Glendevon to Dunfermline

Enclosed within the deep glen that splits the gently undulating Ochils lies a hotel that uses the proximity of the famous golf course at Gleneagles to justify some hefty prices. However, as the alternative was several more muddy miles in the darkness last night, they probably could have taken far more off this particular weary wanderer. This morning, I was rewarded with an elegant breakfast. There was a small tower of black pudding stacked on haggis topped by tomato; diagonally sliced sausages sitting next to an egg perfectly placed on a tattie scone. Five minutes later, it looked the same as every other breakfast I've enjoyed.

After my night of luxury, it was annoying to discover that a group of ramblers had managed to take my poles by mistake, leaving me with two previously occupied dangling limbs that I didn't really know what to do with for the rest of the day.

The landscape here is pleasant without being awe inspiring, with empty grass and heather hillsides slowly being reclaimed by forest. Well worn and water logged paths slowed my progress as I made my way towards the deep ravine of Dollar Glen. Here the wonderfully named burns of Care and Sorrow run either side of the ruins of Castle Gloom. Luckily it is just as beautiful as it sounds.

After finding an unexpected footpath across fields that avoided a small section along a busy road, I was once again tramping along small lanes through flat farmland. I passed through the pretty village of Saline and the former mining village of Oakley to reach a cycle track running along an old railway line. Initially littered by broken bottles and multicoloured graffiti, this provided a direct route into the heart of Dunfermline. Railway cuttings hid all traces of the landscape and I relied on the regular mileage markers for motivation. None of this mattered however, since the former Scottish capital is a major milestone, a quarter of the distance has now been walked. I was beginning to entertain the possibility that I might get to the end of this thing and it felt good.

Every route that links the two ends of Britain must pass through the densely populated and heavily industrialised central belt, and it will take another long day for me to reach the freedom of the hills again. However, it is chance to resupply and wash some now deeply unpleasant clothing (yes, another rest day!).