belt wasn’t tight to hold the pack above my hips. This is where the frame of the Atmos distributes the weight, keeping it off your shoulders. For the first 3 days I suffered greatly with sore shoulders and generally feeling miserable with it.

I solved this problem by tieing my jumper around my waist to pad the belt out, keeping it from slipping down my hips. Once I got it in the right position, the AG system came into it’s own. I hardly noticed I was carrying over 15kgs.

The jumper method comes with draw backs though. It falters when it rains. The belt gets wet and it expands (an issue my dad had). The jumper becomes wet; I only packed one jumper so there went my mid layer. I had to buy another in Fort William.

With the rain, out comes my waterproof jacket. This bypassed my jumper system, as it reduced the friction between the pack and the padding, causing the belt to slide down my hips and my shoulders bearing the weight.

Really, the last 2 days and the stage from the Bridge of Orchy to the Kings House, were the only days I got on with the Atmos.

I am going to have to devise a way to enable the belt to shorten or put some kind of padding around it for my next adventure.

Were blisters an issue?

For me no. I had gone to Cotswold’s to take advantage of the free boot fitting/consultation serivice as described in an earlier blog. Coupled with the socks they recommended, I had very little problems.

As part of my research into the Camino I had come across the blister topic frequently and looked into it, hence the kinesiology tape. There were a few times I felt “hotspots” on my feet indicating that the tape needs applying. This worked and prevented any blisters forming.

You have to be very aware of how your feet are feeling while walking such long distances. If you are starting to feel uncomfortable or something doesn’t feel right, you need investigate immediately, not wait till the end of the day or your next refreshment stop.

I didn’t have to apply the tape really after the first couple of days until the Scottish jet wash finally breached my boots; when your feet get wet, blisters start to appear due to the increased friction.

My dad however suffered very early on and remained in discomfort for the remainder of the adventure. He was having to pop and drain them each night and taped up his feet each morning. Until we arrived at Fort William, there was was nowhere to buy a more substantial treatment for them.

We got the compeeds for his heels and the sides of his feet. For his toes we got a silicon bandaged tube, that you cut to size. This really improved the comfort for my dad while walking.

One thing we both suffered with was the hard surfaces we walked across. There were long stretches of road, especially on the GGW, to navigate. The impact of our feet on the solid surfaces really took it’s toll on our bodies.

They ached something fierce after a mile or so on such surfaces; exacerbated when going down hill, like the descent in to Drumnadrochit. After massaging my feet for 30 minutes at the end of the day eased the pain and revitilised them.

I think this will also be an issue for the Camino next year, so I will be getting those gel cushioned insoles for my boots.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat. I really had a great time despite the trails and tribulations. Even during the day from hell, not even for one moment I wished I was somewhere else.

If I were to walk the WHW again, I would skip the Loch Lomand section. You spend most of this section within the forest line, obscuring the views and made the walk quite mundane; unless you like walking through woodlands.

I would get the train to either Crainlarich or Tyndrum and start from there. The views were better and the terrain more varied. The best stretch was from the Bridge of Orchy to the Kings House; if you wanted you could get the train to the Bridge of Orchy and go from there.

I wouldn’t do the GGW again. I didn’t enjoy this as much. The majority of the route is within the pine forests that follow the lochs. Unless you take the high roads and the weather was on your side, you don’t get the views. I mentioned in the blog, I enjoy climbing mountains rather than skirting around them. I felt with the GGW there is more skirting than climbing.

I’m glad I did it for the experience but it isn’t one I will repeat in a hurry. We also struggled on this route due to Covid. We ran out of food over the first two days because the places to eat described in the guide book were closed; even google couldn’t be relied on to establish if places were open. Had we known the situation we would have stocked up at Fort William.

The two Australian’s we met walking from John O’Groats to Lands End also ran out of food at this stage. I managed to contact them through Facebook to guide them where to buy food and camping sites.

What gear/kit worked well?

This is where I get a bit geeky. I bought a power bank for 20 quid from Amazon a week before leaving. The product description states it will charge the iPhone X up to 5 times before being depleated.

This bank kept my phone, my dad’s phone and my smart watch charged while we camped days at a time. It is a bit heavy, but for the price and the capacity is worth it.(I also liked the dogs paw)

I have a Garmin forerunner 35 watch. The battery life on this is exceptional with its built in GPS it lasted the whole 11 hours of the day from hell. It also bleeps after every mile you complete. I found this really helpful for keeping track of the distances we covered. The Garmin App also plots on a map the route you had taken; a nice feature.

