A dramatically altered route has seen us head from a campsite near Culloden to Cawdor Castle. Unfortunately we hadn’t been allowed to camp at either the battlefield or the castle, so we had settled for a campsite instead.
An early morning and a quick start meant we were soon eight miles down the road and at the castle for lunch.
Lunch consisted of a solitary tortilla wrap with some humous. Yum. Still, it was better than nowt, and after a quick stop we were on our way again.
Unfortunately, taking a shortcut along the side of roads left us with no detailed maps for this leg of the journey. As such we were forced to plod down minor b-roads hoping that we’d eventually end up back in civilisation.
From Cawdor to Dulsie Bridge was actually quite nice. But, despite battling wind and rain, the trek from the bridge down to Carrbridge was far more enjoyable.
We walked along an empty road, every now and again a vehicle would pass. Other than those few vehicles and the road there was nothing in sight that suggested anyone else existed. Maybe it’s just the hermit in me, but I quite like being in such a remote place.
We decided on a B&B for the night in the hope some bed rest will help us continue. With some much appreciated support from Heley’s mum, who found places and phoned them up for us, we have probably been able to cover the best part of thirty miles today.
At our current pace we could actually make it to Aberdeen within three or four days. It feels to me like we are agonisingly close. At the same time I’m painfully aware of just how far away we still really are.
Tomorrow is another day. We are off once again to find medical advice as to whether it is wise for Heley to continue. Maybe wise is the wrong word, but certainly the question as to whether continuing will cause any lasting damage is critically important.
It seems like we have been out here for an eternity. It’s hard to believe we’ve only been gone for two weeks. It’s easy to believe we’ve spent most days walking at least eight hours a day.
We’ll keep you updated as and when we can, all I know now is that one way or another there’s not long left.
P.S here’s a picture of Heley’s space foot and also a glimpse of where we are walking.
