“We tried following a compass bearing but it wasn’t that accurate. Then we followed a line on our GPS devices, which was better but still difficult,” explains Calum. “Even a small gully is hard when you have to go in a straight line. Common sense says to go round it, but we were determined to stick to the straight line.
“At times, following the line did feel very unnatural. I had a mix of feelings, from monotonous and depressing to really joyful. Overall, it was quite gruelling. But, then, when we reached the summits and got the opportunity to gaze back from where we’d come, it was a real feeling of satisfaction. We could draw a line with our eyes, which linked the heather below our feet to the river in the glen below, the deep hidden gullies, rocks on far off hills and beyond into the distance. In those moments, I think the purpose of walking a straight line became a bit clearer.”
In the heart of the Scottish Highlands, home to some of the wildest and extreme landscapes as well as some of the highest peaks on the British Isles, the mountains of the Cairngorms form the UK’s largest National Park. The highest point along the line is the summit of Beinn a’Bhuird at 1197m, the 11th highest mountain in the UK and the route summits several other munros including Beinn Bhrotain and Ben Avon.
“We walked in a straight line for 11 hours and we covered just 10 miles on day one. They were the toughest 10 miles of my life,” recalls Jenny. “At some points I was crawling up heather on my hands and knees. However, completing the route and sticking as close to the line as possible while exploring the national park in such a unique fashion was pretty special.”