Dunkeld Sunday 07 June 2015
Start: Perth
Finish: Dunkeld
Miles walked today: 15
Total miles: 804
So! The plan is to get to Blair Atholl, launch myself up Glen Tilt to Inverey, and tackle the Lairig Ghru pass through the highest point of the Cairngorms to take me to Aviemore. The only problem is that the remote and tiny youth hostel at Inverey is closed. I'll have to cadge a lift from Inverey to the nearest habitation a few miles away at Braemar, and do so again in reverse the next morning. I'm not going to wild camp unless it's absolutely necessary. A point in my favour is that the weather should be kind to me as the next few days will take me through the most remote scenery on my LEJOG.
Perth to Blair Atholl is a very long walk, so I'm having two short, lazy days. The sun showed itself today, and the scenery along my route was pleasant if unspectacular.
At one point I met a cyclist walking towards me, pushing his bike. John is cycling 500 miles from Wick to Dublin for charity. On his first day he came off, injuring his leg, and has been reduced to pushing the bike up hills, and riding down them. A lesser mortal would have given up, but John is made of sterner stuff. He has a date to watch the Ireland v Scotland euro qualifying match next Saturday in Dublin and is determined to keep it.
I can't stop eating. Full Scottish breakfast this morning, roast beef lunch, and (don't tell anyone) al fresco fish and chips tonight by the river Tay. Plus various snacks when I can fit them in - my Snickers habit is barely controllable. It's ok so long as I'm walking and burning up the calories. I'm hoping to stay somewhere with scales in the bathroom to see how much weight I've lost. Maybe a stone or so, at a guess. I'll never keep it off when I return home.
The afternoon sun shows Dunkeld at it's best. A tiny town next to the river Tay, with its own cathedral, it's yet another hidden Scottish gem. As is the Bridge B&B which takes me in.
Another Reddit thread - someone gave me gold!! Thank you. Also I now know what the Proclaimer's mean by "haivering".
