Author Archives: Michael Friebe

12 actual walking days plus one break day in Braemar — 325 km, roughly 10.000 altitude meters, total walking hours = 100, 6 days wild camping, 1 day in a bothy, 1 day in campground, 4 days in a B&B / Hotel, average 4.750 calories per day burned and significantly less taken in … I expect 3kg weight loss! 6 days with rain, 3 with lots, 1 day with very very heavy headwinds (up Glen Roy) and several with heavy winds … the rest actually Ok (including some of the ones with heavy winds). It was also colder than expected never really exceeding 16 degrees C and typically dropping to anything between 2 and 8 degrees at night.

Learned: my sleeping bag was not sufficient, the tent was too small (thanks Gordon for the tent company you recommended … will get one!), the first two days were planned too strenuous. The break day in Braemar saved me .. it helped me to recover … especially my poor feet needed some rest in CROCS. Lot of the challengers liked to leave early, while I actually rarely started before 08:30 — with 9/10 hours to go that still allowed me to setup the tent, cook and get ready easily before 21:00 … if you arrive at 14:00 you still have 6/7 hours in the wilderness before going to bed. Not so easy! Another thing I should do is to get the locations of the MBA and open bothy’s and plan them in as potential alternatives or at least for cooking. Another thing that I would like to do is spend a night at Lochcallater Lodge and at St. Drostan … next time.

Also, if something looks like a cool route, but has absolutely no path and goes though the peat, then it is not a good idea. My 10k from the Shieling of Marks bothy to the base of Mount Keen were so unbelievably strenuous … and I was lucky as it had not rained for several days – otherwise the peat mud would probably have swallowed me or worn out before I could have reached safe terrain.

Everyone I met was super super helpful and willingly gave tips and routes to take or avoid and placed to stay.

And finally thanks to the entire TGOC team — great job and I will certainly do it again. I think 2024 or 2025 would be a good year!

Anyone up for it?

08:15 start for the last day — with some sidetours just 16km mainly downhill, the first 8k along a street though. In Hillside I turned in a smaller sideroad that brought me to a malting plant and then to the famous strawberry farm.

And then it was just a few more kilometres to the beach (touched the water) and then on to the headquarters at the Park Hotel in Montrose.

Wow! I am excited and now we are on to take the train to Edinburgh!

Was a really nice evening yesterday. We went to our tents around 22:30 and I slept again very well.

Morning started with precooked breakfast … water added. The Decathlon Muesli is really good, the milk rice just OK though.

This was the first day that I walked with others. First with Neil from Sussex to Edzell and subsequently with Mark from Ohio to Edzell castle (quite nice) and then on to the Northwaterbridge campground.

Mark and I decided to make a small detour to visit Edzell castle. Closed! But we decided to trespass and saw some very nice and impressive ruins.

Next stop Northriverbridge campsite where a lot of challengers decided to camp tonight. On the way we also saw the first rainbow on this trip.

It was raining on and off today and it looks like it will be the same tomorrow. After an extensive clean-up (wonderful showers here) we cooked and started with the beers that Daniel bought in Edzell.

Daniel was still limping … and it does not seem to improve. He wants to continue though. The first destination was the Shielin of Mark bothy. Nice setup for maximum 5 people inside but plenty of camping spaces outside.

The 4 km took 1,5 hours – pathetic!

So I asked Daniel to take a different tour via Glen Lee while I was going the planned route towards Mount Keen and we would meet again later when both paths and his would meet again.

Mine was so damn exhausting! 12 km in the peat without any path … I enclosed some video to give you an impression on the conditions.

But at least I was compensated with great wildlife views. Many many grouse pairs, deers that were hidding in the peat holes that realized the human intruder quite late.

And then I saw a Golden Eagle. What a great sight and wonderful animal. Stunning with Lochnagar in the background.

I eventually arrived at the smack center for the ascend to Mount Keen. With paths left and right I decided to leave my backpack at the bottom and go up directly.

