This week on the Blogger Network, Robin Wallace investigates a 44-mile route away from the beaten track.
When we go backpacking in the Highlands, many of us like to seek out solitude and wildness. But how many of us take a scientific approach to avoiding roads for as long as possible?
Robin Wallace, who blogs at Walk With Wallace, checked out a possible route promoted by the Ordnance Survey, claiming to be the longest possible straight line between roads (44 miles). The line strikes through the Cairngorms. Using this as a starting point, Robin decided to create his own route, and soon realised it would be a rewarding and fascinating walk:
If you make it to Cock Bridge you would have covered 70.55 kilometres and 5,636 metres of ascent. Of course this would be covering a straight line as the crow flies which would be almost impossible to do. The distance covered could easily creep up towards 80 or even 90 kilometres.
There is no doubt that the route takes you into stunning and remote parts of Scotland. It is a serious and committed hike with lots of pathless rough terrain, taking you across featureless rounded hills where your navigation skills would have to be spot on.
