Day 98 - Brora to Helmsdale

I decided to visit Dunrobin Castle as it hadn't beeen open all those years ago when we were in the area. To be honest, I was expecting it to be fairly interesting and pleasant and, indeed, the inside of the castle - huge 18 century portraits and tapestries along with massive rooms, antique furniture etc. -  and the  beautifully laid out gardens - giant rhubarb, parsley seeded in 1775 - leading down to the sea, certanly are. It had never occurred to me that ladies had inter-changeable, coloured parasol handles to match their outfits, a must in the 18th and 19th centuries, until I saw a collection of them today.

Dunrobin Castle Gardens

However, what made the visit exceptional was the falconry display. I've been to a couple of these in different places before and really only wandered down as I was in the garden and it was included in the price of the ticket!
The falconer was brilliant, explaining about each bird ( he showed 4 in action), how he trained them, exercised them, fed them (with chicken nuggets!) and all the while the birds were flying across the audience with their wings just missing heads and hats! There was one of the largest breed of owls in the world, an eagle owl, which was very obliging , letting people sit next to him and have photos taken!  A very entertaining 45 minutes.

Eagle Owl

From Bernie:
Today's walk  11.6 miles     :     Cumulative  1230.9 miles

A brilliantly-planned walk, cleverly slotted between heavy rain at either end of the day!

Began by walking the length of Brora golf-links: first beside the course, then through dunes & finally along the beach.
Here's another for you, David! A quote from Peter Thomson, to be found on a Town Trail Information Board near the Clubhouse declares it, "The purest links golf course in the world.... where golfers share a precious piece of territory with a hundred or so woolly sheep."
And cows.... and seals, I should add. Might not be as famous as Dornoch but I think the views are better. The hills & the beach are bigger, the course is wider... & quieter. Could make a good golfing weekend: Dornoch, Golspie & Brora - now that really would ruin a brilliant walk!

Brora Golf Links

Followed the beach as far as I dared on a rising tide before using a farmer's railway-crossing to reach the A9. Not as busy as I'd feared, perhaps people were staying at home in deference to the impending weather! Cloud had already rolled in from the sea & photographs would have been pointless but I did capture one of an interesting & unusual memorial placed close to the point where 'the last wolf in Sutherland' was killed by 'the hunter Polson... in or about the year 1700'.

Brora Beach

Highlight of the Day: thankfully I reached Helmsdale before the rain & in good enough visibility to visit & photograph one of the planned 'highlights' of the whole LeJog. Gerald Laing's 'Emigrants Statue' was unveiled in 2007, since our last visit, & stands above the town, close to Helmsdale's imposing war memorial & clock tower.
The 1st Duke of Sutherland may have hidden from us in Golspie but it can't be denied that his 'clearances' in this part of the Highlands were the most ruthless & are the most notorious. Helmsdale was Sutherland's patronising attempt to turn crofters & farmers into fishermen.... as an alternative to exile in America or the colonies: the sudden collapse of the herring boom made it Hobson's Choice for many.
100 'cleared' Highlanders from this part of Sutherland's estate sailed to Canada from here in 1813 & helped to found the city of Winnipeg, where a matching statue was unveiled in 2008.
Another 'Clearances' story tomorrow!

Emigrants Statue, Helmsdale

Ended the day back in Brora, ironically at 'The Sutherland Inn'! Spent an entertaining half hour chatting to an American gent, similar age to us, who is planning on kayaking from the Skerries (Shetland) to Bergen (Norway) in September! He's off to Orkney next week to begin final preparation for his 4-day trip & told us that he'd attempted the crossing a couple of times already but had had to turn back half-way when the wind & sea turned against him! Unbelievable!

Brilliant sculpture outside another old school, now an artist's studio, in Brora

He's for sale, & if he'd only fit in our back garden (or the van!) I'd have had him!

Visit buythiseagle.com if you're interested - I think he'd look good outside Alec Hunter!

Beer of the Day: just when I'd almost given up hope of finding any more draught ale! Had a pint of 'Red McGregor' from the Orkney Brewery which, I admit, I had sampled when we were on Orkney. A red, hoppy, sharp bitter - it's very good!

