Final Post

Last night we had a very nice evening visiting with fellow challengers at the banquet. We mostly sat with Peter, Cody, and TJ, but we also spent some time with Immo, and some of our new friends from this year.

Team Canada!

It reminded us of why this event is such a unique experience. It’s amazing to see 300-400 strangers all coming together to go through a difficult but rewarding experience, all being supportive to one another, and all being open to new friends and relationships. I even think Mandy might be softening from her “This is my final crossing” theme!😁. She might be back for another one at some point in the future... 🤞🏻

A Few Random Thoughts:

Best pieces of kit: JM - Hoka boots were super cushiony, feet were much less sore than other trips, Mandy - Therm-a-Rest air mattress, wasn’t cold once or waterproof trousers: easy on and off, light, and waterproof!!  Both - The Katadyn water filtration system was top notch: easy to use, fast filtration, light to carry, and easy to store - highly recommended!

Kit we didn’t use once: gaiters (not sure why because we usually wear them most days), Mandy’s Scottish romance novel (was going to be read in the tent at night, but she must have been as tired as I was) UPDATE - The book was read in full on the airplane on the way home - wasn't worth the carrying 😠

Meal choices: Best - Salami, cheese, mustard flatbread sandwiches for lunch ~5 times. Worst - freeze dried shepherds pie (difficult to prepare, over-spiced)

Favourite location passed: JM - The Lairig Ghru, Mandy - Evening descent into Aviemore from the Monadhliath with views of Cairngorms and Lairig Ghru

Least favourite location: Tick infestation in Glen Strathfarrar


We are in Glasgow this evening all set for our flight home tomorrow. We are both excited to see the boys, and the kitties, and maybe get back to our normal routine for a bit. I want to thank everybody who has followed our blog, and all the kind words of support that we received during the crossing. It was very thoughtful and helpful, and really made a difference to us!! We want to especially thank our UK friends and family - Moira for spending the evening with us in Ballater, Howard for the supportive and very humorous e-mail messages, and Joyce our adoptive Scottish mum for her hospitality and constant encouragement. We love all of you guys, and might have been too miserable to make it across if it wasn’t for you!!!
I think that’s it for this trip!! Thanks again and goodnight!!

Day 12 - Fettercairn to St. Cyrus

WE MADE IT!!!

TGOC 2022 - Complete!!!

North Sea Toe Dip

After 12 days, plenty of ups and downs (literally and emotionally), many many gorgeous views, some lovely encounters with Scottish people and other challengers, and lots of walking, we made it to the North Sea at St. Cyrus beach yesterday afternoon.

The walk itself went incredibly fast.  I am pretty sure that there were flames shooting out from our heels, and a vapour trail coming off of our packs. 😜 We took one small break at the two-thirds point where Amanda found a 4-leaf clover that would help make sure the rest of the walk went well…

Good Hiking Omen 😬

The toughness of the past two weeks seemed to melt away as we took our last few steps towards the ocean, and we felt happiness, accomplishment, and relief. ☺️ The sun was shining, and it could not have been a more perfect place to finish.

St. Cyrus Beach

After a few pictures, and a few moments savouring the moment we headed back up the cliffs and down the block to celebrate with a Scottish Tablet ice cream cone, as you do when you are in Scotland! For all my North American friends Scottish tablet is similar to fudge but it has a more brittle, grainy texture. I was given some as an emergency life-saving supply at the beginning of my big walk in 2019. When I needed it, it truly saved the day. Thanks again for that, Joyce!! Anyways, the ice cream version did not disappoint!

Scottish Tablet Ice Cream Cone - Yummy!!!

When we were done, we hopped a bus and made our way to Montrose where you officially check back in at Challenge Control, receive your certificate and t-shirt, and meet up with other challengers. It is always a nice moment to sit in chairs and take it easy, without having to worry about setting up camp, or what route will be best tomorrow, or how many ticks I will find on my legs tonight...🤮

After some socializing we checked in to the hotel and got cleaned up a little. Not having done laundry for about eight days now, I was desperate to find a laundrette. I went to the front desk, and the lady said that this would sound a little silly but I should head over to the Shell station up the road....

