The 2015 Challenge, day 13: Glenprosen to Forresterseat (18)

The track turned right, and became even more rustic in nature (pictured); but before too long I arrived at the main A932. My destination for the day was Foresterseat camp site, which was just across the road and a couple of hundred metres of easy walking. I had been looking forward to having a really nice meal, as the camp site has a restaurant; but I was disappointed to find on arrival that it had closed at Easter, and the owners were looking for another tenant. So I would be heating up my own meal tonight; but never mind. These things happen. The site was nevertheless exceptional value at just £10 for the night; and the warden even gave me three deliciously juicy apples, which went some way to making up for the lack of a restaurant, I suppose. And then I went to pitch my tent.

Now, the thing about my tent is this. I had used it several times already this crossing, and every time, it had all been there. By which I mean, all the component parts which are necessary to make it stand up to the elements had been there. And when I struck camp the following morning, I had always put all of the component parts away in their bag again. And yet now, when I came to pitch my tent for the very last night of my Challenge ... one of the end poles wasn't there!!! I searched high and low, but there was no sign of it. It had definitely been there when I had camped up by Loch Vrotachen three nights previously. But now ... there it was ... gone.

Well, a pole is just a pole, right? Any pole will do, as long as it is the right length, and the right thickness, and sufficiently stout. So I went to find the warned again, and asked her where I might look for a stick that I could fashion into a tent pole. And she pointed me to a belt of trees at the far side of the campsite, and I went over there and found one which looked like it would do the job, and then I set about the task of turning it into an end pole for a Terra Nova Laser Photon.