Stuart McAdam

UHI Moray, Elgin, 2025

~You don't do that on a challenge walk

Arts in Moray Collective Residency | Winter 2024/25

I was invited to take part in a residency with the Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival that used as its starting point the book “Pilgrimages in Moray: A Guide to the County” by H.B Mackintosh. The book details some of the pilgrimage sites to be found in Moray and recounts their significance.

The first part of the residency involved taking a recce walk with a board member from the Moray Walking Association. I was paired with Treasurer Bea Jefferson and the “Laich of Moray” Route. Bea is involved with the local Long Distance Walking Association and is a keen challenge walker – the Laich of Moray route is their fifty mile challenge walk.

After an initial meeting I decided that I would like to engage with the idea of a challenge walk as walking like this was something I hadn’t done before. So in November 2024 we set off at 7am to complete it together within twenty four hours. Unfortunately, I got a blister and decided to stop at the thirty three mile mark (Elgin), and I went back to complete the remaining eighteen miles on my own in January 2025.

I wrote about each day of the walk and produced some drawings. These became the basis for an illustrated talk at UHI Moray in Elgin on the 8th March 2025 as part of the Arts in Moray III Showcase event. This event featured works by Hayley Anderson, Kate Cameron Reid, Jennifer Fraser Harris, and Alex Williamson. More information about the day can be found | here |  

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Image Credit: Alexander Williamson

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