Scottish Laundrette 🤣

No matter, it worked and we have clean clothes again and are feeling like a million bucks!!
Once we were back from doing laundry all of the challengers were starting to gather in the bar for pre-banquet celebration. We joined in and met up with some friends from previous and current crossings - Rich and Pete from our 2017 crossing, Douglas and Graham from Mandy’s 2019 crossing, Sabine, Barbara, and Heidi from this crossing, as well as some others we hadn’t met before. It was great fun. When the banquet started (we are going to the Friday night banquet) there was only us and Jamie, Mario, Petr left. We had met them briefly on the way to Fettercairn. They asked if we wanted to join for a curry dinner, and we gladly accepted. I can’t describe the feast we had, other than to say it was some of the best Indian cuisine I’ve ever had, and the company was top notch also! After dinner we headed back to the hotel bar for some post-banquet celebrations, and ended up heading to our room after midnight - full bellies, and happy feet, for a rest as long as we wanted!!😴
It is now Friday morning, and we are lazily laying in our single beds, drinking coffee/tea, catching up on life, with very few plans for the day. Tonight our friends Peter and the boys, and Immo will have arrived for the banquet. We are looking forward to another reunion with them and everybody else. Tomorrow we will head to Glasgow for the night, to catch our flight back on Sunday morning.
I’ll probably add one more post tomorrow with some final thoughts. Thanks again for all of the support these past two weeks. The comments, messages, positive vibes, have all been very helpful and so appreciated. Knowing that our friends have been following along has meant the world to us, and without a doubt helped keep us going. Thanks everybody, we love all of you!! ❤️❤️❤️

Day 12 Route - 17.75 km, 195 m ascent

Day 11 - Water Of Feugh to Fettercairn

I didn’t get a great sleep last night. For some reason I woke up for a couple hours around midnight, then when I finally did get to sleep I had a nightmare and woke up screaming. 🤪 Maybe it was the excitement of the final two days, I’m not sure...
We went to bed in the rain, but were fortunate to wake up without it. We packed up the tent for the last time and were on our way by 7:55. We had 23 km all on the road to do today. The highlight would be Cairn o’ Mount, which would be our last high mountain pass of the trip. Mother Nature didn’t want to cooperate and made it very windy and wet for us. The view up top was very nice, and we got our first view of the North Sea, and our final destination!!
The walk down into Howe Of The Mearns towards Fettercairn provided many beautiful country views - rolling hills, agricultural fields, forests, gorse and broom, sheep pastures, all mixed together.

Ruins On The Way Down To Fettercairn

The sun came out for the last 7 km, so we got rid of the waterproofs and enjoyed the rest of the walk. The approach into town is very picturesque. We stopped at the shop for a cold drink, and then headed for the hotel.

These Wings Would Have Helped 11 Days Ago!!!

When we got there we realized it was only 13:30!! Our excitement for the comforts of a hotel in addition to only having one more day left must have really impacted our pace today. Fortunately they checked us in, and it has been an easy afternoon/evening of tea/coffee, relaxing, tv, more relaxing, dinner, more tv and relaxing, and one more tea/coffee.

Off The Feet - Kit About To Explode!!

Our kit exploded all over the room for some drying and reorganizing, and will have to be repacked in the morning.

After-Dinner Stroll

Tomorrow we have breakfast at 8:00, and then an easy 18 km hike to the North Sea at the beach in St. Cyrus. We had a nice FaceTime with Joyce and Moira this evening and Amanda has promised them that we will take a dip in the North Sea when we get there, so stay tuned for that...🥶

We are off to bed now on the eve of our last walk, filled with happiness, anticipation, and some relief. It will be great to see some of our fellow crossers in Montrose tomorrow night and exchange stories and experiences from everybody’s adventure.
Thanks again for reading, and good night!!

UPDATE - If you ever find yourself staying in the area, we highly recommend the Ramsay Arms Hotel.  The room was amazing, the meals were amazing, and above all the service was second to none.  We were checked in early without any bother and everybody was so friendly and helpful.  I can not think of anything that they could have improved on!

Day 11 Route - 22.5 km, 480 m ascent

Day 10 - Ballater to Water Of Feugh

A long day of walking today after deciding to keep off the tops. We decided to head to Aboyne via the Deeside Way, and then south to a campground just north of Water of Feugh near Whitestone.