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Kilkelly' by Mick Moloney, Jimmie Keane & Robbie O'Connell. A song based on letters exchanged between members of an Irish family who emigrated to America in the 19th century & some of those who chose to stay 'at home'. Impossible not to be moved by this.....
Google tells me there's a video on YouTube but my internet is too weak to check that!

6 days to go!
Things we're looking forward to doing when we get home (Walker): laying on the sofa with a good bottle of red wine & watching a whole day of Test Cricket!

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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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Day 96 - Embo to Golspie

Heavy rain was forecast for last night and we were a bit concerned as we were on a grass pitch in a dip - the ground felt a bit soggy in places already! We awoke to a lovely morning with no rain having materialised during the night, thank goodness. Tonight we are by a different golf course and by the sea again, but on a hard standing, so the rain will be no problem.

It was lovely today to set off walking along the coast path; there was a fresh breeze and even when it began to rain, it wasn't cold at all. There were lots of ladies playing golf in the rain, obviously very keen - only a couple had umbrellas. I remembered Golspie and visiting the rock and precious stone centre - Kirstie loved this (being a young geologist); we both have small rock thermometers bought from here!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  10.3 miles     :     Cumulative  1213.0 miles

Thought I was through with railways but had forgotten today's brief stretch of the old Dornoch Light Railway. The manager had followed part of its route when she walked above Dornoch's golf course to meet me yesterday; I used its firm trackbed to cross the marshland behind the dunes between Embo & Skelbo - very handy when it comes to avoiding the A9 & other roads!

Coul Links from the old railway

All very quiet & saw no-one except a couple of joggers & some local dog-walkers until the point at which the back-road reaches Loch Fleet..... & then, mayhem!

Highlight of the Day: Loch Fleet! I've walked here before. It's a huge tidal estuary & along with the surrounding hills & woodland it makes up the Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve.
Mayhem, because as well as the hundreds of seals that can always be seen basking on its sandbanks, a small group of dolphins were playing in the deeper waters, chasing each other in circles & breaking the surface in their leaps. Virtually every passing vehicle stopped.... & this on a single-track road!
Ironically, the best views of Loch Fleet, particularly inland, are to be had from the A9 causeway which speeds over the estuary on an elevated section. There is a parking area here with picnic tables which were packed with the occupants of 2 coaches: one German, the other Italian. Sadly, despite the views, they were unaware that the real spectacle lay over the road & a mile down-river!

Loch Fleet from the seaward side of the A9

Soon back into woodland on the northern shore of the estuary & its a surprise to pass Littleferry's National Go-Kart track.... & this in a Nature Reserve! No stranger, I suppose, than cement works & quarries in National Parks!

Littleferry from the southern shore of Loch Fleet

Approaching the coast across the southern end of Golspie's golf course I could see the manager waving in the distance - she'd chosen a bad time to come & meet me! The hills had already disappeared under cloud, rain was beginning to fall & I knew I was going to have to put on waterproofs for the first time in over 3 weeks. Unfortunately, the 5-day forecast doesn't look particularly promising so that might curtail some of my possible 'detours' - we'll have to see.

Loch Fleet - looking inland

Looks like Tuesday is Ladies' Day at Golspie, either that or the local men are not up to playing in the rain! To a non-golfer, this looked easier than Dornoch: equally undulating but shorter grass & fewer wild patches of rough - there are one or two interestingly-placed clumps of trees, though!

Loch Fleet - looking inland

Beer of the Day: a bottle of Black Isle's 'Yellowhammer' with the evening's excellent garlic & chilli burgers from Fraser's in Dingwall (highly recommended!). I've had this before & do like it: golden, light & fruity - very drinkable!

Loch Fleet - looking inland

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Dolphins' by Tim Buckley - the long live version; I think it's on his 'Dream Letter' album

8 days to go!
Things we're looking forward to doing when we get home (Walker): having a coffee-maker produce the early-morning refreshments!

Jamie & Andy: How much!? You'd better have a good excuse for donating such a huge amount! No wonder you've left the country!

