Day 12 - Macduff to Fraserburgh

We made it!!!!

It was a tough last day, with a tonne of road walking but just before 17:00 this evening we arrived in Fraserburgh on the east coast of Scotland to some wild cheering from our good friend, Moira!!  We spent no more than three minutes on the beach dipping our toes and taking a few photos before we were ready to get into Moira’s warm car to drive to her home in Stonehaven, where she would spoil us all evening!

Our Finish Line

Traditional Post-Crossing Dipping Of The Toes In The North Sea

Two Happy Campers 😊

We were able to set off  by 7:00 this morning, as planned, since we knew it was going to be a long day.  The first half of the walk seemed to be never ending.  The scenery was pleasant but it was hard not to think about how far we had to go…  We really had to dig deep to keep pushing on.  

With the exception of a 7-8 km section sometime after the halfway point, we were on roads all day.  This took a serious toll on our feet.  Shortly after we took a lunch break with about 20 km, we found another gear and the kms started melting away.

The cows really took an interest in us as we passed by today.  We had multiple herds get up and follow us along the fence line, or run over from the opposite side of the field to escort us as far as they could.  It was very entertaining and was a well-needed distraction from our legs and feet.

Curious Coos 🤣

With about 6 km to go we stopped at Mounthooly Doocot, more because of the picnic tables than anything.  A doocot is a structure built to be able to harvest pigeons and their eggs in the winter.  This particular one was built in 1800.  While we were resting and checking it out our good friend Sarah D. video called us from Ontario at the perfect moment when we needed a boost.  Awesome timing, Sarah, and thank you so much!! ❤️

Mounthooly Doocot

Another amazing pick-us-up came just after a tough spot of walking when we ran into Cham about 1 km from Fraserburgh, and 3.5 km from the end of the crossing.  She had her camper van set up in preparation for when Duncan and Charlie come through in a couple of days.  She really picked up our spirits with her encouragement and kind words. ❤️

After that we just put our heads down until we made it to our final destination.

Somebody Let Fraserburgh Council Know We Were On The Way! 🤣

Since then we have been completely spoiled by Moira.  The drive back was so relaxing, and we really enjoyed catching up.  Moira has secured us a guest room in the complex which she lives in.  After showers and clean-up we headed over to Moira’s for snackies, ciders and mocktails, and an absolutely delicious curry dinner.  Mandy even got to try Moira’s heated neck massaging device, which almost put her to sleep.  We called it a night at 9:30 and are now back in the guest room for a comfy night’s sleep.

Final thoughts:

We feel lucky to have chosen this particular route this year.  Being in the mountains would have been very tough with all of the snow and cold weather there the past two weeks.  Being on the Moray Coast and only dealing with rain and wind was more manageable and allowed us to finish our crossing.

We haven’t been in this part of Scotland before and we are glad to have seen it.  The people here were just as kind and curious as everywhere else we have been in Scotland.  Having said that, there were a few drawbacks to the route that we both agree on.  First, this route forced us to do a lot of road walking.  Road walking is hard on the feet, and puts you in close contact with cars, which isn’t really our ideal type of TGOC.  The coastal views have been beautiful, but I think the mountains are where our hearts are.  We don’t regret doing this route at all, but if we had to rank all of our crossings in order of preference, this one would probably fall to the bottom of the list.

At the end of it all, we had an amazing trip, and will never forget this experience.  We have met some amazing new people, reconnected with some old friends, and got to spend some quality time with loved ones.

Thank you everybody who has followed along, reading the blog.  Knowing you were out there pulling for us really made a difference!  We are very thankful, and are looking forward to getting back home and catching up with all of you!

That’s it for tonight!!  

Day 12 Route - 32.8 km, 472 m ascent

Day 11 - Sandend to Macduff

Things were quiet at the campground last night, and we got a pretty good sleep. We woke up to light rain around 6:45 and managed to get on the trail around 7:45, most of our gear still dry, with the exception of the tent.

The trail took us past the beach we were staying beside last night, and we spotted some more anti-tank cubes and another pillbox.

Sandend Beach

Anti-Tank Cubes, Pillbox In The Distance

Pillbox, And Other Building

There were lots of slugs on the trail near the beach, with their homes on their backs. We stopped to watch two of them racing but ended up carrying on as it was going to take way too long to see who the winner was. 🤣

Slug Race, Not Sure Who Won 😆

Today was a head down and walk type of day for us. With the end of the hike getting closer and closer, we have entered the phase where part of us is feeling sad that the adventure is almost over, and the other part is relieved for the same reason. While we love being outside, seeing new things, and meeting interesting people, we also miss our friends and family, and our kitties. 🐈🐈‍⬛ We are also a little worn down from the day-after-day packing up, hiking, unpacking, setting up cycle.

