My TGOC (The Great Outdoor Challenge) 2023 started in Mallaig and ended 14 days later in Portlethen. It was approximately 300Km with a climb of +6,000 meters. A low level and easy route. I plotted an easy route as the memories of the aborted crossing of TGOC 2018 were fresh when I made it.

This year the “planets lined up” to give me a very enjoyable time. I enjoy each TGOC crossing but some days I ask myself “what the hell am I doing here”. Like when I am having a wet day, stuck in a bog not sure if to go back or push on. Or when I break concentration for a second and fall. But those events are quickly forgotten.

I left Barbados feeling better prepared mentally and physically than some previous TGOC years. The weather played its part. Naturally some days were wet with low cloud but others were “Caribbean Blue Sky” and hot. I arrived at the North Sea feeling like I could do another few days.

Below are photographs from my TGOC 2023 crossing from Mallaig to Portlethen. Mouse over the image to read the caption or click on any image to expand and view all the photos and captions in the media viewer.

Getting there / Day 1 (11/12^th May 2022)

Day 2 (13^th May 2023)

Day 3 (14^th May 2023)

Day 4 (15^th May 2023)

Day 5 & 6 (16/17^th May 2023)

Day 7 – Rest day (18^th May 2023)

Day 8 (19^th May 2023)

Day 9 (20^th May 2023)

Day 10 (21^st May 2023)

Day 11 (22^nd May 2023)

Day 12 (23^rd May 2023)

Day 13 (24^th May 2023)

Day 14 (25^th May 2023)

There you have it, my sixth Scottish coast-to-coast TGOC completion.

Homeward bound…

TGOC 2023 dun – homeward bound and the BajanThings crew catchup with a walk in Windsor Park and lunch at a local hostelry before my flight back to Barbados…

Coast-to-coast walks….

I’m a great fan of coast-to-coast walks. My favourite is The Great Outdoor Challenge (TGOC) coast-to-coast walks from the West coast of Scotland to the East coast of Scotland which is about 320 km (210 km point-to-point).

I now have six completions of the Scottish TGOC coast-to-coast crossing (TGOC 2012, TGOC 2013, TGOC 2015, TGOC 2016, TGOC 2019 and TGOC 2023) and one retirement due to injury (TGOC 2018). In 2017 I did a section of the Cape Wrath Trail.  Covid-19 caused the cancellation of TGOC 2020 and the postponement of TGOC 2021 so in 2021 I did the Northern English coast-to-coast Alfred Wainwright walk.