Ann: the 3rd Test should start as I'm making my way up the coast from Nybster to John O' Groats on our very last day, so I'm hoping I'll be home to see some of that! As for red wine, keep an eye on 'Things we're looking forward to......'!

Day 95 - Tain to Embo

It was raining this morning, so we didn't hurry off and by the time we had visited Tain church it had cleared, though there has been the threat of it all day with low hanging clouds. It has, however been very warm and humid.

The Walker set off for Dornoch and I took the town tour - "Tain Through Time" . The small visitors' centre, audio tour of the town and tiny museum are  pretty good and state in no uncertain terms how important the place was during medieval times. Once again I had been here on the round-the-coast walk but hadn't thought too much of it. It had probably been raining and out of season! Which is actually how I remember Dornoch; shops being shut, the cathedral closed for some reason and it not being a very tourist friendly place. Madonna has certainly changed that!

Dornoch Cathedral

From Bernie:
Today's walk  11.6 miles     :     Cumulative  1202.7 miles

Back to sensible distances & more comfortable off-road walking which was just as well as it was also back to the touristy stuff & another long day!

Started off at the water's edge in Tain & wandered through the strangely-deserted wildlife area & children's park; as yesterday the whole town was eerily quiet - difficult to believe it's the school holidays &, today in Tain, a Bank Holiday as well.

With plenty on the agenda I was keen to be off but not before I'd left instructions with the manager for her visit to the Glenmorangie distillery.... after all, it's weeks since Glengoyne & the bottle is almost dry! Established in 1843, most of the stone buildings date from 1887 - significant to my walk only because of the last Sir Walter Scott Memorial of LeJog, which stands beside what is now the main road, only a few hundred yards from the distillery: it is said that this was chiselled out by a stonemason working on the site, obviously a fan!
It's interesting that improvements to the A9 include a tourist lay-by; the first time I came here I had to hack my way through undergrowth to find the stone!

Highlight of the Day: another 'last' today was the crossing of Dornoch Firth, the final one of the 3 great sea inlets that cut into the far north-east of Scotland.... & that brought me to my 'highlight' - returning to the open sea that I'd left in early May, just before Barnstaple! There'd been a strong smell of seaweed on the front at Tain but rounding Dornoch Point there were suddenly proper waves, sand & a wonderful wide expanse of water stretching out to distant headlands - beautiful!

Dornoch Firth

Unlike the manager I've always liked Dornoch with its wide streets & majestic old buildings. More of a bustling Bank Holiday feel here, especially as I made my way down to the beach & the town's famous golf course. A well-walked track runs through the dunes beside the wildly-undulating links &, what look like to a non-golfer, cruel patches of marram grass; chatted to several golfers searching for 'lost' balls close to the out-of-bounds markers & to one wayward gent retrieving his ball from the beach!

Royal Dornoch Golf Course - there you are David!

There's always been something 'special' going on in the cathedral when we've been here before; I was particularly pleased to be able to look inside today & see the stained glass for which it's famous. Sad to see the reference to Madonna & christenings in the cathedral's tourist blurb, though - I thought they might have got over that by now. Which leads me to.....

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Madonna's Wedding' by Richard Thompson - couldn't help recalling this with a smile. If you don't know it, it's worth tracking down!

'Praise'

Beer of the Day: haven't moaned about pubs for a few days so here are some experiences from the last couple of days! A pub with 5 labelled pumps.... but only Carlsberg on draught - "We've had a really busy weekend!" the publican explained to the 3 of us in an otherwise empty pub on Sunday lunchtime.
A barman who, when asked by a customer for a pint of Belhaven, took a can from the cooler, plonked it on the bar & asked for £2.80 - the customer opened it himself, paid & drank it straight from the can; he could have bought 4 for £1.99 in the supermarket next door!
The pub with 8 labelled pumps but only John Smith's, Tennent's & Blackthorn 'on' - thought I'd have the Blackthorn until he said, "You'd better have a taste - it might be flat!" It wasn't flat but his cooler was broken, so I asked for a bottle of cider instead. He checked, then declared, "We haven't got any.... but we might be getting a delivery tonight!"
Very pleased that the manager had been to The Black Isle Brewery! Had a bottle of 'Red Kite': amber with a slight bite - pleasant, not particularly memorable but I enjoyed it!

