This summer 11-year-old Tiffany embarked on an incredible journey to walk the 96-mile West Highland Way with her mum Tanya to raise money for nature. In this blog Tanya shares more about their inspiring adventure.
Tiffany is a strong, independent 11-year-old girl. But when she came to me one day determined to walk the West Highland Way to raise money for the charities she cares about, even I was a little surprised. Not content with just those 96-miles, she also wanted to climb the biggest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis. So, we got planning…
The charities she chose to fundraise for were her Girlguiding group, which she has been part of since a young age, and the RSPB. With her love of wildlife and seeing first-hand the threat it is under, she feels incredibly passionate about doing anything she can to help nature.
So, in the last week of August 2023 we got hiking. The challenge entailed long walks day after day, carrying 10kg of luggage which included, camping gear, food, cooker, clothing and necessities that may be required on the journey - alongside a Highland cow mascot! Tiffany was really looking forward to the experience and the challenge, although a little nervous about how difficult it would be (as was I!).
The trip began from Milngavie and ended at Fort William. Whilst we love long walks even we quickly realised that with this challenge we had little to no knowledge of what we were about to do.
The beginning! Milngavie – Dryman – Rowardennan (Days: one and two)
We arrived early morning on day one from the bus station, onto the train and after a dreadful sleep on the night bus we made our way to the start of the West Highland Way, feeling excited and positive, but a little nervous of the journey we had ahead. Fine the weather wasn’t great but that wasn’t going to stop Tiffany!
The first day of our adventure took us under bridges, through woods, farms, streams, breathing in the smell of flowers and the open air of the Highlands. Sadly, our bags were weighing heavy and most of our time was spent taking coats and jumpers on and off and checking if our bags were on correctly - and figuring out they weren’t! We felt massive relief as the camping area came into sight.
After another uncomfortable sleep we packed up the tent the next morning and set off through the rain towards Rowardennan. The grounds became slippery and hills became streams. After a few slips and slides we reached Loch Lomond and were faced with a rapid stream blocking our course. We eventually found a tree that we used to climb across, and after a brief chase after a hiking stick making it’s way downstream we carried on trekking – up mainly.
The tough bit. Rowardennan – Inverarnan – Tyndrum – Kingshouse (Days: three, four and five)
Waking up on a loch on day three was empowering, despite another cold and disturbed night’s sleep. We cooked and ate breakfast watching the picturesque sunrise - a memory we will forever cherish - whilst Tiffany fed the ducks. Everywhere we looked was stunning, an ideal walk we said, climbing rocks, jumping steams, narrow woodlands, trees, basically a natural child's playground which Tiffany enjoyed immensely. We had a quick mid-morning stop by the loch taking off our shoes and soaking our feet enjoying the peaceful surroundings if only for a moment. There was not one complaint from Tiffany, nothing was going to stop her, while her mother on the other hand was in increasing pain. By some kind of miracle, later that day we met some kind ladies who invited us to stay the night with them – we got showered, cuddled by the radiator and ate some proper food. We sat in a wonderful bar with a band playing ‘Sit down next to me’ – all I could think is yes please!
After the first good night sleep I was told we had got the hardest days past us. I paid for the heavy items I was carrying to be transferred to our next destination, but Tiffany was adamant she had to carry most of hers – and did! We took it slow on day 4 going up and down hills and enjoying some historical sites – the Lost Sword and the field of the battle of Dalrigh, learning some history of Scotland as we went. This time we decided to stay in a hostel and have the best fish and chips around!
Waking up to the big 19-mile hike from Tyndrum to Kingshouse on day five I felt positive. We trekked through hills, long roads, countryside, bridges, and enjoyed an afternoon tea. We finally felt at home in these beautiful surroundings. That’s until we reached the old Glencoe track – a 9-and-a-half-mile road that seemed like the longest we’d ever been on. Exhausted, with unpredictable legs we finally reached our destination, only to be greeted by a missing tent…
The final stretch. Kingshouse – Kinlochleven – Fort William – Ben Nevis (Days: six, seven and eight)
We’d managed to get a broken cabin to stay in at the campsite, where we also met a lady from the hostel the day before. She heard our story of our lost tent and offered for us to stay with her that coming evening - the gratitude was overwhelming. We climbed the famous ‘Devil’s Staircase’ looking behind at how far we had come. Tiffany was starting to realise how strong she is and started to feel the pride she deserved – the compliments from fellow hikers helped too! She decided to wild camp with my brother shielded by a stable ruin, in hope of completing the trail plus Ben Nevis the next day whilst I stayed in a beautiful cabin with my new dear friend in comfort.
I couldn’t sleep well so I got up early and left not long after 6am, not expecting to see Tiffany and my brother until the end, until I stumbled upon them packing up their tent. We continued on the long and open path that you could see for miles and miles. Talk moved to reflections on the journey and what we have achieved, what we had learned and how we have changed. I couldn’t have been prouder of Tiffany’s strength and determination. It was still drizzly, but today felt different – this was the final stretch and we had nearly done it. As we made our way onto tarmac, civilisation wouldn’t be far ahead, and we felt a sense of dread coming back to the real world. A local man told us how he used to work on the paths of Ben Nevis and pointed us in the direction of the end point where we could collect our certificates of completion... WE DID IT! Big hugs all round.
Walking like robots by this point we woke up on the final day to climb Ben Nevis – lets do this! It wasn’t a record time but we reached the misty summit and I could see the pride sparkle in Tiffany’s eyes! Her smile reached cheek to cheek.
It was me that had struggled, it was me that cried, but it was a young girl of 11 who took every hurdle in her stride, went through this rollercoaster with me, faced the challenges and dealt with everything with great positivity, kindness, strength and determination to raise money for the charities she loves, surrounded by the spectacular nature of the highlands and seeing first-hand how important it is for us to help.
You can donate to Tiffany’s fundraiser here and follow Hodo2_self discovery on Instagram for more on their journey!
To find out more about ways to fundraise for the RSPB visit: https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/support-the-rspb/fundraising/other-ways-to-fundraise
Images: Tanya Squire