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Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Hi Melissa

Congratulations on entering the TGO. I consider myself a 1st timer - 4 times. Every year I make a new mistake – but thankfully not the same one.....

It is a VERY enjoyable adventure if you like Backpacking. But do not be mislead that it is easy. It is not. Each year I pick an easy route and usually by day 4 I am into the “what the hell am I doing here’ mode. However, each year I have been lucky to meet someone to share a drink & meal with and the “what possible could go wrong” mode switches in. Then all is well.

Leave the hills for your #3 + crossings. You will be back. Good Luck

William

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Welcome Melissa. It will be challenge enough to get from Oban to the Cairngorms and beyond without trying to fit in Loch Lomand at the same time. Perhaps come up a day or two early for the southern bit on your way to Oban? When it comes to Scotland, I can't really tell what's a National Park vs other wild places, it is not a distinct boundary, it is all beautiful, desolate and somewhat hard to access. What lucky people we are to travel through it on our (sometimes convoluted) way to the east coast.

Unless you decide to tackle hills, snow shouldn't pose much of a problem although I've had flurries in some glens....

Here is my unsolicited advice for a comfortable crossing:

Know your gear.
Take care of your feet, whatever that means to you.
Don't take too much, use layers, multi-functional items.
Ship to Montrose (or home) used maps or whatever is superfluous as you go.
Stay at a campsite, bunkhouse, hotel every 4 or 5 days if your budget allows. These places will typically allow you to ship supplies to them for your next stage + Warm water feels good.
Drinking water is typically abundant, no need to carry too much at one time.
Change your route if necessary, just let Challenge Control know your plan.
Practice your compass navigation skills beforehand & carry paper maps, satellites/GPS/batteries/electronics can fail or become unavailable.
Have a system to keep your rucksack contents dry. Its awful wet out there.

Oh, there's more but you'll figure it out. Its a Challenge!

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Welcome to the Challenge Melissa!

It's terribly addictive, you'll meet friends you never knew you had, and it's just great fun. I'm afraid it's a bit like Royston Vasey... you'll never leave :-)

I'd agree with all the advice you've had so far.....even Andrew's



I suggest reading some of the Blog reports to get a feel for the event and perhaps some route ideas.

On my first Challenge I too struggled to decide on a route. I ended up reading past reports and then highlighted, on a small scale map, many of the interesting places mentioned....it was then just a matter of joining up the dots. I ended up with a hugely enjoyable route that has ensured that I return to Scotland in May every year.

I look forward to seeing you in May!

JJ

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Thanks JJ. That's great advice, starting to dig through past blogs and plotting spots that sound interesting, the route is starting to come together.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Thanks a lot for the helpful tips Julie. All advice is very much solicited!

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

I'm starting to understand that the Challenge isn't someone one does only once! Thanks for your wise advice.

Not planning any big hills, I don't think that would add much to my enjoyment of the event (and quite possibly would detract from it!)

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Melissa

As a first timer myself, I recognise several of the issues you're working through. I considered Oban as a start too, as to keep the logistics simple I'm going to pick a start on the railway or a very short bus ride away at worst. But it hasn't taken me long to rule out Oban - it's too far south of any of the really good stuff. So I'm looking at Mallaig, Dornie, Shiel Bridge, Lochailort as my likely start points.

The approach I'm taking is to pick the key staging points along the route - the resupply points and social hubs to be visited every 4 days or so - and simply join these up with a low level route. I'm then simply going to look at what's high near to my low level route and build a few detours in, and then I have a ready made FWA in my low level route.

I looked at the map and saw so many things I want to include that my route would look like a spiders web. I can't do them all, so I'm picking a few places that logically lie near to a straight-ish route across, making sure I have a bit of variety and leaving it at that. Obviously that then leaves plenty for future years!!

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

I often plan much of my crossing before I decide on my start point.

Most crossings (other than ones starting at Oban or Ardrishaig, or those going through inverness) consist of four distinct sections:-

1. Start point to Great Glen
2. Great Glen to A9
3. A9 to Angus Glens
4. Angus Glens to the coast

I usually find that the best place to start planning is the Great Glen - as there are fewer Great Glen crossing points than there are start points. Then I decide where I'd like to cross the A9 and plan my route between the two.

