Day 8. 4th August, 2024

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Day 8.              4^th August, 2024

Random camp site → Fort William (via Spean Bridge) 25.8km

Cloudy with occasional showers. 14º – 20ºC

The Last Day Hiking!

Today I woke up and did the usual battle with the midgies packing up my tent. Then I started walking. I honestly couldn’t decide if I wanted to do the full hike into Fort William or just drop down to Spean Bridge and catch the bus. Either way, I knew I wanted a coffee, so I headed for Spean Bridge. The hike out of the hills was about usual as far as bodily gripes went but once out of the hills, it was a LONG trudge along bitumen into town. My shoes hadn’t dried out from the past couple of days of rain, bog and wet grass, and so finally, on the last day, I started getting a blister under my big toe. To be honest, I can’t believe I lasted till the final day before I got one.

Neeeed Cofffeeeee.

Coming down out of the mountains towards Spean Bridge.

Just a nice driveway. 

By the time I reached the cafe at Spean Bridge, I still hadn’t decided what to do, but after one of the best coffees I’ve had since arriving in Scotland, and a hot breakfast, I decided to go ahead and finish the hike. It was “only” 15 kilometres from this point after all. I usually knock that out in about 3 hours, and check in at my hotel wasn’t until 3pm, so I had plenty of time.

Some spontaneous forest art. It just had to be done.

The path varied between grown forestry, cleared forestry and some native woods around the base of Ben Nevis.

Well, let me tell you, Scottish kilometres are obviously measured using some old imperial kilometre measurement, because SEVEN hours later, I hobbled into my final destination for the hike. The end point I’d been aiming for for the last 95 kilometres. No! For the last 6 months! My favourite castle in the Highlands: The Old Inverlochy Castle at Fort William.

It was closed.

I was quite disappointed. And then my phone battery died.

I couldn’t record my triumphant arrival at my final destination.

A generous Polish guy offered to take a photo of my and email them to me.

The Old Inverlochy Castle. The final destination for this hike.

This was about as close as I could get to it. 

Normally you can walk around inside it. ㅠㅠ

From here, I had to hobble about another 3 kilometres to my hotel, and by this point I had a second blister under my other big toe. I was in real pain.

But finally, I reached the hotel and had a very much needed shower. Then I sat in a chair (bliss!) and did some doctoring on my feet before heading back out for a celebratory dinner. Chicken breast on a bed of mash and haggis, with a white, cream, pepper sauce and a side of their finest local IPA ale. Twenty-five years ago, I finished a long hike and had one of the best steaks and a beer ever at this pub. Twenty-five years later, after a different long hike, same pub and equally the best chicken and beer meal I’ve ever had. They have some sort of wizardry going on in that kitchen. Or maybe long hikes just make you appreciate good food?

So twenty-five years after I completed my longest hike ever, I have just completed another one. I am honestly impressed that I was fit enough to do it. Blisters and sore Achilles aside, I’m so happy that at almost 50, I was able to get back into good enough shape to complete this. Lordy knows, six months ago, this wasn’t the case.

I have to give massive thanks to HaYoung for pushing me to get healthy, but even more, for letting me take this time to myself to come half way around the world, just to do a silly hike, while she stayed at home over her summer vacation, to look after the kids and keep the show running over there. She truly is the best. I definitely won the wife lottery!

So tonight will be spent in the luxury of a hotel in Fort William, then it’s back to camping for two nights before heading back down to Edinburgh. An old lady on the trail into town told me the forecast was for flooding. Yippee!

Wish me luck!

View from my hotel window.

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