The Deeside Way Marker

We made quick work of the leg to Aboyne on flat pathway, arriving just in time for lunch at the local tea house. On the way we met some very kind and inquisitive people, who wanted to know what we were up to, where we came from, and where we were headed. It was fun to chat with everybody, and a great diversion from all the walking. This is a part of the crossing that makes it so special. It is a really good opportunity to meet local people, and learn more about Scotland and its culture.

Foot Bridge Over River Dee

The second half of the day was a grind. The last ten kilometres had us put our waterproofs on

Micro-Break On The Home Stretch

One funny bit was when Amanda started talking to a group of coos who were taking a nap in the corner of a field. They must have liked what she was saying because they all got up and followed her for a few hundred meters on the other side of the fence. We had a good laugh. 🤣

Amanda And Her Posse Of Coos 🤣

We were relieved when we finally arrived at the campground, and pleased to receive an iced lolly along with our check-in 😁

Iced Lollies!!!

It was cold and rainy so we didn’t do too much other than cook dinner (3 chicken noodle packs) and relax in the tent. There are three other challengers here, Barbara who started in Shiel Bridge (on her 17th), Heidi who started in Dornie (on her 2nd), and Sabine!!! It’s fun being with other challengers now, and we hope to see a few more in our last two days.

This is our last night in the tent. We will be in a Hotel in Fettercairn tomorrow, and finished the next day. 😁🎉🍻😢 

Last Night In Tent Selfie

Day 10 Route - 34 km, 290 m ascent

Day 9 - Braemar to Ballater

Today would be a mixture of woodland trails and road walking on the 29 km distance between Braemar and Ballater.

Woodland Selfie

We had a pretty restful sleep last night. It did not rain for too long, but the sound of rain on the tent can be somewhat soothing - as long as it stays outside!! The campground started stirring quite early when our next door neighbour thought it would be a good idea to start talking and packing up around 5:50...🤪. We tried our best to stay sleeping, but by about 6:30 we got up and started our own preparations. Getting on the trail early is always a bonus, and we did a good job today by starting our walk at 7:30.

We have seen some of the devastation done by Storm Arwen last November on this current trip, and today was another good example. There are so many mature trees that fell victim to the storm, and it is a bit sad to see it first hand.

The first half of the walk was pleasant and uneventful. We did connect with one challenger early in the day but that only lasted for about 15 minutes as he peeled off in another direction. At about the halfway mark we made it to Balmoral Estate which is home to Balmoral castle where the royal family take their Scottish vacations twice per year. We saw several beautifully groomed horses being walked and trained on the front side of the estate. It was very impressive. Before we know it we were in front of the castle itself. There looked to be lots of people on the grounds touring and visiting. It was a nice diversion on the walk and we were both happy to have seen it.

Amanda Playing Hiking Pole Golf On The Balmoral Course

View Of Balmoral Castle

The second half of the walk was a little tedious, but we have gotten better at taking more frequent rest stops throughout the day which seems to help temporarily rejuvenate the feet for another 30-60 minutes.

Rest Stop

Interesting Things We Saw Today 1 - Gnome Village

Interesting Things We Saw 2 - Several Stone Bridges

We were really pushing near the end and resorted to playing some music from my phone to keep our minds off our feet. It was about 3:15 when we finally walked in to Ballater. We found a tea house first, since we couldn’t check in at the hostel until 5:00. We shared a sandwich and soup, and had tea and cappuccino. After a good rest we headed to the grocery store to stock up for the next couple of days. Our very good friend Moira who we first met during TGOC 2017, and who was going to meet us here for the evening, spotted us on our way out of the store and gave us a very warm greeting right away. It was sooooo good to see her!! I didn’t know, but she booked into the hostel for the night as well so we could spend the whole evening together. What an amazing treat!!

After checking in and showering up, the three of us met for tea in the common area, then headed over to the hotel for dinner. Dinner was amazing, as was the company!! We had many laughs, and Moira shared some great stories with us. It was a great diversion from the crossing, and it is already a fond memory for us! Thank you,
Moira!!! ❤️

Three Amigos!!

We will likely remain on our FWA tomorrow as after reviewing the planned route, we both agreed it was going to be too arduous for the current weather forecast, and for our current state of mind.🤪 We will be out of service for two days and will update again on what should be the eve of our last day walking.

Thanks again for reading, everybody. Goodnight!!!