Up to now decent weather! Within 10 minutes it turned and started to heavily hale. I got completely soaking wet and of course I forgot to protect my backpack – also wet 🤬. By the time I made it to the camping ground in Tarfside the cloths at least were dry again.

And then – after I met Daniel – we continued to Tarfside. First a short stop at St. Drostans with a short energy reload (Apple, Banana, Cake 😁). The camping ground was another 200m and we were so happy that the local masonic lodge were open offering BBQ burgers (I had 3) and beer. Awesome, no premade dried food!

Excellent breakfast – thanks Jennifer from the Ivy B&B … 5 stars – and then we took off a little after 08:30 in light rain.

Less than 2 hours later we arrived at the Lochcallatar Lodge. TGO tea and some familiar faces. What a neat setup … would like to come back here and experience a couple of nights and the infamous men‘s bar.

Then we started out Lochnagar range munro bagging tour. Initially it was really aweful … rained a lot combined with heavy winds.

The Munros (in the order of ascent) that we climbed: Carn an t-Sagairt Mor (1.047m), Carn an t-Sagairt Beag (1.044m), The Stuic (1.098m), Carn a Choire Bhoidheach (1.110), Cac Carn Beag (1.156m), Cac Carn Mor (1.150m), Cuide Crom (1.083m), and finally Meikle Pap (980m) before descending into Glen Muick.

And we really were lucky with the weather. While it was very heavily blowing up on the ridge and peaks it even turned sunny towards the evening.

Enclosed some pictures of Cac Carn Beag from the peak and during the descend down into Glen Muick.

Unclear what will happen tomorrow – Daniel is complaining about heavy knee pain. The youngsters! Anyway, gave him some IBU pain cream and let’s hope it is better tomorrow. The last Munro on the tour – Mount Keen – is something I really wanted to include that one. Then I would finish with

The IBU cream that i bought yesterday in the local pharmacy certainly helped. Not really good yet, but swelling is down and I see improvements. The break day was really needed.

This little city is packed with tourists, walkers (challengers and others) and lots of campervan‘s. I own one myself (Volkswagen Bulli California), but this is almost getting out of hands here. End of May! Wonder what it will look like in the summer?

Anyway, did a little 4k walk and then send Daniel off to climb the Morone, the house corbett here with wonderful views towards Glenshee, Lochnagar and the Cairngorms (Ben Macdui and Cairn Toul – 2nd and 4th largest mountains in the UK).

Not much else planned today. We organized the food supplies (next three days camping and outdoor cooking), bought some socks (I threw one pair away that were basically destroyed from the sticky blister bandages).

Tonight we will meet up with some other challengers at the Farquardsons Restaurant and then try to go to bed early as we will have a fairly strenuous trip up the Lochnagar Mountains (plan is for 5 Munros tomorrow) and down into Balmoral Estates. I also expect quite a lot of tents at Spittal of Glenmuick.

That was an interesting night! I went to bed at 20:15 … of course still very bright. By the way as a reminder for me and others:

Do not take the smallest tent! If I should make such a trip again then I will carry 500g extra and get a bigger one. You need to be able to sit and turn in it especially when you are stuck due to rain.

Talking about rain … at around 1am it started to downpour for about 2 hours. The river was quite a lot fuller the next morning. Weather was excellent today though.

And another thing … get a sleeping bag for several degrees below what you expect as lowest. I had an additional silk sheet that supposedly brings another 3-4 degrees, but it is uncomfortable and not really useful. Saving weight is important, but some comfort is even more. And, I am a 100kg guy … what difference does it make if I carry an extra kilogram. I was cold every night I camped so far and I put everything on that I had.

I thought this would be my easiest walk so far. It was not! I felt really exhausted and my feet are still very painful. But I made it, found a great camping place and tomorrow I have a mere 10 miles to Braemar, where I will meet up with my son Daniel and also have an extra break day.

Glen Feshie is really a beauty .. reminds me a lot of Northern California, but see yourself.

And pretty much at half distance I made it into the valley of the river Dee and it’s feeders. Some very cool waterfall’s included.

