by Benson, Tom
“He’s a plumbing engineer.”
“Of course, you said he’d be able to check out the wind-pump and feed system from the spring to the farmhouse and mill.”
“We’ll have to lie about the length of the journey first,” Jay-Dee said and laughed. “He enjoys a hike, but one hundred and twenty miles is longer than average for him these days.”
Helen went for a stroll around Dalwhinnie with Cherry and Victoria. Cherry carried a rifle on the off chance that it might be needed. As they walked along Perth Road from the station to the main route through the village, Victoria and Cherry explained about the large ‘X’ burned into some of the house or garage doors by Bill on the previous visit.
“Are you saying that there are still houses with people’s remains in them?”
“Yes,” Cherry said. “Bill is the only person who’s been inside those buildings. There aren’t that many. That’s the reason he said earlier that prior to anybody settling here, he’d ask for a couple of guys to help him clear out where necessary.”
“It sounds distasteful,” Victoria said, “but when you think about it, we’re looking at a necessary evil. I think the idea was that a handful of people came back here and spent a few days going from house to house.”
“The thought reminds me of the people with the sickness,” Helen said. “It’s not a job I’d expect many would want to be involved in.”
“I agree with you,” Cherry said, “and I can handle most things. I suppose it’s one of those tasks we’d have to discuss at length until we have a solution.”
The three friends turned left and wandered along the main road. Up ahead a handsome fox stopped halfway across the road on the way to the nearby woodland.
Helen said, “Look at him—isn’t he beautiful?”
“Yes,” Victoria said. “He was out on the prowl when we were here the first time.”
They walked to the edge of the village to show Helen what was left of the whiskey distillery.
She said, “Judging by the damage to the perimeter fence at the back, I’d suggest there are more than foxes around.”
They turned about and walked along the main road towards the other end and the sub-station compound.
Later in the evening, the friends gathered around a table to have a serious discussion. How best were they to deal with the remains of any local residents? Bill pointed out that in every case, it was bones and not flesh that was under consideration. While not fantastic news, it was preferable to what there might have been a couple of years earlier.
Victoria said, “It’s good that we’ve talked about such a subject, but perhaps it would be better discussed at a community meeting. We always seem to overcome our greatest challenges when we get together.”
“On that positive note,” Bill said, “I think I’ll slip one of our spears through the door handles and we can all get some rest before our next day hiking.”
Within a short time, they stretched out on comfortable cushioned benches. They all lay awake for a while, thinking of the unfortunate folks who had deemed to stay behind. So many had perished in their little village as the world was being torn apart.
.
Friday 12th August
Jay-Dee was grinning as he pushed open the doors of the cafeteria. “I think that has proved the value of a good rod … and obviously a brilliant fisherman.” He held up his catch of three large river trout. “These ought to go five ways easily.”
“Good work, mate,” Cherry said. “Victoria and Helen have been out locating some vegetables, so I’ll give you a hand with breakfast.”
“Was I hallucinating a few minutes ago or did I see Bill on the roof?”
Helen said, “He’s using it as a viewpoint to look for a suitable place to mount an antenna. Bill is convinced that we’ll be able to set up a relay site here somewhere.”
A short while later, the aroma of fresh fish being cooked was drifting in the air.
Bill passed a window and paused outside to lower a ladder from his shoulder. He came inside grinning and nodded to the others. “Job done, people.”
“What have we got?” Cherry said.
“There are several strong aerial structures around mounted to roofs, but about two hundred metres away between two houses is a lightweight mini-tower with a few small mobile phone aerials attached.”
Cherry nodded. “Was there anything else of interest?”
“I’ll check before we leave, but I’m sure I saw piles of scaffolding in a rear garden.”
Helen said, “It would be handy if the relay equipment were fitted in a house nearby, and someone decided to give the place a makeover and live there.”
Bill nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Let’s eat,” Victoria said as she helped Jay-Dee serve breakfast.
During the meal, the topic of establishing a base at Dalwhinnie came up again. Both Bill and Jay-Dee made it clear that they’d be content to create a staging post in the picturesque village. Whether they did would depend on the opinion of Fiona and Archie, their respective partners.
Helen said, “I feel as if I belong in Aviemore. I’m sure there will be more than you two from the Auchcarn community who might relish the challenge of setting up elsewhere.”
“Hello, Aviemore, this is Helen, over.”
“Good morning, Helen, this is Quincy, over.”
“I’m calling to let you know that we’ve sent a Morse message to Auchcarn and we’re about to set off. As I said previously, I’ll call every hour until our signal fades, over.”
“Okay,” Quincy said, “you guys keep safe, and we’ll see how it goes with the radios, out.”
It was half an hour later when Bill handed his binoculars to Helen and then indicated a direction for her to survey. “Check that out.”
Helen turned slightly left and then right and left again quickly. “That looks like … like a herd of … bison.” She lowered the field glasses to meet the smiles of the others, and then she enjoyed another look. “That is such a heartwarming sight.”
