Stage 3 took us out of the Highlands, through Perthshire and Fife, and over the Forth to Edinburgh: a fortnight of rain, old friends, lost paths and a small recovery win.
Stage 3 at a glance
- Dates: 4–17 June 2019
- Route: Calvine – Blair Atholl – Pitlochry – Dunkeld – Luncarty – Perth – Glenfarg – Kinross – Halbeath – Forth Road Bridge – South Queensferry – start of the Cross Borders Drove Road
- Distance: about 101 miles (317 in total)
- Steps: about 226,000 each
- Walking days: 10, plus 4 rest days
- Weather: rain, sun, rain again – and our first proper hay fever
Rain, fighter jets and the know-it-alls
Our first days out of the hills brought on-off rain and endless stops to pull waterproof trousers over our shorts. On a quiet forestry path near Blair Atholl, three fighter jets screamed over us so low we nearly jumped out of our boots.
We met very few walkers heading south, and some of those heading north were full of advice: our bags weren’t big enough, and we weren’t walking far enough each day. We smiled and kept walking.
Old friends on our longest day
Pitlochry to Dunkeld was 15.2 miles, equalling our longest day. Chris, a friend from our time in Grand Cayman, walked with us, along with Jill – one of the swimming instructors who got me back in the water – and her husband Andy.
Walking in company is lovely, but extra tiring for me: as well as concentrating on every step, my brain has to keep up with every conversation. The next day we took an unscheduled rest day to let it reset.
Real Highland cows at last
Leaving Dunkeld, we finally saw real Highland cows – three whole fields of them, calves and all. After Fergus and the bins, I’d started to think they were Scotland’s unicorn.
We then tried a track off the map to dodge traffic and had to fight our way out of the woods. That night my cousin David and his family near Perth welcomed us with a venison barbecue, and next day David walked us into Perth – where, for once, it was the local who got us lost.
Overgrown paths, a police house and Christmas trees
South of Perth, overgrown bushes often blocked the pavements beside busy roads – tricky for us, and impossible for anyone with a pushchair or wheelchair.
Near Glenfarg I photographed an old police house for Dad (I grew up in one), and picked up over a pound in five-pence pieces along the verge.
Then came fields of perfectly lined-up Christmas trees – a surreal sight in June.
Kinross and a defrosted freezer
In Kinross, Pixi’s freezer tripped and ruined our food, so we treated ourselves to dinner out instead.
Into Fife and over the Forth
We crossed into Fife on a rainy “tractor day” – we counted seven of them, one right behind me on a bridge.
On 15 June, Ian’s friends Rich and Emma joined us – pushchairs and all – on the Forth Road Bridge, where we passed 300 miles.
From South Queensferry we headed south of Edinburgh to the start of the Cross Borders Drove Road. Hay fever arrived with a vengeance: stick, stick, step, step, sniff, sniff.
Tips if you’re walking this stretch
- Keep waterproof trousers handy. In Perthshire the weather can change every half an hour.
- Don’t trust tracks you find on the map. Some forest tracks simply stop. Allow extra time, or stick to waymarked paths.
- Cross the Forth on foot via the Forth Road Bridge. The newer Queensferry Crossing is motorway-only.
- Build in rest after social days. Walking with company is lovely, but if you have a brain injury it can be twice as tiring.
- Pack antihistamines if you’re walking through June.
Local facts we picked up along the way
- Thomas Telford’s bridge over the River Tay at Dunkeld opened in 1809.
- Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle, on an island in Loch Leven by Kinross.
- The Forth Bridge, the red railway bridge completed in 1890, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder.
- The Queensferry Crossing, opened in 2017, is the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.
What’s next
Catch up on Stage 1: John O’Groats to Alness and Stage 2: Alness to Calvine. In Stage 4 we follow the Cross Borders Drove Road through Peebles and the Scottish Borders towards England. 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.