Although I bought guides that included maps, I mainly relied on the Ordnance Survey App. The route is very well sign posted however there are times you need to consult a map. The app has both the land ranger and explorer maps built in. This enabled me to precisely pin point our location on the walk. The signal was really good throughout the trip with only the top end of Loch Lomand and some areas around Loch Ness, where the reception dropped.

I highly recommend you get this app and for the £25 subscription you get all the Ordnance maps across the UK. Even when the signal drops you still have access to the maps if you download them for offline mode. It also caches the map so you are still able to view if the signal temporary drops.

As I was writing this blog, the Bluetooth keyboard made this easy. I’m glad I took it along and will use it for the Camino next year.

Walking poles are a must. Dad had the two from the start and swears he wouldn’t have made it through the day of hell without them. As we were scrambling over the wet rocks on that fateful stage, he slipped and fell. The sticks saved him from toppling down the bank into the loch.

I’ve only really used sticks for descents as this is when my knee tends to play up. I only took one this time as I tend to find it awkward walking with the two. However when my right knee became painful I relied on two sticks.

I expected my left knee to be an issue, as it always has in the past, ever since I hurt it doing the Total Warrior challenge in Shap a few years back. Knowing this I kept my left knee strapped up for the entire adventure and had no problems at all.

After getting a support for my right knee and using the sticks, I was able to keep going and it slowly healed. It made its presence known during the GGW but didn’t cause any issues.

We also took electrolyte tablets for our water. Either we drunk a bottle of it once we finished or dropped a tablet in our water for the day. Coupled with warm down stretches at the end of the day, we believe this is the reason our muscles didn’t complain throughout the trek.

What advice would I give for the WHW and GGW?

With the problems caused by Covid, you would perhaps not encounter some of the issues we had. Rowardennan, the stage end for day 2, was closed to campers and the BnBs were full. The nearest campsite to Rowardennan had to be booked 2 days in advance and that area of Loch Lomand doesn’t allow wild camping until the end of September. Therefore we stopped at Milarrochy 7 miles short of Rowardennan.

The plan was to get to Inversnaid to have something to eat at the hotel there before continuing to Beinglas. As you know, Inversnaid was closed and nowhere to buy food. This impacted us greatly; we had very little substantial to eat that day, hence why we ended up so exhausted.

We almost had a similar situation on the GGW. So my advise is to carry more food. Also having a water filter was a God send. On this stretch there was nowhere to refill our bottles. Having the filter allowed us to get water from the small streams along the way.

I would also recommend taking the high road from Inversnaid avoiding Rob Roys Cave and the tretcherous terrain the low road entails. The cave is nothing special and the high road is better underfoot and wouldn’t have brought us to the brink of collapse.

For the GGW we rented the key to the facilities along the way. I wouldn’t bother with it. Most of the toilets were unlocked and there are outdoor taps at the locks to fill your bottles up. We ended up paying £10 each for a key we never used, that I now have to post back!

How much have we raised for Prostate Cancer UK?

At the time of writing this blog we raised £1623. We had a few donations once we returned which we put on to my justgiving page. This far exceeded what I imagined to raise. I put the target at £500 thinking that would be too high to reach. I have been blown away by the support we have had and I am grateful for everyone that has donated. Honestly, it has spurred us on and has been a source of encouragement for us both. The kind words and best wishes in response to my blog both on WordPress and Facebook have kept us going.

You genuinely have our heartfelt thanks.

A 179 miles. 397,142 steps. Through horizontal rain, high winds, sunshine, midge territory; over hill, tretcherous terrain, bog land and concrete. We endured challenges with the weather, lack of food and amenities. Problems caused by Covid regarding accommodation that resulted in a nightmare day 3. Suffered blisters, aching feet, broken knees, sore shoulders and dodgy guts.

We walked along lochs, canals, through pine forests and over moors. Conquered the Devil’s Staircase and the low road between Inversnaid and Beinglas. We have met some great people along the way that have made the experience, that more complete.

We have seen sights few have seen and climbed hills few have ventured. Walked aged old roads and crossed historic battles fields. Contended with stags and made friends with a pig.