Fishermen on the beach below Dornoch Golf Course

9 days to go!
Things we're looking forward to doing when we get home (manager): being able to see family & friends after so long away!

Ann: watched the last 5 minutes of some game in the Dublin Cup yesterday afternoon & saw Celtic score 3 goals against what looked like a bunch of part-timers! Could have gone to see Ross County play Queen's Park on Saturday afternoon - we were staying barely a hundred yards from their ground in Dingwall - but went for a walk instead!
Cricket, though, has looked very good.... & surprising to someone just picking up snippets via the internet! Despair of early Friday afternoon to disbelief by Sunday evening!

Day 94 - Evanton to Tain

A damp but warm start to the day. We were a bit late up as I had kept The Walker awake as I listened to my MP3 player and then, when I heard rain bouncing on the van in the middle of the night, I couldn't remember bringing his boots in ( after a day's walk he always puts them on the front of the van to dry), so I had to get up to check! It's a wonder he managed the miles today, having had such a disturbed night.

So being quite tired myself (!) I spent the day booking campsites, making sandwiches and reading the Saturday paper before meeting up in Tain. Tomorrow I will visit the Tain through Time museum, but it was closed today. In fact the whole place was very, very quiet. Not sure what to make of it yet. I feel very lazy  - think I'd better work out a walk for tomorrow.

From Bernie:
Today's walk  18.3 miles     :     Cumulative  1191.1 miles

Probably the walk I was least looking forward to on the entire LeJog - at least the weather was on my side! I could have followed the edge of the Cromarty Firth, past the offshore wind-turbine yard at Invergordon & abandanod oil-rig yards at Nigg before following the beautiful coastline around Tarbat Ness to Tain.... but that would have used up my day in hand & another day as well; I do have some deadlines to meet &, besides, I've walked that way before!

Final view of Fyrnish monument before it slipped behind cloud - glad we were up there yesterday!

With careful use of that day in hand & fair weather, this should be the last of the long days & with yesterday having seen the last of the big hills, I do feel very close to the end now. Only 10 days to go!

Cromarty Firth & Sutors of Cromarty - very popular dolphin-watching spot!

Highlight of the Day: finally reaching Tain after the longest unbroken stretch of road-walking on the whole trek; indeed, if it wasn't for the fact that National Cycleways do dive off into woodland whenever they have the opportunity I would have been tramping tarmac all day! The wooded section was the first 3 miles towards the A9, the miles I should have walked yesterday - I'm glad I saved them now!
The problem with my route, which runs almost in a straight line through the woods & forests of Easter Ross, is that it never climbs high enough to offer more than the briefest glimpses of the Cromarty Firth - but it is far enough from the A9 to be peaceful & I was rarely troubled by traffic

Many of the farms of Easter Ross breed 'eventing' horses - lots of paddocks & fields laid out for training 

Pleasantly surprised by Alness, the only community of any size that I passed through today. The last time I was here was on a Saturday afternoon, some time in the 1990s, when I was walking the coast: it was grubby, loud & the High Street seats were filled with semi-conscious bodies & people of various ages shouting, swearing & drinking from cans & bottles. Now there are signs banning drinking in the streets, everything is clean & tidy & there are superb floral displays all the way from the A9 right into the immaculate town centre. A sign proclaims Alness as Champion of Champions in the 2006 Britain in Bloom competition while another proudly boasts of other awards won by the town over the last decade - an amazing turnaround!

Beer of the Day: Thistley Cross cider flavoured with strawberries! Not the kind of thing I'd usually even dream of trying but I'm becoming reckless! Surprisingly good! I'd expected something sickly-sweet but it is, in fact, quite dry & very refreshing. At only 4% it's a good walking-drink & would beat flavoured water anytime! I'll certainly have this again.... if I ever stumble across it!

Mercat Cross, Tain

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Crooked Legs' by Acorn - as I walked towards the manager in Tain she commented, "You're hobbling a bit!" - what did she expect?!

New Public Gardens in Tain, looking out over Dornoch Firth

Jamie & Andy: have a good honeymoon (Part 2!) - it's amazing to think I started this blessed walk when you were on honeymoon (Part 1); see you soon!

