Escape - The WalkToThe Road (1).

 I said goodbye to my little room at around 4:30 this morning, I felt a bit sad to be honest. I called in at the kitchen to get something to eat during my journey. I just made a couple of sandwiches, I didn't really feel much like eating, I never do when I'm nervous.

I opened the back door to discover a cold frosty morning under clear skies. It was still dark, and would be for almost another three hours so for that reason I have to take my time and concentrate on where I was walking. Especially as there was also some ice around on any water that had collected on the track.

The track along glen grim.

I took it steady and was easily able to hit the marks I'd made on the map on time. When the day light came I was even able to make up some time so that when it got to 9:00am I was almost at the ten o'clock mark. I stopped for a little rest and to take a last look back down the valley before it disappeared for ever behind the corner of the hill. It was while I was stood there looking that I noticed something way off in the distance that I'd never noticed before. I was trying to figure out what it could be and why I'd never seen it before when stupid me realised with horror that it was grandfathers darn Land Rover coming along the track behind me. It was only a very distant speck and no doubt I was an even small speck to him had he noticed me. That was the question on my mind now though, had he somehow seen me and was he in hot pursuit, or was he simply attending to some job or other. Normally you would only use this track for maybe four things. One would be going to Durness for shopping which he wouldn't do as his Land Rover isn't allowed on the road. The others are attending to the two cabins, or going to pick up from the parcel box at the lodge house. Which ever it was, he was destined to catch up to me at some point. Grandfather and his Land Rover never move very fast but even so it was faster than I was able to walk, especially on this track and for the distance needed to be covered to the road. This meant that I needed to hide somewhere. Luckily I was at the part of the journey where there were lots of twists and undulations, so because he was still some way behind I was still able to carry on walking before needing to hide. 

The undulations of glen grim with rocks to hide behind up to the right.

I went as far as I dare which was near to the end of the undulating ground. After this the valley opened out broad and open, looked down over on all four sides. There was no real place to hide beyond here. Both cabins overlooked the valley as did the outer edge where the parcel shed is. So I figured that someone dressed in a bright red ski suit would stand out like a sore thumb. Also I had been walking for sometime since I last saw him so he couldn't be that far behind me now. I found a place a few hundred meters up the hill and behind some low rocks, they were just enough to hide me from the track. Now it was just a waiting game. All the planning and thinking that I'd been doing and this scenario never even occurred to me, I thought this was the easy fool proof part of the journey to Edinburgh. All I had to do was hit the marks I'd made on the map every hour and I would be at the road by one.

He wasn't more than ten minutes behind me and thankfully drove straight past. I came out from behind the rock and found a place where I could watch him travel along the track, I wanted to see where he went. He went past the tracks to the cabins so I reckoned he was headed for the parcel shed. This proved to be right, I was able to watch him all  the way such is the nature of the valley. I don't know what he did up there but it took him over a hour before I saw him leaving for home. It was such a long time I was starting to get in a panic thinking that he was sat up there waiting for me, and believe me, if he had known+ I was headed that way he would have waited there until one of us died just to have the satisfaction of catching me.

By the time he drove past me and I was able to come out of hiding it was ten past one, meaning that I was now two hours behind schedule with around two hours walking left to do, I was devastated but there was nothing I could do but crack on as fast as my legs would carry me.

Looking back down glen grim with rain approaching and the light leaving.

On reaching the part of the track that climbs up on to the road I was feeling quite tired but the light was starting to go, also there was rain in the air so I pressed on. It's quite a climb up to the road and I was really on my knees by the time I got there. It felt like there was hardly an ounce of energy left in me, I felt completely drained both physically and mentally.