The last 18 km to Inverness...

...or

'Finally made it!'😄,

'Great, we did it!'👍

'Wow, I can't go on anymore!'🥵

'Sad that it's over.'🥲👣

Well, these are the feelings that arise when completing the final stage of a total of 15 days of hiking. The destination was Inverness, located on the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. Yesterday, on the last 3 km, I (Susi) felt like my feet were trapped in a vice and being filed square. I couldn't feel any joy at all in reaching the finish line.

However, our B&B hostess more than made up for it. Such a warm welcome with so much curiosity and genuine joy that we made the two walks. She just kept saying 'well done' and 'I'm proud of you!'! Actually, we just wanted to drop off our backpacks and go to our room. But she kept asking us questions, giving us tips for dinner, and recommending the best ways to relax - it was wonderful!!!! And the room is cute and cozy, a great ending.

The poor thing didn't know what smells we would bring into her lovely apartment. Long-distance hiking and camping means that you can't wear something 'fresh' every day. There's this typical walker smell....well, you know😳👃🤷🏻‍♀️🤷‍♂️. That's why we went straight to the nearest laundry today to wash our things. You've got to experience it at least once, it's a special feeling. Cheers to having a washing machine in your own bathroom!

Maybe a quick summary of the day. After yesterday's thunderstorm, it was cloudy and foggy. Very Scottish. Another 18 km was quite a challenge. Andreas calculated that we walked an average of 17 km every day👣👣. Carrying our entire 'home' on our backs over hills and valleys⛰️. So, it's starting to take a toll on us. But we still had fun.

Of course, we saw Marc again. Not far from our shelter after the storm. However, he got caught in the thunderstorm, so he was wet and tired. But he's a tough guy, so he probably made it to Inverness just fine. We probably won't see him again.

After 250 km of hiking, full of beautiful experiences but also some organizational and physical challenges, we're taking a little break today before taking the train🚉 back to Glasgow tomorrow. We still have one more day there to readjust to a different rhythm. On Friday morning at 07:00, we'll take off for Berlin✈️.

And now, our minds need to process everything, so we say Good Night!

Visit us for our final report😉!!!

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