Today was cloudy with some sunny breaks. Our route took us a little further from the coastline, through some more rural farming areas. It was picturesque, and gave Mandy dozens more opportunities to call out to any type of animals she could spot. If I had a dollar for every time she suddenly called out “Hello, Babies!!!!” to cats, dogs, sheep, cows, horses this trip I would probably have about $158!!! 🤣

Mandy Spotted These Three Babies On Our Way Through Portsoy

We stopped and chatted with a farmer for a while at one point. It was very interesting to listen to some of concerns about farming and the country in general. He said despite the price of beef in the grocery store he struggles to break even. He decided to plant some canola this year because oat and barley prices are also depressed. It is a bit of a risk for him because the wind can actually destroy the canola seed just before it’s time to cultivate. It sounds really tough. He was very friendly, and I really enjoyed chatting with him.



We continued on and eventually ended up the Royal Burgh of Banff. We have been telling many Scots how we live near the Canadian sister town of Banff, which they all seem to find amusing.

Wait, How Did We Get Here??

We were able to finish our walking around 1:30 this afternoon, and are pitched up at a campground just south of Macduff. We unpacked in the sun, which was a welcome treat, and allowed our wet tent to fully dry before we got in it. Tonight will be our last night in the tent. ☹️ 🥳 Our plan for tomorrow is to be in Fraserburgh for a 17:00 pickup by our good friend Moira. In order to do this we plan on being up a little earlier, as we will have ~32 km to cover.

Thanks again for reading, everybody!! One more post to come!



Day 11 Route - 23.8 km, 397 m ascent

Day 10 - Buckie to Sandend

With the first eight kilometres of today’s walk completed yesterday, we were able to take it a bit easier today. We planned to have our breakfast (included with the hotel stay) at 8:00. Mandy chose the French toast, and I chose the half Scottish which is a full Scottish minus a piece of bacon and a sausage. 😋 As we were waiting for our orders to arrive we spotted our French friend Frédéric in the lobby. What a great coincidence!! He joined us for a coffee while we debriefed about yesterday’s hike, and discussed the next three days. As he is going to go further than us today, we likely won’t see him again. We said our goodbyes, sent him on his way, and went back to our room to collect our gear and hit the road.

Climbing Out Of  Findochty Mid-Morning, Calm Seas In The Background

Today’s section was a pleasant walk along the Moray coast, complete with sunny but cool weather, and much calmer winds and seas than the past few days. We would pass through three towns/villages today (Findochty, Portknockie, and Cullen) on the way to our beachside campground at Sandend.

As we were walking through Portknockie, a very friendly lady popped out of a shop and enthusiastically urged us to come in for coffee. With the lighter walking day today, we could think of no good excuse not to. In we went and ordered one flat white, one tea with milk, and a piece of fruit cake. The establishment was actually a combination coffee shop and restored antiques shop. Susan takes care of the coffee and Ginny takes care of the restorations. Their place was called Renew and Brew. We had a great time chatting with both Susan and Ginny, and before we knew it the better part of an hour had gone by, and we had to get back on the road.

Susan, Mandy, Ginny, JM

There was a lot of up and down on the way today, but that is not out of the ordinary for coastal walking. I was once again reminded how connected the towns in Scotland are by paths and trails. We saw all sorts of people throughout the day walking dogs, going to visit friends in other villages, or just out for a weekend stroll.

Bow Fiddle Rock On The Exit From Portknockie

Up And Down Trail To And From The Shore

Coastal View On A Sunny Day

As we were on our final few steps for the day a woman approached us and said that we looked like TGOers. We confirmed that we were, and she mentioned that her husband and cousin were on the trail as well. Could it be???? It was!! We were taking to Duncan’s wife, Cham.  We could not believe our luck!!!! We had a nice visit with her, and she invited us over to her campervan this evening for a drink and a visit! 😁

Cham And Mandy (Chamanda, Duncan Said 🤣)

With our early arrival at the campground we have been taking it quite easy - late lunch, tending to feet, lattes and strawberry tart in the cafe, showers, lipstick application, and resting in the tent.  It has been a very nice day, and good preparation for our final 55 km over the next two final days.

Yummy!!!!

Around 18:30 our German friend Immo arrived at the campground for the night, and has pitched up beside us.  We were expecting him, and we will likely be playing leapfrog with him tomorrow, which will be very nice!

We’ve just spent the better part of two hours with Cham in her campervan chatting and getting to know each other, while we watched the surfers catching waves on the. Perth Sea.  It was soooo nice to sit inside with no wind, and we really enjoyed Cham’s hospitality.  She is a very kind and fun person, and it is no wonder she and Duncan found each other.

