On Friday 11th May 2012 I set off from Dornie in the Scottish Highlands on the west coast of Scotland to walk to St Cyrus, on the east coast, 2 weeks and 184 miles later.
I will be crossing some amazing wild and open countryside, including the Monadhliath and Cairngorm mountain ranges, and you can see some details of my ‘intended’ route here.
On my walk I will be carrying a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger which will transmit my current location to a satellite, every 10 minutes, and my progress will be recorded. You can track my progress on one of the following maps: (the map on 1 an 2 below will show properly once tracking starts and the last map, 3, will be set up shortly)
- My personal map on the Social Hiking website. This map will also show the occasional tweet and possibly a podcast or two, mobile signal permitting that is! Also, if I manage to set it up in time, this map will also show my intended route in a different colour.
- A group map on the Social Hiking website, showing me and other walkers on the TGO Challenge.
- Another group map showing me and yet more walkers on the TGO Challenge.
I do not intend to blog as I go so this may be my last post until near the end of May. My online activity will likely be only on twitter, @bryanwaddington, if you would like to keep in touch. You can also email me via the Contact page if you don’t have my email address.
Keep your fingers crossed, for all the ‘Challengers’, so we have good weather, a safe crossing and no midges! (well, not many :)
Best wishes
Bryan
More information about Rab TGO Challenge.
Blog posts in this series:
I think I will take a similar approach and mainly tweet with a #sh tag so it links with the group map. I can do that using SMS on my 3-week battery life Nokia, and turn on airplane mode on the smartphone which will lay down the beacons every so often, probably when I ask it to.
Hope it works.
Did a parcel today and test-packed – looking good for 11.5kg
I’m going to set up SMS tweeting too although I dont want to be faffing around tweeting and hoping for a mobile signal all the time, the idea is to enjoy the wilderness! :)
11.5kg ! fully loaded ready to walk first day? That’s good, I think mine will be similar… Will have to get it less than 11.5kg now though! ;)
I had a spot on my nose last Challenge :)
11. 5 kg.
Mine will be about 12kg and for me that is light. It might be a bit over. Makes no difference after the first couple of days.
It was less until I made a silNylon porch groundsheet.
No more wet knees for me.
Also it is going to be bloody cold on week 1, you’ll need your winter woolies boys.
Have a good walk.
Yep – the down jacket is in the bag, with a decent fleece, spare clothes & all. I did forget to put the phone charger and batteries in (200g) though.
oh, and I also forgot that I carry a chest pouch with my map and camera in it, so I reckon forget all that rubbish I just said and make it a round 15kg – anyway, I am not weighing it again. It’s going on my back and I am getting on the train.
Andrew, I have a spot on my nose today – and it is like a beacon.
If you can keep it, you won’t need a torch. :)