The Two Leaves Art Blog: 2017

THE GREAT GLEN WAY

The Great Glen Way is 117km and stretches from Fort William on the West coast of Scotland to Inverness in the Highlands. My two friends and I decided to tackle the route over 5 days camping every night.

We planned our route and the hours and miles required for completion each day. We also made a pack list although quickly realised we had brought too much.

What we left behind at lagoon Locks

Our first day was excruciatingly painful. I had no idea how much the impact of carrying a heavy load would have on ALL of my body. My legs began to refuse to go forwards anymore towards nightfall and the tarmac roads in places killed my feet. Sarah’s back pack was borrowed and not ideal so she struggled the most. She also had her dog Skye to worry about and a painful hip half way into the day. The first part of the route spends what feels like forever in Fort William, trudging around housing estates and then marching along the canal. It is not the most inspiring start. However we all found it within us to carry on to Laggan Locks 22 miles from Fort William before having a hydrated meal on a stove and then bed.

At Laggan Locks on the second morning we went through our baggage and discarded what we could leaving these items with the lock master who kindly kept them safe for us until we could collect them at a later date. We got rid of flip flops, any extra clothing and decanted medicines into smaller packaging, I also got rid of my roll mat (and never felt a difference sleeping - can only put that down to being so exhausted).

This was our final pack list:

Water Purification Tablets

First Aid Kit

Base Layers

Insulating Layers

Waterproof Layers

Spare socks and underwear

Toiletries (shared between the 3 of us)

Sleeping bag each

2 tents for the 3 of us and one dog.

One Buff

Midgie repellant (a must)

A Knife

A stove (1 between us all)

Small kettle

Porridge for breakfast for 5 days

Fold Away Cups

Tea Bags

Hydrated Milk (for tea only)

Hydrated packeted meals to do 3 dinners/lunches.

Duct tape rolled around a loo roll tube

Charger

Water reservoir

Cap

Bumbag

Lighter

Tissues

Whiste

Camping knife

Cash

Fairy liquid

Wrist watch

Midge repellent

Head lamps

We learnt two valuable lessons from the first day - 1/ we had carried too much and 2/ as novice long distance walkers we were pushing ourselves beyond limits in the miles we had set out to do each day.

We decided to take the second day easy and had a long leisurely breakfast before setting off for Fort Augustus 10 miles away instead of the planned Invermoriston which was a further 7 miles North. We talked and relaxed in our walk that day and began a drinks reminded where if anyone shouted 'DRINK!" everyone must drink some of their water. We met Joe as we took a break before the last trek into the town. We had a good dinner that night, pitched up well before dark and felt confident we would continue till the end all the while insisting we could only do what we could and although our aim was Inverness we would simply get only so far as we could before the sun went down on day 5.

On the third morning it rained. We packed the tents under a shelter and ate breakfast with Joe before all heading off together at around 8am just as the rain stopped. We made our way though town and up into the hills and forests of Alt na Criche. Joe shared with us that he too was carrying some extra unnecessary weight - a flask of whiskey. We laughed at this unbeknown that it would be a saving grace in just moments later.