Day 9 Route - 28.75 km, 285 m ascent

Day 8 - Corrour Bothy to Braemar

We woke up from Bothy night dry and warm as promised, but not fully rested. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, it’s a little awkward sleeping in tiny place with a group of complete strangers. We were still glad to have done it, but I think we were both looking forward to being back in our cozy tent tonight.
It didn’t take us too long back on the trail to realize that we were both feeling a little weary. After some discussion we decided to take our Fowl Weather Alternative / Feeling Weary Alternative (FWA) off our planned route, and into Braemar. We knew we would likely be able to get a spot at the campground, and would hopefully get to meet up with some other challengers, which is a big part of the whole experience. Not long after making our decision and bearing off the original course we ran into Immo from the bothy. So fun!! We played leapfrog with him all day, and had a good time discussing various topics. It was so nice to finally be interacting with some challengers!! The walk went very well, and we were at the camp site in Braemar by 3:30 after having stopped for tea and cake at Gordon’s Tea House, a challenger favourite.

JM Looking Weary On The Approach To Braemar

As we were setting up in the tent area of the campground, a good challenger friend of ours, Sabine, came running over to greet us. We did not expect to see her, so it was a very nice surprise for us. Sabine is a German legend in the challenge, for her hiking ability and route choices, as well as her status as most friendly and social challenger!! We first met her on our TGOC crossing in 2017, when she showed up to Melgarve Bothy, made friends with everybody, and shared around her Russian Rocket Fuel, that may have contributed to a few headaches the next day. 🤣

Campground Shot

After showers and set-up time we decided to head into town for dinner. We were lucky to cross paths with Sabine, and two other challengers, Mike who we did not know, and Graham who Amanda had met at Tarfside during TGOC 2019. We went to Farqhuarson’s Pub and had a great time visiting with other challengers including Immo, and filling our bellies!  It felt great to be around other challengers comparing notes, and sharing all of our experiences on the crossing so far.

Happy Challengers!!

We headed back to our tents around 9:00, and as I have been writing this it has started to rain outside. No bother, we are snug in our sleeping bags and ready for a long night of comfortable sleep.

Goodnight all, and thanks for reading!!!

Day 8 Route - 23 km, 445 m ascent

Day 7 - Aviemore to Corrour Bothy

We had an easy start today, due to a shorter planned distance. The alarm was set for 7:45, with breakfast being served at 8:00. This was our first proper breakfast since starting the walk seven days ago, and it was delicious!!! Fresh fruit, yoghurt, eggs, bacon, toast, tea, and coffee. Yummy!!!
After breakfast we headed into town to pick up a few items, and our groceries for the next four days. With that done we were on our way.
Today we were going to go through the Lairig Ghru, which I have been looking forward to since we put this route together. The Lairig Ghru is a famous mountain pass through the Cairngorm Mountains that is well known and often visited within the Scottish hiking community. It provides access to many well-known Munros. It also comes highly recommended by our future route-vetter Howard, so how could we possibly not be excited about it!
The approach to the Lairig Ghru is via a nice forest trail. Once we broke through the trees the views did not disappoint, and continued all the way to our stopping point at Corrour Bothy.

Mandy Heading Into The Lairig Ghru

The trail is quite grueling and you have to remember to stop yourself to look around because if you aren’t focusing on your feet you will be on your face!

Mini-Break Before The Summit

The boulder fields were fun to rock hop through but we started to get tired on the descent to Corrour.

Boulder Field On Way To Summit

Post-Summit Selfie

We had planned on stopping a few kilometers short of the bothy, but based on the weather (high winds, wet) and the terrain, we decided the bothy would be best, even if we had to camp on the lawn around it.

Approach To Bothy

When we finally arrived there were already four tents up. A nice German fellow greeted us at the door, and he let us know that he was the only one planning to stay in there so far. Jackpot!! We went in and picked a spot for ourselves and got settled. By the end of the evening there were six of us in the Bothy and about a dozen tents outside.

Inside The Bothy

UPDATE - We had some great conversations with so many people, and really enjoyed the evening. There were Munro-baggers, some weekend hikers, and one amazing hiking dog, Cooper. We found out that the German who first talked to us, Immo, was also on the challenge!! Our first encounter other than Peter and the boys with a challenger only took seven days!!

