With Carrbridge, Aviemore and Stirling being the targets, ITN set about planning a decent route, which would see an average daily walk, on and off road, of almost 22 miles over the course of 7 days.
We would leave Caledonian Stadium and head south, proceeding through Inverness City Centre to gain access to General Wades Military Road. From there, we would keep to GWMR almost full route to Falkirk, taking in Aviemore, Blair Athol and Stirling in the process. We would also need to fight our way through Bannockburn – the scene from William Wallace took his troops to fight the English in the 1300’s.
We were expected to finish at Brockville Stadium, to watch the final fixture of the season, between Falkirk and Inverness CT at 3pm…
ST JOHNSTONE – THE MATCH BEFORE THE OFF
All the Highland Marchers had gathered outside Caledonian stadium, to await the start of the Charity Event in which they foolishly agreed to take part. The kilts were on show, the 3rd leg in hand (as it were), and not to forget the silly headgear of a see-you-Jimmy hat and a bright fluorescent woolly.
A capacity crowd turned out to witness this mayhem, and many people were in awe of these intrepid troops.
Cheers, jeers and not so many tears, as ICT went on the win the game, sparking speculation that this would not have been so much of a harder week had we lost. A meeting back at the Innes Bar, and we set about agreeing a time to meet up at the Corigarth Hotel on the outskirts of the town. ITN was first to arrive with his family, with Elvis, Canary and Junior in toe. No one is really too sure how the night went, or indeed how they got home or when. It must have been a cracker, with the only memory of a ‘Proclaimers – 500 miles’ huddle involving supporters and players alike being a highlight. It was certainly a memory that sticks out above the hangovers of which were to follow for some.