With me still unwell, a remote adventure continued to be off the cards.  Instead Yvonne and I took our horses down to Dunkeld to visit Karen Inkster who kindly put us up in her house with the horses in her garden for a few days.  We did a few day rides and a couple of overnight rides, one to a bothy near Loch Ordie and another to camp by the beautiful Loch Kinnard.  HOT HOT HOT was the order of the day and we had to stop at times to soak the horses in river/loch water to cool them down.  Never thought I’d have to do that in Scotland!

Swift seemed like a different horse… she showed me she had finally found her inner confidence by insisting on riding up front, even though she was supposed to be pack horse.  I soon rectified the situation and made Yogi pack horse.  It seems I’ve now got two great lead horses -if I can stop Yogi eating so much grass as pack horse, then I might have two of those great at the job too lol!

On the second overnighter, we had set off to find woodland for shade but instead found a dusty windfarm with all the forest removed.  The horses nervous at first, learnt to ride right passed the turning windmills which I guess was a good training opportunity but it was so fly filled and dusty it wasn’t overly comfortable.  Disappointed to find a pile of rubbish at Loch Kinnard and if we could have packed it out, we would have done -there was just too much of it to carry.

Our rest day was spent kayaking the River Tay -another past-time that Yvonne and I have in common -it was almost too HOT for that cooling activity too though!  On our way home we glamped at one of our favourite glens and Swift tried to climb into the horse lorry -not into the horse area, but the living area lol!  A quick ride round our favourite (shady) local woodland to finish the trip, as always didn’t disappoint with its fascinating twisting trails.

End of 2017 & most of the summer season of 2018 wasn’t the best for me.  Lyme Disease reared its ugly head again and this time caused cardiac issues.  Time and time again I was admitted to A&E with cardiac arrhythmias, so couldn’t stray too far off the beaten track.  It took a while to get a definite diagnosis and get the treatment I needed, but I was still desperate to get out on the trail.  When Yvonne announced she was holding a fund raising event & BBQ at her house, I decided to ride there!  The Speyside way is easy riding, is nice and scenic with good camp spots and isn’t too far from civilisation in case I wasn’t well on my journey.  It was just what I needed and was pleased to have company for some of it too. The route follows the old railway line so there are a few interesting tunnels and the horses were captivated (!) by some sheep shearing too!

Many people comment that they’d like to try “doing what I do” and love the idea of riding then staying out overnight with their horses, so through the Moray Equestrian Access Group www.meag.co.uk we organised an over night ride.  We rode from my house to another committee member’s house, had an over night camp (with BBQ & a glass of wine) before riding back the next day.  Luckily the weather was kind and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.  Rachel very kindly put us and the horses up overnight and showed us some local trails with hidden delights.  Although this wasn’t remote, it was a lovely way to introduce people and horses to longer riding and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset with a sea view in the distance.

This turned out to include the most stunning scenery I have ever seen by horseback, but also some of the most challenging trails I have attempted towing a pack horse!  Leanne and I joined Yvonne part way round a circular route she had organised, we rode from Kinlochhourn to Cannick.

Yvonne I am sure won’t mind me stating that she had been a little ambitious with the expected distances per day, given the challenging nature of the trails, the horse obstacles we had to over come and the fact that there is more faff with a bigger group.

We became very tired & hungry as did the horses -especially young cob Tom Tom who was new to all this.  He did extremely well for his first expedition but both physically and mentally -he had reached his limit.

Finding a lovely campsite at Cannick, a good field for the horses and plenty of things to explore in the area -we stayed put instead of contuinuing on and rode out for day rides instead.   Here we found the birth place of the “Golden Retriever”, explored a ruined mansion and enjoyed the best pub meal we had ever had!

We also agreed to form a plan for the 3 of us to complete the entry requirements to the Long Rider’s Guild… we made a pact to do a 1000+mile journey with our horses.  Surprisingly -I was the only one drinking when we came up with this plan!!!!

So… on a day I learn the sad news of the passing of a horse called Kareem, that inspired (and continues to inspire) the savour of so many (see my charity link on here) I thought I should write a few reflections on my recent solo trip.  Raising money for Prince Fluffy Kareem was my motivation for starting out on and completing my X-Scotland Adventure 3 years ago.  It was an adventure that was challenging enough without the extra difficulties I faced when I had to abandon completing this with my own horses and ended up continuing my journey with a pals 2 ponies.  It is never easy working with the unknown, but the motivation to continue was there -I had to finish it as I had been so heavily supported (raising over £1500 for PFK)  -the pressure to succeed was considerable!

I never like passing up the opportunity to raise money for a worthy cause, but this trip I needed to be much less pressured & much less public for two big reasons:

1. On that X-Scotland trip, Yogi became unwell and was on my return, diagnosed with Cushings Disease.  This is something that is now well managed but it still makes him more vulnerable to injury, illness & infection etc.  I really wasn’t sure how he was going to cope with another big journey.  Yes we have been out long distance riding since his diagnosis but not as remote and commiting as this one.
2. Shortly after that X-Scotland trip -I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.  This was a diagnosis that was initially missed (I had been having various tests for a couple of years but not for LD!) and so by the time I recieved treatment, I was pretty ill (I say that lightly!).  This disease can be easy to treat if you catch it quickly but is more complex if you don’t!  So 5.5years after contracting it, 2.5years after diagnosis and following a year of treatment I am feeling much better but still not 100% and I can still have bad days & “crash” if I push myself too hard.  Just before this trip I had spent 10 days in hospital being monitored by HDU with worrying symptoms that were possibly Lyme related (i.e. they couldn’t find the root cause).  It’s a disease that is a little unpredictable!

