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John o’ Groats to Land’s End virtual walk

I keep getting the virtual North Coast 500 popping up on my twitter https://www.theconqueror.events/northcoast/ not that you'd want to take the scenic route back to where you've just come from! Theirs is quite a commercial organisation were participants "earn a stunning medal, get the opportunity to plant trees and stop plastic bottles entering the sea." All very admirable but not as much fun as the virtual knapsack map. I suspect you'll be avoiding the Big Smoke but let me know if I'm wrong.
 
andrew d said:
I keep getting the virtual North Coast 500 popping up on my twitter https://www.theconqueror.events/northcoast/ not that you'd want to take the scenic route back to where you've just come from! Theirs is quite a commercial organisation were participants "earn a stunning medal, get the opportunity to plant trees and stop plastic bottles entering the sea." All very admirable but not as much fun as the virtual knapsack map. I suspect you'll be avoiding the Big Smoke but let me know if I'm wrong.
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I had a look at your Twitter link. My first thought was that it seemed to be a nice way to earn fifty quid - then I realised that you had to pay them that in order to take part. I had thought about trying to get myself sponsored in order to raise money for the Refill the Empty Crates of Rochefort Appeal, but I suspected it wouldn't be too popular.

I'm sure the people doing the North Coast 500 are all lovely, but if they are like the happy smiley Young People shown in your link I reckon they will be knocking off the miles wearing fluorescent trainers in an air-conditioned gym, staring the whole while at their phones (when not taking a swig from their portable hydration facility.) Not like a grumpy old man clocking up the distance by trudging through the semi-frozen muddy fields in order to get to the Co-op and back.

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wulbert said:
A9 or Great Glen?

Bloody cold going over the Drumochter Pass at this time of year. Down the Great Glen via the Caledonian Canal would give you a nice, flat canal tow-path to walk along. And you could claim "coast to coast" status.
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I’m keeping to the east, but sod the A9, I have virtual rendezvous to make. Grantown, round the edge of the Cairngorms to Braemar then towards Dundee looks like my route at present.
 
Nero said:
Come on, you have to take a diversion to Chanonry point to see the dolphins!
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I saw this last night. As I was already over the Kessock Bridge and remember a great sage once saying ‘don’t look back, you can never look back’ I thought it was too late. But looking at the map over a virtual dram this morning I see Fort George on this side of the Moray Firth, half a mile or so from Chanonry point. Apparently it is also a well-known dolphin-viewing spot. I could divert up there after Culloden if you wish. You pay my virtual entrance fee to the fort and I’ll stick your name on the map. What do you reckon?
 
Marchbanks said:
I saw this last night. As I was already over the Kessock Bridge and remember a great sage once saying ‘don’t look back, you can never look back’ I thought it was too late. But looking at the map over a virtual dram this morning I see Fort George on this side of the Moray Firth, half a mile or so from Chanonry point. Apparently it is also a well-known dolphin-viewing spot. I could divert up there after Culloden if you wish. You pay my virtual entrance fee to the fort and I’ll stick your name on the map. What do you reckon?
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The fort is amazing- it’s a vast star fort, still garrisoned. On the subject of libation, I saw two squaddies carrying a blind drunk, legless colleague into the barracks at about 3pm. Chap was oriental so I’m being kind and putting it down to a genetic lack of alcohol dehydrogenase.

Always drink sensibly and do not offer any to the bottle nosed dolphins ( despite their name).
 
Marchbanks said:
I saw this last night. As I was already over the Kessock Bridge and remember a great sage once saying ‘don’t look back, you can never look back’ I thought it was too late. But looking at the map over a virtual dram this morning I see Fort George on this side of the Moray Firth, half a mile or so from Chanonry point. Apparently it is also a well-known dolphin-viewing spot. I could divert up there after Culloden if you wish. You pay my virtual entrance fee to the fort and I’ll stick your name on the map. What do you reckon?
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I think my National Trust card works in Scotland, if you’re prepared to take the risk. There’s no photo ID thank goodness.
 
Marchbanks said:
I’m keeping to the east, but sod the A9, I have virtual rendezvous to make. Grantown, round the edge of the Cairngorms to Braemar then towards Dundee looks like my route at present.
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Grantown to Braemar….ooohhhh, Cockbridge to Tomintoul road ( if virtually open) could be slippy underfoot. Be careful.

Braemar to Dundee…you will be going through Blairgowrie. Pop into my old local, the “Cartwheel”, for a virtual pint.
 
Take5 said:
Grantown to Braemar….ooohhhh, Cockbridge to Tomintoul road ( if virtually open) could be slippy underfoot. Be careful.
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Although my recommendation would be to go off the main road and intead use the estate roads and tracks from Tomintoul (and my local, the Richmond Hotel) to Braemar.
 
SteveG said:
Although my recommendation would be to go off the main road and intead use the estate roads and tracks from Tomintoul (and my local, the Richmond Hotel) to Braemar.
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oh, that looks really interesting.

never walked up that way. How far/how long would that be? 20 miles ?

just had a quick look on a map and can see a river/ valley for at least the first half.
The second half would, I assume, be over the Kings land.
 
