A Change of Plan

There’s been a change of plan. Well it wasn’t much of a plan to start with but it did change

Originally I was going to finish walking the SW Coastal Path in May. That would have involved getting a train down to Penzance, a bus ride and short walk to Cape Cornwall, and then spending two weeks hiking the final 230 miles or so to Minehead to complete the whole of the path. May looked good because the nights are quite long but as it’s not yet summer the coast is a bit quieter. Tends to be good walking weather as well. It was pencilled in. I was looking forward to it. There was a niggling doubt though. The last time I’d done a wild camp I’d ended up in the back of a car park and had been slightly intimidated by some local youths. I was worried about wild camping again but I knew that it was a requirement of the trip. So I hatched a new plan…

I’ve always fancied walking the West Highland Way, and as it finishes in roughly the same spot as the Great Glen Way starts, combining the two makes sense. One down side of the West Highland Way is that it’s very popular. My understanding is that during the summer months it can get very busy, and being quite keen on some solitude, I didn’t really fancy that. There is also the issue of midges. On the other hand, wild camping in Scotland is legal (apart from some specified areas but I’ll come to that later). Taking all these factors into account, plus my earlier confession of a fear of wild camping, I came up with the new plan.

I will walk the West Highland Way in April, wild camping where permitted. Have a day off in Fort William, and weather dependant, climb Ben Nevis (so not really a day off). Finally I will walk to Inverness along the Great Glen Way. This ticks all boxes plus a bonus box. Not in the summer so not as busy and no midges – tick. A legal right to wild camp so an opportunity to increase my confidence in that pursuit whilst staying within the law that should make future trips more comfortable. My thoughts being that currently I’m worried about the camping and the legality. If I remove one of those issues I can get comfortable with the other in isolation so when I come back to doing both it won’t be so difficult. Maybe crazy talk but it makes sense to me. Oh, the bonus tick. If I include travelling up to Glasgow by train, these are exactly the same dates over which I walked the Coast to Coast. I’m hoping this will bring back all those memories of that memorable first thru hike.

Now the icing on the cake. One of the high points of walking the Coast to Coast last year was meeting up with Jenny at the end. It was just a perfect feeling, after completing the walk, to see her in Robin Hoods Bay. It was especially perfect because it was my birthday. So I thought we could do the same thing again. Obviously not Robin Hoods Bay this time but she’s going to fly up to Inverness on the 28th of April, and assuming I’ve not been eaten by the Loch Ness Monster, we’ll meet in the city and have a short holiday together to celebrate my birthday and completion of my latest walk. Last year, the day after, by what I consider to be the biggest stroke of luck or maybe fate, we bumped into two friends I’d made whilst walking the Coast to Coast which really topped it off. Alas, I don’t think I’ll be quite so blessed this time!

Tracking

I had a problem on one day of my SW Coastal Path walk. I’d found a good spot to wild camp but I had no mobile phone connection to let Jenny know I was safe. I didn’t want anyone to worry so I ended up pressing on until I could communicate to say I was safe. Ironically, pressing on meant walking in the dark and having a less than optimal pitch so actually made me less safe. For this trip I’ve got myself a satellite communicator from which I can send frequent check in messages to Jenny to let her know I am safe. It also allows me to contact emergency services if something goes wrong. It’s an extra expense but I think the peace of mind and avoidance of the issue I had before make it well worth the money. Maybe over kill for these trails but I certainly feel happier to have it. Another benefit of the check in messages is that I’ve integrated them with this blog so anyone can track where I am and see how I’m getting on. Once I’ve started the walk a marker will appear on the route map to show my location.

Kit

I’m always trying to find the perfect kit for these walks. I’m an absolute pain to myself, always over thinking what I need or want to make the trip a success and enjoyable. I often think I’ve found the perfect tent or sleeping pad only to realise that it’s not working as I wanted or there’s a better solution for me. I’m pretty sure the manufacturers do this on purpose to take money of gullible people like me. I keep on falling for it!

The biggest changes I’ve made for this trip are my tent, walking boots, and rucksack. There’s other stuff but maybe I’ll write about that later when I can’t think of anything to say. Saying that, I’m almost boring myself writing about it so I apologise to anyone reading about it!

A new tent was definitely top of my want/need list. I wanted something that would stand up better to the elements and would also be less conspicuous. I’ve learnt a lot on my last two trips and I really hope I’ve found a good solution. This tent is slightly heavier than previous trekking pole tents but I think it’s worth it as it’ll stand up to more. I became scared of pitching in the wind during my last hike. So much so that there were good pitches that I’d turn down. The new tent is also smaller than the other tent I used so will fit into more concealed areas. I hope these two factors will open up more candidates for pitches and will take some pressure off when I’m trying to set up camp at the end of the day.

Now to boots. I got terrible blisters on both of my last hikes. I know some that have had it a lot worse but they really are a blight to an enjoyable walk. This time I’m trying out some barefoot boots that give my toes a much bigger area to spread out and also give a better feel to the ground under your feet. They are very comfortable. As ever I’m hopeful, but don’t be surprised if I’m reporting blisters on day 2!

Finally my backpack. My last one was an ultralight backpack, weighing less than 1kg, and I really thought that was the way to go. The problem is that although lighter, the lack of padding and smaller hip belt required to save that weight made it so unconformable. Maybe it’s just my shape but no matter how I adjusted the straps I found it pulled on my shoulders and became quite painful. I don’t pack particually heavy or light, but I think the extra weight of this pack will be made up for in comfort and will mean I can still take with me what I want. For example, I’d really like to be carrying a bit more food this time to help reduce the anxiety I get when running low. I think this new pack will help.

It’s not looking dry

I was so lucky with the weather on the coast to coast. The days in the Lake District were perfect, which was a miracle as the days before had been pretty dreadful. I often imagine that leg of the trek if the weather had been bad. We were all very lucky.

I’m not looking so lucky at the moment for Scotland but I remain optimistic. I think I can handle most that can be thrown at me but time will tell. The key I think is to keeping certain items dry. I have a plan but if it rains constantly it will be tough. If it’s bad, I’ll just have to deal with it. However, if Ben Nevis is looking bad, I won’t risk climbing it. No point hurting myself.

I only hope that the weather lifts enough so I can see the mountains and views. I’m terrible for not taking in my surroundings enough and enjoying the moment, so I hope that I can see enough to readdress that shortcoming. The routes are very popular for a reason and I’d like to experience that. If not though, I’ll just have to do it again!

This walk doesn’t feel long

I don’t know why but when I imagine this hike it doesn’t feel long. But in terms of both miles and duration it’s very similar to the Coast to Coast. And that did feel a long way and a long time on the trail. So I don’t know if this is going to catch me by surprise. Even in my mind Loch Ness is quite small but when I look at the map and loosely plan where I might camp I realise I’ll actually be spending two nights camping next to the Loch. So pretty big really. I guess it’s just hard to visualise size on that scale.

Anyhow, it still just doesn’t seem like an undertaking on the same scale. Mid walk I’ll probably be regretting this state of mind.

Looking forward to freedom

I’m really nervous as the date of departure grows near but I’m so very excited. Even though I do struggle when I’m out on the trail I really do think it’s made me. It’s changed my outlook and improved my life. I’ve met some wonderful people and discovered a part of myself I didn’t know was there. I feel so very lucky.

Sometimes, when I’m on the trail, I question if I’m actually enjoying it and wonder if it’s really for me. But, the minute I get home, the minute I’m back to reality, I want to go hiking again. I want to go exploring. I don’t dislike my life, far from it, but looking forward to that next hike makes it all so much more rewarding and worth sticking around for.