Earlier today I was looking at routes on OS maps. I quickly found myself in a thoroughly engaging. Maps can do that to you, and we’ve discussed this many times in these pages. But today the daydreams were about the joys of walking ahead — solo walking that is.

Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy walking with others and with my loved ones. But it is not quite the same. Walking solo you can walk at the your own pace, for your own distance and pick your own hours. Want to explore that hill or top? No Problem. Find a sunny spot for a little afternoon nap? Fine. Decide to change the route or walk into the night? Nobody else to worry about! Solo walking is less stressful as there’s no responsibility to take for anyone else. Mind you, it is important to take care of yourself, but that’s another story.

The high points are wonderful, great stonking vistas to take in, boulders to slither over and scree to skid over. There is something about being able to deal with mountains and hills on your own. Three or four years ago in the Caringorms I climbed up Bynack More in reasonably quiet if gloomy weather. By the time I had reached the summit ridge the winds began to blow; it was exciting. I fought my way over to the Barns of Bynack through driving rain and then snow. And then it was stinging hail smashing me in the face. I could have ploughed on I suppose and I probably would have done with others. But, damn it. This wasn’t fun. I decided to drop right down the hill, down steep contours, alongside a little stream that eventually made it to the little Alt that runs south to the Fords of Avon.

This wasn’t so much a walk as a toboggan down the fells on my bum. It was all great fun and completely irresponsible, you know those great slides where you fly over edges into heather no knowing what is underneath. It just had to be a solo experience.

But solo daydreams don’t just focus on the heights. There are those wonderful stretches of trail, or track, that just seem to go on forever. You hit your stride, adopting a pace that you could just sit in all day. In Scotland this might be over open moorland or if your really lucky through Caledonian Forest. There are birds to listen to and deer to spy. Of course, the famous TGOC cuckoo will be a constant companion in the West during May. On the path there are wonderfully hairy slugs to stand and stare at, not to mention those juicy big black things.

There will also be the sound of running water for much of the time. Perhaps, it is a stream or a small burn in full flight. Or it might be river slowly meandering down to civilisation and the sea. It might be the sound of water gushing beneath your feet as you crawl up to the high ground of the peat bog, the line of the water faithfully sketched out in the peat despite the subterranean meanderings of the stream.

As the day draw on there is a camp to discover. Walking in company its always annoying when that flat spot on the map turns out to be horribly tussocky or water-logged. Solo, I’ll just stroll on. There’s always another spot, another camp. The legs are working fine, let’s push on a bit. That ground down below towards the valley looks promising. What about that sun glistening on the u-bends of the Findorn down below? Camp made there are things to discover. Signs of other life? Yes, there’s a stone strategically moved to support a fire or stove. Maybe if you are really lucky there are three or four big stones heaved over to make a comfortable seating platform.

In the morning, well I might start early. Or I might have a lie in. Watches are not needed in the north in the warmer months. Just wake with the dawn and stroll on accordingly.

Wouldn’t it be great to stroll on like this for days and days? But even if its just two or three the its fine. There are those that like to think of Scotland as wilderness but eventually there’s a house though the trees, the sound of motor engines, the fluorescent flash of a kayak or the sound of a lawn mower or chainsaw. There are now people to meet, to greet, to drink and eat with. But the company is all the better for the days of solitude that preceded it.

But when walking alone I also value the chance encounter with my fellow walker. And somehow these are wonderfully different when walking on your own. And in Scotland these encounters are nearly alway entertaining. I remember an old chap in the Knoydart walking into Inverie from Strathan to see his mate. We stopped. He complained about the weather. Then he complained about the state of the path. Not maintained properly. And his boots; they were letting in water. At least I think this is what he was complaining about as it was difficult to really understand. And then the inevitable happened. That’s a nice rucksack. How does it work? Where can you get one?

Another time strolling down Glendessary and about to enter the woods I heard the sound of rushing boots behind me and a cry for attention. Another old fellow. This one was out on his monthly bird count. He was responsible for a stretch of glen and his job was to carry out a survey of bird song and bird call. What a wonderful way to spend a retirement. Every few weeks or so he drove down from Inverness to maintain his little stretch. We walked on through the woods. He knew everything intimately, the birds, the trees and all manner of wildlife in between. I left him eventually and soon found myself passing a car. Ten minutes later my new friend was driving past with waves and the sounds of joyous goodbyes.

Walking down Glen Derry once — on Midsummer’s Day — I spied a man in the distance adjusting his gear and heaving round a big pack. As I got closer I realised he was carrying skis. He’d been up on Ben Macdui the week before and realised there was still a lot of snow about. So he came back to ski on Midsummer day, just because he could. These have all been Scottish encounters but there have been others, just has delightful, in Wales, on the mountains of France and many other places besides.

These encounters can really make a day. But then you’re back on your own. If your lucky the sun will be shining. But it might be pelting down. Never mind. I’m safely tucked into my rain gear, warm from the effort of the walk, entranced by the sound of the rain on my hood. And if your in real luck the rain will break, the sun will come out and you’ll be walking through woodland, alive with most stunning display and exhibition of scent.

Are there problems to solve and everyday dilemmas to wrestle with? No these have been expunged days before. The mind is free to go anywhere and everywhere. There are tunes to recall from the dark recesses of the mind or, if your like me, new tunes to create and to play with, and many variations to employ in order to fix these places into memory for future recall. There are the songs and those songs. Walking songs are not about quality but about hooks. I once spent four days crossing through the Cairngorms happily singing and whistling a collection of Eurovision songs —I’d caught a documentary about the song contest on TV a few days before. I’d never be caught dead listening to those songs and tunes back home. But out on the trail, as the walking poles beat their steady rhythm, they seem perfect.

I am, of course, looking forward to the Challenge. If you’re a first time Challenger walking solo you’ll no doubt be approaching the whole thing with a sense of trepidation.But after a day or two you’ll want to slow the pace, you’ll begin to relax and simply take in the magic of it all. Walk with those you met by all means but preserve some days for yourself.

There really is nothing else like it!