Dava Way Summer Stroll - June 19th

[weemistermac]

Is anyone thinking of doing this? I've driven the route a number of times but never walked it all. If my diary allows I'm probably going to do the full hike from Forres to Grantown.

Stuart

[Paul Webster]

It's a great chance to do it with the buses etc. organised

[chaserjay]

I am hoping to do it too.

John

[pandamitchell]

This is going to be a fantastic event, last year it was called the Ghost Train Walk because it took place overnight. Quite a lot of walkers said they would like to do it again during the day, so this year they are getting their wish. The Dava Way Committee have it well organised with food and resreshments at Dunphail and busses laid on to get to your chosen start point. There will also be another mobile refreshment stop towards Huntly's cave for those that require nice cup of tea or coffee to keep them going.

John and Stuart, make sure you check out the details on the Dava Way web site and download the entry form. The committee need to know how many busses to book and how much food to prepare, ideally before 12th June, but there should be flexibility to welcome late entries if need be.

Hope to see you all there!

Pete Mitchell (Dava Way Association Committee member)

[Clamberer]

Hi folks,

I'm doing this with 2 of my pals- as Paul said, its a great opportunity to do it without having to faff about getting transport organised. We'd been wanting to do it for a while but public transport to Grantown leaves much to be desired!!

Looking forward to it- should be a good day out. Lets hope the weather is half decent...

Hope to see some of you there!
Jo

[weemistermac]

I'm very keen to walk the Dava Way but I've discovered dogs are not allowed on the organised walk day (or on the buses). So I may walk it some other day, camp overnight and walk back the next day. I feel like I'm cheating the dog if I go for a long walk without him!

Have a good day everyone who gives it a go. I'll look forward to seeing the pics.

Stuart

[pandamitchell]

We had some dog owners taking part on last years Dava Way Ghost Train Walk, but they had to make their own transport arrangements!

Come along if you can!!
For those that have been on the Dava Way, you will know that there are no refreshments or toilet facilities on the route since the Braemoray Hotel closed it's doors a few years back. This is therefore a rare opportunity to take advantage of food and rest facilities that the Dava Way Association are providing on the Dava Moor and at Dunphail. This may not happen again for a couple of years, so come along if you can!
Although the application deadline has past there will be some flexibility for last minute participants. Book in at the registration desks which will be open in Forres and Grantown on Saturday morning, before the start of the walk. For more details log onto the super dupa Dava Way web site at www.davaway.org.uk

Pete Mitchell
Dava Way Association Committee Member

[pandamitchell]

Summer Stroll Update - Still Places On The Bus!!

Most walkers have booked onto the bus from Forres to Grantown-on-Spey, therefore there should be plenty of places on the bus leaving Grantown at 9.50am. Register on the day between 9.00 and 9.40am in the Square Grantown outside the Cairngorm National Park Office. See the Dava Way web site for all the details.

Drop offs are possible at Dava (7miles) and Dunphail(14miles) if you don't fancy doing the full 24miles.

Weather forecast is good, hope to see you there!

Pete M

[pandamitchell]

Many thanks to all those that took part in, and organised the first Dava Way Summer Stroll. Everyone managed to complete the walk in good time with only a few blisters and aching muscles to report. Everyone enjoyed the refreshments stops on the Dava Moor and at Dunphail, a great idea that helped us on or way.

[mojomcl]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm wondering roughly how long this takes 'most' walkers? Is it as flat a hike as it seems? My walking pal and I previously capped our walking days at 20 miles (with some of the fun waning after 15) - but this looks so straighforward, we're very tempted to do it in one go...
Any info/pics would be much appreciated x

[Clamberer]

Hi Mojomcl,
I'm sure you'd manage this walk in a day, even though its over 20 miles it's really not strenuous. We did it in about 6 hours and we certainly weren't rushing, we also has several extended tea breaks and took full advantage of the Dava Way Society's fine hospitality at the half way point. Nothing like a sausage butty and a cup of coffee to revive the spirits!

If they are organising the walk again this year I'd definitely recommend it, not only do you get transport organised and a BBQ halfway, there is also a coffee and scone stop few miles in, and they give you a certificate of completion and medal too! It wasn't over-run with walkers either (sadly, as they obviously put so much effort into organising it and I would have liked to see them raise more money); everyone walks at a different pace so we hardly saw any of the others until the refreshment stops. And of course all the money raised goes to a good cause, ie maintaining the route.

Unfortunately I left my camera at home so I don't have any pictorial evidence of the beautiful scenery you will encounter but it's a lovely walk and we saw lots of wildlife along the way.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did
Cheers
Jo

[mojomcl]

Thanks for that, sounds very promising
Looks like we will be doing it in a oner in the next couple of weeks. We're not waiting for one of the organised walks, partly as I detest the sun/summer, but mainly because we are going to be doing the Six Harbours Walk on May 1st, which will see us complete the Moray Way (and then some!), six months to the day since starting. Hence wanting to get the Dava Way done first. We've had a couple of hard 8 hour walks on our journey, but they've included some unexpected climbs, so it's most reassuring to hear you did the Dava Way in a very relaxed 6
Thanks very much
Jo
x