The Caledonian Challenge 2004

The trip began with an uneventful drive north to Fort William to get us to the start of the Caledonian Challenge, undoubtedly the most challenging yet rewarding fundraising event of its kind in the UK in which teams of four, each representing companies or simply as an individual team as we were, from throughout the UK and beyond, walk 54 miles of the West Highland Way within a 24-hour period, passing through some of Scotland's most spectacular scenery.

The valleys and mountains of Glencoe looked spectacularly inviting as we drove through - after a squally shower – but we had a schedule to keep. We booked into our accommodation for the night, registered for the event and were kitted out with our team numbers and bags of 'goodies' (tee-shirt, mug, sun hat, midge repellent, etc.) then enjoyed the pasta party before being given our safety briefing for the route and getting settled down for the night. The reality of walking 54 miles in 24 hours was almost sinking in!

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Saturday morning's alarm call at 5.00am was a bit of a shock to the system, but necessary, for Team ‘Step by Step’ to be at the start 45 minutes before the 'off' then, on the stroke of 7.00am, we stepped out to the skirl o' the pipes and drums of a local band at the head of some 500 other Challengers (the final entry was 1,600) for the first leg of 12 miles to Kinlochleven - once home to an Alcan aluminium smelter but now just a sleepy little highland Scotland town - where we booked in to out first Checkpoint at 10.45am. We freshened up with a change of socks; and with Keith’s support, had hot drinks and some food and 30 minutes later were up and on our away again.

Leaving Kinlochleven, from where Checkpoint 2 was some 10 miles distant, we set off up the water-board road to the head of the former smelter pipeline then out onto the remote and rugged path leading over to the top of the infamous ‘Devil’s Staircase’ faced by the mighty Buachaille Etive Mor (Great Shepherd of Etive) towering to 1,020 meters in front of us. The descent culminated at Altnafeadh where there was a very welcome water stop.

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Although we had had some light rain leaving Fort William, it was nearer the end of this leg that it became just a bit more persistent – as it tends to do in the Scottish Highlands! We paused, briefly, to put on our waterproof jackets before reaching the Checkpoint at 3.00pm. Most of our 30-minute break was spent inside our support vehicle – avoiding a downpour - freshening up again with yet another change of socks, and more hot drinks and food.

As we had walked the next 20 miles from Checkpoint 2 just a couple of months earlier, we were conscious of the remoteness and lack of shelter throughout and, since the rain looked as if it might ‘be on for the rest of the day’, we decided to put on full waterproofs for the crossing of the remote Rannoch Moor section. After another 30 minute stop, we said our farewells to Keith again and were up and away. Within two miles, thankfully, the waterproofs were off and we reverted to shorts and tee-shirts and the rest of the afternoon brightened up.

We had been advised that, at the end of the third leg, none of the walkers would have contact with their support vehicles and so had to carry some extra food and another change of socks. Keith had checked with us to make sure we had everything we required before departing from Checkpoint 2. We covered this leg of 8 miles to Checkpoint 3 by 6.15pm where the organisers had a delicious buffet meal ready.

Hungers satiated, thirsts quenched and socks changed, again, we checked out at 6.45pm. This was where we were given the snow warning! Here were we, almost at the longest day of the year and yet we were being told we could expect snow! Thankfully it didn't materialise but, as it turned out, we did have to endure a cold night.

As we neared Tyndrum, at a point where the main road, railway and West Highland Way run a parallel course within some 60 yards or so of each other, we spotted Keith and our support vehicle in a lay-by. We were so close that we were able to shout our progress report over to him instead of using our mobile ‘phone link!

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On the approach Auchtertyre Farm where Alasdair works a shepherd, we were greeted with a 'Good Luck Step by Step' banner suspended between the trees, high above the path! We were the only team out of over 250 entries to get anything like this and it was a great morale booster for four wearying bodies with eight wearying legs shared equally between them!

At 10.35pm, at the end of another 12 miles, we reached Checkpoint 4, and this was to be our bonus stop. Alasdair’s lovely wife Jacqueline had prepared a hot meal of minced beef, potatoes and garden peas followed by apple pie and custard for the whole team! It was a pleasure to be in their warm, family home, away from the hustle and bustle of the event. We changed into long trousers, fresh shirts and socks then, after only 30 minutes and with our glow sticks activated, we were prepared to set off into the night.

We walked out into the darkness; head torches switched on and with something resembling a spring in our step for what was to prove to be possibly the most arduous section of the whole walk - 11 miles through to the finish on a route that was not only rough and muddy in places but had lots of short, stiff climbs followed by short, sharp descents, reminiscent of being on a fairground roller-coaster ride! For five more hours and thirteen minutes we plodded on 'step by step' as our team name implied, getting progressively slower.

First light, at around 3.15am, was most welcome and as the sky brightened, so did our spirits … but we were still some way from the finish line! Alasdair was persevering with some acute muscular pains around his knee joints, John and I both had upset stomachs but Bruce was on autopilot as the finish line came into view. A most welcome sight!

Our troubles briefly set aside, we made the final, short descent of our double marathon walk then at 4.18am and linked arm in arm we crossed the line precisely as we had started – together. Sadly, in the euphoria of our success, none of us remembered to take any photographs!

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During the night section the route had been marked with glowlights - small plastic tubes with a lime and chemical fluid content that, when activated glowed green and could be seen for quite a distance. The ones that we were required to wear on our backpacks glowed blue/mauve.

Our team’s most commendable time of 21 hours and 18 minutes, putting us in position 380/1/2/3 out of the 962 Gold finishers, was recorded at Ardleish on the east bank of the loch before we were ferried over to the other side to be cheered ashore by marshals, helpers, support teams, friends and families and to collect our medals. My son Greg (clutching a wee bottle of Moet & Chandon), my oldest granddaughter, Rebecca and her pal Amy, had stayed up all night to be there to meet us.

Summary:

The fastest time was 11 hours and 12 minutes. The longest time taken for the award of a Gold Medal was 31 hours by a lass from a Wimbledon based company - well done! She must have been wrecked!

Deducting 4 x 30 minutes for Checkpoint breaks and the remaining 18 minutes as the total spent at the numerous water/soup stations along the way, our actual walking time was closer to 19 hours. That equates to an overall speed of 2.8mph, only reducing to 2.5mph for the actual time spent walking.

Without Keith who, as our support driver, purveyor of hot food and drinks as well as much rummaging about in the back of the vehicle for things we needed and his humour and TLC as required, I doubt perhaps if we would have been able to make it to the end of this most gruelling event as readily as we did … ‘thank you’ seems such an inadequate expression of gratitude.

A big thank you must also go to the organisers, marshals, caterers and all the volunteers who helped make our journey just that little bit easier to bear!

Would we take on The Caledonian Challenge again ... none of us thinks so, but ask us again later! I, for one, certainly will not be undertaking any more fund-raising walks as I doubt if I could better the most generous sponsorship support I received this time around. Thank you to all my sponsors for helping me to raise almost £2,000 for the Scottish Community Foundation and to everyone else who helped push our team total up to around £4,000.

Team Step by Step have already discussed the possibility of doing a personal 3 Peaks Challenge within 24 hours in 2005, The Great Glen Way in 2006 and after that … who knows? We may even take on a marshalling or volunteer role next time, but we won’t be walking from Fort William to Ardleish … that’s for sure!

Caledonian Challenge:

http://www.caledonianchallenge.com

Scottish Community Foundation:

http://www.scottishcommunityfoundation.com

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