Speyside Way - Day 5 of 6 - part 1

April 25, Tuesday. Craigellachie to Fochabers. Official estimate 12 miles. iPhone estimates 13.1 to 14.75 miles. 

Hello Friends. Thank you so much for taking the time and energy in your precious life to share this walk with me. Writing these blogs - made possible by your caring and supportive presence and your fun and encouraging responses - is as important as the walk itself is to me.

Had a bit of a rough night last night. I just couldn’t get my B&B room warm enough. I found windows slightly open and fixed that. I turned the radiator up as high as I could. I was a bit chilled from the walk - just toward the end it had snowed for long enough to get me cold and a little wet. I didn’t realize my under layers were damp and kept wearing them, which contributed to the chill. I’m sure part of why I lived the fire in the bar last night was that I finally got warm and all those clenched shivery muscles began to let go and relax. Or did I unconsciously know I was being allowed to warm myself at the forbidden fire in the parental bedroom/pub? It did feel good enough to be a forbidden pleasure. 

This morning began most auspiciously. The weather forecasts had backed off their predictions of temperatures in the 20s - they were now predicting mid-30s and I was confident I could handle that since there was no precipitation predicted all day - except of course for the snow that was falling outside the breakfast room window as I enjoyed another full Scottish breakfast. It was supposed to end before I started walking, and it did. 

I saw another one of those stone bridges - I really am a little in love with them (as I am bridges in general but the stone arches are very special). 

Thank 

The best highlight or at least the next one that moved me to take a photo was the sight of someone else’s lost glove. This made me think of the wonderful blog by a lost glove that Cousin Alice sent me. 

Here’s the Blog of a Glove that Alice sent me:

Dear Scottish River,

Here I am, the runaway glove/mitten of yours, taking the whisky of a life time journey all on my own, merrily going down a hilly dirt road, chatting with myself and imagining how I would eventually run into my better half and how toasty our reunion would be tonight, all tucked in with Scottish River after a plate of blood sausage and haggis and neeps and a bottle of whisky!

Well, I had a good day wondering among the Scottish hills and woods, sorry you were cold without me. I will try to hang around but don’t be surprised if I take off once in awhile.

Yours truly, the right hand mitten🧤😛

Alice also included this photo of a wandering glove

Glad as I am to include the blog of the rebel glove, and as much respect as I have for independence in couple relationships, I am very happy to report that Alice’s suggestion that I attach my mittens to my jacket has protected me from stray mitten adventures these last two days. These are my big rain over-mittens  that I have attached, but I can tuck the warm under-mittens inside them when I take them off - so I no longer have to juggle walking sticks and four mittens and my iPhone every time I check navigation or take a photo. My cousin is brilliant!

Hope this isn’t too much to post - and hope hope hope Alice okays my sharing the glove’s blog. (Yippee! She did. Note: my cousin Alice used to play violin in an orchestra but she retired so she’d have more time to enjoy life. Now she just plays at life, for fun, but with that same virtuoso skill!)

So here ends part 1 - to be continued in

Speyside Way - Day 5 of 6 - part 2 - hope you will come along.