Therefore… although I contacted PFK before commencing on this adventure, in the end I decided that I needed to try both Yogi & myself out before putting ourselves under any achievement pressure from the outside world!

In the end, the trip went well, I only felt unwell on the first day but picked up and Yogi seems to be as fit as ever and looks more fantastic than I’ve seen him look for a few years.  Swift on the other hand was struggling with an abscess at the start and we nearly had to pull out for her benefit.  Luckily it burst and she was immediately a lot more comfy!

I found myself a whole lot more relaxed on this trip -able to enjoy the moment more, rather than worrying about where we had to get to next and by when.  A big part of that was having shorter days planned, more time in the whole trip for error or bug out for weather.  I ended up using some of this “flexi-time” when I had to take an extra rest day due to extreme weather -all I had to do was combine 2 shorter days into one in order to catch up in time and place.  Lesson learnt -I will always plan 2 shorter days back to back in future to give this flexibility.

There were many delights on this trip -unexpected social company in the evenings at the start. A change in route after talking to a gamekeeper that had me practically climb a Munroe (2metres short), but it was a good route!  Two stunning Glens that I hadn’t explored before -Gleann Fearnach & Glen Derry.  Found a few bothies I didn’t know existed and their locations are noted for future trips.  Using a route recommended by another trail rider I discovered amazing views over all of the Cairngorms.  Finding that a bothy I was to stay in had been completely refurbished and now had a log burning stove -which actually I needed to light in mid summer as it was SO bloomin cold!

Travelling like this is a delight -the pace, the companionship and the different places it gets you to (if I was walking -I would be drawn to bag peaks rather than explore the Glens).  However, it is hard work when alone with two horses and wild camping.  Putting up the corral, watering the horses, feeding the horses, cleaning hoof boots, pitching your tent, unpacking the bags and then cooking your evening meal all takes a long time, similarly packing all this up again in the morning takes a big bite out of your day too.  Generally on the go from 7am until 10pm each day and covering a good amount of rough hill miles is enough to tire any healthy individual out and I have to admit I was pretty exhausted by the end of these 2 weeks.

Exhausted but very satisfied -not only did this trip prove that both Yogi & I are back to tough trail fitness but it was lovely to find I had a more relaxed attitude to it all, making the whole trip a very enjoyable one indeed.  Can’t wait for the next one… oh… wait… I don’t have to… it starts tomorrow lol!

Since I didn’t raise any funds for PFK up front this time as explained above -if anyone would like to donate retrospectively, then please click HERE!

Day 1. Glen Feshie

Day 2. Glen Feshie to Glen Bruar

Day 3. Glen Bruar to Old Blair

Day 4. Old Blair to Straloch

Day 5. Straloch to Blacklunnans via Kirkmichael

Day 6. Rest Day (in the pouring rain)

Day 7. Blacklunnans to Glen Prosen

Day 8. Glen Prosen to Glen Prosen Village (not far -bugged out due to extreme weather!)

Day 9. Glen Prosen Village to Glen Doll

Day 10. Glen Doll to Gelder Shiel

Day 11. Gelder Shiel to Mar Lodge

Day 12. Rest Day -restock on food, 8 mile round walk for me into Braemar and back!

Day 13. Mar Lodge to Loch an Eilean (did a massive long day to finish up as horse knew where they were and were not content to stay in a corral over night -they wanted to find where the Lorry was parked!) -won’t finish somewhere familiar again -lesson learnt lol!

Back home last night after a 2 week trek around the Cairngorms. Some challenging weather & challenging trails for the horses. Feeling so very grateful to share my life with 2 amazing horses who let me take them to some incredibly challenging places. Despite the hard work I put them through and the difficult trails I take them along, they still seek out my company! So thank you Yogi Bear & Swift Spotty Bum for carrying all the gear, for keeping me safe & for being completely awesome trail partners! Looking forward to the next adventure, starting in only 10 days time!!

With the horses having sore feet, I decided to make this day the last day and I would not continue around the coast to Glen Elg.  I still completed coast to coast as I was able to dip my toes in the sea at Kinlochhourn.  To have taken these ponies onward, up the steep rocky trail onto Glen Elg would just have been cruel after all they had done for me.

Arriving at Kinlochhourn and finishing a day early meant a lack of planned friends/family to welcome me in, so the journey ended as quietly as it began -just me and the two equines.  I was able to undertake some quiet reflection about the journey I had undertaken.  I certainly finished with more confidence (about solo, self supported horse treks) than I started and I can honestly say, I didn’t want the adventure to end.  I would be pretty happy to travel/live like this indefinitely (although with the addition of hubby & dogs!).

This will inevitably lead to more adventures -so watch this space…. ;o)

A short day today -but the borrowed Highland Ponies had sore back feet!  Not surprised as they too were completing a Cross Scotland route -just with a different starting point.  My friend Sal was meeting me later with some wooden boards to help me over a couple of cattle grids without side gates.  I got her to bring some extra hoof boots for their back feet.  They were not a good fit, but they would at least get us through the next day.   Sal also brought wine and cooked me up a delicious feast.  I will definitely be using her as support crew again!!!