The group marched on along the A9, continuing to make good time while they had the relatively smooth surface underfoot. Only Helen still had to appreciate how easy this part of the trip would be in comparison to the remainder.
They arrived on a narrow section of the road which formed a bridge. There was water to the left and forestry to the right.
“Keep your wits about you, guys,” Bill said and then he turned to Helen. “This is where we made a stand against the wolf pack.”
“Okay,” Helen said, “consider me now alert.” From inside her jacket, she withdrew the laser pistol she’d been given.
They arrived without incident at the stretch of road where it ran close and parallel to the railway track.
“There, Bill.” Cherry pointed. “That’s our stone marker on the railway track.”
Victoria said, “Now our journey will be a little rougher and slower, Helen.”
“Okay, and is this close to the rocky crossing point over the river?”
“Yes,” Victoria said, “and I’ll be concentrating harder on the way over.” She laughed.
From the road, they went into a ditch and then climbed the embankment to the railway. Once again, they achieved a steady pace, and it was easy to spot the river crossing point where the water was low and passed over and around the pile of smooth boulders between the banks.
The entire group were extra careful and made it across the gap without incident.
“Which river is this, Bill?” Helen said.
“It’s not a true river, but it is a feature you’ll see better from a higher altitude. This particular strip of water has been created by the overflow of Loch Garry.”
“Yes, I remember now, you guys explained that many of the lochs and rivers had sort of amalgamated.”
Victoria said, “I know we’ve only crossed that gap twice now, but would it make sense to build a simple bridge of some sort?”
“That’s an excellent
idea,” Cherry said. “If we were ever to bring children on one of these treks, it would make sense to have a bridge and not worry about the water level being high.”
“How far would you say it is across?” Bill said.
“I’d say maybe ten or twelve metres,” Cherry said.
“I’d go along with that,” Helen said. “Twelve at the most, but wouldn’t we measure to have anchorage points farther back on both banks?”
Jay-Dee laughed, “Look out, people, we have a bridge-builder in our midst.”
Bill grinned. “You’re quite right, Helen, and it would allow for clearance above the water. I think we could offer the idea to Marie and see her solutions.”
“What does Marie specialise in?”
“Designing and building … stuff … anything,” Jay-Dee said. “She’s a bit like Josh.”
While the others relaxed for a few minutes and enjoyed a drink, Bill made some notes. He also made a quick sketch of what was available for anchorage on either side of the gap, and then they set off again.
It was two hours later when they arrived at the banks of Loch Ericht.
Cherry said, “Away ahead on the right is another interesting place, Helen.”
“That big forest—what did you find in there?”
“Leopard tracks,” Victoria said, and everybody laughed except Helen.
“You guys really know how to build a person’s confidence.” This time she laughed too.
Two hours later they arrived in a clearing not far from the one they’d used previously.
Bill said, “If a couple of you would like to set up camp, I’ll organise a security perimeter with fishing line. I’ll leave us a small entry and exit point and seal it off when it gets dark.”
Jay-Dee produced enough food to create a good meal. Cherry built a campfire while Helen and Victoria erected the large igloo tent. Bill had insisted on rehearsals back at the farm, so the tent was up and secured in a short time.
After their meal and a hot drink, they sat around the campfire chatting for a while.
As he’d done on the original trip, Bill cat-napped outside the tent but on this occasion the others knew why and were happy to do shifts. The unmistakable sound of the leopard was heard twice in the night, but it was a distance away. It served to keep the duty sentry alert during their shift.
8. Mission Accomplished
Saturday 13th August
Jay-Dee set off with his new rod to the lochside to catch breakfast, Bill reeled in the line he’d stretched around their small campsite, and the girls dealt with collapsing and packing away the tent.
Bill spread out the map and using the marker locations he’d highlighted, he gave everybody a briefing on what lay ahead. “We’ve got a couple of hours of hard work, so it’ll pay us to stop often for short breaks. It will be mainly undulating terrain. I think we’ll be ready for a snack when we reach the small plateau at the top of the ridge.”
Victoria said, “Is that the place from which we were able to look down on the lochs and forest?”
“Yes, so it will help to orientate Helen too, and let her see the distance we’ve covered. From the plateau, it will be less than five hours to reach Achallader.”
“Is that our next overnight stop?” Helen said.
“That’s the signal box,” Cherry said.
Helen nodded. “Ah, right, that’s where there is also a sub-station?”
“That’s the place.”
“I have to admit,” Helen said, “it feels strangely comforting to be arriving at the places you guys told us about.”
“It’s going to be a long day today,” Bill said, “but we’ll be taking it easy, so if any of you are feeling the pressure, please say something—no heroics.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Victoria said, causing a ripple of laughter.
As an aid to morale and to level the effort being made, Bill suggested that the lead should be alternated. All that would be required would be a rough guide regarding direction. He brought up the rear, which allowed him to monitor the others and to offer encouragement when needed.
