You will be pleased to know the team have now completed our West Highland Way challenge.

We left Milngavie last Saturday 7th April, and finished in the town of Fort William at about 6pm on Thursday 12th. Aside from the expected blisters and aches and pains we also completed the challenge with no serious problems or injuries!

The first couple of days took many of us by surprise at just how tough it would be. Lots of miles across different terrain ensured many on the team were in pain on the very first night with blistered feet from unforgiving walking boots.

Conic Hill claimed the last energy reserves of some of the team on day 1, whilst a wrong turn meant an additional unneccesary 4 miles for another (by now) unhappy pair of walkers.

Day 2 saw the team move northerly up the Lochside of Lomond, tackling some tough climbs and eventually arriving in Inversnaid soaking wet after a very long day.

Inversnaid to Crianlarich was the next leg on day 3. The hardest part of the entire walk without doubt was the morning, as the path snaked along the edge of the Loch. 

We had sunshine, cloud, rain, driving rain, hail and snow....all in 6 days! The snow made for some unbelievable views especially on the afternoon of day 4 - Bridge of Orchy to Inveroran involved a mountain climb where the summit provided amazing scenery.

Day 5 we walked from Inveroran to Kinlochleven including 'the Devils Staircase' in the afternoon, a long climb which was made tougher by the rain and hailstones. 

Finally on Thursday we finished by walking from Kinlochleven to Fort William where we were alongside Ben Nevis for a couple of hours before walking to the end point of the West Highland Way in the town centre of Fort William. 

A massive thank you and congratulations to everybody who contributed in some way to the team effort. The roll of honour is:

Geoff Supple, Joan Supple, Martin Supple, Kevin Supple, Paul Watson, Clare Watson, Abby Watson, Sonny Watson, Phil Bryan, Angela Bryan, Carina Bryan, George Bryan, Sam Bryan, Ellie Hawley, Ian Readman, Mick Redfearn, Lesley Redfearn, Chris Redfearn, Frank Carter, Ita Carter, Bill Edgar, Matt Edgar, Steven Edgar, Neale Darracott, Darren Whitbread, Stan Parnham and Tracy Taylor.

I should also mention our huge thanks to Julia Gatley for her fantastic pencil-drawing artwork of the West Highland Way map - we auctioned the item which raised an additional £130 for our cause. 

 

The original pre event message is in red below:

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

We are raising money in memory of Fred Supple. A brilliant dad, husband, brother, uncle, grandad and friend. Fred passed away from cancer in October 2011, just weeks after being diagnosed. The care he received from a number of sources including Marie Curie, Macmillan and St. Barnabas hospice was absolutely fantastic. Because of this, Fred spent precious time with the people he loved in his own surroundings and for that we are truly grateful.

Fred loved his family and friends. He loved sport, he loved playing golf, he loved going to watch Wednesday, he loved laughing and making others laugh, he loved holidays. He loved watching his grandchildren grow up. Fred loved life.

On April 6th 2012 around 30 of us will descend upon an unsuspecting Premier Inn in Milngavie, Scotland. Yes it is a long way to go to secure a decent night's sleep but if it's good enough for Lenny Henry.... 

In fact over the next 6 days we will be walking along the West Highland Way up to the Nevis mountain range in Fort William. 95 miles in total or approximately 15 miles per day. We will be pushed to the limits of human endurance, but enough about Geoff's anecdotes, the walk will no doubt be tough too. 

Fred was familiar with the West Highland Way, having been designated logistics manager for a previous trek in 2006. He would be both proud and humbled that we are taking on this challenge in his memory.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. It really does make a difference. If you are in any doubt about donating, just imagine the alternative -you could be one of us..... in the freezing, pouring rain, trying to eat our own bodyweight in Kendal mint cake!

Thank you.

 

p.s. Please check the photo section for a map of the full 96 mile West Highland Way route we will be taking.