Most people tend to go up and down its peaks in a relatively straight line.
But Will Boyd-Wallis is planning a different take on the Cairngorms – by walking the entire boundary of the National Park for charity.
The 48-year-old from Tulloch, near Nethybridge, is to walk the 260-mile border in three weeeks, starting today.
Mr Boyd–Wallis is doing it to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease – a condition his mother Margaret has suffered from for a decade.
Mr Boyd-Wallis, Head of Land Management and Conservation at Cairngorm National Park Authority said: “I have spent years exploring the heart of the park and love to be in the mountains.
“It was one day at work, my friend lives on the border and looks out onto the heart of the park. And this is one hell of a view. I thought, I wonder what the rest of the border looks like.
“I have climbed, camped and walked all over the central heart of the National Park, but this walk will take me around the edge, into unexpected places, well off the beaten track. I feel like the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, nervously packing my rucksack, anticipating what lies ahead.”
As Mr Boyd-Wallis begins to prepare for his journey, he says that his walk is in honour of his mother who has battled the disease for longer than he can remember.
Mr Boyd-Wallis added: “It’s totally in honour of my mum. My mum has Parkinson’s, she has suffered from it for a decade or more. It’s a horrible disease; it leaves you totally unable to move and you get terrible shakes. It’s difficult for a lot of people, they can’t write, walk, speak and eat. They end up having a horrible feeling that it’s only going to get worse and not get better.
“A friend in the village also had Parkinson’s but she died a few years ago, so it’s in honour of her as well. It’s also for the guy that started up the Parkinson’s Trust Tom Isaacs, who walked 4,500 miles round the coast of Britain while battling with the disease.”
Mr Boyd- Wallis will begin his journey round Europe’s largest national park today beginning at The Slochd Pass.
Per day, he expected to complete a half marathon, tackling 66,000 feet ascending and descending some of Scotland’s perilous mountains.
His aim is to raise £10,000 for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust to help them continue their work of finding a cure, with more than £6,000 having already been donated to the cause.
You can donate to his cause via his online fundraising page here.
