Day 52 - No point crying over spilt coffee, tea and water

 

We had ended up travelling back to Fort Augustus last night, taking advantage of a motorhome park-up zone just on the outskirts. That meant Suzanne had to take me back to Invermoriston this morning and the day did not start too auspiciously when we forgot to put away the tray containing tea, coffee and kettle. We had only gone round a couple of bends before the whole lot came crashing down, issues not eased by the fact we hadn't emptied the kettle, either. This had happened once before, with Phil at the helm, and I was once again delighted to head off into the distance and leave somebody else to sort out the mess.

That said, I was also working pretty hard, the first couple of miles being more or less vertical through an ancient pine woodland. It had started drizzling as I set off, so I waterproofed myself up, only for the sun to be out ten minutes later. Being aware how the waterproofing gods work (take them off, it starts to rain), I persevered for a couple of hours until I believed I was safe. Needless to say, within 10 minutes they were back on again, and the day continued in the same vein. At first, I was bemoaning my luck but then realised it was the only issue I had to cope with - I know there will be millions out there who would be glad of a jacket to put on. I gave myself a bit of a talking to and got on with the job in hand.

The Great Glen Way used to stick to the canal and loch banks but Forestry and Land, Scotland have tried to make it a more interesting and challenging trail by introducing new options taking you into high forests and moorland. This has worked a treat for the last couple of days, and I have really enjoyed both. I met another group of American walkers and three Polish chaps but it was very quiet other than that. The birdsong in the trees was tremendous but it was difficult to pick out what birds they were - perhaps I should have taken a recording. A birdsong version of Shazam would be pretty useful, too.

I had a pit stop at a pottery cafe on the way down - if you get the chance, try a piece of pineapple and whisky cake, it could be the future (along with toe socks, of course). That saw me through to Drumnadrochit by 3pm; it was a shorter walk to day, just over 14 miles. Drum, as it is known locally, is about two thirds of the way across Loch Ness, right near Urquhart Castle, the ruins dating back to the 13th Century. These days Drum seems to focus more on being the Monster capital and majors on attractions such as Nessieland. 

As for my stats:

• Miles Walked - 1039.6 (Avg per day - 19.99)
• Miles Still to Walk - 166 (Avg per day - 20.75)
• Avg Blood Sugar Reading over last 7 days - 7.2mmol/l (26 tests)
• Avg Blood Sugar Reading over last 14 days - 7.0mmol/l (60 tests)

It is getting on for a fortnight since the last stats day and the miles columns have changed markedly on my spreadsheet. I am still trying to concentrate on one day at a time and have become even more concerned about picking up a walk-ending injury. I have thought a few times recently about how you think you are indestructable when you are younger and will take risks, even though you have your whole life in front of you. However, when you've done most of your living, you can't see anything but danger in even the simplest task. So it is with my walk; I don't plan on any more bog-hopping over the next eight days, I'll be taking a diversion.

My Great Glen Way ends tomorrow with a 20-miler to Inverness and I have the pleasure of Suzanne joining me for the first few of those before she has to return and finish off mopping up the coffee.