DAY 11 – PROPER COUNTRY WALKING!

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR

I woke up this morning feeling like i wanted to go out for a run but on searching my bag thoroughly, found it was an impossibility without any sports bra! Hmmm! At least the feet are back to feeling up to running as last week i seriously could never have envisaged ever reaching this point again! I will have to store the energy and use it another day!

I therefore indulged in a lie in and finished off my book in bed (top treat!) and made a late porridge breakfast with the whole hostel to myself!! Anita and Paul met up with me at the car and we drove along to Braemar along the busy A93, past Balmoral Castle but it didnt look like the Queen was in!

Ballater is another very picturesque town/village with a central high street, large running river running through the middle and with a lovely big hotel – The grand Fife Arms. We parked up and found the Tourist info office where we bought our little map for £1 and set off on the Cromlins Walk - marked as a 2 hour walk but in reality for us hardened walkers, only took 1hr 20mins! We celebrated the end of our few days together infront of the log fire again (still needed even though its the 1st June!) with a few drinks and a toasted sandwich......

They then set off for Aberdeen airport for their flight home at 5pm whilst i embarked on a double walk (The River Dee Walk & the Morrone Birkwood Walk) around the rivers & hillside to complete off 9 miles walking for the day on some of the safest and most enjoyable trails so far. The children and Mike arrived at 3.30pm a few minutes before i got back so they drove out to meet me and thankfully they did as by then i was heading in the opposite direction having taken a wrong turn in my haste to get back to Ballater in time to meet them!! Less haste .... more speed....!!

It was SO LOVELY to see them all again and i had really missed them! We wandered along the main high street for around an hour looking in the gift shops and getting a few bits for tea this evening and then drove up to the SYHA for check in at 5pm. We are each in seperate dorms, girls in one, boys in another and after making up our beds with sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers i jumped in for a very self indulgent shower, hair wash, use of hair dryer and straighteners (second big treat in one day!) To top that, i then got to riffle through my bag brought from home, i chose some fresh clothes to put on and oooooooooohhhhhhhhh, it was wonderful to put something different on!!!

We made a great tea of soup & fresh rolls in the busy communal kitchen and then sat down for a family dinner perfectly finishing just in time for the 2nd semi final of Britains Got Talent (thankfully no one else wanted to watch anything else on the communal TV so we could monopolise the sitting room!!). The children toggled between BGT, playing pool and the outdoor trampoline to while away their first evening in Scotland and i just sat relaxing, overly pleased to all be together again.

I am looking forwards to an early morning cycle with Zak first thing – we have a 17 mile Linn of Dee Cycle route to knock back at 8am and then the rest of our day will be family time! Whooohooooo!!