Rained till 9:00 this morning … but my plan was anyway not to leave before 10:30 towards Kingussie and on to the impressive Ruthven Brarracks. Weather is supposed to be decent and I sure hope that holds true, as I will be camping for the next two nights I had to resupply food and blister bandages plus a can of beer for tonight 🍺

I was supposed to be an easy day — only 24km, 400 altitude meters and a mere 7 hours of walking time. The Drumguish Distillery was supposedly on my path. I found a sign one time and then hoped it was towards the village of Drumguish … would make sense. But I guess that was wrong … never found the place 😢

Then I descended down into Glen Feshie … had to cross a river again (remember to bring Crocs — saved me several times) and then walked along the river for another three / four kilometres passing a very nice bothy.

Tonight it is supposed to rain very hard for a couple of hours with the remainder of the day fine. I will read a little bit today … I am carrying a real book with me that I have not opened once yet. You are either to tired or simply cannot concentrate after such a strenuous trip. Today I feel strong 💪 enough though!

That also means that I will likely go to bed around 20:00 and with that may actually leave tomorrow quite early. I am ahead of my schedule and theoretically could reach Braemar tomorrow already, but I will most likely take an easy day and camp again half way.

I am really looking forward to actually see Mar Lodge with their thousands of deer antlers. Was there in March already, but was not open at the time. They apparently also have a Cafe open … also needed, because I ate my last food yesterday evening already.

3 other tents were build up by last evening … guess it was a popular stop. I left last at around 08:15 and made it to Mar Lodge (about 4 km before at the Linn of Dee there were signs already indicating that there is Coffee and Tea for TGOC participants) just before 10:00.

I was a little disappointed as the Lodge itself was closed and the TGOC meeting point was in the stables. If you want to know why I was sad – and with the knowledge that I am a hunter/stalker – check that one out https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3698725

Road to Braemar and the Mar Lodge Estate with the Munros – great walking there!

First thing I did when entering Braemar was to head to the pharmacy and buy some pain medication and IBU cream for my foot / toe. Hope it works! And, I bought two pair of socks and a sleeping bag liner because I was rather cold the last nights.

At 16:30 my son Daniel should arrive with the bus from Aberdeen and tonight we go to the Flying Stag Bar at the Five Arms Hotel, which is one of the leading hotels in the UK … in the middle of the Scotish Highlands (https://thefifearms.com/eat-drink/).

Daniel arrived and we immediately went to the Braemar Brewery – Daniel studying Beverage Technology and me with a more than 30 year interest in craft brewing (and a Master of Science in Brewing and Distilling as I may want to add) were delighted about the tasting tour triggered by my comment that I did not particularly enjoy one of their beers last time I was in Braemar.

At 19:00 we had Dinner at the Five Arms Hotel in their bar restaurant named Flying Stag … wonder why? See the picture!

And they have more trophy’s!

Left the bothy around 07:30 … plan was to go down to Laggan and then take the inland route to Newtonmore.

The deer came up to almost the bothy …

I walked along the Spey river to Laggan – Ok as I was promised a cafe at around half distance that I reached at 11:30 — cafe is closed though on Mondays and Tuesdays. I was so looking forward to that 😢.

It was not that strenuous today, but my feet hurt really bad … and 34 km with 17kg backpack is also not soooo easy. So I had to take more breaks than usual. But as it did not rain all day today 🥳 and the ground was somewhat dry it was actually quite nice after all.

It dragged on and eventually made it to Newtonmore where I visited the Hostel and the challenge organizers — thanks for that great job and effort. Also thanks for the tea and cake on site.

And now I am off to dinner — after two beers before I showered … no, I actually took a bath at the hotel, something I have not done for 20 years. My feet and body really needed it.

Forgot to mention … I was supposed to camp tonight about 4 km before Newtonmore. But the thought of a beer, dinner, shower, cozy bed in combination with Internet connection (rarely any connection) made me look for a B&B and motivated me to go the extra distance. I am actually slightly ahead of schedule now 😎.

Tomorrow will be a relaxed day with a visit to a distillery and only 24km.