Distance: 17 miles?
Ascent: negligible
Weather: overcast start with a cold wind, becoming increasingly sunny and warm
Number of bulls seen during last 4 miles of the day: 7
The thing that was odd about this morning's walk alongside the river North Esk, was that it was so unfamiliar to both of us. It's the third way we've walked that way in the last five years, yet repeatedly we answered 'no' to the question "Do you remember this bit?"
Once again, we were without maps for this walk. I did consider printing them 'just in case', but Mick insisted that we wouldn't need them. At the time, his belief was that we wouldn't come this way, but as it goes, he was right that we didn't need the maps. As long as you keep reasonably close to the river and follow its course, you can't go too far wrong.
It would have been rude to pass the Tuck Inn in Edzell without giving them some custom, so a good leisurely lunch was enjoyed there. A whole hour, without another Challenger appearing. Where was everyone?
It turned out that two were already at Northwater Bridge (NWB), having had an early start from Tarfside (they'd passed through Edzell at 8.20!), and another chap approached as we donned our packs to continue on our way.
The walk along the road to NWB gets shorter each time we do it and it was a good half an hour earlier than I expected when I spotted the flags which mark the entrance to the campsite.
I did point out that, being so early, we could be at the coast by tea time, but Mick didn't fancy adding painful feet to his woes (today his hand is so swollen that you can't see his knuckles, and there's a definite tint of blue too, but he reckons it's getting better and doesn't need xraying...). In reality, I couldn't see any value in continuing either, so here we are, basking in the sunshine at the campsite.
Alas, my lazing around is ice-cream-less, as the Cornetto, over which I had been fantasising for the last five miles of the day, was not available. The campsite no longer has an ice-cream freezer. Nor cold pop. What a blow at the end of the day!
Click here for Day 13
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Enjoy your last day on the trail. We hope you'll still be at Montrose when we arrive on Thursday afternoon.
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