Their story, in their words….
As we arrived in Milngavie after a 12 hour journey from London Victoria into the Scottish highlands, our group of three felt excited and well prepared for the 6 day, 150 km hike we were about to undertake. We had sufficiently planned for the trip, meeting at our houses to distribute equipment and share information the week before we were set to leave. However, it became clear after the first long day of walking in both sunshine and rain that this would be a lot tougher than we all imagined.
Not only was the hiking itself rough with heavy loads on our backs and constant inclines and descents, but the fact that we were wild camping meant that we had to find running water and purify it in order to drink and cook, on top of finding a suitable place to make camp. Whilst this did mean that we would be working from the minute we stopped walking to when we would go to bed, the rugged feel and complete independence of our group was very fulfilling and a new experience for us. We averaged about 12 hours a day of walking, starting early at about 7:30 am and finishing in the evening, and we stopped in towns to buy food and supplies for the next few days. The walk along Loch Lomond proved to be one of the most treacherous terrains however offered some of the prettiest views, and we thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by such beautiful and natural sights. We found that throughout the week and as we endured rough weather, some equipment began to break, such as one of our pairs of walking boots. Fortunately, we were able to repair the damages using paracord and the group’s swiss army knives, and continue, but this added to the challenges that we faced during the week in Scotland.
We all found that as a team, we shared many tough but funny experiences in the stormy weather that Scotland frequently offered us, and this brought very close together. A highlight came on the last night of camping, when we took celebratory showers in the ice cold Scottish mountain stream next to our camp, quickly followed by a dash into our tent and emergency hot chocolate. Experiences such as these really allowed us to appreciate the comfort and luxury that we faced in our daily lives, and that made this experience such a valuable one for all of us, and we saw a beautiful part of the UK in full, from seeing the sun rise over the mountains and hills to dusk setting on the deserted Scottish moors. There was such a sense of accomplishment as we arrived in Fort William, the end of our trek, none of us regretted undertaking the challenge, and we will all remember it as a hugely enjoyable experience. We are all hugely grateful to Mark Evison for allowing us to undertake this challenge and we would definitely recommend to anyone who seeks a new and fulfilling experiences. Once the trek was complete, we all slept well on the coach journey back to London, that’s for sure!