We have burnt 1000s of calories and perspirated litres of sweat. So there is only one tried and tested method to restore ourselves; Rehydration Therapy aka drinking in the pub. Starting at the Castle Tavern, opposite the GGW finish line.

If we knew, what we know now, at the start of the trek, we would have booked extra time off and do it all in reverse! A memorable experience.

The following pictures are from our little walk around Inverness this morning.

As you all know, we’ve done this challenge for Prostate Cancer UK, at writing this post it stands at £1,523. I’ll end the blog for this adventure with a message my dad made on Facebook before setting off.

“I am in training for a 170-mile hike for charity with my son Stuart in Scotland, walking from just outside Glasgow to Inverness, via Fort William. We leave Caverswall on Bank Holiday Monday and envisage it will take us approximately two weeks to complete. We will be wild camping for most of this time.

If you want to know the reason why, read on.
My journey started 18 months ago when my sister pestered me to have a PSA test. After some debate with her, I agreed. What did I have to lose? as I told my sister: I wasn’t that old, I was fighting fit, I had no symptoms and anyway I had been lucky with my health and also, prostate cancer happens to other people, doesn’t it!

WELL HOW WRONG WAS I?

On the day of the blood test which I arranged to stop my sister pestering me! I had a phone call from the surgery to say they had found an anomaly in my blood sample and I needed to see the Doctor ASAP. To cut a long story short this is where my relationship with prostate cancer began.

This September it is 12 months since I had major robotic surgery to remove my prostate gland. In truth it has taken all that time for me to get back to the near fitness I had before, and the doctors are happy with my progress. If it wasn’t for the research and advancement in technology sponsored by Prostate Cancer UK from charitable donations from ordinary people, plus the skill and dedication and support of the surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff of the NHS, along with the support of family and friends , I would be on the road to a darker place I’m sure.

I would urge the families of all men to encourage them to ask for a PSA test from their doctor even if, like me they don’t think they have symptoms. Potentially this simple action could save and extend their loved ones life.

About 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives (Prostate Cancer UK)
If you would like to follow our progress on the hike, our travel blog is below. You will also find the link to our sponsorship page for the Prostate Cancer UK charity if you feel you would like to donate. If not, please buy a prostate cancer UK pin badge whenever you see one for sale, to promote Prostate Cancer awareness. Also wear it with pride, in honour of those who may have lost the fight, those who have fought, are fighting, or those yet to fight the disease.

Thank you for taking time to read this.
Paul”

I need not say more.

We had very little sleep during the night. Our cabins were next to a field full of inconsiderate cows that thought it was a good idea to ‘Moo’ throughout the night. They sounded like they were just outside! It also rained on and off which made me a little anxious with the potential of facing 19 miles in the wet.

Luckily when we decided to get ready and leave it was just cloudy with mist lingering above Loch Ness. We hit the road out of Drumnadrochit for a mile or so before we started our ascent of Creag Nay.

This was a steep climb of 250m (1000ft in old money) through the pine forest. This would be the hardest stage of today’s route with regards to exertion. Two mountain bikers hit this point as we did; we played leap frog for an hour before they sped off ahead as the path levelled briefly.

It was slow going, it took us almost 3 hours to cover just 4 miles. Soon we emerged from the tree line with views of Loch Ness hiding under the mist.

Eventually it was our turn to be enveloped in it. The path leveled with only a shallow incline at last. Our pace picked up so we could finally eat into the miles that lay ahead of us.

Two days earlier in Invermoriston, we were chatting to two students walking the GGW, but from Inverness. They mentioned a place about half way between Drumandrochit and Inverness that did excellent lemon cake.

We kept our eyes open for this as it would be a well needed resting stop. As we were following a narrow footpath with shrubs and birch trees overhanging us, we found it, the Abriachan Campsite. There had been painted wooden signs enticing us for over a mile with said lemon cake.

This was a quirky little place that is a bit “out there”, it even had it’s only sleepy guard pig that lazily eyed us as we entered.

We ordered a drink and a slice of the lemon cake we have heard so much about; and yes it was good cake. So good that the pig joined us for a bite of it!

The cafe and campsite has been open everyday for the last 20 years and is worth a stop if you undertake the GGW, you won’t regret it. We shoved our backpacks on and said bye to the pig.

From this point on for 3 miles or so we were on a single track road that started to cause our feet problems. Luckily halfway along this road section a footpath ran parallel that was softer underfoot.