JM With Tue World’s Best G&T (Thank You, Cham!!!!)

That’s it for now.  We are getting settled for the night, and starting to think about tomorrow, our second-last day on TGOC 2026…

Thanks for reading, and good night!!

Day 10 Route - 26.7 km, 311 m ascent

Day 9 - Lossiemouth to Buckie

We have been talking about today’s hike for the last few months.  Shortly after we submitted our route for vetting,  we received news that the viaduct over River Spey had collapsed and that we would have to detour to the next available bridge in Mosstodloch, which would add ~9 km to the day.  I could not accept a 9 km detour to gain a few hundred meters so I have been researching other ways of getting across the river.  Mandy, and several others were quick to point out that the Spey is the fastest flowing river in Scotland.  I was still determined.  My best plan was to put a pack in a garbage bag, inflate my sleeping mat, and swim it across the river.  I conducted a poll at work, I contacted some of my trusted friends and colleagues, and I reached out to local swim and angling clubs in the area.  Mandy told me I was dreaming of if I thought this plan was realistic. 🤪 I shared my plan with some Scottish friends, and fellow TGOers, and nobody seemed to share my enthusiasm.  To get to the point, it took only one look at the river to know my plan was laughable. ☹️ Around we would go - 9 km to advance 300 m. 🤬

Destroyed Viaduct On Left, Fast-Flowing River In Front 🤣

This Would Have Been Used Had We Made The Crossing Attempt 😳

We were right on the coast for the first half of the day, starting with about 5 km of beach walking.  It was very enjoyable.

Miles Of Solitary Beach

For the  next 8 km or so we walked past some WWII anti-invasion fortifications consisting of equally-spaced anti-tank cubes, and numerous pillboxes.  Interspersed higher up on the shore were gun-houses, observation posts, and other instalments.  An informational placard told us that there was a large accumulation of flat bottom boats 600 km away in Norway that prompted the placement of these items.  It must of taken a lot of quick work to accomplish, as was evident as we walked the entire 8 km length of it.

Pillbox And Row Of Anti-Tank Cubes

Inside Pillbox

More Cubes

Exploring Buildings Up Top

As we were sitting for a break along this section our friend Frédéric caught us up, with his toe socks and sandals.  We were happy to see him again, and would walk most of the rest of our planned day with him.

Two Canadians And One Frenchman

When we arrived at our planned stop, Spey Bay Golf Course And Campground, we pitched up in a little field and were starting to unpack for the night.  There was no protection and the wind was so strong that the tent was being flattened.  We quickly realized that we were risking the integrity of the tent if we stayed in that location.  Unfortunately the owners would not let us move our tent behind some unused buildings to shield us from the wind.  After some quick problem solving we decided to get our money back, walk an extra 8 km (35 km total for today 😱) to Buckie, and a second hotel in two nights.  The setup and take-down gave us enough of a break to make it through the additional mileage, and it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be.

This Definitely Helped Us On The Last Few Kilometres

Approach To Buckie

We arrived at the hotel at 19:00 ( after a 7:50 start this morning), our backpacks exploded in the room, and we hit the showers.  We debated cooking noodles and chicken in our room for about two seconds, then did the right thing and proceeded to the hotel restaurant for a delicious, and well-needed supper.  Mandy had a baked potato with salad, and I had a Balmoral Stack, which is haggis sandwiched between two chicken breasts and gravy with a side of veggies and a side of fries.  What a great choice!!!  Mandy was quite happy with hers as well!

Baked Potato And Salad

Balmoral Stacks

With 8 km already in the bank, tomorrow should be an easier day for us than today! 😁 Thanks for reading, everybody!  Good night!! 😴

Day 9 - 24.4 km, 77 m ascent

Day 8 - Findhorn to Lossiemouth

Today we finally felt we were actually on the coastal trail.  Shortly after leaving Findhorn, we were beside the North Sea and would remain there most of the day.  The wind coming in off the sea was so strong that it could easily knock us a step or two off our path.  The sideways rain stinging our faces was a new experience, and made for a challenging walk at times.

Hiking Beside The North Sea

The coastal path took us a little inland as we approached Burghead.  When we were passing a toilet block near a parking place, we spotted two TGO-looking hikers, so we approached them and to our complete surprise one of them was Immo, who we met in the Corrour Bothy in the Lairig Ghru on our 2022 crossing!!!  I was fortunate to also run into him in 2024 with the boys at Tarfsude.  We couldn’t believe our good luck running into him again for the third time in three crossings!  It was very nice catching up with Immo, and meeting his crossing partner, Birte.  I’ve mentioned it before, but this is one of the magic things about the TGOC - you make friends in a few short moments, yet they seem like life-long companions when you manage to re-connect on later crossings.

