Day 12
Tuesday 17th May - Clova Inn to Water of Saughs
This stolen half-day had another benefit. On day 12, Maggie Hems was departing for Shieling of Saughs and beyond, at the same time as I, and we clambered up to Loch Brandy and The Goet together. In the intermittent blizzardy showers, I tried not to think of Paul disappearing uphill in the sunshine the previous afternoon! Maggie was great company, and we reassured each other when visibility failed (helped, I admit, by GPS, since all the rounded hills look so similar up there). Between showers, in the pale sun, she remarked at one point how beautiful it was to be walking along the roof of the visible world like this - which summed it up perfectly. To add to the pleasure, Dave and Gavin, whom she had already met and who presented themselves as "hard men", in fact had such soft hearts they were waiting for us at Sheiling of Saughs with a brew-up!
Such generous fellow-feeling sums up the spirit of the Challenge for me. Last year, I took an interesting but rather odd route from Plockton to Fraserburgh; my vetter (Ian Shiel, whom I still haven't met - sorry to hear you were unwell this year, will you be there next year??) was absolutely correct when he said I wouldn't meet many other Challengers, although ten-timers Chris and Graham were friendly and kind to a newcomer. So Challenge 2005 was a revelation and great joy.
Maggie, Dave, Gavin and I all camped by Water of Saughs before the tarmac started, and Sheila from Dornie joined us later. I felt awed by her level of experience: she is a Mountain Rescue Team member. A glorious evening and morning were appropriate frame for a final wild camp.