To cheer us up though, the Sun came out and remained with us all the way to the finish. We left the road and passed through a pine forest. This was quite serene with the lazy autumn sun shining through the trees. It took our minds off our aching feet.

The route followed a dry stone wall and looking at it I realised it must have been built 100s of years ago. The moss and lichen grown over the time gave it a range of colours.

We reached the 15 mile point where we finally sighted Inverness and the castle where the finish line lay; this marks our slow descent into town.

The GGW leads through suburbs of Inverness until you reach the Caledonian Canal. We decided to stop at a picnic bench to have a sandwich and a banana to give us a boost for the last mile to Inverness Castle.

The path then follows the River Ness and crosses to an island in the middle of the river that has been turned into a park. There were old style lamp posts that have stringed festival lights hanging between them. It had a very pleasant atmosphere.

We joined the bank of the river and followed this to the castle. The other side of the road is lined with restaurants with customers dining al fresco, they turned their heads to us, with the clacking of our sticks on the pavement attracting their attention. They watched as we passed; some gave a wave spurring us on.

The castle was obscured by trees and buildings until the last minute. Just when we thought our walk was over, our feet winced a little at the sight of one last hill to the stone marker.

We hobbled up the small incline that seemed like a mountain, to finally touch the standing stone that marked the end of our 179 mile journey across the WHW and the GGW.

We had a mouch around before heading to our BnB that is conveniently two roads down from the castle. We kicked off our shoes, flopped on to our beds and stretched our feet. I booted up my music app on the phone and got ‘We are the champions’ by Queen playing!

Once showered we hit the town to find most pubs full; must be party night on Tuesdays. We eventually found a table at “The Auctioneers”!

Thanks again for all those that have donated to Prostate Cancer UK. Thank you for all the kind messages of encouragement over the last two weeks, it has kept us going during those very wet miles. We are now going to have a day in Inverness before heading home. By train not by foot!

Having now completed the challenge and you would like to donate. You can search for me at http://www.justgiving.com or at the top of this page there is a donate link that will take you directly to it (if you are on a mobile device, at the top of the page, click the menu button, then donate)

The forecast for our penultimate day on the GGW was cloudy with 0% chance of rain, according to the weather app on my phone.

Looking out the window there was a menacing cloud just outside Invermoriston just waiting for us to leave. We debated whether to don the waterproof over trousers or to risk it for a biscuit. In the end I packed them away and dad followed suit.

The route leads straight up a steep single track road out of the village before joining a forestry track, that made up the terrain for most of the day. We got our last glimpse of the Invermoriston and the surrounding hills before we disppeared into the tree line.

We came to a fork in the road where we had the option to either take the high road or the low road. With the visibility the best we have had for the entire GGW, we decided to try our chances on the high road.

After an intense incline according to dad we finally got what we hoped for. The stunning scenery so famous for this part of the world.

It was a bit undulating the high road, but it was worth the effort. I finally started to enjoy the GGW. I prefer to be climbing the hills than skirting around them, glad we took the high road; although I think dad would disagree!

We crossed a gnarly bridge where apparently a troll lives underneath it.

We came to a great view point where we could see both directions along the Loch. We took the opportunity for a selfie.

About halfway we found a bench along the forest track on the descent from the high road. The place was so secluded and quiet. All we could hear was a bird tweeting and the running water from a small stream nearby. Also a great spot for wild camping.

We continued on. The forest track soon joined a single track road, that took us in to Drumnadrochit for the last 4 miles. The hard surface wasn’t kind on our feet and were glad when we reached the hostel.

On our last 2 miles the sun came out and the gamble of not wearing our waterproofs paid off.

Around 1530hrs we arrived at our hostel where our room is in a log cabin to the rear. So we’ve done it all these two weeks: Camping, Wild Camping, Hostels, BnBs, Hotels and now a wooden cabin.

Our last day walking tomorrow and it’s a toughie. 19 miles! Looking at the map it appears to be similar terrain as today. With luck the weather will hold however the app says rain; that is a headache for tomorrow, it is time to get a pint!

Thank you all who have sponsored us so far. We are just over £1400! If anyone is still wishing to denote, at the top of the page there is a donate button that will take you directly to my just giving page. Alternative you can search ‘Stuart Hulme’ on the just giving website. http://www.justgiving.com