Day 9: Rest Day in Braemar

I'm not really sure what the purpose of a rest day in Braemar is. Sometimes I think the purpose is to get you so, dreadfully, bored that you're mad keen to start walking again the next day. And I suppose there is something in that. Braemar is a small village with a couple of cafés, a couple of stores and a pub. Oh and - perhaps - the best chip shop in the UK. But that's about it.

I'm being very unfair, for a rest day in Braemar offers some real pleasures, not least the catching-up with the news from the Challenge and the chance to meet Challengers new and old.

We were awake early, very excited by the prospect of a full breakfast - the first since Strathcarron. As we visited shower blocks, and generally got ourselves going, we heard the dreadful news that the café didn't open until 10.00, a whole lot later than we had assumed. But there was not too much hanging around. There were people to chat to in the campsite, new gear to discuss - there is simply no limit to how much time Challengers can spend talking about gear - new tents to sit in and swoon over.

Half way across Scotland real luxury is breakfast reading a newspaper. And believe me, this was every bit as good as I'd dreamt it would be.

We went to the newsagent and bought The Scotsman, the Guardian not being delivered until 11. We had a huge breakfast in the Old Bakery. Then we bought some lunchtime trail provisions from the Co-op. Also in the Co-op we bought a Saturday Guardian (with enough stuff in it to keep you busy for a week) and proceeded to the Fife Arms for morning tea. Newspapers consumed it was back to the campsite for washing out clothes and the like.

Colin Ibbotson at Braemar

Then back into the village for a (second) long, lingering visit to the gear shop. This is a great gear shop, run by lovely people. Last year I'd bought my X Socks here and had planned to replace them, but the originals were still going strong. But I did replace my Paramo Stretch Pants with a new pair. The old pair had ended last year's challenge with a hole. I'd carried on walking in them through the winter with the intention of buying a new pair. But I started the Challenge with them. But the hole was now indecently large. I also managed to spend - oh, at least 40 minutes - buying a gas canister.

Next it was back to the Fife Arms. Sloman was holding court. When we arrived he had his kit with him and was threatening to leave at any moment, to walk up to spend the night with Stan and Bill at Callater Lodge. As the afternoon went on there seemed little chance of him actually making a break for it. Celebrity culture had come to the Challenge!

There were some podcast interview to do, including another long one with Colin Ibbotson about ultra lightweight backpacking. I was hoping to build a one off podcast about this. And there were other internet characters to interview, like David Albon who it was great to catch up with again. Later Podcast Bob Cartwright appeared and took over the mantle of senior Outdoors Station Producer and I was able to slope off (very contentedly) to watch the English FA Cup Final on the telly.

Watching the Cup Final

As Saturday goes on the Fife Arms gets busier and busier and many Challenger, putting in delicately, become a little "tired and emotional". Towards early evening a local Ceilidh band appeared in the bar. The band were a fine group of local musicians. The men were all kilted in finest national dress. The two women were both tall, leggy, stunners. Several Challengers declared themselves to have fallen in love at first sight - sadly names are sensitively withheld on this occasion.

Evening progressed and it was over to the Hungry Highlander Chip shop for a fish supper. Have I said this is probably the best chip shop in the UK? OK then. But it really is that good and we sat eating huge portions of fish with a handful of Challengers. One of our companions was Sam Hacket who was eating a portion of haddock that, I swear, was twice as big as himself! Mind you, Sam's pack is twice as big as himself as well. He's one of the Challenges' tough guys.

While in the Hungry Highlander we became part of a fascinating conversation. We got the impression - from the owner - that there had been a discussion in the village about becoming more welcoming to Challengers. Last year a number of us had found the place far from welcoming and these comments had found their way onto the web. They'd obviously been noticed. Some folks in the village seemed to have got worried about Challengers simply by-passing Braemar and heading on to Ballater.

So maybe there was a real reason why things seemed so much nicer this year. The staff in the Fife Arms (women this year) were real stars. The Old Bakery café was incredibly friendly and accommodating and - I think - were giving us discounts. And the bistro welcome had been very warm the night before.

It seemed that the Ceilidh may have been something put on for walkers. Or it may have been for a wedding. Little Sam was getting quite distraught. He couldn't find out where the dance was. We left him just about to set off to wonder around the village listening for the music.

But we were back walking the next day and neither of us can cope with anything like the alcohol consumption of many of our Colleagues. We were tucked up in our sleeping bags at a suitably early hour.