Inverness

After walking approximately 116 miles (186km) I have reached Inverness the first major milestone of my journey. A glass of Laphroaig whisky to celebrate.

I’ve given myself a few days rest to recover; today I set of for Glasgow, 170 miles (274km) south west of Inverness, my goal is to be there by September 6th.

My observations from the first leg of this journey:

• The people are helpful and friendly – giving me advice on my route, walking with me on my route, even once offering me a ride in there car 😁
• Hikers/holidayers have a mixed to poor reputation, I’ve been told by countless people that due to the success of the NC500 route + covid limiting foreign travel, the number of people camping etc has exploded and the people who aren’t behaving responsibly and leaving there environment in a mess are angering the locals, I was even told the story of a Hurst that couldn’t reach a funeral because of motorhomes parked in the cemetery blocking the entrance!
• Wildcamping hasn’t been what I expected, so far it’s been climbing over gates or barbed wire fence to sit in a farmer’s field, hopefully this will improve once I’m passing through the Cairngorn national park.
• Ample time to reflect on career, life and everything else. Walking in the outdoors and living simply has brought some clarity to my thinking.

That’s it for now. Onwards!!