Mandy and JM - TGOC 2026: 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!