One Epic
Adventure
The basic idea of our trip is to journey all the way from Carlisle to Dunnet Head (the most northern peninsula in Great Britain) via the methods of cycling, paddling and hiking. While attempting this journey, we also plan to make a detour to the Isle of Skye and attempt a traverse of the Black Cuillin Ridge and a summit of the Inaccessible Pinnacle.
The idea for this trip first came about around a year ago. We both love outdoor sports, nature and want to try to raise awareness for environmental conservation. Therefore we decided on travelling from A to B via the use of methods that would not leave a carbon footprint in order to raise money for an organisation that makes a change and that we like.
If you are interested in learning more about our trip there is a more detailed explanation of exaclty what we will be doing below. If your looking for more of an overview, the map to the right should do you just fine.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
CYCLING
First we will cycle from Carlisle, northern England all the way to the Isle of Skye. Just after crossing the border into Scotland we will head west and cycle through the beautiful Galloway Forest Park and then continue along the west coast to Ardrossan where we will take a ferry across to Campeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula. With 3 whiskey distilleries in Campeltown we hopefully go on an extended whiskey tasting session there :) We will then continue up the Kintyre Peninsula and hopefully spot a couple of seals and whales before we reach Oban (another city famous for its whiskey yum yum). If we survive Oban we will then cycle north along Loch Linnhe to Fort William and farther all the way to the Isle of Skye where our cycling session ends. Our butts will be looking forward to this!
The Black Cuillin Ridge - The most difficult alpine ridge in Great Britain! We will attempt to traverse the entire ridge and try to summit its 11 Munros. As a highlight of this traverse we will also try to summit the Inaccessible Pinnacle on top of Sgùrr Dearg. The Inn Pinn is around 50 m long along its east ridge and its climb is graded moderate to very difficult depending on the route one choses. To climb the Inn Pinn we really need to use a climbing rope (so if someone has a spare thick sewing thread lying around please let us know - we wanna keep our pack's weight as low as possible). The traverse of the black cuillin of course is very weather dependent. We simply hope that our short time window will allow a traverse without getting caught in a thunderstorm. Keep ur fingers crossed :)
CLIMBING
Assuming we make it all the way to Inverness we will then ditch the kajaks and start hiking north through the Scottish Highlands towards Thurso. We will probably head inland a bit rather than simply following the coast (why we decided on this route - we both forgot). Anyway, one thing that may cause a slight change in route is the Glenmorangie whiskey distillery that lies nearby (but let's see how we feel about this once we're there). The final aim will be to reach Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the mainland of Scotland. Let's hope we make it there safe, healthy and happy and let's also hope we remain friends till then!
HIKING
Cycling and climbing done we will then paddle from Fort William to Inverness along the so-called "Great Glen". The Great Glen is a series of glens (long, deep valleys that have a watercourse running through them) that connect the west coast with the east coast of Scotland. We will paddle along the entire length of the glen, enjoy the sourounding scenery and make sure we set up camp next to attractive ladies each night. And of course we will provide you guys with photographic evidence of Nessie's existance :)
PADDLING
THE TEAM
Matthew Price
Hertfordshire, England
Marc Andri Riedi
Chur, Switzerland
We both really enjoy all sorts of outdoor sports and have a passion for foreign countries and remote environments. We are sure that completing this expedition will be an amazing experience for both of us. Our trip will combine adventure, travel, nature and sports all together. We hope to make the public realize that sometimes travel can be more rewarding and satisfying if one choses sports over a car!
Never stop dreaming and live your dreams! Everything is possible!