Friends go on charity trail
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TWO big-hearted Caithness women walked along the John O'Groats Trail (JOGT) to raise money for firefighters.
Julie Bain, from Castletown, and Karn MacGregor, from John O'Groats, walked 147 miles from Inverness to John O’Groats and finished the gruelling trek on Sunday, August 18.
They were supporting the Fire Fighters Charity.
Karn, who is in the fire service and coastguard, said: "We pushed ourselves every day and wild-camped at night and just fell into the tent exhausted but thrilled each evening."
Karn had made friends with Julie when they both worked at the Northern Sands Hotel in Dunnet. Together they set off on the week-long charity challenge on Sunday, August 11, starting from Inverness Castle, then making their way along the JOGT and getting support from fire and coastguard teams along the way.
"The Northern Sands was a huge support in the lead-up to our challenge as well as my current employer Together Travel," Karn said. "Northern Sands general manager Keith Dreaves drove us down to the start line at Inverness Castle and Together Travel general manager Tony Delaney supplied the equipment we needed."
The two friends have already raised well over £1000 on their Just Giving Page and took in few hundred pounds in donations en route.
"While we wild-camped on part of our route we also stayed overnight in fire stations that have worked in with our stops," Karn said. "We also had access to coastguard stations and used them as a break in the afternoon."
The Facebook support they received helped keep them "pushing on and smiling", Karn reported.
"I'm a retained firefighter at John O’Groats and a volunteer in the Duncansby/Wick coastguard team and decided it was best to focus on one charity for this challenge so chose the Fire Fighters Charity and I will do my next challenge for the coastguard."
Apart from the motivation to raise money for a good cause the pals also wanted to help publicise the JOGT and inspire others to give it a go.
"It was a good way to promote something close to home as I work in the hospitality industry and always make suggestions for places that people can go and see," Karn said.
She said there were a few minor issues along the way that involved backtracking or making a new route but they were not deterred in their overall enjoyment of the trail. She also said that her coastguard experience proved very useful in assessing the safety of cliff-top paths while carrying large backpacks.
"As a coastguard I am aware of how to stay safe at cliff edges without being over-cautious or too afraid. Safety first."
