Events along the Dava Way Trail
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Ghost Train Walk | WolfTrek Challenge
Ghost Train Walk 2013
22nd/23rd June, 2013
The Ghost Train Walk is an overnight walk from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres, a distance of about 23 miles. The next Ghost Train walk takes place in 2013. The walk uses the Dava Way which is a railway walk and most of the route follows the old Highland Railway line. For more information about the details of the route please explore the Route Description and Map pages on this website.
About the walk:
As before the walk starts on Sat evening June 22nd and finishes some time later on Sunday morning, June 23rd. Previous events have attracted just over 100 entries. The format is simple. Everyone comgregates and registers in Roysvale Park, Forres between 8pm and 9pm. A bus departs at 9pm taking walkers to the start in Grantown-on-Spey. From there you walk back to Forres at your own pace with marshals to assist at places where route finding might cause a problem in the dark. Expect a warm brew at Dava, roughly 8 miles from the start. A breakfast of sausage or bacon baps with juice or tea, etc awaits at Dunphail after a further 7 miles. There are also toilet facilties there. A final push of another 7 miles brings you to the finish desk at Dallas Dhu where you collect your completion certificate. You could arrange pickup here or continue on a further mile to Roysvale, or some other more convenient place of rest.
Key information for entrants:
The ghost train is very much a walking event to enjoy at your own pace. Nevertheless entrants are free to 'do as they wish'. In the past the occassional entrant has chosen to run or 'power walk' the whole distance, but be warned - refreshments are timed to suit walkers. Most walkers usually take between 6½ and 9 hours to reach the finish point arriving between 4:30am and 7am.
Entry forms (see below) are now available and should be returned by June 10th
Registration is in Roysvale Park, Forres between 8pm and 9pm Sat 22nd June
A donation to the Dava Way Association of £16 per walker towards path maintenance and improvement is requested in lieu of an entry fee.
General information:
Walkers arrange their own transport to Forres. Transport to Grantown-on-Spey is provided. Expect to start walking from The Square in Grantown shortly before 10pm. A marshall will walk with the faster walkers for the first few miles and one or more will act as sweep at the rear throughout the walk. At key locations a marshall will count walkers through. A 'rescue' car will be available throughout the night. The route itself is well way marked. This will be reinforced at key junctions with 'glow lights' to indicate the correct route. Nonetheless entrants are expected to carry a torch and to be alert for signposts or way marker posts on non-railway sections. A breakfast at Dunphail is served 1am to 5am. We use quality produce provided by a local butcher and baker.
Sponsorship for a good cause:
Are you part of a volunteer organisation? Do you have your favourite 'good cause'? Entrants are invited to use the event to raise sponsorship. If your good cause is a registered charity then encourage them to claim GiftAid tax relief. Note that it is the responsibility of anyone raising money for a charity to ensure that all sponsors are aware of the work of their chosen charity, and to ensure that all monies raised are directed to that charity.
Why 'Ghost Train'?:
Look out for
the Ghost Train.
The central section of the walk goes behind the Knock of Braemoray, remote from the road or habitation apart from the now deserted steading at Bogeney. When inhabited it is reported that the train would slow down here, and that the owner's dog would run alongside the train, catch the daily paper thrown by the engine driver in it's mouth and return to the steading. But there are other more mysterious train stories from hereabouts concerning sightings of a Ghost Train. Numerous locals retell stories of the lights, noises and smells of a floating train and carriages rushing past. Some of these are retold in the Information leaflet which you can download. All nonsense of course . . . probably . . .
Documents for download:
59kBInvitation letter for the Ghost Train Walk
40kBEntry form for the Ghost Train Walk
313kBGhost Train Walk Information Leaflet
106kBPoster advertising the Ghost Train walk
How to enter:
By post
Download and complete the entry form. Post this with a cheque to the address on the form.
By e-mail
To enter this way you will need to be able to authorise a BACS payment, for example by using online banking. Download and complete the entry form on your computer, typing your name where it indicates signature. Arrange a BACS payment using the details on the entry form.
Need more information:
If, having read the information here and on the invitation letter, you require further information please e-mail ghost@davaway.org.uk
Ghost Train walk
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Sunset at Lochindorb
The 2013 event will take place on Saturday August 3rd and Sunday August 4th starting 4pm Saturday.
The 1st Wolftrek Challenge was in August 2008 and it has been an annual event since. There are three events for entrants to choose from:
A 17 mile midnight hike from Forres to Lochindorb.
A 3 part relay event covering 45 miles overnight from Forres to Cairngorm Mountain.
The complete 45 mile individual challenge from Forres to Cairngorm Mountain.
The event starts from Forres on the Moray Firth at 4pm. Whilst some literally run the entire distance (the fastest time in 2009 was 6 hours 52 minutes) most treat it as a personal challenge walking through the night to finish sometime during Sunday. The route follows the Dava Way to Dava, then goes to Lochindorb, crosses the moor to Grantown, follows the Speyside Way to Nethy Bridge, then on to Glenmore and up to Cairngorm mountain. For further details and entry information go to the WolfTrek Challenge website. Entrants are asked to raise money for the WildHearts charity which provides funding in the form of repayable loans to micro-enterprises in developing countries.
Photos from previous WolfTrek events
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