Roy's walk from Lands End to Cape Wrath

Well, home at last after an eventful finish!
Mick and I met at Kylesku as planned, and camped virtually under the new bridge over Loch a' Chairn Bhain. It is a stunningly beautiful part of the world, but unfortunately the local midges were out in force and HUNGRY – for human blood! Even dressed in full battle armour and Eau de Midge the situation was ... difficult. And Mick had brought only a bivvy bag and head net, so he was more exposed than I was.
We walked the next day and camped at the top of a long narrow valley above the tree line. Next morning Mick decided to abandon me to do his own thing, and meet up again at Cape Wrath by catching the ferry and shuttle bus out from Durness.
After looking at the weather forecast with 3 days to go, I decided to compress the third and second last days into one, add on a further 4 miles and get to Sandwood Bay for Saturday night. This would make a long day, finishing at peak ‘midge time’, but would give me best chance of reaching Cape Wrath in time to catch the shuttle bus to Durness without needing a last camp at the end. Although the weather turned damp until about 5pm the arrangement worked out well, and had the great advantage of finishing at Sandwood in a stiff breeze – no midges!

From speaking to people who had previously walked from Sandwood to the Cape, I was expecting an extremely hard last 8 miles taking most of a full day. As a result I awoke at 4-50am and got underway at 06-20. But I must have struck lucky in my route finding because I arrived at the Cape at 10-30am, taking not much over 4 hours, and 2 hours before the first bus!
Mick duly arrived on the bus, and presented me with a celebratory stiff slug of VERY GOOD single malt whisky (aahh!) and a book explaining how I should have done it. This involves taking a motor car and staying in comfortable B&Bs for 2 nights at each stop, with a day’s stroll around the locality each time. NOW HE TELLS ME!!!
After an eventful dash through the night involving filling with the wrong fuel in Mick’s motor, rescue and repair by a local highland garage, and a few catnaps on the way south, we arrived home at 10am on Monday morning, 11th August’08 – job done!!!!!!!!!!!!
To close I would like to thank everyone for their charity donations and for their support and good wishes, and make particular mention of Linda and Joe Trickett on the Isle of Arran, especially Linda who allowed me to commandeer her laundry room for a much needed clean-up operation (hope the smell has faded by now); to Lorna Cosgrove for her very welcome text messages of support, which always seemed to arrive just at the right time when morale was heading down to rock bottom; to Mick McHugh who undertook to retrieve me from the wilderness and helped feed the poor starving Scottish midge population; and to my dear wife Helen, who kept me on track throughout and without whom the whole project would never have got off the ground,.
Last piece of advice for life? When the Scottish midge is hungry, stay in the pub! Cheers everybody. Roy

PS The last photo is of my favourite hill - Suilven!

Having told you that the last entry was the last until Roy gets home, I have now received a blog in the post from Roy - so here it is! H

Thurs 31 July 08, vicinity of Corrie Hallie (beneath An Teallach)
Well all you good people, this will be my last blog live from the "coal face".
Today's traipse consisted of 18.5 hard miles from Kinlochewe (pronounced Kinlockyou) to help make up for the day's delay when my parcel failed to arrive there. Apparently the dear old PO send mail by air to Inverness and distribute from there. But the day my parcel was due, a storm at Inverness prevented them landing. Fortunately it was OK the next day so I only lost the one. That wouldn't ordinarily matter so much, but I'm on a schedule to meet Mick at Kylesku on 7 August for the last four days. I'd hate to be late when he's making such a humongous journey.

I've got the perfect wild camp here., aided by a strong breeze which keeps the little (and large) biting blighters at bay. (Midges and `clegs' - clegs are a kind of Scottish horsefly which actually take small lumps out of you when they bite, they do draw blood!) I'm sitting on a large rock outside my tent on a beautiful evening, a bubbling burn just 50 m away for water, and nobody for miles to disturb the peace.

And all in the backdrop of An Teallach. I retraced my steps here from Corrie Hallie, having called in at the Stepping Stones" arts and crafts shop, hoping to find a tea shop or cafe. Sadly there was nothing - in fact Corrie Hallie consists solely of the Stepping Stones place. However, a lovely lady called Janet gave me a cup of coffee and a plate of biscuits, and revived my spirits enough to propel me back up to this lovely haven.

Sat 2 August, Ullapool
Here I am at Ullapool, last place to take on provisions for 8 days until the tiny hamlet of Kinlochbervie just two days from Cape wrath. Having an extra night's stopover here, allowing me to dry out before the final push. I've decided to revisit the country to the north and west of here, taking in Stac Pollaiah (pron Polly), Suliven and Lochinver on the way to meeting up with Mick.

Yesterday was a wet traipse of 6.5 miles to Inverlael (pron Inveray, followed by a further fast eight miles up the length of Loch Broom into Ullapool. The walk was punctuated by an encounter with another lovely lady at Inverael who supplied me with tea and toast. She had lived in the same house for 77 (yes, seventy seven) years and had no wish to leave it in spite of her two daughters wanting her to move to Ullapool to be close by.