Mandy, Immo, JM - Reunited

After some steady walking we thought stopping in Hopeman for coffee sounded like a great idea.  Some quick research showed a coffee shop only a few hundred meters off our planned route.  Unfortunately, Thursday happens to be the only day of the week this particular coffees shop is closed. 😢 It was cold and we needed to warm up a bit, so we popped in at the local shop and ended up getting a coffee machine flat white for Mandy, and a few extra snacks for both of us.  We hit the road again, and as we were just leaving town Mandy noticed my pack rain cover wasn’t on my pack anymore. 😱 With the rain we’ve been having for the past eight days, this would not be a good situation.  I ran all the way back up to the top of the village but no luck.  On my way back down I happened to look down a side street, and about a block down I saw a fluorescent green blob that ended up being my pack cover.  Phew!!!!  That was a stroke of very good luck.  Without the cover I would have ended up with some very wet gear.

During all of that fiasco, our friend Frédéric from France showed up and we ended up walking the rest of the way together.  One very interesting thing about Frédéric is that his feet are so wide that he walks in sandals and tor socks. 😳 I’ve never seen a long distance hiker do this, but it really doesn’t seem to slow him down at all.

Cliffs On North Moray Coast

Quick Rest Stop

Light House On Lossiemouth Approach

Final Approach Into Lossiemouth

With all of the rain and heavy wind today we decided to book a room in Lossiemouth instead of staying in the dunes on the East side.  As we approached our hotel, we ran into Immo and Birte coming up from the beach.  We made arrangements to meet for dinner at 6:30.  We are just back now from a delicious dinner (JM - Mac and cheese, Mandy - battered haddock and fries with fresh pees), and we had a great time catching up with Immo, and getting to know Birte.

Side Note - We were lucky to have two more Typhoon flybys today!!!  We really love seeing the military jets in action!

That’s all for now.  Time to get ready for bed.  Thanks for reading, everybody!!!

Day 8 Route - 27 km, 250 m ascent

Day 7 - Nairn to Findhorn

Abbreviated blog post today - JM and Mandy are tired.

Got on the road early (7:45)
Stopped for flat white and tea, shared an apple ginger scone (9:00)
First glimpse of the North Sea (9:40)
Spent half day walking through Culbin Forest. Some paths that are marked exist, some don’t…. 🤪
Met some nice people who were all curious about our big packs, and seemed impressed that we were walking all the way to Fraserburgh.
Stopped in Kinloss for supplies and pub dinner 😋 (16:00)
Arrived at campground, set up, and had showers (17:30)

Mandy’s Flat White

Apple Ginger Scone

Mandy In Culbin Forest

First Moray Coast Trail Sign

We are officially past the half-way mark today. 🥳 In honour of this, here are some random thoughts:

Favourite spot so far:
JM - River Meig Valley
Mandy - Coming through all the mountains

Least favourite spot so far:
JM - Kessock Bridge into Inverness 😱
Mandy - Road walking

Favourite snack so far:
JM - Joyce’s world class Scottish tablet
Mandy - Same

Best gear so far:
JM - Waterproofs (actually working this time)
Mandy - Sleeping pad (soooooo warm), puffer coat (also soooooo warm)

Worst/ least used gear so far:
JM - Spare t-shirt (It’s been too cold 🥶)
Mandy - A little disappointed by hiking shoes she brought

Still looking forward to:
JM - Coastal views, and the Ice Cream Trail
Mandy - Trying to see Magnus the Walrus who has been making news over here in the North Moray Coast as he makes his way to different locations. It’s very rare to see a Walrus in Scotland. Update: Mandy just said he was spotted in Norway nine hours ago so she is likely out of luck… ☹️


Other random thoughts:

It’s been very cool in the more populated areas we are now going through to walk the paths and trails that connect communities. We met one guy and his dogs today who was returning to his village via these trails after having visited a friend in an adjacent village.

It’s been surprisingly nice walking in overcast 5-10 degree C weather - the sun is not burning us, and we are not sweating to death.

We don’t want to jinx it but Marriage Experiment 3.0 has been going very well - some thanks to Duncan and Charlie for keeping us thoroughly entertained for Days 1 through 4. 😆

We had our first military flyby this afternoon by an RAF Typhoon. We are camped beside a military airfield to night so are hoping we get another show tomorrow. It’s always a big boost for us when it happens!

That’s all for tonight!!  Hands cold, body tired.  Goodnight, everybody!

Nighty-Night!!

Day 7 Route - 27.1 km, 250 m ascent