Training continues.....

Third day in a row (although I've only posted about two) I was walking yesterday - this time with the local Friday walkers.

Quite a lively group met up at Finzean Church car-park and after a while we set off at a fair pace to walk up to Tom's Cairn.

{Through the Finzean School garden}

{Tom's Cairn}

After the Cairn we met our first small patch of soft snow which was crossed without pausing. We had lunch at the entrance to the forest and then the real Challenge training started. We were being lead by Margaret, who, probably due to everyone doing more talking than walking, some how missed the turning we should have taken. A good Challenge situation! Plenty of GPSs were deployed and a major incident was averted. Getting lost in a forest is a good Challenge tradition........

{Somebody must know the way....}

To be honest nobody would have known we'd gone wrong if Margaret hadn't told us! We normally just follow the leader without any question.....

No harm was done and we even completed a careful climb over some barbed wire (the stile has collapsed) and made our way back to the village with no more trouble. 

{No sitting was tried here....}

 I did manage to miss the bus back home by about 15 minutes but having to wait in the Aboyne Cornerhouse Cafe was not too difficult. The cherry and chocolate chip scone and a pot of tea helped pass the time till the next bus came along.

Viewranger says we did just under 10 miles but it doesn't mention the blister under a toenail which I found on returning home. It was a day off today......