East Highland Way: Day 4

A fitful sleep — my feet dangling over the end of the sofa.

Voices outside in the dark.

“Hello?”

Just my imagination.

I pull the solitary chair to the open doorway and enjoy the silent sunrise with a cup of tea. It doesn’t get much better than this.

What a glorious morning.

The clouds soon roll in, enhancing the dramatic landscape — beautiful and desolate.

There are four river crossings, requiring careful boulder hopping and the inevitable damp feet.

Ghosts of the people who once carved out a life in this glen.

Toward the end of the glen, I meet a lady walking two highland terriers. One is skittish but I win her over and am rewarded with a lick.

“You’re honoured.”

She corrects my pronunciation of Glen Banchor to “Banachar”, meaning the horn or bend in the river. She loves the curves and romance of the glen, unlike the “grim Cairngorms”. I sense she has no love for Aviemore.

A highland cow hides in the trees, so I venture in for a chat, which is a mistake as she proceeds to follow me along the path.

Antlers Cafe in Newtonmore serves up a delicious breakfast. One of the many things I love about Scotland is that you always get black pudding.

The village has a clever idea to attract visitors — a wildcat trail with 132 painted statutes to find. I don’t have time to find them all.

The trail joins the Speyside Way, more of a cycle track, and it leads me through Kingussie and past the impressive Ruthven Barracks, built in 1719 after the Jacobite rising.

I spend the afternoon meandering through pretty forests and across open moors along easy tracks.

Nearing the end of the day, the forest path veers off to the east, winding down through the trees, taking me to the wrong side of the ridge. Why?

All is revealed. Uath Lochan. Silent. Still. Breathtaking. One of the most beautiful spots I’ve found. Surely an Elvish place.

It’s a short walk to Loch Insh Watersports Centre, where I’ve booked a pitch as they provide a cooked breakfast. Unfortunately, there are also 150 primary school kids staying on an outdoor activities course. I camp on the beach as far from the centre as possible, but an evening treasure hunt draws the braver ones my way.

“I can see him! He’s sleeping!”

Fame at last. What a magical day, one of the best. I expect it will take me many years to hike round the coast of Scotland as I intend to divert inland where possible in search of such wild beauty.

Walk distance: 19 miles.

Total distance: 72 miles.