31/05/2026
This might be of interest to anyone walking Braid 2.
Early morning on a solo camp in the middle of the Flow Country - a 1,500 square mile blanket bog in the north east of Scotland.
I had planned to camp near the abandoned Dalnawillan Lodge, which is 6 miles from the nearest public road, but when I got there at 9.30pm I discovered there was a building near it with a loud generator running and kennels with about 8 dogs that started barking at me when I walked past. It was unexpected and unnerving.
The abandoned lodge was the ugliest, creepiest looking place I’ve ever seen, and was surrounded by sheep poo. I decided to get out of there and turned back.
The sun set around 10pm so by 11pm it was mostly dark. I had walked 9.5 miles, my feet were sore, and I still hadn’t eaten my dinner. Despite the very tussocky ground, I found a flattish bit and pitched my tent, being hyper vigilant for snakes as I’d seen an adder earlier (the UK’s only venomous snake). My salmon and couscous had by then been 8 hours out of the fridge but tasted fine 🤞🏼😁
Thankfully I slept like a log. Love a bit of exhaustion when I’m camping!
It was amazing to wake up in the middle of the stunning, empty landscape. What a great adventure 🤗
