On Sat 11 Jun 11, a team made up from members of the AGC, representing the Defence School of Languages, Wilton Park, Beaconsfield, took part in the RBS Sponsored Caledonian Challenge 2011, ‘The Walk of your Life’. The Caledonian Challenge is a 54 mile walk through the highlands of Scotland to be completed in 24 hours and is aimed at raising money for local Scottish communities and selected charities. Since its inception in 1996, more than 13,000 people have taken on the RBS Caledonian Challenge and together raised almost £11million for good causes.
The event is open to anyone and many enlightened employers see the Caledonian Challenge as a fantastic way to reap multi-faceted benefits for their organisation. These include improved employee health and well being, more effective teamwork and team building, encouraging individuals to reach new personal heights and goals, increasing motivation among employee groups as well as contributing towards Corporate Social Responsibility objectives. We just wanted to push our maturing bodies to the limit and thought this challenge might be fun?
It all started on Fri 21 Jan 11, when Capt Cinzia Zingone, AGC (ETS) approached me, shook my hand vigorously and congratulated me for volunteering to take part in the Caledonian Challenge 2011. "It's a nice walk in Scotland raising money for charity" she enthused, with no mention of distance or time. Foolishly I said I was interested and then, with a cheeky smile, she told me that the Caledonian Challenge was a 54 mile walk through the highlands of Scotland, to be completed within 24 hours. The equivalent of completing back to back marathons combined with two ascents of Ben Nevis, all in aid of charity. She explained that we just had to find two more 'willing' volunteers and without thinking I returned the smile and blurted out the letters R.S.M.
Before long, the time ticked down and the day for departure had arrived. On Fri 10 Jun 11, TAGC departed the DSL in a minibus and traveled up to Fort William, Scotland where the registration process would begin. After a 10 hour journey, we arrived at the Nevis Centre in Fort William and were greeted by a traditional Scottish rain shower and then a beautiful rainbow as the sun broke through the clouds. Peace and tranquility has set upon Fort William and the enormity of the challenge ahead was slowly becoming a reality. We registered our team and listened to a safety brief and then drove to our overnight accommodation at the REME lodge in Kinlochleven, 8 miles from Fort William. The lodge was warm and dry and it was the perfect setting for a relaxed ‘picnic’ style evening meal where the team chatted and laughed (nervously) until it was time for bed, although not necessarily sleep.
Sat 11 Jun 11, was a dry, bright sunny morning with minimal cloud and a cool breeze and we could have been forgiven for thinking we were not in Scotland. The walkers were superbly catered for at breakfast and the support crew had provided a good high energy, slow burning selection of food and drink to fully prepare us for the physical demands over the next 24 hours. The administration and organisation was as good as it could have been and we departed the lodge for the start point at Gairlochy, which is a small village 8 miles north east of Fort William, ready to begin our challenge at 0800 hrs.
A quick 20 minute stop was just enough time to snack on high energy foods and drink and tend to any hotspots on the feet, before continuing on the second leg of the challenge.
From Glen Nevis, we climbed 300m within the first 2 miles and joined the famous West Highland Way, due south. The trail was rocky mountain paths and we passed many walkers on the route, who exchanged greetings and well wishes. We captured the breathtaking view of Loch Leven before heading down the trail that lead to Checkpoint 2 at the Ice Factor, Kinlochleven. We had completed 23 miles to this point and morale was still high. At the Checkpoint, our trusty support crew provided hot food and gave massages to tired legs. A few blisters were evident and as we chatted and relaxed, a TV crew from RBS wanted to take some footage of the team. We had become rather popular and we were regarded as a close knit, tight group with good morale and a sense of humour. Despite an individual sounding a little too relaxed ‘picked up on camera’, we gave a good show and responded with all the right answers.