Then I decide where I'd like to hit the Angus Glens, and plan my route from the A9 to the Angus Glens. Then I push on to the coast and work out where I'm going to finish. And finally I go back and work out which start point to use to get to my Great Glen crossing point, and figure out my route between the two.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Mine's working out in similar fashion. I have a much better idea of what I want to do in the middle, and am keeping a bit of an open mind about which of my shortlist of start points it will be until I see what works best with the middle bit.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Jeremy, this is very helpful for a first timer who doesn't know the area well to help me break things down into more manageable chunks. Thanks for sharing.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Hi Matt,

I took am very much considering a Dornie or Malliag start at this point. Oban would be the easiest for me I think as I need to take into consideration public transport and travel time from London but as you said, all the interesting stuff seems pretty far away.

Very helpful to read your process on putting your route together, seems a sensible approach and I've started doing the same- plotting some interesting sites and social hubs and trying to link them up.

I hope your planning goes well and perhaps see you in May!

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Melissa -

Dornie is a great start point. Take the sleeper to Inverness, the morning train to Kyle of Lochalsh, and the afternoon bus from Kyle to Dornie. Spend the night at the Dornie Hotel and you're right on the spot to sign the register next morning.

Alternatively, from Kyle you can walk across that controversial bridge thing, down through Skye to Kylrea and take the turntable ferry to Glenelg. Same principel applies.

Or, if you don't feel like riding the train all the way to Kyle, you can hop off it at either Strathcarron or Plockton. Both are Challenge start points.

You'll find a lot of fellow Challengers on the sleeper ... and a gathering at the Bree Louise (just to the west of Euston) the evening before it sets sail.

You can even leave all your maps in the Bree Louise, and somebody will dash onto the platform with them and hand them to you a couple of minutes before the train departs ...

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Haha! Sounds like someone has discovered the Bree Louise map delivery service first hand

Great tips, thanks a lot Jeremy, very helpful.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Melissa
Haha! Sounds like someone has discovered the Bree Louise map delivery service first hand


You can read all about it in my blog:

http://tworoutes.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/the-2015-challenge-getting-to-start-1.html


(You've got to copy-and-paste into your browser's address bar, I'm afraid, because I'm not clever enough to do one of those clicky links)

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Jeremy Burrows

(You've got to copy-and-paste into your browser's address bar, I'm afraid, because I'm not clever enough to do one of those clicky links)

As if by magic....

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Judith

As if by magic....


... a clever person appears

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Jeremy Burrows
Judith

As if by magic....


... a clever person appears


Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Dornie start for me.
Across to N Affric Hills.
Sleeper Wed to Inverness with aperitifs in the Bree.
Then Citylink bus to Dornie.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

The way my planning is looking, think I might be a Dornie start too. Quite attracted by starting and ending the walk with a castle - Eilean Donan to Dunnottar.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Ha! I'm thinking exactly the same thing. Still early days but nice to have a theme, and might throw in some more castles along the way.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Exactly. I've been struggling to narrow down the choices and having been attracted to Dunnottar as a finish the logical thought was start at a castle too. Then I started thinking about adding some more in. So current thinking is to head through Glen Affric to Dumnadrochit and Urquhart castle, find a way across the Monadhliath somehow, then Glen Feshie to Braemar for another castle. It ticks off a decent number of the things I wanted to include so that's the way my route is looking so far...

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Yes, for a peace-loving people we have a surprising number of brochs, duns, caisteals, forts and fortified houses; for defence purposes, of course. One of the simplest but most atmospheric is the vitrified Pictish fort near Drumnadrochit at NH 499 295.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

John -

You make the classic error of those not schooled in mediaeval warfare, of thinking that castles are DEFENSIVE in nature. They are not. They are OFFENSIVE in nature.

A castle is the principal means by which you can maintain an army in the field in hostile territory, dominate the surrounding area, subjugate the people, suppress any uprisings before they can gather cohesion and coherence, and choose whether, and when, and where to offer battle to any hostile force in the field.

Castles, by and large, are evidence of ht ehostility of the invader, not the people invaded. Why do you think Longshanks threw a ring of castles around Wales? To subdue the people. Why do you think Bruce tore down th castles of Scotland? So they could no longer be used by the English as a tool for the oppression of the Scots people.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Jeremy, you'll be telling me next that the wall across Northern England was built by the Romans; we all know that it was actually built by the Southern Picts who wanted to leave a pan European Union. How times have changed!

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

john donohoe
you'll be telling me next that the wall across Northern England was built by the Romans


Don't be silly, John. The Romans had slaves to do their manual labour for them!

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

Your history books, influenced by Saxon, Viking and Norman conquerors, clearly don't cover the activities of the United Pictland Independence Party, UPIP, and their heroic struggle to take back control, Prexit.

Re: First Timer Just Getting Started

I normally manage to pick unsociable routes! All my challenge reports are at www.meip.co.uk so if you want company avoid my routes!