Leona was the first to see him. She asked us first "Is he away to kill himself?". In front of us about 5 metres ahead at the left side of the road on the turf and grassy ledge stood a middle aged man attempting to discreetly hide the fact that he had a blue rope tied around his neck that was further tied to the branch of a tree above him. He stood on a mound of earth with a small drop in front of him. He looked like a child just caught stealing sweets and stared at us as we stared back shell shocked and processing the situation. Leona spoke first and the rest chimed in asking him to "not do it" and telling him "things can't be that bad". It didn't matter what was said - within 20 seconds of discovering him he had stepped off of his ledge. Leona and Sarah turned away in shock while Joe and I ran to the man, packs on. Jo and I held him up pushing him against a tree until I screamed for Joe to get a knife. Leona, finally out of shock, began to rummage for her own knife in her backpack but Joe got there first. He cut the man down and he fell before me so I could easily examine his neck - the rope was still tight, extremely tight, around his throat. I asked Joe to cut it off, although was unsure we would manage without cutting him. It didn't matter though as he was still suffocating. I suggested the girls call an ambulance. They did and as they figured out our location for the emergency services I soothed and talked to the man. He had dark brown curly hair that hung over his face, and was damp all over from the rain, he wouldn't look up and sat slouched over as I instinctively told him he was alright and held his hand. It was Joe's whisky that did the trick and as I offered him some he started to engage with Joe and I as we sat with him and the girls ran off to meet the ambulance. He spoke to us in some length as I asked him question after question in desperate need to keep him here with us so the ambulance could help him. I asked him if anyone was looking for him and he told me that the Police were. I changed the subject initially, scared he meant to imply he was a runaway. His facial expressions gave not much away bar distress and later a sense of giving up. Joe had already been instructed by the girls via the emergency services to be aware that the man might have a weapon however it had not occurred to me until this point that the man might be dangerous. I dug a bit deeper and the man explained he knew he was recorded as a missing person at this stage and that this is why the Police would be looking for him. He told us he was from Wales and has spent that last few mights in the woods drinking from the streams and eating mushrooms. He told us he was an artist and support worker and has had depressive illness all of his life as well as extensive help from the NHS. He also revealed he had tried to kill himself twice before already, the second time only days before using a hose and his car. He explained he felt he was born into the wrong time. In this time there is too much time to think and too much time to be useless. He needed to work in a time where every day was about survival and hard labour. The ambulance crew arrived and he got in without struggle. And then it was just the 4 of us again in the middle of the woods with heavy packs and a surge of adreneline pumping through us so much so that our continuation up a steep hill went un-noticed until we had to make our way back down it to give a statement to the Police. The adrenaline wore off as we waited in midgie infested woods for the Police who took half an hour to find us. We gave our statements and asked for a lift to Invermoriston so that we could 1/get a cup of tea and get out of the woods but 2/ still make it to Drumnadrochit by nightfall having lost so much time.

After lunch in town we headed back on the trail talking through what had just happened at length.

Joe walked with us until we all reached a vantage point. He carried on as we lumbered behind for another 8 miles up hills and through forest. It got hard particularly when we were just one mile outside of Drumnadrchit and had to stagger down a steep gradient tarmac road where every step felt like blood bursting in our feet. By the time we reached the campsite it was dark and we were all feeling broken. We pitched up and hobbled into town to get something to eat before 9pm came round. We were delighted to meet Joe and his parents in the beer garden of a local restaurant and we happily talked, drank and ate until it was time for bed.

On the last day Leona’s partner came by to cart away our tents and anything we didn’t need for camping anymore. We set off at 8am but it was quickly apparent that Leona’s foot which had been bothering her the night before had become more painful over night. We slowed our pace and she re-strapped her foot. We lessened load and found a strange cafeon the Glen Way track. Shortly after eating lunch and cakes we were joined by Joe, Murdani and Rebecca. The meeting proved detoxifying and revitalising for us all as we all headed off together towards Inverness. The chance to get to know Murdanie and Rebecca (who we had met briefly on the first day) was a distraction to the pain in our bodies. Skye was carried briefly in Sarahs back pack and took the opportunity to lay down every time we rested. We all made it to the end together and we all helped one another long the way. Inverness Castle was never such a welcome sight that day with but at the same time the idea of parting ways with the path and the friends we had met was equally unwelcoming. Every story must have its end, however thats not to say that every path should. We plan to do the West Highland Way in 2018 and hope very much to meet Murdanie, Rebecca and Joe on the way.

	FROM	TO	DISTANCE (KM)	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	DINNER	CAMP SITE
DAY 1	FORT WILLIAM	LAGGAN LOCKS	38.8	X	STOVE MEAL? SHOPS IN BANAVIE	STOVE MEAL	CAMPSITE

DAY 2	GLAS DHOIRE	FORT AUGUSTUS	25.5	STOVE - PORRIDGE	STOVE MEAL? SHOPS WELL OF SEVEN HEADS RESTAURANTS AT WATER PARK AND INVERGARRY AND ABERCHALDER	STOVE MEAL RESTAURANTS PUBS AND SHOPS IN FORT A	CAMPSITE WITH FACILITIES

DAY 3	FORT AUGUSTUS	DRUMNADROCHIT	35.5	STOVE - PORRIDGE	STOVE MEAL? SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS AT INVERMORISTON RESTAURANT AT ALLTSIGH	STOVE MEAL RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS IN DRUM	CAMPSITE

DAY 4	DRUMNADROCHIT	INVERNESS	29.5	HOSTEL - PORRIDGE	STOVE MEAL? RESTAURANTS AT ABRIACHAN	X	X