In 2016 I managed to persuade my brother-in-law to join me on a little hiking and camping adventure up in the wilds of Scotland. The idea was a simple one, to walk the length of the newly created Affric-Kintail Way which runs from Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness, to Morvich in Kintail on the western seaboard, a total distance of 44 miles or 71 km.
Another year draws towards its close and so ends another chapter in my ongoing collection of travel adventures.
It’s sometimes all too easy to feel that we may not have achieved even half of what we set out to do at the start of the year, trips that fell through, weather blighted days in the hills and mountains, places that did not live up to expectations etc, etc.
A long while ago I decided upon a challenge that took several years to realise. The plan was a simple one, hike to the most remote area in the Cumbrian Mountains known as Great Moss, wild-camp out overnight, then in the morning have an attempt at the summit of England’s highest mountain Scafell Pike!
The theory was that by hiking in the day before and setting up camp at the foot of the mountain I would have dispensed with the long and tiring walk-in of around 7 miles and as an added bonus I would have spent a night camping in the wild in one of the most remote corners of England. Also to my advantage I figured would be the front row seat afforded me from my tent porch where I would be able to monitor the weather patterns swirling around the summit of Scafell Pike thus enabling me to make an informed decision whether or not to make a dash for the summit on the day or cut my losses and head for home.
Continue reading “The Scafell Pike Challenge”
“There can be no more compelling way to connect with a foreign land than to walk on the soil, sand and rock that comprises it’s landscape. Nor can there be any better way to meet the local people than to walk in their footsteps and among them, on their own terms, instead of being tied to roads, train-tracks and cityscapes.” – Andrew Mazibrada
With these thoughts echoing in my mind I boarded the plane for Iceland. Continue reading “The Laugavegur Icelandic Trek – Day 1”
JAMES HANDLON 