The 710 Years Hikes
By Ian
13th-15th April 2022
In mid April, four Brothers (Garry, Iain, Neil and I) spent three consecutive days in Torridon with seven other adventurers of a similar age. This was to be a test of our ability to traverse different kinds of terrain and ideally improve our recovery times.
The group, whose aggregate age was 710 years (average 65), comprised Brother Ian & Iain (both 68); Brother Garry, Greg, John, Brother Neil, Phil & Steven (all 65); Derek & Ken (both 63); and Brother Iain (58).
Day Zero – Early Arrivals
The quickest route from Dundee was via the A9 and Inverness; around 4.5 hours for just under 200 miles, including a pit stop at the tourist mecca of Bruar. Once past Inverness it was cross country to the western Highlands.
A quick stop above Glen Docherty to take in the view of Loch Maree, and half an hour later we were in Torridon, searching for Newton Cottage; our accommodation for the next four nights. How difficult can it be to find a cottage in a tiny village? Fairly difficult, when the photographs we had for identification had been taken from the side garden, rather than the roadside.
Prior to our arrival, Greg, Iain and Derek had arrived just after lunchtime and decided to go for “a short walk”, according to Greg. It turned out to be significantly longer than Iain and Derek had anticipated as they headed up part of the route we would take on the first official day’s hiking, before turning east to Loch Coire.
The rest of us were extremely envious when we saw their photograph of the triple buttress of Coire Mhic Fhearchair. Perhaps next time…
