Hi.

I can't help with the mobile phone question, but https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk might help with the pronunciations. Search the placenames you're after and there will be an audio button to click and listen. Shouldn't worry about it too much, I've lived in Scotland a fair while and my pronunciation is still a bit iffy, but I still manange to find my way across each year. Just.
Enjoy

Can I recommend a prepaid SIM card from Manx Telecom. They have an arrangement with all of the UK networks so that they use any of the available signals. I use it in Scotland, Wales and here in the Yorkshire Dales where signals vary widely but I rarely lose contact. My screen might show 'Manx Telecom Vodaphone' then an hour later 'Manx Telecom Orange'. it simply latches on to the strongest available provider.
All calls and texts within the UK are at normal GB rates. You can order the SIM online from the Isle of Man (mine came within 24 hours) and top up on line.

Hi Minna,
Like you I'm not from the UK, and I'll be using my regular phone for calling in. The cost of a prepaid could be more than the cost of those few calls on my own phone. I'm relying on Whatsapp to call the family back home in the Netherlands.

When in doubt about pronunciation, my source is The Munro Show, available on Youtube. At the start of each walk a distinguished gentleman appeared to help the viewer with the Gaelic. You shuld try it, really helpful :-).

Enjoy the last nervous days of preparations!

Groeten,
Andre Hilhorst
ps. What a great blog!

Hi Minna,

I'm not going to be much help with your phone issues I'm afraid, but amongst others, a chap called Stevie O'Hara is also starting in Mallaig and being Scottish he may be able to help you with your pronunciation - but he'll be the one no doubt jetting straight up to the tops at maximum speed....and don't let him get you into the pub

Just wanted to congratulate you on a nice blog - and some lovely photos.

Enjoy the Stroll, hopefully Rosie and I will bump into you along the way.

Hi Minna, if you are talking about Gaelic pronunciation my advice would be not to worry too much. Sadly you are unlikely to encounter many Gaelic speakers on your crossing. On one trip I learned the 'correct' (Gaelic speakers often disagree about what is correct) pronunciation of all the Munros I climbed - and found that no-one I met had a clue what I was talking about. It is a great poetic language though and if you want to get a sense of it I'd suggest listening to bands like Runrig or Capercaillie who sing some rock songs in Gaelic, or listening to BBC Radio Alba. Hope you enjoy the Challenge and good luck in the Fetteresso Forest . . .

Minnie, if you manage Finnish you should have no problems with Scottish Gaelic, pronounced "Gallic". Generally the first syllable is emphasised and the word ending is sweet and soft. This does not apply to compound words like Kinlochleven where three nouns are run together, a bit like German. BH and MH are pronounced V. Simple, really. Much more difficult are the Scottish dialects like Lallans and Doric that become more pronounced as you travel eastwards, all derived from Germanic and Scandinavian roots. A place and personal name like Strachan can be pronounced Strakin, Strae-kan, or Strawn. Don't worry about making mistakes, Scots are a tolerant and hospitable people.

Thank you so much for all the advice I've got here and by email! Louise, thanks for the walkhighlands.co.uk tip - I can't believe I've never noticed the audio button before! I got some insight (or should I say inhearing ) there. Why I started thinking about pronunciation in the first place was because I watched the film Slumdog Millionaire, and there's a scene where a lady from Kingussie calls these teleoperator guys in India, and they have no idea how to pronounce Kingussie, and neither did I before seeing that film .

About the prepaid phone plan - I might just do as Andre does and try to manage with my Finnish SIM for the Challenge control phone-ins and possible other occasions that might arise. Thanks for all the tips anyway!

Challengers truly are wonderful and heplful people. I can't wait to meet you all soon!

By the way Mark, that "good luck in the Fetteresso forest DOT DOT DOT" - do I hear a warning in there somewhere? I've got a 1:25 000 map printout and the preloaded maps for Viewranger on my phone to keep me from getting lost. Or are you talking about some mystical forest creatures I might have to worry about ...

Two more days at work and then it's going to be two days of full-on preparations (and warding off the cold that's trying to worm its way into my system... thanks to my boss who's been ill at work for two days now..).

Minna

Hi Minna, It's a strange gloomy place and confusing - I believe there are still a few Challengers wandering around there from years ago. Sounds like you are well prepared though. The biggest problem I had when I went through it eleven years ago was that there was a bridge marked on my map near the western boundary of the forest that didn't exist - apparently it never has. I wasted a lot of time hunting for it before making a detour but hopefully this has been corrected on the ViewRanger map? Mind you by the time you get there you will be so happy nothing will matter very much.

Thanks, Mark! I love forests, and thought it would be nice to walk in one after so much time in the more open landscape (which I also love). I've read just about every Challenge blog in the universe and remember thinking that I need to be well prepared to survive all the tracks and junctions and what not.Here's hoping The Fetteresso will not ruin my love for ever... :).