Chris Townsend - Along the divide : walking the wild spine of Scotland

Praise for Chris Townsend

I was struck by his thoughtfulness and clear-sightedness as if all his opinions had been slowly, patiently reasoned out during endless hours of quiet contemplation while alone on the trail.

Roger Cox, The Scotsman

In the Scottish outdoor world names occasionally shine like the stars and very quickly fade into the night. Chris Townsend has remained a shining light for well over 35 years, a passionate and inspiring advocate for the wild corners of our land, an enthusiast who literally walks the walk.

Cameron McNeish

Chris Townsend is the all-around world champion hiking memoirist, guide, photographer, blogger, and techie.

Ron Strickland, founder of the Pacific Northwest Trail

I first met Chris Townsend about thirty years ago cross-country skiing in the Cairngorms. He is someone who practices what he preaches. I have much appreciated his insights and knowledge and he is a great voice for our cause.

Peter Pearson, Chair of the John Muir Trust

Praise for Out There

Townsend has achieved his aim of inspiring others with this book and if you dont feel like going on a walk no matter how long or short after reading it, you never will.

The Scots Magazine

Out There is not just a wonderfully written celebration of backpacking and mountaineering. Its also a call to arms a warning that nobody but us will step in to save the wild places we love, and that we all have a responsibility to protect and nurture the environment.

Alex Roddie

What shines through this highly readable anthology is the authors passionate plea for the protection of our wild country.

Outdoor Focus

Those making the decisions about what happens to wild land would do well to listen to people like Townsend who really understand wild places not for what they are, but for what they can offer.

Active Outdoors

Ranging from the Pacific Crest Trail to the Sierras to the peaks of Britain, Out There is a collection of essays from the many walks of his own life. Brought together, they read as a singular celebration of wild spaces.

Geographical Magazine

Chris is a compelling and engaging author... too many delights in its pages to describe in a brief review, I suggest you read and enjoy it.

Beryl Leatherland, Wild Land News

Chris Townsend is possibly the worlds most experienced long-distance walker who also writes. He is the author of many books including Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams, his account of the Pacific Northwest Trail, Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles, his account of the Pacific Crest Trail, and Out There, which won the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild Outdoor Book of the Year Award in 2016. All were published by Sandstone Press. He is gear correspondent for The Great Outdoors magazine and has a website as Chris Townsend Outdoors where his popular blog receives many thousands of visitors.

Also published by Sandstone Press

Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams:
Walking Americas Pacific Northwest Trail

Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Out There: A voice from the wild

WALKING THE WILD SPINE
OF SCOTLAND

Chris Townsend

First published in Great Britain in 2018

Sandstone Press Ltd

Dochcarty Road

Dingwall

Ross-shire

IV15 9UG

Scotland.

www.sandstonepress.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without
the express written permission of the publisher.

Copyright Chris Townsend

Editor: Robert Davidson

The moral right of Chris Townsend to be recognised as
the author of this work has been asserted in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

The publisher acknowledges support from Creative
Scotland towards publication of this volume.

ISBN: 978-1-912240-22-7

ISBNe: 978-1-912240-23-4

Cover and plate sections designed by Raspberry Creative Type, Edinburgh

Typography by Biblichor Ltd, Edinburgh

To Denise

Peter Wright for inspiring the walk, for all his work on protecting the Watershed, and for his company at the start and finish.

All the people I met along the way for their friendship and interesting conversation and when needed their help.

My partner, Denise Thorn, who, as always, listened patiently to me talking about the book time and time again and who read through the text making many corrections and useful suggestions.

Robert Davidson of Sandstone Press for his help, encouragement and patience.

Heather Macpherson for the cover and the design.

Helen Stirling for the maps.

A watershed, a divide, between two worlds. A raindrop falls, a bog oozes, a trickle begins, running gently downhill, eventually to reach the ocean. Not far away theres a repeat, in the other direction, maybe heading for a different ocean. Watersheds are significant, dividing the land. Significant enough for us to use them as metaphors for sudden changes in life. A watershed moment, we say: a moment when something could go either way, in our personal lives, in national or world affairs, with the suggestion that once it happens it cannot be changed, much as the water running downhill can never go the other way.

A watershed is a line that links continuous high ground. Watersheds can be small, just the ridge between two valleys, or can run the length of countries. In Scotland the main Watershed is between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Its not a straight line though, far from it. It twists and turns, sometimes heading in what seem perverse directions. Following the Watershed north you can at times find yourself heading south. Scotland is roughly 410 km from south to north. The Watershed covers three times that distance, some 1,200 km. On its journey it crosses the major regions of the Scottish landscape the Southern Uplands, Central Lowlands, Highlands and the Flow Country. Because Scotland has an overall tilt from west to east the Watershed is mostly towards the west side of the country rather than down the centre, though there are a few wanderings eastwards.

For most of its length the line, convoluted though it may be, is clear. Water either ends up running west into the Atlantic Ocean or east into the North Sea. However, Scotland has a north coast as well as west and east ones. Where is the Watershed there? This is debatable. Peter Wright in Ribbon of Wildness: Discovering the Watershed of Scotland argues it runs to Duncansby Head, the north-eastern point of the mainland, as the Pentland Firth just to the north is where the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers run north to the latter here, and south-east to the former. You can see the line between these rivers clearly on the map. Follow it exactly on the ground and youll cross no running water. David Edgar, who set out to walk the Watershed of Scotland and England and whom I was to meet on my walk, chose Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the mainland, as the National Hydrographic Organisation says this is where the Atlantic meets the North Sea. Dave Hewitt walked the Scottish Watershed in one continuous journey in 1987, a significant adventure described in his excellent book