The sleeping part was dry and warm but a little awkward. Six people in a tiny space like that makes for some interesting noises throughout the night, not to mention it is impossible not to wake everybody up if you have to go outside for the call of nature. Aside from that we are happy to have had one bothy night, and to wake up warm and dry tomorrow morning.

Day 7 Route - 22.75 km, 670 m ascent

Day 6 - Glen Mazeran to Aviemore

Last night while reviewing the maps, we decided we would try and push all the way to Aviemore, which would add an extra 9 km to today’s hike. This would keep us off what we knew would be a windy ridge for the night, and would reduce the distance required to head down the Lairig Ghru the next day.
We woke to sunshine and agreed the plan was a good one, and we would give it our best effort. We knew it was going to be a big day of walking with two big climbs, and one off-trail section, that would take us out of the Monadhliath mountains and put us on the doorstep of the Cairngorm mountains.

Mid-Day Picture

Small Stream Crossing

Things were going well until we were nearing  the top of our first climb which would lead right into the off-trail bit. The mood changed significantly and things went a little sideways. I think it is safe to say that we both mentally divorced the other one for a good two hours.🤣 After things calmed down, and probably because there was nobody else around to chat with (we only saw one person all day), we both mentally got back together and everything is now fine again. ❤️ Phew!!! This is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one, so we are not completely surprised that things can get a little tense. Once back on speaking terms we did a little debrief on what things have been contributing to this being a tougher challenge than the others: start point selected (very remote), start date (no other Challengers around to comiserate with - thank you WestJet!!😡), the terrain has been more rugged than past crossings (makes for sore feet and bodies), the tick infestation of Days 2 through 5 (today is our first tick-free day since then 🤞🏻). Despite all of this we have been truly blessed to have walked through some one-of-a-kind scenery, and have not forgotten the fact that we wanted to do this. The last part of our walk today provided one of those unbelievable moments that we hope for and always remember when doing these trips. As we crested the final climb of the day between Geal-charn Mor and Geal-charn Beag, we were treated to an absolutely gorgeous sight - the Cairngorm mountains were stunning, with a small sun spotlight highlighting the entrance to Lairig Ghru where we are headed tomorrow. I can’t describe it well enough here, other than to say I will never forget that moment.

Cairngorm Mountains - Words Or Picture Can’t Do It Justice

We have had a very nice evening. After showering up we headed back downtown to the Cairngorm Hotel for a drink (Mandy - Strongbow on tap, JM - Bellhavens Best on tap) and dinner (Mandy - Cajun chicken, JM - fish pie). On the way back to our B&B we stopped at Tesco for a mini-tub of ice cream. We are now catching up on the blog, and messages, and will be heading to bed soon. Please note our next update will be in four evenings as we will be out of service until then.

Progress update: we passed the 50% complete mark today on a distance covered basis!!! 🎉🤪😴. Favourite part so far: Mandy - B&Bs, JM - view of the Cairngorms today. Least favourite part so far: Mandy - bog, peat, heather bashing, JM - the 15 or so ticks pulled off my body so far 🤮.

Health update:
Mandy - Half dead 😂, blisters not really improving
JM - Blisters steady with a possible third one developing

Day 6 Route - 31.25 km, 885 m ascent

Day 5 - Drumnadrochit To Glen Mazeran

We had an easy night last night laying around, updating the blog, and eating fresh fruit and veggies - yum!! We turned in around 11:00 and set our alarm for 6:15 so that we could be at the ferry (about 3.5 km away) for 8:00. We were super-excited because we thought we would get to see our friend Peter and his two boys, Cody and Tyrell there.

The weather looked promising when we got up, and we were away from the B&B (without breakfast because it was too early 😢), by 6:50. We made it to the ferry at Temple Pier at 7:35 for the 8:00 crossing which turned out to be the 8:30 crossing. We waited around with a couple of ducks who befriended us.

Our New Friends!!

Gordon, the ferry operator showed up around 8:20 to get things ready. His commute is about a 20 meter walk - not bad!! We had a good chat. Gordon plays a vital role in the TGOC crossing. If you look at a map of Scotland you will see that Loch Ness is a huge obstacle to walking across the country west to east, since it runs about 36 km in a north-south direction. Gordon’s ferry trip from Drumnadrochit on the West banks to Inverfairigang on the East banks is one of only a few approved mechanical assists for challengers. He told us he has taken about 105 challengers across Loch Ness this year with us being the last trip. He is a legend in the TGOC circle, and it was an honour for us to meet him!

