Mandy and JM - TGOC 2026: Day 10

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.