Answering call of wild
Dave (70) off on 300km hike
He’s bagged every Munro in Scotland and mountain-mad Dave Falconer now has his sights set on one of Spain’s most challenging trails.
A retired director with Pain Association Scotland, the 70-year-old Perthshire man is putting the finishing touches to plans to tackle an 11-day solo challenge on the GR7 route, raising funds for the Ethiopia Medical Project.
While others boarding the Malaga flight later this month will be doing nothing more onerous than applying sunscreen and sipping from a bottle of San Miguel, Dave will forsake the beach life and head inland to the tough terrain of the Sierra Nevada, where one of the peaks – Mulhacen – rises more than 11,400 feet. He climbed it in June during an acclimatisation walk.
He has mapped out a near 300km stretch of remote trail and lofty passes from Villanueva de Cauche to Tarifa, avoiding the tourist magnet of Ronda en route, with wild camping in remote locations thrown into the mix.
Dave, who is a committee member of the Austrian Alpine Club, said: “I love the mountains.
“The Munros have been bagged and I have a real fondness for the Corbetts.
“I walk regularly in Spain and enjoy the Alps throughout Europe and have spent time in the Himalayas.
“I suppose one of the toughest to date has been the GR20 Corsican walk which is the highest cross-country route in Europe.
“They are always solo walks. I am comfortable in my own company.”
Dave, of Elm Street, Errol, leaves on August 22 and returns on September 5.
“This idea has been taking shape for the past year and now I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ll be loading up as I go with food and, especially water, and making sure I have emergency rations.
“Given that it is August the heat might be an issue and fluids will be vital.
“My wife Rosanne is friendly with Jo Middlemiss and Maureen Burnett, the people behind the Ethiopian Medical Project, and I just thought it would be nice to try and raise some much-needed funds for their work at the Buccama Clinic.”
The project has an online donation page which can be accessed at www. ethiopiamedicalproject.com and donations can be made directly to Dave.
Dave Falconer is preparing for a solo walking challenge in Spain