I'm hoping to revisit this area soon with Helen - the warmth of the people really can take the bite out of the wind - and the midges. Well, here's hoping for some good weather for this last ten days or so, with a bit more gritting of teeth I may yet see an end to it - just got to remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other!

And so to close, I would like to thank all who have taken an interest in this little project, and all who have given or are giving to the two charities involved. I hope that Friends for Leisure and East Cheshire Hospice have been able to raise a goodly sum in addition to the contributions attracted directly from our own efforts. Best wishes to one and all. Roy

Hi folks
Well, we're nearly there! This will be the last blog until the man himself writes a final sign-off in ten days or so - the end approaches!

Roy has found the last few weeks hard - not physically so much as emotionally. He's up in the Scottish wilderness now - the part of the walk he most wanted to do - but he's overdosed on incredible views and ready to come home. Several times he's had to carry enough food for four days because there was no shop or habitation of any kind, which he would have relished if it didn't come at the end of several months "on the go".

Following the trend over the course of this walk, he has had more extremes of weather, with scorching hot days and muggy nights. The midges and ticks have been a real problem in spite of the Jungle Formula I've been sending him, and as you will see from the photos below, his silly hat has come into its own.

A friend of ours, Mick, has bravely volunteered to meet Roy at Kylesku (I hope you've all got a good map) on 7 August, walk the last four days with him and then drive him home on 12 or 13 August. So maybe Mick will put in a guest appearance on the final photos.

Here are the latest photos, but as usual I don't know where they are. Roy did mention a particularly dangerous ledge above a cliff, so maybe that's the one with a bit of boot on it. All for now, H

Just had a letter and sd card from Roy. Here's an extract from the letter:
"Rain, rain, rain! The trouble with showers in bonnie Scotland is that they last such a long time - like measured in days! And the trouble with too much rain is the creeping damp you get in the tent. The major concern is keeping the sleeping gear dry. If this gets wet, then - no sleep. No sleep - ultimately leads to failure. And so I go to great lengths to limit "cross contamination" between wet things and dry.

Today I took the chance to wash a few things through. Got away with most things except my cotton shorts, underpants, walking trousers and silk liner for the sleeping bag. Wore my underpants on my head for a while to use body head to dry them, and wrapped my sleeping bag liner round my body. Soggy boots are still causing a problem but now I've got the waterproof socks, maybe they will help."

Back to Helen. I think these two photos are taken from the ferry to (or from)Arran, and on the top of Goat Fell on Arran.

Roy seems determined to cheer himself up by showing us that it doesn't rain ALL the time, and by wearing his silly hat at every opportunity.

He's looking forward to getting up in the "big hills" near Fort William, then it's the final leg from Fort William to Cape Wrath. He's getting a bit homesick, but hopefully now I've sent him the waterproof socks, they will give him a boost! Helen

Hi folks
I've just received an sd card from Roy, but as usual, no clues as to where any of the photos are, so we'll just have to guess.
He has gone west at speed, mainly because there's not much point hanging about in the rain! His boots are causing concern because of the problems of being permanently wet, leading to an increased danger of blisters. Also, occasionally a campsite owner or farmer's wife has taken the boots away to dry, but is suspected of drying them too fast, leading to cracking etc. Roy suspects that they are actually leaking now, but doesn't want to buy new ones this trip. He's talked to a cyclist who has recommended "sealskinz" socks which claim to be completely waterproof. I've ordered a pair for Roy to try, so he may end up being the only person to attempt the Scottish Highlands in leaky boots but waterproof socks! On the bright side, he is very pleased with his tent.

He insists that I show you that when he can buy fresh food (eg broccoli) he eats very well, even if it does all have to be cooked and eaten from one pan!

Roy came across this post, and explanation, along his Southern Upland Way route.

Roy's route has taken him through Jedburgh (maybe this is Jedburgh Castle??), Traquair, Tibbie Shiels (highest inn in Scotland), Beattock, Brattleburn (good bothy), Wanlockhead (youth hostel)and Sanquhar. With his love of trees, he obviously thought this one was worth a photo.

From Sanquhar, there was a bit of a change of plan. The Southern Upland Way (and Roy's planned route) heads south, then west then north in three sides of a square. Roy, after several days of continuous rain, decided he wasn't keen on this plan, so asked me to look for a route straight across. Well, the only possibility was forty miles of wriggley forestry tracks - not a good idea. The only possibility, that is, except for a short bus ride. So, in the interests of expediency, the bus won. After five or six weeks delay for medical reasons in Macclesfield, Roy was anxious to get up into the Scottish Highlands ASAP rather than get "bogged down" in the border regions. So, he is now on Arran. Having climbed Goat Fell, he will spend tonight with friends Joe and Linda who live on Arran and will hopefully let him have a shower and wash his socks. Then tomorrow he sets off on the ferry from Lochranza to Kintyre.

Roy has reached the end of the Pennine Way and "turned left" to head west along the border country. These photos are from when I went up to visit him near Hadrian's Wall (B and b of course - I've not braved the tent yet). We stayed in a farmhouse with a pheasant in the garden and house martins in a nest just outside the bedroom window. Met two Roman soldiers on Hadrian's Wall. He's since sent me a page to type up (below).

