Day 74 Dornoch to Golspie

Apparently it is Ok for an expensive hotel to let an expensive room to someone knowing that at 6.00 every morning the corridor directly outside the room will be alive with the sounds of the bedding-laundry delivery. However this was the first of all the accommodations to provided a face flannel , so maybe that is ok......

The blue skies and sun of the last 4 days were replaced by clouds until about 3.30 and it was COLD. Still not feeling 100% so the cold made this relatively short day hard going.

The first 60% of the walk was good - round the side of the Loch Fleet Nature Reserve, where could be seen

Seals

The remains of Skelbo Castle.

The rest was on or near the increasingly infamous A9 (where is all this traffic going to/coming from??).

Initially I was able to follow the John O'Groats footpath, which was good, though sporadically signed - and, seemingly like every path in Scotland, not on the map. While the path remained between the A9 and the railway I was secure because I knew the two meet at Golspie, but after a while the path crossed the railway, and I could not tell (a) how far extra it would go and (b) whether poor signage would get me lost.

So back on the A9, this time really unpleasant walking - the road sides were either shingle or sloping verges, both hard to walk on.

I did get to Golspie at about 2.00, and had a coffee and an explore.

Golspie is a proper sea-side town, with an award-winning beach - but this is the North Sea, with no cover from the arms of Firths, so at the mercy of the wind.

I finally got warm in the waiting booth of the station - the sun had appeared at last. In the garden of the old station house was a blue police box (aka Tardis). Simon Moore arrived by train and we went to out pleasant B and B. Simon walked with me last Easter and is with me on this final stretch.

After shower/snooze, we went to find supper, expecting to eat at a Fish and Chip place, but they were only doing take-away, so we walked on the to the Golspie Inn - far end of town - which turned out to be an excellent place to eat.

Back at 8.45 to write the blog.

Tomorrow is the longest day of the trip - potentially 18 miles (Simon doing the first bit by train). I have yet to find out how much of this will be unavoidable on the A9. Hope it will be OK!

Stats: today 11.71 miles; this trip 165.62, since Land's end 1,147.31. 5 walking days to go.