The bergens and other baggage felt heavier when the terrain was rough. A lot of the time was spent going uphill, occasionally grasping undergrowth or rocks to maintain forward movement. Regular brief stops were appreciated by everyone in the group, and there was a noticeable lack of banter during the phase to reach the plateau on the ridge.
“Okay,” Cherry said as she stepped forward onto the small flat area. “It’s time to rest our weary shoulders.” She turned and released the straps on her bergen before helping Helen with hers.
Jay-Dee helped Victoria ease her bergen from her shoulders before he unclipped his own.
“Wasn’t that great?” Bill said and grinned as he joined the others. “Seriously, guys, that was a bloody good effort.”
Jay-Dee winked at Bill. “I’ll get a fire started.” He walked a few metres away to the sheltered area they’d used before.
“I’ll get the water organised,” Cherry said and joined her friend at the spot where Jay-Dee had rebuilt a small fire within a circle of stones.
“Wow,” Helen said as she stood beside Bill and looked back over the distance they’d covered. “I can clearly see the section of the forest we left this morning.” She accepted the binoculars. “Yep, I can see the area where we crossed the water and boulders—that’s quite a long way off. Did you say that massive body of water we can see is Loch Ericht, where we camped near last night?”
“It’s Loch Ericht to the left towards the forest, but if you look right to where it narrows, when it opens wider again, that is Loch Rannoch.”
“Wouldn’t that eventually lead towards Loch Tummel and then Pitlochry?”
“Indeed it would, and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s probably a waterway all the way now.”
She nodded. “The entire region has been changed.”
Bill pointed between peaks. “If you look in a northeasterly direction between those peaks—that’s where Aviemore lies, but we’re over fifty miles away now.”
“I’ve tried a couple of calls on the way from our forest stop, but I’ve only had one response, and it was weak—only the mushy sound of static.”
“We’re higher here but obviously even farther away so you could try again.”
Helen lifted the handset. “Hello, Aviemore, this is Helen, over.”
There was no verbal response, and the electrical mush was faint. She tried several times with the same result.
Bill said, “I’ve marked on the map the last time you were successful with a call, so later we’ll work out the approximate distance. It will help us if we get the chance to use relays.”
Following a snack of tea, wholemeal bread and a chunk of cheese the group got back to work and headed southwesterly for Achallader and the signal box. In terms of time taken, it would be the most prolonged phase, but though the terrain was rough, there were more downhill sections than uphill. Regular, brief stops were the order of the day once again, and it was a happy group which saw the railway signal box on the horizon.
Cherry stared ahead during one of their short breaks. “There’s our target?” She pointed.
Jay-Dee said. “When we get closer we ought to see the railway signals.”
“Will we really?” Helen said, squinting.
“Yes,” Victoria said, “when Cherry got the power working in that area it illuminated the railway signals for miles in both directions.”
Bill said, “We’ve been on the route for about three and a half hours from the plateau, so I reckon we should be arriving at our signal box in about an hour.”
The news that they were so close gave everybody a fresh burst of energy and put a spring in their steps. As they focused on the blip on the horizon, it slowly but surely became a hut atop a small tower. Stretching out to left and right were regular red, amber or green railway signals.
As it turned out, they made the distance from the plateau to the signal box thirt
y minutes more quickly than they had when travelling in the other direction two weeks earlier.
On arrival, while the others arranged food, a hot drink, and the erection of the igloo tent, Cherry went down to the sub-station to send a brief Morse message to Auchcarn. Once she’d let them know about progress, she strolled back to the railway track and signal box.
“All okay?” Victoria said.
“Yes, it was Des on shift, and after acknowledging my message, he sent me ‘C U SOON’.”
It had been a long day. Instead of sentry shifts up in the tower, Bill and Jay Dee untangled the barbed wire which had long ago been coiled around the building to prevent vandalism. They stretched it in a defensive perimeter at a distance around the tent, and everyone got a decent rest overnight. Being aware that predators might be around was better than a surprise visit, but nothing of any significant size would negotiate the barbed-wire.
.
Sunday 14th August
While breakfast was being prepared, Cherry went to the sub-station and sent a message to say that the group’s ETA at Auchcarn was two days away. She added into her message, ‘NO CONTACT TMRW’ remembering that the sub-station at their next overnight stop was a melted mass of metal and plastic.
Helen said, “How far is today’s phase?”
“Approximately twenty miles,” Bill said, “and it may not be ideal for walking, but the first ten miles will be best done along the railway track.”
The group arranged themselves into an order of march with Cherry and Victoria up front, Jay-Dee in the middle and Bill with Helen bringing up the rear. As before, whenever the visibility all around was good, and the walk was straightforward, they would change places to help them relax while maintaining a good pace.
They’d made brief stops along the way, but at the ten-mile point, they halted at one of their ‘A’ markers built from a pile of rocks. A hot drink and the relief of taking off their bergens made it a refreshing break.