Take5 said:
oh, that looks really interesting.

never walked up that way. How far/how long would that be? 20 miles ?
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Something like that - maybe a tad more although there are quite a few estate roads and tracks so I think there are options. I see quite a few gravel bikes and mountain bikes doing the route plus I think Queen Victoria did it on a pony.

just had a quick look on a map and can see a river/ valley for at least the first half.
The second half would, I assume, be over the Kings land.
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From Tomintoul there is a very good estate road all the way to Inchrory, following the River Avon - which is as far as I've explored so far but I think is about 12 miles or so (we camped near there). All of the route will be in one big estate or another but not sure where one finishes and the next estate starts.

The pic below is close to Inchrory - about 10 miles from Tomintoul so about half way or so to Braemar I think. The estate road (which is on the left of this shot) is tarmac a lot of the way but very well graded and level gravel track by this point. We camped on the spit of land in the centre of the picture.

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SteveG said:
Something like that - maybe a tad more although there are quite a few estate roads and tracks so I think there are options. I see quite a few gravel bikes and mountain bikes doing the route plus I think Queen Victoria did it on a pony.



From Tomintoul there is a very good estate road all the way to Inchrory, following the River Avon - which is as far as I've explored so far but I think is about 12 miles or so (we camped near there). All of the route will be in one big estate or another but not sure where one finishes and the next estate starts.

The pic below is close to Inchrory - about 10 miles from Tomintoul so about half way or so to Braemar I think. The estate road (which is on the left of this shot) is tarmac a lot of the way but very well graded and level gravel track by this point. We camped on the spit of land in the centre of the picture.

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thanks for that info.

great picture and look at the height of those snow poles. Quite telling !!!
 
Take5 said:
thanks for that info.

great picture and look at the height of those snow poles. Quite telling !!!
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There are telephone and power lines running right down the glen to the house at Inchrory and I think that's what those poles are! It does get quite a bit of snow though - this is closed to Tomintoul (about 3 or 4 miles down the glen).
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This was with the tent pitched at the location I mentioned earlier - really lovely space to camp and a very easy walk into it:

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Nero said:
I think my National Trust card works in Scotland, if you’re prepared to take the risk. There’s no photo ID thank goodness.
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A decent nine miles today, although progress will be slowed next week as I have sold my soul to The Man. That wine in the Harvey Nichols’ sale wasn’t going to pay for itself. With any luck it will appear in the virtual knapsack by the end of the week.

Talking of which, I managed to pull from it today a fisherman’s cap, artist’s smock and band to tie my beard up in an imitation of a goatee. My impersonation of Nero was good enough for me to be able to breeze through security at Fort George using his National Trust card, set up my easel and paint a watercolour of the dolphins in his favoured style.

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Next - on to Cawdor. My pal Will down the road in Stratford asked me to go there and do some research for something he’s writing. He also wants me to check the view from Dunsinane Fort for some reason, but that’s all for the future.
 
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Take5 said:
Grantown to Braemar….ooohhhh, Cockbridge to Tomintoul road ( if virtually open) could be slippy underfoot. Be careful.

Braemar to Dundee…you will be going through Blairgowrie. Pop into my old local, the “Cartwheel”, for a virtual pint.
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Looks very feasible… sadly it can’t be logged as a rendezvous if you are no longer in the area, so it will have to count as a detour - albeit one of around 50 metres.
SteveG said:
Although my recommendation would be to go off the main road and intead use the estate roads and tracks from Tomintoul (and my local, the Richmond Hotel) to Braemar.
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I had been wondering about this myself. As you say, there appear to be roads and tracks that get halfway, but I can’t find any that get all the way across. Internet research shows that serious mountain bikers and crampon-equipped hill-walkers cruise through, but maps of the route make it plain there’s no official path with signposts, waymarkers etc. It doesn’t really sound like the ideal route for a confused old man. I mean, look at this website…

https://www.bikingbarn.co.uk/cairngorm-carousel-day-2

Picture 1 and picture 2, no problem. Picture 3… well, it isn’t going to happen. So my rule (I made it up thirty seconds ago) is that any route to be taken must be shown on either Google Maps or the UK public footpath map. But I’m willing to be convinced if you think there is one - if not you can call me a wimp to my virtual face when we meet at the Richmond.
 
Marchbanks said:
I had been wondering about this myself. As you say, there appear to be roads and tracks that get halfway, but I can’t find any that get all the way across. Internet research shows that serious mountain bikers and crampon-equipped hill-walkers cruise through, but maps of the route make it plain there’s no official path with signposts, waymarkers etc. It doesn’t really sound like the ideal route for a confused old man. I mean, look at this website…

https://www.bikingbarn.co.uk/cairngorm-carousel-day-2

Picture 1 and picture 2, no problem. Picture 3… well, it isn’t going to happen. So my rule (I made it up thirty seconds ago) is that any route to be taken must be shown on either Google Maps or the UK public footpath map. But I’m willing to be convinced if you think there is one - if not you can call me a wimp to my virtual face when we meet at the Richmond.
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I haven't done the final part of the route to Braemar yet so can't comment from experience but I know loads of people do it on gravel bikes so I expect the paths are pretty decent and expect it's a lot nicer than following the road (although the scenery is also nice from that and it's not a busy road).

Scotland is a bit different from England in terms of access regulations but one minor downside of the right to roam is that routes aren't always as well defined on the OS maps as they are in England and a lot of tracks that are very well defined on the ground aren't on the map and don't come up on stuff like Google Maps.
 
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