Sunday 4th May
I apologise in advance for the variable nature of my trail diary. My new Inka pen (renamed Stinka) only worked intermittently, so I couldn’t record everything on the day.
I was booked on the Caledonian Sleeper from Euston to Aviemore, due to leave at 8.01. I arrived at Euston at 7.15 with plenty of time to spare, not liking last minute rushes and wise to the vagaries of the London public transport system, especially on a Sunday. After fifteen minutes, there was an announcement over the tannoy that the sleeper coaches were stuck at Wembley because of a points failure. Then followed numerous announcements informing us that they were still stuck at Wembley and they didn’t know when they would arrive. Not a good start.
There are a fair number of disgruntled passengers milling around the station (Euston having next to no seats for waiting passengers). The train is failing to take the strain.
In the time spent waiting, I regret not cutting back the weight even more as 15kg feels heavy. However, it is difficult to see how much more weight I can cut without reducing the comfort levels and margin for safety. 4.5kg is food, the most I’ve ever carried and I should have been a bit more careful about some of the choices, but I wanted to ensure that I had more than enough to eat!
Finally the coaches arrive at 9.10 and after “preparation” we are allowed to board at 9.30. The train lurches out of Euston at 9.45. Hopefully it will make up time as we progress north. I order breakfast for 7.00 in anticipation of arriving at Aviemore on time at 7.40, where, hopefully a taxi will be waiting for me.
First impressions of the Quest are mixed. It doesn’t feel as comfortable as the Aether, but I’ve not carried 15kg in the Aether, so it’s not a fair comparison. The shoulder straps feel a bit hard, but hopefully they’ll soften (more on this later!). The hip belt is also not quite as comfortable, but a great improvement on the Trek. On the positive side, it has a greater volume and I’m not sure I would have fitted everything in the Aether.
I’ve been quite apprehensive about this trip, despite the anticipation and excitement. Five days solo is slightly daunting. At least the weather forecast is good and the navigation should be straightforward. I’m also not planning on huge mileage, so I’m not pushing too hard (this seems a bit naïve, in retrospect!). If I was doing the Challenge, I would have to average 15 miles a day rather than around 12.
Sleepers are a civilised way to travel and have the beauty of effectively gaining two days of extra time for us Southerners. Despite an irritating buzzing sound, I drift off to sleep without having to reach for the earplugs.
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