Day 13
Wednesday 24th - Glen Effock to Glen Dye
I have had a brilliant day today; all Challenge days should be like this.
I over slept this morning and did not hear the alarm so I did not leave camp until 7:30. I did the last bit of Glen Effock and get into Tarfside by 9am, phoned Avril to leave a message on the answer phone. To my surprise Peter answered and said they were both home sick; some sort of flu bug. There's me wandering around in the altogether not even getting a cold and they come down with flu!
I spent an hour and £4 in Tarfside and met Roger, David Paul and Lynn Thomas as well as Ron and Jenny. Apparently there had been about 50 tents on the playing field last night and I think I was wise to miss it out. Leaving Tarfside I walked on to Cairncross and took to the hills. Missing out Blackcraigs I cut off a corner to meet the track to Mount Battock. I stopped at 11:30 for an early lunch as I had missed morning coffee I also had 1 ½ hours lying in the sun before setting off again and reaching the summit at 2pm. I carried on over the top and dropped down to the Burn of Badymicks where I had a bath and another hour in the sun before wandering on to Charr Bothy arriving at 6 to find no one home although loads of people had been through including Mic who was aiming to finish on Friday - although at the rate he is going he will be in to Montrose by Thursday.
I carried on for another ½ hour to camp by the river thinking that 22k in 6½ walking was quite good going for an oldie! Apart from ½ hour either side of Tarfside I had not worn a stitch all day, 7:30 to 7:30, I hope I don't suffer for it tomorrow. I had not seen another person all day although as I climbed past Hazel Burn there were three shapes on the skyline going towards Wester Aucheen. I found it surprising that on such a nice day there was no one else heading for Battock although Mic said in the bothy book that he had been over but it must have been pretty early as he was on Mount Keen yesterday. I saw quite a lot of wildlife today including lizard and frogs, eagles, buzzard, a peregrine and something I did not recognise similar to a kestrel but twice the size.
