Thursday 7 May 2009 - the day before the start
Home to Strathcarron
Full of nerves and anticipation, I set off for Birmingham airport. I live only 25 minutes from the airport and my wife, Barbara, is driving me off to the start of my first TGO Challenge. I got to the airport far too early and had to hang around, what seemed like ages before my flight to Inverness was called.
My backpack and walking poles had been enveloped in a protective outer and sealed with duct tape to protect it during the flight. My backpack contained all the essential gear, together with a few last minute extras: two packets of both Ibuprofen and Paracetamol. Just two weeks before , while on Kinder, I developed a pain on the inside of my left knee. At the Backpackers Club AGM, that weekend, I was limping around like someone who had just finished the Challenge - not someone who was trying to get into the peak of fitness!
The flight was uneventful: what did stand out was the fresh snow on the mountains as the flight got nearer to Inverness. At the airport it took me ages to unseal the cover of my backpack. It was whilst doing this that I got talking to Sally Dodwell, the first fellow Challenger that I met in Scotland. I later joined Sally and John Dodwell on the bus into Inverness centre. The time passed quickly. It was good to talk to fellow Challengers at such an early stage. We arrived in Inverness, where I said goodbye to John and Sally, as they left to catch a bus to their start point.
I had some time to pass in Inverness and wandered around the town looking for gas, lighters and good cheap whisky. The first two were easy to find, but, getting the whisky was not so easy. Eventually, I got a bottle of single malt for £15 from the Co-op. It was whisky of the month and was reduced from £24. It's name escapes me. Later, I sat in the shopping centre decanting the whisky in to plastic bottles, trying hard to not look like I was drinking the entire bottle in one go!
The sight of people walking around Inverness with packs on their backs was becoming usual for the afternoon. Where they all went before the train journey, I know not. Eventually, at the station there was a small gathering of fellow Challengers. It was the Rab fleece with logo that gave them away. All boarded the train to Kyle of Lochalsh and the many drop off points for the various starts. The train seemed to be 50:50 Challengers and locals.
I soon got talking to Alistair Hunt from Cheltenham. He introduced me to Rob and Lisa Hausam from the USA, who were sitting right behind me. Rob was the first of many Challengers I was to meet who I felt I knew already; through the many websites and blogs.
The journey over to Strathcarron was very picturesque. The arrival was a wet one. All those getting off the train were greeted by a heavy downpour. The lucky ones headed for the hotel. The hardy ones headed for the camping spots near to the hotel. It turned out to be a stormy night outside. Inside the hotel, a few drinks were consumed along with a few meals. Then it was time to be off to bed for some not-quite-as-relaxed-as-it-could-be sleeping. The weather continued to be wet and windy all night.
