See you all again next year at Loch Lomond

Well folks that's Hampden to Loch Lomond and The Wee Walk over, so that's two down with four to go (Speyside, Kennet & Avon, Angus and The Great Wall of China) and although it's really exciting, it's with a sense of sadness we say "see you next year".

This year's event has been a remarkable success as we've grown from 400 walkers last year to 778 this year, plus 180 took part in The Wee Walk. Targets for next year? Well why not go for 1,500 for the big walk and 500 for the wee one, although I guess I'd better pass these figures past the rest of the team first.

So what were everyone's abiding memories of yesterday, the rain? Thought not as hardly anyone mentioned it, which to be fair only really "chucked it down" late afternoon, just as I was finishing.

No, people's tales of yesterday are all similar. Yes there's the blisters, the sore legs and pains in places they didn't know they had places, however to a man, woman and child they have all said "can't wait until next year" or "best achievement of my life" or "when do next year's registrations open?".

It's been very humbling as we have had so many nice comments thanking us for putting on the event and commenting how well it all went, which is rewarding to hear. However before we go any further, we, The Kiltwalk Team, need to thank you for turning up in your hundreds and taking part.

It's the people who "walk the walk" which makes The Kiltwalk so special. You're all groups of people coming together, with a common aim. So this isn't "our walk" or "the charity partners walk" this is "your" walk. All we do is facilitate it for you.

It's every 'Kiltwalker' doing what you do that makes The Kiltwalk, Walking for Scotland's Children a success and for that, The Kiltwalk Team and the Partner charities are extremely grateful and you? well you should be prouder than proud.

So what are my abiding memories of yesterday? Well Crème Eggs seemed to feature a lot.

First of all there was turning up at Hampden Park at 07:00, half an hour before registration opened, to find two sets of Bunny ears (Vicky and Lynn) and young Martin raring to go.

There was the excitement of setting up the registration desks and agreeing who was going where and who was doing what (I was on Marshals vests) and then someone suggested we hand out Crème Eggs, so we unpacked the Crème Eggs and announced we were open for business.

At first there was a trickle, then a steady flow, then the flood gates opened and Carey said "blinking heck, has a bus just arrived?" and a bus had just arrived, or should I say a 'movement' had arrived, or to be precise . . . "Summer's Team" had arrived.

Before you knew it the tea and coffee was drunk, the rolls and sausage gone and the pipers were getting restless, so after a few words from Cat and Craig, off we went.

I say "we" referring of course to the 'Kiltwalkers' as it was at this point, as I watched the rest of The Kiltwalk Team jump into cars and vans and head to Loch Lomond, I realised I was the only 'team' member actually walking the event, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world as I was walking with my 15 year old Scott, who was kind enough to walk at an "old man's" pace, rather than walk with his older cousins.

The banter was flowing, the Crème Eggs disappearing and the cars, even at nine in the morning, were tooting their horns in support, so I do hope the neighbours were early risers.

On the first stretch into town I bumped into one of the Facebook and Kiltwalk Twitterati, Natalie, who it transpires, lives approximately three miles from me, went to the same school as me and her young cousin Dean, who was walking with her, is in the year below my son Scott up at Mearns Castle. Talk about a small world. It would seem Natalie, who was walking for the first time, can't resist a challenge and when it relates to raising money for children's charities, she's a push over. So we hope Natalie enjoyed her day with The Kiltwalk and hope to see her back again next year.

As we reached the Clydeside, I saw what can only be described as an unmistakable "bunnet" belonging to Bobby Stirrat.

I've 'seen' Bobby at several Scotland away games, however it was only in Slovenia that I actually got talking to him as I walked up the centre of the plane with my Kiltwalk rattling can, collecting a few pounds for The Kiltwalk in exchange for a very exclusive Kiltwalk badge.

Many hours and beers later, Bobby announced he was "doing the Kiltwalk", So I kept my eye out for his registration and when it closed, there was no Bobby on the list. However it would appear Bobby is a man of his word, if not form filling, and there he was large as life. He just turned up, registered and walked with the donations he'd drummed up in the pub the night before.

What followed over the remaining miles was an adventure and like last year, one I'll never forget. We had the longest toilet queue ever at the Yoker pit-stop, where CLIC Sargent were handing out bottles of water, bananas and breakfast bars with not a single Crème Egg in sight and as Scott and I left, we were in the last 8 of 778.

However it wasn't long until the Lucozade, Banana, Snickers bar and 600mg of ibuprofen kicked in and we were soon passing Kiltwalkers of all shapes and sizes. There were tea towel wearing walkers, there were "I'm never doing this again" Kiltwalkers and we hadn't even hit Clydebank!!

After a few miles the magical sight of the Erskine Bride appeared, however like last year it appeared someone had put it on a set of wheels as the blinking thing, like the moon, kept moving further away as you went round each bend in the Sustrans route.

We then hit the second pit-stop, where the CHAS team had pitched up and it became apparent Jon hadn't managed to shift many of the 6,100 Crème Eggs they had as they had more Crème Eggs on show than I've ever seen. True to his word at the JSC Meeting he was stuffing them into people's pockets, two at a time. It was a sight to see and a memory to treasure.

It was at this pit stop I first heard the mutterings of something worse than the "Loch Lomond Midgie", yes you're right it was the dreaded "Kiltwalk Blister" rumour so we didn't hang around here longer than needed, in fear of catching one of those things.

As the muscles started to ache it was time to dip into my supplies and top up on some sugar, so the Crème Eggs Jon had given me were devoured and enjoyed.

As we hit Dumbarton, the rumour that had filtered through on the last pit stop was confirmed as I saw the first evidence of "The Kiltwalk Walk". There in front of me was Gary Speirs, a well know warrior on this Blipfoto Journal, whose son, Seoras was the victim as he was doing that "lift and drag" movement which meant he had "The Kiltwalk Blister".

