Thanks to Our Kid 
my health is definitely on the up. With that in mind, I planned a route for this year’s TGO Challenge that would be… challenging. The last few years were almighty struggles, as I had been saddled with an ever worsening red blood count and at the end of each day’s walking I had been completely and utterly exhausted. (And not just at the end of each day, I might add.)
Now, I’ve no plans to go totally barmy this year, but I thought it would be good to stretch myself a little, just to see how things go. That’s why we’re hauling our sorry arses over nine Munros and three Corbetts. None of these are particularly arduous; I’ve chosen some “easy” ones, if there are such things as easy ones when you’re lugging your backpacking kit up them for fourteen days cum rain or shine. If this year’s walk goes well, I can plan a really adventurous route for 2015, which will be my official twentieth TGO Challenge. I really fancy that.
With the help of the good people at RouteBuddy I now have some 1:250k mapping to go with my 1:50k maps of Great Britain. This makes displaying multi-day routes a lot easier. I’ve posted below the route in full, and I’ve also split it down into the three natural sections that the walk breaks down to:
The Full Route.
West Coast to the Great Glen.
Great Glen to Braemar.
Braemar to the East Coast.
Because I’m a good bloke, you should be able to click on each map to make them considerably larger. That way you won’t have to strain. I’m all heart. My shiny munificence is wasted here.
TGO CHALLENGE 2014 COMPLETE ROUTE OVERVIEW @ 1:250k
TGO CHALLENGE 2014: DAYS 1 - 4 OVERVIEW. MALLAIG – FT AUGUSTUS
TGO CHALLENGE 2014: DAYS 4 - 9 OVERVIEW. Ft AUGUSTUS – BRAEMAR
TGO CHALLENGE 2014: DAYS 9 - 14 OVERVIEW. BRAEMAR – LUNAN BAY CAFE
Our Kid: That’s my brother’s kidney, that I’m carrying about with me these days. 
You have named your spare part. Fine...Route looks jolly fine too! We're all going to have such fun this year!
ReplyDeleteDon't all men name their parts?
DeleteThey do around these parts...
Yes. It should be fun this year, as the weather will be glorious.
Dave Albon has had a word with the bloke upstairs.
I'm relying on your promises of good weather Alan....should these promises come to fruition a pint of ale will be provided by yours truly at the Fife in Braemar....failure....well failure surely can't be contemplated. Can it?
ReplyDeleteCheers Alistair
Failure?
DeleteIs there such a thing as failure? Surely, when things go wrong it's an opportunity to excel further?
Trust me. I'm a doctor.
Oh. Hang on...
Hmm, there appears to be some mistake there Alan. As you seem to have included hills in your route! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'll have you know that even in last year's torrential rain and clag we managed three Munros and a Corbett - and on only a fifth of a kidney!
Delete:-)
Excellent, Alan. It looks like a fine route. Interesting to see you using Routebuddy (I'm still on Anquet version 1.1.8 - quite elderly - need an upgrade!). Our paths cross in Braemar - see you there, and of course at Queen Street. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHello Sir!
Delete:-)
I love using RouteBuddy - It makes planning a route a joy. You can switch views from mapping to a detailed aerial view and also to Google Earth - each time the switch matches the previous view perfectly, so lovely little camp spots can be found and the route lined in accurately from the aerial views. You would be amazed at how approximate paths & tracks are plotted on O.S. mapping.
I had been struggling with Anquet (I too had started with version 1 when it came out, but upgraded to version 6 for my LEJOG planning in 2006. The new Version of Anquet is exactly the same as Version 6, in reality - it's a bit of a con-trick!) and decided to take the plunge with RouteBuddy. RouteBuddy's customer service is also excellent & Anquet's was absolutely woeful.
I'll never go back to Anquet!
We won't be in Queen Street this year as we're on the Sleeper all the way to Ft William - so I'll see you in Braemar, Sir!
Good luck,
Alan
Glad to hear you are feeling good Alan and ready for what looks like a fine route. Should be lots of snow high up to add to the fun and games.
ReplyDeleteHi Gibson.
DeleteIf last year's anything to go by it will all have melted away by the time we arrive in May. I carried microspikes last year because the forecasted conditions. I didn't need them.
I'm more concerned about my trip up to Aviemore at the beginning of April - there could well be a lot of the white stuff then!
It could well have gone by May but there hasn't been this much snow in the Highlands for about 50 years (69 years in Glen Coe according to Hamish McInnes). I should have been heading north on Sunday but am currently on antibiotics so that's out. Woe is me, particularly with high pressure moving in!
ReplyDelete69 years!
DeleteI'm going to need an extra pair of socks in April, then.
That McInnes fellow knows his stuff about ice. I should listen.
I have to say that I'm a bit jealous of all this Challenge lark as I did not apply this year. It's a bi-annual event for me, too big a chunk of the precious holidays. I will be back next year to buy you a pint on your 20th Challenge!
ReplyDeleteYou sweet thang!
DeleteI'll look forward to it, Sir. It's a shame Ruben can't come.
:-(
Well done big fella! Looking forward to hearing more of preparations.
ReplyDeleteThank you Adam
DeleteThere are posts posted as we type!
:-)
This post got me interested in Routebuddy and I looked up a couple of reviews. One of them was on Andy Howell's blog and ended up in an uncensored 'exchange of views' which had me crying with laughter.
ReplyDeleteAndy probably didn't find it quite so amusing at the time.
Hi Dave.
DeleteI really like RouteBuddy - especially for planning routes - as you can switch between aerial view and the map at a mouseclick and zoom all the way in and then go back to the map at exactly the same place and scale that you have zoomed to.
It's easy to organise routes in a logical order.
I won't be going back to Anquet - ever!
I recall the spat over on Andy's place - it was a little while ago and since then RouteBuddy has evolved to an even better place. I've got past caring about angry exchanges on blogs these days, as I've come to the conclusion that if someone argues with me they're just idiots and I let them blether on to their heart's content... Unless their name is Hendrik Morkel, of course.
:-)