Although not very taxing there is a really nice Wades Road out of Inverness leading cross country to The Slochd and from there any number of interesting ways to the east coast. I know that Alan Sloman used a route east from Inverness via the Clava Cairns some years ago (2009 I think) so you may find a report on his blog. It's worth buying the maps, then lay them out on the floor, it's amazing how routes jump out at you when all the maps form a continuous view across the country.

William,

Good to see that you have not been put off by the dampish conditions this year and are going to have another bash next year. Although coastal walking is not my thing I can confirm what Colin and Grumpy say in that there are some excellent routes out of the Inverness area. It all depends where, roughly, you wish to finish on the east coast and if you specifically want to follow the coast. There is the Moray Coastal Trail which will allow part of the coastline to be walked but I would say come SE out of Inverness, say perhaps on the old Wade Road to the Moy area and then head east. There is some absolutely scrummy country around here. I'm sure that Jean Turner will be reading this post at some stage, and being an ex-local will be able to give you some specific advice.

In the meantime, perhaps think about bringing your wellies for GOC 2013 as it has rained, in some form or other, virtually every day up here in Aberdeenshire since this years event. Let me know if I can help with any specific bits.


regards,

Colin

Actually, we have this http://www.morayways.org.uk/moray-coast-trail.asp, (sorry, it's not clicky) the Moray Coast Trail, that takes you all the way along the coast from Findhorn to Portsoy, you won't be forced inland at Findhorn behind Kinloss Barracks. The path takes you through the dunes, behind the disused airfield and along the back of Roseisle forest to Burghead. It's lovely on a nice day, but exposed when the weather is rough. Some parts of the path have been washed away, but it has been rerouted just a few paces away from the edge in between the trees. It is well signposted all along the way.
Enjoy!

Hi William
I have a route planned from Torridon via Inverness that finishes at Colliston (or possibly Blackdog Rock) which doesn't involve much road until the last day and then hopefully stretches or road will be interspersed with farm tracks. though I also have an Ardrishaig route planned as well and can't decide which to submit should I be lucky in the draw. Its a wild and probably lonely route versus less dramatic scenery but more yicks on the Munro list a more sociable finish. I do fancy exploring that NE corner though.
Just a thought - if you google OS get-a-map you can join up for, I think £18, and have access to the OS 1:50 an 1:25 maps for the whole UK for a year.
Enjoy the planning!
Ali

Thanks to all for your help. This makes planning a lot easier. Now I just have to work back to see where I will start on the West coast!

The maps are on the way.
I hope the weather is better at your end --- here is is very wet and the weekend walk looks like it will be a lot of mud.

Cheers, William

Look at ""Where,s the Path Mapping System"pretty
good for most route following. Cheers.

Hi, as Colin Tock said, I was bound to be around sooner or later! Sorry I've been too busy to read the board for a few days.

The Moray Coast Path is still, to the best of my knowledge, irritatingly incomplete, although what's there is often pleasant. It's years since I tried it; inland from Inverness at first is obvious (with some small hills which are very hard going cross-country), but what I found really irritating was the lack of anything east of Macduff that would take one through those picturesque coastal villages - Gardenstown (Gamrie), Crovie and Pennan ("Local Hero" set). I went that way on my first ever, and had sought out a number of off-road bits, but in the event, my main tent pole snapped the night before I stopped over with my sister in Portsoy, and I had to take much more road in order to find B&Bs to allow me to continue to Fraserburgh. There is the path of the old Formartine and Buchan railway line at the end, though.

This year, I was again in the north-east, slightly further south (including Clava Cairns, very impressive), and I found lots of off-road possibilities, especially once the weather improved: Ben Rinnes traverse was gorgeous, and the fairly-new Gordon Way (google that) is lovely compared to a lot of new "Ways", and you can easily divert along Bennachie summit ridge. I've gone north of the Don on other routes, too.

As mentioned in an earlier thread, I did put all my nine routes to date in a compressed file which I can easily e-mail to anyone who'd like it. As a native Doric-speaker, I do have a soft spot for what used to be Buchan and Strathbogie!

Hi William

I walked from Spey Bay to Fraserburg this year. I tried to follow the coast as closely as possible and was only pushed inland by a few natural features, road walking was minimal, mainly through the coastal towns and villages. The only road of any significance is from Rosehearty to Fraserburgh along a footpath beside the road (boring but you can see the finish ahead). After Portsoy there are only bits of path, cliff edges, castles, bulls, gannets, dolphins, seals and a famous telephone box among other things to make this a very interesting walk. Don't expect to meet many other Challengers! As Louise said earlier there is a good path from Findhorn to Spey Bay ( I came down the speyside way via Ben Rinnes). I enjoyed it very much and it is very different to most second week routes.

Roger