Day 97 - Golspie to Brora

A really late start today. I think The Walker is getting a bit too relaxed about getting to the end! Actually he had really pencilled this in to be a short Lejog walk, adding walks around Golspie. The weather, however, put paid to that. The morning was foggy, then misty and it didn't clear until lunchtime but then we had some beautiful sunshine for a few hours; right now a mist has rolled in off the sea and looks set to stay the night.

This was the first real coast walk for me since Land's End and it was smashing. It was nice to be able to walk the whole way, then catch a bus back to the van - no chance of losing The Walker or being in the wrong meeting place!

Crossing Golspie Burn

I love walking by the sea;  initially the path was grassy, then we walked on the edge of the water. I had read an article recently that said the waters around Britain were full of jelly fish - I didn't see one! I'll let the Walker expand upon our walk.......

From Bernie:
Today's walk  6.3 miles     :     Cumulative  1219.3 miles

How plans change! Even my meticulously prepared arrangements for LeJog can alter quite dramatically & throw up a day of surprises!

Six miles may look a bit pathetic when I'm so close to the finish but today's short walk was supposed to be attached to a six-mile diversion up into the hills to visit another 'outrageous' monument via a gorge walk past picturesque waterfalls. This 100' statue is a tribute to the 1st Duke of Sutherland, erected by 'a mourning & grateful tenantry' to 'a judicious, kind & liberal landlord'.... I think he wrote his own obituary!
This was going to be my Highlight of the Day & I was going to accompany it with a detailed diatribe about how the owner of the largest private estate in Europe became the architect of the Clearances & how, even today, local opinion is divided as to whether the monument should be ripped down & its stones scattered across the hillside or whether it should be allowed to stand as a tribute to those who suffered, who were exiled or who died at the hands of this man.
He spent the day skulking behind cloud, I didn't climb the hill so he's safe from my blog..... until next time!

Beach near Sputie Burn

The low cloud hadn't shifted from the coast even by early afternoon but I was able to photograph the extravagantly Disney-like Dunrobin Castle which was completely lost to the mist on my last visit. Originally the Sutherland family-seat, this is a 19th century version & a popular tourist attraction; we gave it a miss only because of the imminent promise of sunshine & the glorious stretch of coast that I knew lay ahead!

Dunrobin Castle

Another 'new' coastal feature was Carn Liath broch & that should give some idea of visibility the last time I was here - it stands about 100 yards from the shore! Built about 2000 years ago, mainland brochs tend to have been raided for stone more over the centuries than their counterparts on the islands, particularly Shetland. Finds here suggest that Carn Liath was occupied by a fairly successful farming community &, the thing that interested me most, they seemed to have little doubt about their safety - the boundary/defensive wall is further from the main building than at other sites we've visited.

Carn Liath Broch

Highlight of the Day: couldn't believe these seals on Doll Beach! While most flopped into the sea on our approach, only to return to the beach immediately after we'd passed, these were posers on a similar scale to the manager's deer at Kingshouse!
Baby seals followed us up the shore, 2/3 yards off the beach, bobbing along, watching us & keeping pace with us!

Just before Brora &, again, immediately above the beach, we came across an archaelogical excavation being conducted by the Clyne Heritage Society & St. Andrews University. A fascinating project investigating the town's industrial past, nearly all the 'diggers' are locals from Brora itself! They were uncovering a building on the edge of the dunes from which the saltpans, now beneath the waves, were managed; they already know that this was built in 1598, making it the oldest existing building in Brora & the only surviving link to the town's prosperous coal industry - no other trace of this industry remains, though the harbour is unusually large for such a tiny Highland town. There we go - Industrial Heritage without looking for it!
Luckiest of all: this year's dig is scheduled to operate for only 3 weeks, until the 20th August - if we'd been here last week we'd have known nothing of it!

Entrance to Brora Harbour

Finished the day with a touristy visit to the Clynelish distillery - no polo-shirts here, either, but they did have plenty of whisky!

So, it may have been a short day's walking but it proved to be an eventful 6.3 miles!

Beer of the Day: almost given up on 'different' draught ales though there are enough small Scottish breweries to keep me going in bottles! Tried Black Isle's 'Goldeneye' today - a golden pale ale with a strong, almost flowery flavour (elderflower, perhaps?). Sounds odd but tastes very good, though the strong flavour would probably deter the drinker from quaffing pints of it!

7 days to go!
Things we're looking forward to doing when we get home (manager): being able to get out of bed on my side!

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