Day 5: Garva Bridge to Glen Truim

I woke feeling cold. The inner tent was soaked with condensation for the first time on this trip. I opened the tent door and was greeted by a fabulous sight; a huge and heavy frost lay on the ground; icicles hung from the tent. The sky was as clear as a bell. The sun was already beginning to shine, low in the sky as it was. This was going to be a fabulous day.

It was also going to be an easy day as we strolled to the pub for lunch and ambled down little, leafy lanes to the comfort of another five star campsite.

By 8.00 we were starting our walk in lovely sunshine. A taxi flashed past us on the way To Melgarve Bothy; I wondered whether this was someone abandoning the Challenge. The walk to Laggan is mainly along tarmac road, but the grass verges are wide and comfortable. Gradually we began to walk into the upper reaches of the Spey valley. We were in a completely new landscape. The terrain was more gentle. Young lambs leaped and gambolled around . Cows grazed contentedly. Every now and then we'd walk a bit with some of the other characters who'd stayed at Garva Bridge. Eventually we left the road and rejoined Wade's Road, though this time the road was re-discovered as a gentle, grassy track.

Changing Landscape

We were at the Monadhliath Hotel by coffee time. This is a great place. The hotel always welcomes Challengers with open arms for the two or three days that we are passing through. The hotel allows Challengers to put up their tents in the grounds of the old church, just a few feet away from the hotel.

Challengers began to congregate in the bar and some sat outside in the warm morning sun. Most early arrivals were ordering sandwiches and coffee, but we'd planned to stay for a real lunch (that's to say a lunch comprising of real food). The atmosphere here is always great. I got out the recording machine and carried out a few podcast interviews. I managed to get the Ians and Johnny to talk about their walkie-talkies. At least I think I did. We all laughed in the same places but I really didn't understand a word of these strong, animated, accents! As the morning merged into lunchtime we were joined by other Challengers who'd entered Laggan by different routes. It was good to catch up with Lee Wells and his mate Tony. We had a good chat about podcasts blogs and all things internet-y. Lee would be walking with Bob Cartwight in a couple of days. Lunch was superb. Nothing really out of the ordinary but good fish, proper chips and home-made coleslaw and salad - and enough of it to keep a long distance walker smiling.

After lunch we ambled over the Bridge to another great institution, Laggan's local shop, the Laggan Stores. Laggan Stores is a lovely community shop. In fine weather you can sit outside and eat a sandwich and a coffee - it's a more demure alternative to the pub. While the store isn't that big it sells most of the things a Challenger would need: fresh cheese and ham, bread, pittas, tortillas, and knee bandages! (They obviously know their customers at this time of year; Kate went straight for a Knee bandage). Also at the stores was Christine who told us that she and Margaret had spent last night in Melgarve Bothy. Margaret had been unable to carry on and the taxi we saw had been coming to take her (and perhaps another Challenger who'd retired) on to Kingussie. It's always sad to see somebody forced to retire but Margaret had obviously been in some great pain and - in the circumstances - she'd done really well to reach Melgarve. Laggan Stores is always worth a visit. You can't miss it. It is sign-posted on every approach to the tiny village.

Stocked-up with lunchtime food we ambled back past the hotel and on down the lanes for an hour or so until we reached the Glen Truim campsite. The last time I'd been this way was with Malcolm Griffiths. After lunch in the hotel Malcolm had simply headed for the hotel while I still had a long trek on to Kingussie. This year I followed Malcolm's lead and was well rewarded. Glen Truim is a fine and comfortable campsite. Our food parcel was ready for us as soon as we checked in. It was a fine, sunny, afternoon and after setting up the tent I took pleasure in a wonderfully indulgent afternoon nap. There were a few other Challengers here, notably two Glasgow lads who were hoping to finish the Challenge on Monday. They arranged with the campsite to leave their tents there in the morning as for the rest of the trip they'd be staying in bothys or hostels. But even so they'd have to be moving at a hell of a pace.

As I climbed into my sleeping bag that night I realised that I'd acquired more than a few midge bites. I'd not seen them; the bastards were obviously operating in stealth mode.