JOGLE Stage 2: Alness to Calvine – Inverness, the Cairngorms and the Drumochter Pass

Stage 2 of our JOGLE walk diary: Alness to Calvine via Inverness, Aviemore and the Cairngorms – shin splints, brain fatigue, Fergus the Hairy Coo and 200 miles.

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Stage 2 took us over the Cromarty Firth to Inverness, up the Spey valley into the Cairngorms and over the Drumochter Pass – with my first real injury, my parents on the road, and some of the best scenery in Britain.

Stage 2 at a glance

Dates: 21 May – 3 June 2019
Route: Alness – Cromarty Firth – Culbokie – Munlochy – Inverness – Daviot – Tomatin – Carrbridge – Aviemore – Kingussie – Dalwhinnie – Drumochter Pass – Calvine
Distance: about 99 miles (216 in total)
Steps: about 224,000 each
Walking days: 9, plus 5 rest days
Weather: grey skies, bright Cairngorm sunshine and rain like walking through a cloud

Shin splints on the Cromarty Firth

My free-wheel downhill into Alness came at a price: shin splints. I hadn’t been bending my knees, so my feet had been slapping down, and my left shin was agony.

Mum and Dad were waiting on the far side of the Cromarty Bridge, and halfway across I burst into tears. But I couldn’t give up after two weeks. Rest, ice and slower days got me through.

My brain battery

We walked fewer miles a day than most JOGLE walkers because of brain fatigue. My brain battery ran out around midday, whatever I’d done, and I needed a nap. If you live with a brain injury, you’ll know that feeling. Be kind to yourself.

Family on the road

Around Inverness, Dad became our taxi to and from each day’s start and finish, and Mum joined us for stretches of walking.

Zara and her mum in waterproofs on a Highland lane, her mum giving a thumbs up — Walking with Mum

Zara’s dad grinning in a tartan hat with ginger hair attached — Walking with Mum

Mum and Ian became expert birdwatchers, spotting ospreys and kestrels along the way.

Over the Kessock Bridge into Inverness

Zara and Ian peeping over the carved Munlochy village stone on the Black Isle — Munlochy, on the Black Isle, on the way to Inverness

Inverness felt like a huge milestone – there’s a whole lot of north above it, and we’d walked it. The Kessock Bridge was so windy that I had to give up on my poles and hold on to Ian.

Gillian, the old A9 and Carrbridge

Between Tomatin and Carrbridge we were joined by Gillian, who found us through a Facebook walking group and was training for the Nijmegen Marches – four marathons in four days.

Gillian and Zara holding a #stepstowards sign reading increased fitness and recovery for all, in front of the old packhorse bridge at Carrbridge — Gillian and me at Carrbridge’s packhorse bridge. Photo © Ian Brown

We walked that day on the old A9, now used almost only by walkers and cyclists – no lorries! After a wet rest day, every waterfall on the edge of the Cairngorms was in full flow.

Ian in a cap in front of a waterfall running down a hillside on the edge of the Cairngorms — Waterfalls in full flow after a wet rest day. Photo © Ian Brown

Aviemore, the Speyside Way and a 15-mile day

In Aviemore, David from the local Lions Club let us park Pixi beside his house and plug in for power and water.

Aviemore to Kingussie on the Speyside Way was meant to be twelve miles; it turned out to be 15.2, our longest day so far. But the path was clear, the sun was out and there was still snow on the Cairngorms.

200 miles, and finally a Highland cow

Kingussie to Dalwhinnie was like walking through a wet cloud. We passed 200 miles – much less emotionally than 100 – and, after the bins in Stage 1, I finally got my photo with a Highland cow. Well, Fergus the Hairy Coo.

Zara with Fergus the Hairy Coo, a metal Highland cow sculpture — Finally, a Highland cow: Fergus the Hairy Coo

Over the Drumochter Pass

The stage ended with a 13-mile day over the Drumochter Pass to Calvine, past the highest point on Britain’s railway network – snow on the tops and hardly a building in sight.

Zara with walking poles above a river winding through a glen in the Cairngorms National Park near Calvine, with gorse in flower — Heading south through the Cairngorms National Park towards Calvine

What we ate to keep going

We must have needed 4,000–5,000 calories a day each: oats, nuts and seeds for breakfast, a protein wrap and trail mix for lunch, and chicken with chickpeas, couscous or lentils for dinner. A scone or hot chocolate at the finish was the perfect reward.

Tips if you’re walking this stretch

Bend your knees on the downhills to avoid shin splints, and carry an ice pack.
Expect the Kessock Bridge to be windy. Walking poles can be more hindrance than help.
Get off the A9 where you can. The old A9 between Tomatin and Carrbridge and the Speyside Way from Aviemore are far quieter.
Pace your energy, not just your legs. If you’re recovering from a brain injury, plan shorter days and build in rest.
Look up the local Lions Club. They helped us with parking, power, water and lifts all the way down Britain.

Local facts we picked up along the way

The Battle of Culloden, on 16 April 1746, was the last pitched battle fought on British soil.
Carrbridge’s packhorse bridge, built in 1717, is said to be the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands.
The Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the UK – bigger than Luxembourg.
Ardverikie House, near Dalwhinnie, was Glenbogle House in Monarch of the Glen, much of which was filmed around Kingussie and Newtonmore.

What’s next

Missed the start? Read Stage 1: John O’Groats to Alness. In Stage 3 we head down through Perthshire towards the Firth of Forth. See the full week-by-week route and watch our film on the Our JOGLE page.

Inspired? Set your own challenge, any distance and any pace, and help other brain injury survivors keep going. Find ideas, our info pack and sponsor form on our Fundraise for us page. If you or someone you care for is living with a brain injury, you can apply for funding here.