A Week To Go

I will blog mid-next week when I’m in/on my way to Bonnie Scotland. I’m spending next Wednesday at a B&B in Inverness then taking the train up to Lairg and a bus to Durness (only one a day). The next morning I’m getting the ferry across the Kyle of Durness and a bus across MoD land to Cape Wrath to start my walk. If the ferry is out due to bad weather (quite frequent) then I’ll have to walk round and stay overnight in the cafe on the Cape, open 24 hours 365 days a year. The RAF is on manoeuvres and currently dropping 1000 lb bombs on the Cape – the only place in Europe where bombs of that size can be dropped – but the lady at the MoD reckons they will finish early. Hope so otherwise I’ll have to wait another day.

The first day I’ll get down to Sandwood Bay and camp on the beach. Then it’s a nine day slog across mostly wilderness until Andrew joins me at the first rail station en route – Achnashellach. I’ve had a cold so not doing any training at the moment but did walk 11 miles the other day with Antonia up Pen y Ghent and on to Ribblehead. I like it round there. It keeps drawing me back.

It was Antonia’s 22nd birthday last week. Old Git.

Pity she’s up to her eyes in MSc otherwise she might join me. Still, great that Andrew’s coming. Should be near Fort William when Andrew goes back then I’ll do the West Highland Way up Ben Nevis and down through the Great Glen to Milngavie where I get a train home on 19th May. I’m hoping to take Wilson if the weather isn’t looking too cold or windy and stay some nights in bothies in the back of beyond and maybe one or two B&Bs. I’ll be doing 320 miles but the problem is that there isn’t much of a path from Cape Wrath. I’ve bought a GPS so that’s good, I should be able to locate where I am even in zero visibility. I’m travelling light so no room for clothes.

I’ll stay on this blogsite but sometimes there’s no signal for days so blogs may be intermittent. Apologies in advance.

Excited and wary. It’s billed as the toughest long distance walk in the British Isles, that includes Attercliffe Common to Wicker Arches so it must be tough.

For my Gashead mates there’s a ditty to the tune of Home, Home on the Range (which mimics a Blades song) for your delectation and delight.

No S*** fans in town,                                                                                                                                                          

Ashton Gate has been washed out to sea,                                                                                                                              

Danny Wilson is dead, and the (shi) Teds have fled,                                                                                                              

And the year is 1883.

May my coarseness bring you pleasure. Please don’t go the play-off route. Blades doing it will be bad enough.

Laters.