Day 2 Update

Two things:
Somebody let me know that you can't leave a comment without having a Google+ account.  Don't worry about it.  I can see how many people have read the posts and that is more than enough support!  Thanks so much, everybody!
I meant to mention on the last post that Ben and I were taking a break this afternoon when a military jet buzzed us at fairly low altitude.  It was awesome!  We both got a real kick out of it and it helped get our adrenaline going.

Night night!!

Day 2 - Harestanes to Melrose

Day two is done.  We had a great day weather wise (no rain) and walking wise (felt better than yesterday).  Ben has been very good at pointing out notable things, which is good because I find I am often watching my feet.

We started the day by stopping at the Harestanes Visitor Centre for carrot cake and a juice.  That was definitely the right way to start the day!

About two hours in we passed an interesting memorial with this plaque on it.  Not sure if you can read it but it's kind of funny.

We stopped in St. Boswells (Chad is too modest to admit that it was named after him) for lunch at the Buccleuch Arms.  I read before the trip that there is something special about this place - maybe oldest pub in Scotland, but I can't remember now.  Google it.

There were some amazing views today, especially as we came over the Eildon Hills and down into Melrose.  Once we arrived at our campground we showered and did a load of laundry, which we are waiting to dry, before going to dinner.

Made It!!

Things we learned today:

Stopping for a good lunch is a very good idea.

MEC "anti-blister" socks don't work.

Blisters and chafing suck!

Thanks everybody!!  We won't have Wifi tomorrow so will try to post the next day.

Take care and talk soon!!

Day 1 - Kirk Yetholm to Harestanes

Day 1 is in the books. The last 5 km were not easy, but Ben finished strong, which forced me to try and keep up.  We are in the tent resting and eating, and will be headed to bed soon.

Day 1 - The Scottish National Trail

There was a little bit of everything today - sun, rain, wind, repeat.  The views right off the hop were very beautiful.  Huge rolling hills, lots of sheep and cattle grazing, and little villages sprinkled around.  This part of the SNT follows St. Cuthbert's way - I read the history but forget it right now.  It does piss me a off a little picturing old St. Cuthbert walking what we did in his sandals and a robe.

We stopped at a little town called Morebattle  a third of the way through and had a drink at the Templehall Inn.  Ben had an Irn Bru, I had a half pint of Bellhaven's Best.  Jojo, sorry but I am not going to lie, it tasted delicious.  At about the halfway mark there were the remains of Cessford Castle.  We couldn't go in but were able to see the 4m thick walls from the outside.  Hard to believe it is still standing.  The last few kilometres was along Dere Street, an old Roman road that runs between Hadrian and Antoine walls.  We are now camping  just south of the River Teviot, under a big tree in an open field.

Day 1 Wild Camp

Lessons learned from today:

Stop and eat more food!!!

The pack covers were a good idea (Thanks Mandy!)

You can battle thorns in Scotland as well as France. (Sammy, you would have laughed!)

Veggie haggis is not that bad!!

Thanks for reading, everybody.  We are off to Melrose tomorrow where we will be staying in a campground.  Night night!

We Made It!

After a long day of travelling we are finally here at the beginning point of our walk.  Everything went very smoothly - plane, bus, train, bus, bus - about 24 hours door-to-door.   We bought our cooking fuel in Glasgow, and also got our first two days of groceries once we arrived in Town Yetholm.

Gathering Supplies In Glasgow

First Breakfast In Scotland

It is as beautiful as I had hoped here, and we are taking the sunny afternoon as a good omen for the rest of our walk.  The geography is large rolling hills and very agricultural - we've probably seen 10,000 sheep already.

We saw several castles and ruins from the bus rides.  From what I have read The Borders area of Scotland where we are was notorious for raids from the English side way back.  The ruins we saw are good proof of that.

Tonight we are going to shower up and rest and then head to one of the local hotels for dinner and a good luck pint (beer for JM, Irn Bru for Ben).  Breakfast is at 8 tomorrow morning so we won't want to be up too late.

We are both excited to start our first leg - Kirk Yetholm to Harrstanes.  It will be 28 km of walking, and we will be wild camping at the end of it.

Took this picture in Glasgow for two reasons - Mark and Jenni can figure one out, and my dad the other...

Thanks for reading, and we hope to have a good update for you soon!

Packed And Ready To Go!

Well, the big day is just about here.  Our basement looks like a Camper's Village or MEC advertisement!  I have had all of our gear laid out for the last week, adding and taking away many items, trying to keep everything to a minimum.  All spread out, it looks like we have everything but the kitchen sink, but I have looked at every item left and feel like we need to bring it.

Believe it or not I got all of this packed into our two bags.  I was pleased that including boots and poles, but not including food or water, our packs both weigh less than 30 pounds each.

Ben wrote his last exam today and is at hockey right now.  A couple of last minute checks when he gets home and we'll be headed to bed.  He'll probably sleep like a log, and I'll be up every thirty minutes!
Next post should be from the trailhead if all goes well.  Talk to everybody soon!!!

Test Post From my Phone....

This is a test post from my phone.
Under two weeks until we leave and despite having had more than a few months to get ready, I am starting to think I need more time!!

I took the above photo when my dad and I went to Scotland in 2012.  This is the driveway to Blair Castle in Blair Atholl.  It was one of my favourite pictures from our trip.  This is also the endpoint of the walk Ben and I are doing.  Hopefully we will be standing there in a few weeks!!