Hi two of us are traveling from Inverness to strath carran on the Saturday morning .the 1st train doesn't leave till 9 am. Any other ideas ? Taxi for 4 to expensive ?

I use http://www.travelinescotland.com/ to check public transport possibilities. If there is nothing suitable then I believe you are stuck with paying for a taxi. Your only other option is to travel up on Friday and stay overnight somewhere.

Firstly, Peter, Lee and Matt - welcome to The Challenge! You're going to have a wonderful crossing, and I very much hope to meet up with you in Montrose to note your tales/tails.

Each to his own, but frankly I'd rather take the train! It's a great journey (sit on the right-hand side of the carriage for best views) and you can walk around and stretch your legs. Single fare is £9.70 - and I guess that a taxi could cost you in the order of £60 absolute minimum - it's a 130 mile round-trip. Plus you'd have to find a driver willing to get up early in the morning.

The 08:58 train gets into Strathcarron at 10:46, and the sign-out point at the Strathcarron Hotel is but 100m hop and a jump from the stop. So you'll have a good eleven more hours of daylight. And the hotel will be open for business. They are humans of the very first water . . .

But in the heel of the hunt it's entirely your choice!

Peter it's a fine train ride. Views are great and heck you arrive a bit later in the morning. The days are long and it won't get dark till very late, so let the train take the strain. Have a pint to kick off and go for it. Not hard. You'll arrive at the first night stop over in the evening. Your not behind anyone. Its not a race. Relax, enjoy.

Yes - Humphrey and Martin are right.

Of course, if your first day is 45km with 1,800+ metres of time, then you might find an earlier start advisable. But I somehow doubt that it is (that's why we have route vetters ... )

Re: Inverness to Strathcarron