Hiking 550 miles along the Scottish National Trail
550 miles | Hiking the Scottish National Trail - Lockdown memories
It was this time two years ago that I was nearing the end of my 5-week trip the bottom to the top of Scotland, 550 miles and 30 wild camps.
The trip had it all, views, midges, shortbread, whiskey, lochs but a lack of bad weather, something I had not expected! What I hadn’t prepared for was the relentless heat, some days I was filtering 5 litres of water for drinking and eating etc. The walk is the “highlights” of Scotland, the problem was I had my head down to get to the end. I reckon 10 weeks and a couple of friends would be great for this walk, you could then visit distilleries, stay in all the bothies, swim all the lochs and maybe even climb a few summits.
Thru-hiking days
My days slipped into late starts, most days I packed up and was walking by 9am and until late evening, I covered distances up to 30km plus depending on how I was feeling or what was coming up. One day as I headed to Shenavall bothy I kept going til 9pm, combining nearly two days of walking, what awaited for me there made it one of the best days/nights of the journey.
The weather was my biggest challenge, the heat was draining especially with my rucksack weighing 18 - 20 kg at points. The biggest for me is no one will ever experience the same trip twice, with the heat sapping my every step I wondered about the how it compares to having to deal with the bogs as these were now dry and easy to navigate, or the rivers were caution should be headed but now the river doesn’t even cover my boots.
I saw the sunset at Sandwood bay, I shared drinks and food with strangers in bothies, I saw two snakes, I camped for two days in the woods overlooking Edinburgh with diarrhea, I swam in Lochs and warmed myself with Isle Jura whiskey, I chatted with fellow walkers, met locals on the canal and enjoyed bags full of sugar whenever the shops were open. It was after one of these shop raids and just before lunch that I discovered a peanut butter shortbread sandwich …
The biggest joy of this trip for me is the same as for anyone who travels without a definite plan, it’s getting up when you please, stopping when you wish and deciding on a daily basis where you are going to set up your tent to sleep that night. The other small pleasures are the moments that are unique to your trip, the Hercules flying low down the valley, the billy goat that surprises you or that time you haven’t seen anyone all day and go for a skinny dip only for a coach load of people to arrive out of nowhere.
The trip for me was type 1 and type 2 fun, but now as I sit on my couch for the ninth week of lockdown I remember those days spent in the Scottish sunshine with great envy and wonder how I can ever emulate it.
Looking back the best times are those I met new people. I would always approach a bothy hoping there were other people there, I wild camped for the vast majority of the trip through necessity but my recommendation is to venture off the track to find bothies and hostels, your experience will be all the better for it. My relentless need to push on cost me, there was the day I reached Scotlands most remote hostel at Glen Affric, in hindsight I should have stayed the night, spent the day climbing the Five Sisters and carried on the next day, my need to push on day after day meant that I missed out on this opportunity but it also meant that I got to walk for some time with a random guy called Alan or bumped into the two random Essex ladies at Falls of Glomach.
Walkers competition
One thing that did amuse me was meeting fellow hikers, day walkers and long-distance walkers, quite quickly you notice that there is an air of competition, people want to see how far you have walked that day or in total, as my weeks went on you could see the disappointment in people face when they realised I had walked form the Borders via Glasgow and Edinburgh. There was this one walker in particular that I met near Loch Cluaine who had been walking for a week or so, when he realised I had camped for longer, walked further and carried more in settled for having not showered for longer haha whatever makes you feel good about yourself haha.
The best person I met was Davey, Davey worked for the local council and he was patrolling the Union Canal at Broxburn looking for offenders, Davey walked with me for some time and considering my lack of interaction with people it was great to chat. Davey set the tone for the Scots I met along the way as well, it was nice to constantly meet people who have a love of the outdoors, I spoke to so many people that had outdoor goals from climbing all the Munros to running round every Scottish islands, these weren't people with pipe dreams either these ware people that are some way to achieving their goals. The biggest surprise came when i bumped into Davey the next day as well, the great thing about meeting the locals is tips, where to camp, where to get food as well, Davey recommended a cafe on the canal, I hadn't spent much money on food at restaurant and cafes but when you get a recommendation you have to stop, it was Bridge 49 where ie enjoyed soup and a sandwich and where I returned from the toilet to find three old ladies had stolen my table.
Whatever or wherever you walk make sure you make the most of it and embrace the people, not literally… remember social distancing!!
Still lots to discuss from this trip, there is the gear (the good, the bad and the ugly), my stay in Shenavall bothy and the things that went wrong!
Stay safe.
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