John, Derina & family: smashing to hear from you! Hope you enjoy Stranraer, it's a lovely spot when the sun shines. Have a good crossing!

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Day 93 - Culbokie to Evanton

It looked like being another beautiful day and The Walker, knowing that I prefer fair weather, decided that I should accompany him on two short walks. The first was up to Black Rock Gorge above Evanton - a spectacular place used in the film "Harry Potter  and the Goblet of Fire".It has an amazing100 feet narrow drop cut out of the rock to rushing water at the bottom - quite atmospheric and suitably dark and mystical.

Looking directly down into Black Rock Gorge

Impossible to photograph effectively!

The second walk was longer and took us to a memorial high up on the hills, where we had fantastic views of Cromarty Firth and the hills and mountains all around us. A smashing afternoon's walk.

Today I met a family who have cyclists doing JOGLE. The Dad and son were cycling about 40 miles a day, with daughters and mum joining in sometimes. They hoped to finish in about 4 weeks but they were concerned about the weather as it's so nice and they had mainly brought wet weather gear! There's time yet, but good luck to them - an excellent family holiday!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  13.3 miles     :     Cumulative  1172.8 miles

Slightly frivolous day, probably brought about by the excitement of being so close to the finish!

Cromarty Firth & Bridge

Started by crossing the sweeping, elegant Cromarty Firth bridge - the first bit made a little trickier by roadworks & the fact that the angry traffic roaring up the A9 didn't seem to want me to share a carriageway; selfish, I think! Noted the first road-sign for John O'Groats, checked my mileage & realised I'm walking about 30 miles further than this but got a fair few of those miles out of the way with this afternoon's detours!

Black Rock Gorge had always been a possible alternative route into the hills of Easter Ross, it's just not quite as direct as it might be! There are smallish wind-farms scattered all over these hills & one is under construction here, though most of the work appears to only touch the edge of Evanton Woods & will, hopefully, leave the gorge unscathed.

Highlight of the Day: I promised outrageous monuments & today's is outrageous in more ways than one! The Fyrish monument stands on Fyrish Hill, high above Evanton, and, on countless occasions as I've driven along the Cromarty Firth I've thought that I must climb up & have a closer look.
Hector Munro had served as a general in India & seized the port of Negapatam for the British in 1781; he built this monument as a replica of the gates of the Madras city he had conquered. Bizarre enough.
On his return to Scotland, as the local landowner, he provided work (and pay) for the unemployed & starving by getting them to build his pillars.... for these were the years of the terrible Clearances which decimated the population of the Highlands (more on this later!). Benevolent enough.
However, it was also as the local landowner that Munro had introduced the sheep to the area which were causing the unemployment & making him a fortune! Outrageous.
200 years later, it's a fun monument to visit with superb views... but it's a sad little history lesson as well.

Fyrish Monument

Returned to Evanton village instead of continuing across the hills to Alness & that was the really frivolous bit - I now have an extra 3 miles of road-walking to add to tomorrow's already lengthy trek!

Doing well with seats at the moment - this one's in Evanton

Met a man from Kent who, on any other day, would have been the 'highlight'! He is the first foot-LeJogger I have encountered though, unlike me, he hasn't been able to walk it all in one go - because of other commitments he's been tackling it in 2-week chunks! Chatted to him on the road & again after I'd met up with the manager in Evanton. He doesn't have any diversions planned so not sure if I'll bump into him again.

Rather hazy view of the Cromarty Firth from Fyrish Hill

Beer of the Day: back to the bottle today for 'Ebulum', an elderberry black ale from the Alloa brewery. Dark, heavy, rich & 6.5%, you wouldn't want to drink pints of this - it was a bit like having a whisky at bedtime! Satisfying!

Day 92 - Inverness to Culbokie

Tried my best to lose The Walker yesterday but it looks as though I won't get home until the middle of  August!
After sending him happily on his way I went into Inverness' Tesco to stock up on food and drink for the last  two weeks of our epic journey. We met for lunch but, unfortunately, Munlochy Hotel was shut, so this is when the fridge in the van is great!

