Laggan to Newtonmore

Via the alternative route

Distance Walked: 14.48 Miles

Distance Overall: 65.72/82 Miles

After a sleepless night on a very lumpy, sloping pitch, I awoke feeling stiff and exhausted. My spirits were instantly lifted when I heard Dani singing cheerfully to herself in her own poorly pitched tent. After dragging ourselves out of our cosy sleeping bags, we ate a hearty breakfast of bourbons and coffee, packed up our tents, and set off. The prospect of real coffee and real food in Laggan gave us a spring in our step, and the first few miles felt effortless. We were soon out of the forest and on a country lane that led through a farm. On this farm, to our great pleasure, there were Highland cows, friendly pigs, and ducks. So, obviously, we had to stop to say hello and take some photos.

REAL TOILETS, REAL COFFEE, and REAL FOOD.

As we approached the tiny village of Laggan, we came across the next exciting surprise... A real loo in Laggan's lovely, clean public toilets. After making good use of the facilities and ensuring we left a donation with our leftover change, we strolled down the road to the Caoldair Coffee and Craft Shop. We weren't fully convinced that this place actually existed because of its very remote location. So, the suspense as we walked down the long, straight road towards it was intense. To our delight, it was open, and so, after having a good conversation with the guy behind the counter, we sat down with homemade soup and coffee. I kid you not, this was the best coffee and soup I think I've ever had. On second thought, the lentil soup in Spean Bridge was still tastier, this soup just had more of an impact due to our situation.

We finished up this fabulous meal with more coffee for me and a cake each. The friendly guy behind the counter had recommended the vegan gingerbread to Dani, and she devoured it. An old man who sat at the table next to us also had the gingerbread, and so, of course, we had a conversation about its deliciousness.

A rest stop with a view.

Feeling very full and absolutely buzzing from all the caffeine and sugar, we began the next stretch of the route. We had decided to avoid a stretch of the path because our guidebook warned us to do so if there had been a lot of rain, as we would be required to cross a river. The alternative route followed a lovely country lane connecting Laggan and Newtonmore. As we walked down the first stretch of road from the cafe, we were greeted by a young guy on his way into Laggan. He asked if we were lost and was clearly confused about why we were walking in the opposite direction of the mountains. He told us that he had lived in the area his whole life and that the problem river referred to earlier was probably crossable. He wished us good luck after mentioning how he'd almost been hit by a car multiple times walking this road, which did not fill us with much confidence. But at this point, we were set on the alternative route, so we continued along the lane, taking in the views of the river Spey.

Along this stretch, I clearly remember having a conversation about quitting our jobs and becoming full-time nomads, so we were obviously enjoying ourselves. We eventually came across the MacPherson Memorial, so we stopped to have a read of the memorial and a well-deserved rest. Behind the memorial was the most spectacular view of the Spey River valley, which we admired for some time.

I took this opportunity to check the damage to my feet, which had been throbbing after walking on the road for countless miles. To say they were in a sorry state is an understatement.

To the Centre of Scotland!

At this point, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and we were both quite dehydrated and low on energy. Dani offered me an energy drink, which I happily accepted. We took a gulp enthusiastically and immediately regretted the decision. It was vile. It was supposed to be blackcurrant flavour, but it tasted more like chemically oranges. Apologies MacPherson for disturbing you with my feet and Dani's gagging over the energy drink.

One awful drink later, we began trudging along the lane and soon stopped again to admire a boulder with a plaque on it saying that we were in the centre of Scotland.

Another Cafe?

After spending the next 15 minutes trying to use Dani's tripod to get a photo of both of us by the boulder, we continued down the lane. Eventually, we came out onto a cycle path that runs along the busy A9. We walked down this path for what felt like years, and I think because of the heat and lack of food, I began to feel quite faint. Dani became concerned and offered snacks, but we were starting to run low. She kept suggesting we stop at the next cafe.

I wasn't 100% sure as I just wanted to reach Newtonmore at this point. But as we approached the cafe, I suggested we go in to grab a drink and some more food. I had the most delicious homemade hummus sandwich and a can of the most refreshing lemonade.

Manky feet and friendly hotel staff.

We were now 45 minutes away from Newtonmore and were feeling the strain of walking on tarmac all day on our tired bodies. After two nights of wild camping, we'd decided to book ourselves into The Glen Hotel. We could barely contain our excitement as we approached the sign into Newtonmore, keeping our eyes peeled for the hotel. Once at the hotel, we were shown to our room by the friendly reception staff. We instantly tested out our beds with a quick lie-down.

Now, this room wasn't the largest by any means, and we practically buried every piece of furniture under our gear to try and dry it out.

I also pulled my socks off to check the state of my feet, and without going into the gory details, I'll just say that there was a surprising amount of blood. Dani took a very funny video showing the contrast between my feet and hers, and we found this far more entertaining than we should have. Probably because we were so delirious and sleep-deprived. Dani specifically could not stop laughing at the fact I hung my (clean, but damp) socks from the lampshade, which, in hindsight, I realise I probably shouldn't have done... Sorry!

VEGAN Haggis and VEGAN Crumble. Oh my.

After cleaning ourselves up, we headed down for dinner. When booking the room, Dani informed the staff that she was vegan, and I was vegetarian. They were clearly very keen to make both of us feel welcome. We were taken to our table and told, very loudly, about the vegan and vegetarian options available to us. I'm pretty sure everyone in the room knew we were those pesky vegan/vegetarian eaters within the first few minutes of us arriving in the dining room. The options were, of course, pretty limited, but they sounded great. Vegan haggis... Who even knew that was a thing!? We obviously both ordered this and the vegetarian option came with creamy mashed potatoes and carrots, with a side of peas and some whisky sauce. Dani was devastated as she loves mashed carrots and potatoes, but this was unfortunately not vegan. So, instead she just got chips. Dani had also ordered a side of veg with our food, which to our surprise was the most bizarre combination of veg we had come across... Courgette, pepper and red onion? Not your average cauliflower, peas, carrots, and broccoli we were expecting. We ordered a cider to go with this delicious meal, and this, of course, went straight to our heads.

The food was delicious, and we were even more pleased to find out that Dani could have crumble and vegan ice cream for pudding. I had a delectable Biscoff sundae. Although this hotel was a little dated, the friendliness of the staff made it an absolutely delightful place to stay, and I would fully recommend it if you're ever in the area.

Feeling uncomfortably full, we headed up to our cosy little room and got straight into bed. Despite being absolutely knackered, I barely slept because I was so high on sugar from the pudding, cider and hot chocolate I decided to have in bed. But I can clearly remember lying on the soft, comfy mattress feeling like I was floating on a cloud. Quite the contrast from where I'd woken up that morning.

Reflections on the day.

After the disastrous day we'd had before, this day was full of luxuries that kept us motivated on the long stretch of road to Newtonmore. The views were still lovely even without being up in the mountains, and I think we appreciated the change of scenery. Especially the lack of fire roads!! We decided that the next day we would have a rest day and walk some of the original route back towards Laggan, so we could see what we'd missed. Stay tuned to find out all about that in next week's post.