The Dumbarton pit-stop was a welcome sight as well as a delight and vindicated our decision to put in that extra stop. I tweeted Aberlour from the Coffee Vendor and asked them to have some shortbread ready for me, a tweet that had to make a round trip via satellite of around 1,200 miles, when in fact the Aberlour Gazebo was approximately thirty feet away.

I have to say the shortbread hit the spot and went down well with my Hot Chocolate, which provided sufficient fuel to get to Loch Lomond Shores.

It was now head down for speed as we had set a target of around five pm to reach Loch Lomond, so as we passed the final pit-stop manned by the wonderful SFA Scotland Supporters Team, we only stopped long enough to pick up a bottle of water and the best looking sweetie bag going, supplied by TACC.

We were looking good for our 5pm finish as we approached the Balloch Bridge, and then I saw her, a little ball of dynamite, urging me on, telling me "you can do it" and so it was time for a chat with Rhionna as she's not a girl you just walk by and give a simple hello to.

As we've learned already in our Kiltwalk Journal Rhionna is a remarkable little girl and sometimes it's hard to remember she is just a young girl, given what she's gone through, however gone through it she has and when you're around her, you always have a sense that everything seems possible. Talking of everything being possible you'll not be surprised to hear than she has smashed her £10,000 fund raising target, which is simply incredible.

With our chat over, Scott and I took off our jackets to proudly show our Kiltwalk T-Shirts and started the final half a mile, in the pouring rain.

I have to admit that not having trained again!! along with gaining another year then I found this year much tougher than last. There were times that if it hadn't been for Scott urging me to keep going, coupled with that image of wee Maggie telling me to "keep going son" then I might have "chucked it". So you can imagine it was with a huge sense of pride that I walked over the line after 26 miles, with Scott beside me, and that as they say, was that.

Well not quite that, as there was a much cherished medal to receive to add to last years and as I handed over my registration card I received not only my medal, but yes you've guessed it, another Crème Egg in return, so thanks Jon.

With the walk over it was time for us to catch up with my family and the rest of The Mixed Bag Kiltwalk Fundraising Team who were Andrew, Jennifer, Hannah and Stevie, who had all walked 26 miles, while Jan, Holly, Keri, Zoey, Paul, Christine, Anne, Adam and Emma who had walked The inaugural Wee Kiltwalk. So well done guys.

With the hugs and congratulations over I had the chance to catch up with some of the other 'Kiltwalkers' such as Chris and Karen Wroniecki.

I have read all about their daughter Summer, written about their situation and as a parent myself, marvelled at their bravery. However you have never met two more down to earth, positive people and it was a privilege to meet them.

I can't begin to understand what they've gone through, however this week is a big week for their family, as they await the result of Summer's latest scan and we all hope for positive news. They have been on a marvellous Kiltwalk Fundraising journey and look like passing the £20K mark, however it's time that we keep them in our hearts and thoughts and let them get back to their life. All we ask is that you please keep in touch with us.

Then there was a chat with the Millar brothers Kenny and Colin, followed by The McKeitch's, Linda and Ronnie.

Kenny and Colin are clearly on the competitive side of competitive and have been desperately trying to out- fund raise each other, which has been great news for The Kiltwalk. It would appear that as things stood yesterday, a mysterious Sunday Post reader (Kenny is a journalist at this fine Scottish institution) may have made a last minute donation in favour of Kenny, therefore piping his brother at the post. Colin, not one to lay down without a fight is complaining to the Press Complaints Commission.

As for Linda and Ronnie well it was all too short a catch up, however Linda wasn't cursing me so I think it's safe to say she'll be back next year and there was just enough of a glint in Ronnie's eye that 'might' suggest he's considering the Speyside walk in 5 weeks time.

I'll finish with some thanks to our partner charities CHAS, TACC, Aberlour and CLIC Sargent who provided fabulous encouragement throughout, as well as a reminder as to why we were all doing, what we were doing.

Thanks also to the Real Radio team who have taken The Kiltwalk to their hearts as well as the guys and gals at Loch Lomond Shores who worked tirelessly to make sure the event was the huge success it was at their end.

We would also like to thanks the SFA, Strathclyde Police and Raynet, with the latter doing a magnificent job in getting us all from Hampden Park to Loch Lomond Shores not only safely, but with a smile on their faces and a roars of encouragement to boot.

Last but not least, can we say a huge thanks to St. Andrews First Aid team who did a marvellous job yesterday.

For 26 miles they tailed us to make sure anyone who had fallen over was patched up so they could carry on and as each mile passed, with every pit-stop reached their work load increased as they tended to bleeding and blistered feet.

I can also 'personally' vouch for them and I would like to thank the two guys in today's Blip picture who came to helped me in my hour of need.

I had reached Loch Lomond Shore without as much as a single blister. I then went and got changed out of my soaking Kiltwalk T-Shirt, ate my curry pie, had a piece of the fantastic CHAS cake and spoke with all of the afore mentioned, which must have easily passed an hour or so, if not more.

I then saw that a cool, refreshing pint of Tennents had been bought for me so sat down, for the first time, to enjoy it.

Result? Blurred vision, hot sweats and before you could say "Cheers" I had "passed out". Turns out the medication I was on, long periods of activity and a sudden 'sit down'wasn't recommended.

However thankfully these guys were on hand and within a few minutes they had me up and on the road to recovery, albeit it resulted in a 'red card' and I was sent home, to miss the party, again!!

I only hope someone made full use of my pint as I'd have hated it to have gone to waste.

P.S. remember tell your pals it's not too late to donate to your fundraising pages or sponsor form or by simply texting KILT00 £2 to 70070