The Walker With Heart

There is a good reason to leave the blogging of a long walk a week and a bit, the highs are less high and the lows are less low.  The born-tired weariness has left the body, the blisters are well on the way to healing, and the clothes are in the wash... So, I have notes from each day and some bits I will be emailing the guidebook people and the mapping people... Day 1 - Aviemore to Nethy Bridge 12 miles, a gloriously sunny day that was only marred by Scotrail being very uncomfortable and late. A simple walk along a disused railway, alongside a working steam rain (to Boat of Garten) and then a wander through Caledonian forest and plantations.  The views in places were superb... Looking back there was still snow in the corries of the mountains, and as I wandered I saw my first deer of the week. The walking was easy trails, navigation was fine - apart from the pylons having moved since the book was written... Nethy Bridge took me to the Lazy Duck hostel, imagine ...

Why do I write gear reviews? One of the things that annoys me about some gear reviews in magazines is that the boots are worn once, the tent slept in for one night and waterproofs are worn new... not 2 years old and battered as hell.  Some magazines do better, and some online gear reviews better still... However, my gear is my gear bought out of my pocket, therefore to a certain degree any failures or problems are mine... From the bottom: TNF Lightwave.... Good balance of weight, sturdiness and decent grip.  The gore-tex lining was needed on the wet and muddy days and its usual sweatiness on the hot days. The fabric at the heel (internal) has gone at the seam (a normal weak point in shoes for me) and the grip is showing signs of wear.... The blisters, well I'm not sure I can blame the shows for them - 26 miles on a hot day on hard ground, with me and a backpack... one of those predictable things. Socks - Lorpen and Bridgedales - the ultimate compliment, I didn't notice...

The first blog of the trio that the Speyside Way deserves... And the easiest to do... Although getting Garmin to talk to the blog site has been a trial... Aviemore - Nethy Bridge Nethy Bridge - Cragganmore Cragganmore - Tomintoul Tomintoul - Cragganmore Cragganmore - Fochabers Fochabers - Buckie   The blisters, penultimate day - hard paths and a warm day are just about healed... Which is good - Peak District for a wander Saturday! The second blog - the gear - and the third - the walking and photos - should be up over the Bank Holiday... TTFN Paul

Bugger... I was meant to be doing a fifteen mile marathon training run this weekend... However, I have a large dent in my knee, a left over from last weekend - when it looked like this: So, the fact I'm still moving is a bonus, though unsurprisingly if I put any running weight on it, it objects strongly... So no running for a week, just walking... Ok I was in the Peak District for three days this week so not too bad ;-). However, it has blown a bit of a hole in my marathon prep. The plan this time has always been to combining a one run through of the miles; I was doing reasonable halves, so a couple of 15s, a 20 in early Sept and some toughening up stuff... Losing a 15 miler now isn't too bad, given that I'm heading north at the end of the week. Three days at the Fringe - museums open at night (with booze), a history of porridge (with tastings), some comedy (disability flavoured and others often just wrong), some Shakespeare (Othello by an all female troupe) an...