I awoke on a bench at the top of a hill by the ruins of a castle. I do not recommend sleeping on a bench, but under the circumstances (rocky and wet ground) it was the best option! My sleeping bag was a bit wet due to, erm, dew, but quickly dried out in the sunlight.
At this point I had walked just over 500 miles, and this was day 30.
Wednesday 17th August 2016
Up early and cooked baked beans, then on to Traquir where I sat on a bench. Continued on drove road which joined Southern Upland Way. It was sunny, I later found I had a hikers burn.
This means my chest and arms were burnt, but there were white patches where my rucksack straps had been!
I took a detour to Minch Moor – fantastic views. Stopped for lunch to shade. Met a Dutch guy going in the same direction as me (he was doing Southern Upland Way) so walked with and chatted to him for a while.
This was the only time on the whole journey where I walked with another hiker for any length of time. For whatever reason, most hikers tend to walk north, but I was typically walking south. At this stage I was unusually walking slightly northwards for a few hours, as I needed to make my way across the country to east, because the most eastern regions in Scotland are aligned with the West of England. The Southern Upland Way was the best route through this area, so walking slightly north was a trade off worth making.
Passing Galashiels, I remembered there is a student hall doing summer rooms, and checked – they were available. Took a room, and bought food from Tesco – time for a rest day.
Distance: 18.8 miles [view on map]
Spending: £75