As we left Checkpoint 2, it started to rain and we began a steady climb out of Kinlochleven, up to the summit of the Devil's Staircase (540m), where we could take in the splendor of Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor, before descending down the Devil's Staircase and making progress towards the Glencoe Ski Centre and Checkpoint 3. This was a tough 10 mile stretch and it took us over the highest point on the route. The views were spectacular and the rain did not last long, however, there were signs of tiredness within the team and the pace was notably slower. Checkpoint 3 would be the last time the walkers saw the support crew before the finish and at 34 miles, we knew we still had 20 miles to go.
Fed, watered and with feet now fully plastered, we set off for the last 20 miles of the challenge, alone and without our faithful support crew but still with good morale and a strong determination within the team to complete this challenge. Leaving Checkpoint 3, we took in the wilds of Rannoch Moor and continued on the West Highland Way to reach Checkpoint 4 at Inveroran. This stretch was only 8 miles long and we soon reached Checkpoint 4 having walked for 14 hrs 54 mins. There was a large marquee at the Checkpoint serving hot food and warm drinks in addition to a fully manned first aid station attending to a myriad of injuries. Although the team was content with the ‘self help’ approach when it came to blisters, we were all feeling it by this time. Cinzia seemed to get more determined, Dutch kept an eye on the clock, still hankering for a respectable time, Rebecca was her usual cheerful self, always the team player and me, well I remember being a little quiet at this point, perhaps suffering in silence. 12 miles still to go and it was at this point that we reminded ourselves why we were there, not for the thrill of the challenge and not to set a fastest time, but to raise money for those less fortunate than ourselves. One last leg of the challenge to complete and there was nothing that was going to stop us now. It had become achievable and the end was in sight.
With one last ounce of enthusiasm and determination we left Checkpoint 4 at 2330 hrs, knowing to complete the challenge we had to walk the last 12 miles in under 9 hours. This was very manageable but we could never have foreseen the events which were to transpire. Cold, dark and with a slight drizzle, we walked up a 200m ascent via the Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum on our way to the finish line. The rocky paths were taking their toll on tired sore feet and every patch of grass became a heavenly moment feeling like soft carpet under our boots. We drifted along the tracks, through the night, wearily placing one foot in front of the other, willing the miles to diminish but our tired minds continued to play tricks on us and our trusty technology stopped making sense. We began to get frustrated by the differing distances to the finish line, given by the Marshalls on the route and it seemed to be the longest 12 miles of our lives.
The pace had dropped considerably and approximately 1 mile from the finish, all four of us sat down on a stone bench beside a large pond. The mist was rising as the early morning sun started to break through the clouds. It was a lovely moment, the kind where someone makes a relatively humorous comment and it becomes the funniest thing on earth. Tired laughter was enough to get us through the last seemingly endless mile, until we heard a voice calling from the distance. They appeared to be shouting at us from behind the trees and as we walked, so the calling became louder and louder. Were we hallucinating? Tired and weary, we turned a corner and beyond the tree line, there it was, the finish line framed by a splendid white banner depicting the words ‘Congratulations! You’ve completed 54 miles, Well Done’. The voice we heard was in fact the loud speaker willing us over the line. At the finish we saw for the first time in what seemed an eternity our adoring support crew and we knew then we had made it. We had completed the 54 miles and we were still smiling. Jackie, Heather and Tracy walked down the hill to meet us and the seven of us walked arm in arm over the finish line to a huge cheer, applause and smiles from the event organisers. A bottle of champagne was opened in front of the cameras and then, emotional, tired and fragile, we were ushered into the marquee where we were presented with our medals, a breakfast bap and hot drinks.
Our finishing time was recorded as 21 hours, 10 minutes and 38 seconds and we completed the 54 miles at 0510 hrs on Sun 12 Jun 11. The statistics will tell you that we successfully completed what we all set out to achieve but the real reward of this challenge will happen sometime in the future when the hundreds of people with special needs in communities in Scotland or indeed our brave heroes in the services, suddenly get an enhanced level of care which really will make a huge difference to their lives.
The Caledonian Challenge is a fantastic, well organised event which affects everyone who participates in it. It was enjoyable, rewarding, tiring and emotional but such is the attraction of doing something good, that our team has entered again next year. Hope to see you there!