The Great Outdoors Challenge 2024
Oban to Montrose, 10th-21st May.
After two days of travel disruptions due to rail strikes, I arrived into Oban at 7pm with the sun lowering in the sky and casting a pink glow over the coastline. A restless night’s sleep followed, and the next morning I woke with nervous anticipation to ‘sign out’ for the challenge. I awkwardly acknowledged a couple of other challengers, dipped my feet in the water and picked up a pebble to drop in the North Sea, before setting off into the glorious sunshine.
The first few days around Loch Etive and up Glen Kinglass were beautifully sunny and full of bluebells, mosses and gorse flowers. I can’t understate how beautiful and colourful the West Coast is in May. I coped well in the heat (having previously walked in the Alps) but nevertheless was relieved when a thunderstorm cooled temperatures down, upon arriving at Tyndrum. This thunderstorm became the topic of conversation for many walkers throughout the rest of the challenge, and I didn’t have the heart to tell many of them that I had escaped it - spending a night in a camping pod! From here, most other challengers seemed to be heading NE across Rannoch Moor but, as I was headed into Glen Lyon, once I left the WHW I found myself completely alone for a couple of days until arriving at Blair Atholl. I had been told that Glen Lyon is stunningly beautiful, but as it was foggy throughout most of the next two days, I was sadly unable to see much of it!
I had mentally broken the challenge down into stages: every three days stopping at a campsite to resupply, shower and charge electronics. While I had largely stayed dry from the rain, it had been humid and cloudy for several days and washing clothes became a tiresome chore because they did not dry fully by morning. Anyone who has walked multi-day trails knows how much ‘pongy’ clothes affects morale, particularly in humid, sweaty conditions. I hadn’t expected these places, such as Blair Atholl, to be such uplifting places. I could wash and dry everything thoroughly, stand under a hot shower, and get some hot, greasy food. It was also an opportunity to touch bases with other challengers who I had encountered several days ago: swapping stories about thunderstorms and sharing blister pads!
This marked the halfway point for me, and I tried to enjoy each moment fully as I was counting down the days, rather than up. Over the next three days I enjoyed a brief paddle at the Falls of Tarf (and compared ‘cook systems’ with fellow challengers), endured a surprisingly cold night at Ruigh nan Clach, and explored Glen Quoich on my way into Braemar.
After spending the day being chased into Ballater by a storm cloud, It really started to feel like I was on the home-straight. On day 10 I woke to thick fog over Ballater, and the Mounth Road had a heavy, eery atmosphere to it. After 9 days of keeping clean, I took my first tumble into peaty ground, and my light grey sun-shirt and backpack were a lovely shade of brown. However, this didn’t dissuade me from bagging Mount Keen, and I arrived at Tarfside ahead of the main crowd - unfortunately missing the gatherings that it is famous for! Spurred on with the end in sight, I endured one final uphill slog onto the Hills of Wirren and was rewarded with fantastic views over Montrose. The real pain began when I hit the final 10 miles of unavoidable tarmac walking. It was only made bearable by the knowledge that I was being joined by my parents at Charleton Farm for a strawberry tart, and from here we walked the final 500m to the sea together. I skimmed my stone, washed my feet, and reflected upon the journey.
Upon arriving at Challenge Control, I was met with broad smiles and several cups of tea. I spent an hour swapping stories with the event organisers and other challengers, gaining an appreciation of what made this challenge so special: while we had all walked our own walks, everyone was part of something much bigger than ourselves - strangers brought together with a shared goal, willing and supporting each other on. I left with one word summing up my experience, and why I will be back next year: Community.