"Well troops, it turned out that getting going again was every bit as hard on the old heart strings as I knew it would be and the long medical saga made it even worse. Still, here I am with one standard and one long day (27 miles) to the end of the Pennine Way.

Have just renewed my insoles, so I'll be watching for blisters like a hawk! I had to change them sooner rather than later - the old ones were disintegrating and Helen said they smelled! As if!

I have made some adjustments to my food and water carrying arrangements which I hope will speed things along a bit. The food side will make breaking camp simpler and quicker, while the water arrangements mean I can drink on the move without stopping to take off the rucksack. (OK OK, stop yawning at the back).

Highlights so far? Hawes is a beaut little town, Tan Hill pub is a "must return", and generally, the good local beers along the way have been excellent - no need to force down the mass produced chemical cobblers from the big names. Low lights? Too much damp for too long will test the spirits of anyone - but then it's so good to get the chance to dry out.

So my advice to everyone out there is - never miss a chance to get in the dry, and keep off chemical beer. All for now, Roy"

It's Helen again now. After writing that, Roy did get to the end of the PW, but with an exciting 27 mile final day. The last leg is the hardest because it is the most remote - no habitation at all until Kirk Yetholm. He did it on 1 July, which was the hottest day of the year so far, and he had run out of water by the time he got there! A lesson to be learnt I think. Needless to say, he had two days in KY to recover but he's speeding west now. H

Hi folks
I've now got the first SD card from Roy on "phase 2" of his traipse. For some unknown reason I now seem to have been allocated more photo space on this blog, so maybe I won't have to keep deleting old photos from now on. (I wish I understood blogs!) Some of the photos are "pre-Gargrave" so should have appeared in the last entry, but I didn't have them then. For instance, these must be where the Pennine Way crossed the M62:

I don't get any information about where these photos were taken, so your guess is as good as mine as to where Roy was wearing his silly sun hat. Maybe he's just trying to demonstrate that the phase 2 weather is a big improvement on phase 1!

I suppose I could work out from the map where this one was taken:

I also have no idea where he found this old fashioned sweetshop, but I'd like to know what he was doing in a sweetshop anyway!

The route from Gargrave was up through Malham, walking for a few days with a fellow backpacker he met along the way.

After Malham there was Horton-in-Ribblesdale, then Hawes, where Roy has picked up his next batch of maps that I've sent him Poste Restante.
Everything seems to have gone fairly well with phase 2 so far. No trouble with blisters, not too much rain or too much sun, plenty of good campsites and a good tent. Next bulletin will probably be from Kirk Yetholm at the top of the Pennine Way.
Bye for now, Helen

After much delay, Roy has escaped the medics and is on his way. I drove him to Edale, which was where I rescued him with holes in his heels all those weeks ago. He set up camp straight away, so I took these photos of him showing off his new tent, before abandoning him to his adventure (phase 2).

He's now had several nights in the tent, a Vaude, and is delighted with it - a big improvement. On Sunday he had the day off and got picked up to go to Harry's fifth birthday party, but now it's serious walking to try to catch up some of the lost time. Tonight (17 June) he's in Gargrave and carrying on up the Pennine Way on his diet of porridge and pasta (except for when he happens to bump into a pub of course!).

More info whenever he sends me an SD card from the camera. Helen

Aaaarrgh...... aaaaaaaarrrrgh!
I feel like I’m wading through treacle – I’ve fallen into a medics man trap!
I went to the docs last week to get some pills for a minor problem, or so I thought, but instead I’ve ended up with an appointment at Macc General to see another medic.
I’m sure it will all turn out to be a mistake, I’ll get my pills and be off like a shot. Problem is the wheels can turn slowly and in roundabout ways so I don’t know exactly how it will pan out, but my target remains to finish this walk by my 60th birthday which is November - will keep you posted.
Thanks for your messages of support, they are much appreciated.

Stay well everybody – don’t get blisters, and don’t fall into any ‘medics man traps’!
Meanwhile, here are a few photos to remind you of the weather in April! Roy.

er...ahem.... .... ahem, hmm, er... umm, what I’m trying to say is, ... er, I’m feeling like a bit of a twerp – I’m still here. I should be half way up the Pennine Way by now, but instead I’m gazing into a grisly looking hole in the back of my heel, wondering how long it will take to fill itself in.
I did start again last Monday, and made it to Edale. But I’d made a big mistake in changing the insoles in my boots. I had changed them for all singing all dancing, impact resisting, high cushioning, iron your socks, bank account depleting new insoles guaranteed to whizz me up hill and down dale with virtually no effort. And I think they did for the first couple of hours.
As the day went on, a little itch turned into a fiery problem on each foot, and by the time I limped into Edale and unpicked my socks out of the holes I knew I’d have to rest up for a few days.
The new insole is a lot thicker than the original, and I think lifts the back of my heel into conflict with my boot – only one winner – not me.
What makes me mad with myself is that the original insole/boot/sock combination had performed perfectly well for the previous 600 miles or so – what possessed me to change the arrangement?
When I finally get started again I know which insoles I’ll be using!

Stay well everybody – don’t get blisters! Roy.