A few minutes later Peter and his boys came strolling down to the pier. Amanda didn’t miss a beat and stood up to sing Oh, Canada! at the top of her lungs to bring them in. Everybody had a good laugh! 🤣 It was so nice to see Peter again, and to see our first Challengers so far this crossing - we were the last five to leave Torridon, so we likely won’t see too many more.

The Ferry

Gordon And The Five Canadian Challengers

As we pulled out of the pier, Gordon pointed out that one of our duck friends was coming along for the ride, standing on the back platform of the boat. We then noticed that our other duck friend was in hot pursuit! She caught up and landed right beside the other duck. They were both rewarded by Gordon with a piece of bread to split. It was a pretty amazing sight!!

The 20-minute ride flew by because we were all catching up on each-others route so far. We were relieved to hear that Peter and the boys have had some of the same struggles we have so far. Unfortunately for them they are struggling with bad blisters. They may modify their route a bit to help themselves deal with their feet. Unfortunately we were not able to walk with them today, as they had a shorter day and were going to take some time in Inverfairigang to cook breakfast and tend to their wounds. We may see them again in a few days because our routes will cross in Glen Avon. It was so nice to see them and catch up, and I really hope to see them again in Glen Avon.
Today was going to be one of our bigger days of walking - 30 km, 975m ascent. The first 12 km was on the road through Errogie (birth place of the perogy, Joyce?? 😆) to Aberarder House, and did not feel that great. We were not sure if 30 km was going to happen at that point. We did have a good laugh when the call of nature had Amanda stop in a less than ideal stretch of road. Wouldn’t you know it, after seeing nobody for the longest time two cyclists came by at the worst moment!! We all had a good laugh, and they were both gentlemen about it. Some times you just can’t win!! 🤷🏻‍♀️
As we turned off the road on to trail we decided to take a break and get our boots off for a little bit. We made our second salami and cheese flatbread of the day, and enjoyed the sun, and the lack of cars zooming by. This must have helped because we couldn’t be stopped after that. We had a sizeable climb into the Monadhliath Mountains alongside Allt Mor.  We had a quick FaceTime with our good friend Sarah half way up - she gave us a good pep talk that kept us going. There was a stone dining hut near the top where we stopped for a quick snack and water refill.

Stone Hut

Snack/Break Time

From there we had a 2 km off trail peat hag and heather bashing session. As far as that type of waking goes it was in amazingly dry condition for this time of year, but it definitely took a lot out of us. It took us an hour and a half to complete it, but then we were back on track for the rest of the way into Glen Mazeran. Mandy’s thoughts - BRUTAL!!!🤬 JM’s thoughts - that went pretty well. 🤣

We were a little disappointed to find the glen where we are staying full of sheep, but we have made the best of it. We are pitched up in a small type of gravel pit on the side of the trail. We are protected from the wind but have noticed a sheep on the top rim of the pit, who has been kicking small gravel down towards us. I think there might be a boulder or two sent our way in the night if we are not careful!🤣

Tonight’s Camp Site

We are planning to go an extra 6 or 7 km again tomorrow into Aviemore, and May stay at the campground - will keep everybody posted.

Amanda is asleep already and I’m headed there too.  Goodnight everybody, and thanks for reading!!

Nighty-Night!!!

Dinner: Rice pilaf with curry mango chicken skewers. JM dessert - Belvita chocolate chip bar.

Heath update:
Mandy - mentally disturbed 🤪, blisters stable but not yet improved
JM - blisters improving, knee good today

Highlight of day: Another RAF Typhoon flyby over the Monadhliath mountains - hope it wasn’t another Russian bogie!!😳

Mandy future crossing update: Still not happening.🤣 Mandy thinks being on vacay with our friend Jay Hotte sounds better - she is currently exploring Italy, enjoying the culture and food.
Future route-vetter if Mandy does do another crossing will be our good friend Howard - his pre-crossing assessment of the current route was WHOA, EPIC SQUARED!!! Right on the money, Howard!!

Day 5 Route - 29.5 km, 975 m ascent