[Last Munro, partially climbed June 2023]

On the last day of May, 2023, I drove down to meet a group of friends in the Cairngorms. (You might think the Cairngorms are in the far north of Scotland. But the trip down south from Keiss was over 200 miles and took over 4 hours!)

This was a planned expedition with a group of around 20 of us, to support one of my old university friends, Orion, as he completed his last Munro.

For those who don’t know, the Munros are Scottish mountain peaks over 3,000 feet in height. The list was originally compiled by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891, but has since been refined. At present, there are 282 Munros, and my friend had completed 281 of them. Quite an achievement.

It was the beginning of June. A day of intermittent sunshine. Perfect walking weather.

Orion had previusly attempted this climb some years ago, but was caught in a white-out during a snow storm, nearly got completely lost, and had to turn back. This time, we had a Scottish guide to show us the route.

After an easy stroll along a gravelly track (some people used mountain bikes for this section) the path got steeper. We climbed up alongside a pretty stream with noisy little waterfalls.

Finally, we reached a wide loch. Loch nan Eun. Time for a rest and time for lunch.

We had previously agreed that those who felt tired at this point could stay here, while the rest of the party made their way up to the top of the Last Munro. I had elected to stay – but everyone else decided to carry on!

I hesitated. Come on, I was an experienced walker. Shouldn’t I carry on with everyone else? But, I really felt very tired and the loch was very pretty. So I stayed by the water, admiring the wonderful views down the valley.

Orion made it to the top successfully, and I was sorry in retrospect to miss his big finale.

We were all staying in a nearby castle for a week, and that night we had a celebratory meal of venison, cooked by people who had elected to stay behind. But I found the delicious meal hard to eat for some reason and, after a restless night, I decided to leave the party early and drive home the next morning.

It was a disappointing way to end to a much anticipated expedition. What was wrong with me?

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Over the next two months my symptoms gradually got worse. Along with tiredness and loss of appetite, the main problem was discomfort on swallowing – at times so severe that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I became afraid to eat.

So, finally, on the 25th July 2023, I went online to book an appointment with my medical practice. You have to describe your symptoms in a text message for the nurse to look at… and I was surprised when she phoned me back within an hour. Yes, I need to see a doctor, and yes I need to see a doctor today.

[To be continued…]

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Miles walked today = 10.5 miles

Miles added to my coastal walk tally = zero!

Route:

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