I visited the Black Isles Brewery to purchase beers and polo shirts for The Walker but was only successful in buying the former. He's not having a lot of luck with polo shirts with specific emblems - everybody seems to only have tee-shirts. It was a busy little place, offering free tours but as we are going to a brewery in Derby to make our own in September, I decided that I was not that interested in beer and preferred to go and sit at Culbokie, which has amazing views over the Cromarty Firth.

The day, which started pleasantly enough, has turned into a real scorcher. It has been lovely to be at the campsite early and enjoy the weather - as yet without the company of midges!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  16.4 miles     :     Cumulative  1159.5 miles

Whilst Section 9 had been 'The Great Glen Way' & I'd reached the end of that at Inverness Castle yesterday afternoon, I knew I wouldn't really feel satisfied until I'd walked to the sea lock at the end of the Caledonian Canal & crossed the Kessock Bridge over the Moray Firth - hence my circuitous route around the waterways of the city this morning & the much-longer-than-strictly-necessary walk! Produced some stunning views, though!

Interesting views, too! This is a model liner at the bottom of somebody's garden! Its size can be judged by the fully grown trees behind!

Reached Muirtown Basin at the same time as the 'Fingal' cruise - they've kept me company along the Great Glen but I was curious as to what they do now with their adventurers. Perhaps it's the orienteering part of their holiday - find your own way back to Fort William!

End of Caledonian Canal & the Beauly Firth

Highlight of the Day: the very end of the Caledonian Canal, with the Beauly Firth & the mountains of Glen Orrin stretching away to the west, the elegant Kessock Bridge & ever-widening mouth of the Moray Firth to the east. Difficult to explain that this is barely a mile from the largest city in the Highlands! As with 'The West Highland Way', it's a pity 'The Great Glen Way' should end, ignominiously, amongst crowds of people.... I'm sure that, wherever the end, walkers/visitors would still visit the town centres & pay their dues.

Northern entrance to Caledonian Canal

Lots of road-walking today but all along quiet lanes across the neck of the Black Isle &, in truth, it wasn't much different from the forestry tracks of the last week. I've read loads of stuff about why this beautiful peninsula is called the 'Black Isle' but will stick with the explanation given to me by a farmer on my first visit many years ago - he told me it was on account of the black fertile soil & farming land compared to the surrounding barren areas; the rolling wheatfields, some already harvested, are testament to that.

The Black Isle - near Munlochy

Quite strange to be walking alone again after the camaraderie & motorway-like walking of The West Highland Way & Great Glen Way but really enjoyed being back on my own route & doing 'proper' map-reading rather than just following signs! Still wondering if I'll meet any other foot-LeJogger before the end.... I suppose all routes should start converging soon!
This last stretch through the Highlands is a bit of a problem with few guidebooks suggesting the same route, few happy with their choice & none recommending my east coast option! None of their routes, however, offer castles, cathedrals, outrageous monuments, a distillery, a brewery, a last Sir Walter Scott memorial &, to my mind, one of the most impressive pieces of Industrial Heritage in Britain! OK, so I have to contend with the A9 - it's only a road!

North Kessock - departure point for the Moray Firth ferry before the bridge was opened 1n 1982. We stayed here on our way to the Orkneys two summers ago

The manager visited 'The Black Isle Brewery' this afternoon & stocked up on bottles to see me through any 'dry' periods ahead.... she also arranged to order me a polo-shirt! I'll have a completely new wardrobe by the time I get home, to replace the tops I've worn out on this walk

North Kessock Primary School - wouldn't you be in a rush to get to school every day when there's a wonderful sculpure like this to look at?

Beer of the Day: disappointed to find the 'Munlochy Hotel' now only opens in the evening - a prearranged meeting spot that worked! - I had an excellent lunchtime pint on my last visit. Finished at the 'Culbokie Inn' & tried a pint of Cairngorm's 'Highland IPA': horribly cloudy but tasted fine if a little uninspiring - not as good as their 'Trade Winds'.

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Another Travelin' Song' by Bright Eyes. Just popped into my head as I strolled along & it wouldn't go away!

Pam: trouble was, we kept missing each other! I blame the manager!

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