The Longest Line- An expedition proposal
Jamie Dakota
Late in 2018 the Ordnance Survey released a mapping experiment in which they used survey data to plot the longest straight line in the UK which wasn't intersected by any road. They found a 71km line across the Cairngorms…
The route seems ridiculous, at its worst it cuts across a gorge, runs along valley sides, and across rivers...but at it's best it'll take in the stunning vistas of the Cairngorms with all their atmosphere and gravitas!
Our four man team includes Mountain Leader Robin Heath, Howl Bushcraft’s Jamie Dakota and Max Barnes, and Photographer-Filmmaker Peter Forrester. We'll attempt the route in early October of 2019 over a 4 day expedition wild-camping on route.
Our hope is to use the trip to highlight the opportunity for adventure available in the UK and the fantastic landscapes we have access to. We also want to draw attention to three fantastic causes that work tirelessly in the mountains to improve access and support everyone enjoying the outdoors:
We’ll be raising funds for these amazing organisations all the way through this endeavour so please help out and get involved for as little as £2!
We have the full support of the Ordnance Survey in our attempt within their #getoutside campaign, the organisation is offering us the advice and mapping software to plot the route in detail and will provide our GPS guidance and real-time tracking during the hike to help us keep on the straight and narrow.
The 71.29km route follows a 70 degree bearing over the entire Cairngorms National Park, we'll be sticking to the straight line bearing to within 10 metres either side; except where we leave the line to bag the 5 Munro's we'll be passing near to, in these cases we'll return to the line where we left it to continue. We estimate the venture to take four days, with three nights wild camping but have built in some extra time to account for poor weather etc.
We love the outdoors, and have foundered our careers on not only being outside but inspiring and coaching people to have adventures for themselves. This trip will be a harsh lathe to our endurance, the constraints of the route will require us to think differently about how we move through the environment: river crossing where we'd normally find a ford, abseils down crags when we'd ordinarily walk around, climbing into and out of a ravine when we could simply contour round.
The skill-set involved in making this attempt safely has taken us years to finesse, and we wouldn't recommend this trip without the experience and training necessary but hopefully it will spark the imaginations of those interested in getting outside.
So follow us, here or on our social media, as we attempt to cross the longest line in the UK that doesn’t cross a road…
