Yes. It's all very well reading wonderful trip reports of dazzlingly good weather and meeting wonderful Challengers.

But life's not like that, is it? I've spent far too many years walking the TGO Challenge with Lord Elpus, a miserable curmudgeon, seeing no-one else for days on end, and on our Challenges it always seemed to be chucking it down, with zero visibility.

Here's a taste of our Challenge from 2015:

Part 1: The first ten million years were the worst

Part 2: and the second ten million years, they were the worst too.

Anyway, have a read. I don't expect you'll enjoy it. As Marvin said: "The third ten million years I didn't enjoy at all. After that I went into a bit of a decline."

C'mon Alan
I've enjoyed every word you've written.
For better or worse you are partly responsible for my feeling that a year without the misery of the challenge is a year wasted.
Change your mind - apply!
Freddy

Hi Freddy

I've had my arm yanked up between my shoulder blades by Miss Whiplash. She's worried Lord Elpus'll think he can go wandering around Scotland on his own again. Last time he did that he made a right pig's ear of it and ended up walking farrsunds 'n farrsunds of miles, from Torridon to Arbroath!

He was all worn out by the time he got back home.

So, I've thrown myself onto the Standby List, with the vague hope of saving the poor wretch's neck once again.

*****


Hi Roger B.

It's all true, Sir. Every word. Every bog, every muddy hillside, every minute of every day of awful freezing cold rain hurled at us by howling Westerlies.

Good grief.

Wonderful Stuff Alan

At last a true account of the joys of Challenging.

Maybe our paths will cross in some soggy, boggy bit of Scotland next year.

Roll on next May for more damp daunderings. (Or should that be squelch on?)