Brora Monday 15 June 2015
Start: Tain
Finish: Brora
Miles walked today: 24
Total miles: 969
Who won hangman last night? Jim and I decided that it would be difficult to get a definitive result so... he paid for dinner. That's as close as I came to winning one of our wagers.
When we left the B&B (too early for breakfast) Jim went back into the centre of Tain to get the 7.25 bus to Inverness (and his flight back to London) and I walked in the opposite direction towards the Dornoch Firth Bridge, along the A9. It has been wonderful to see Jim and have some company.
My destination is an address just before Dornoch. Ten years ago I met Jimmy MacKay in Helmsdale and his sister Heather contacted me in March this year to say that sadly he had passed away. She said to call if I was passing so I did. Heather and her partner Ian made me most welcome, and Heather cooked me a delicious breakfast.
Heather used to sing in a band, and is now a nurse, and Ian used to be a lighthouse keeper, having been stationed at many of the famous sites in Scotland. I can imagine Heather singing to Ian:
Thank you both for making me so welcome.
The route through Dornoch to Loch Fleet is on quiet lanes. For a while I'm walking next to the loch, and am lucky to spot a seal in the water close to the shore. After Loch Fleet I am forced to follow the A9 to Golspie, not that pleasant an experience, so while marching along I compose a country and western ballad:
Oh the A9 is mighty fine if you're in a big high wagon,
It's pretty good if you're behind the hood of a shiny new Volkswagon,
But it's no big treat if you're on two feet as the traffic thunders by,
Do I dare suppose that their eyes aren't closed - have I even caught their eye?
Well, you get the idea with that...
I reach Golspie unscathed and buy some chips. As I sit near the sea I'm joined by a flock of seagulls who stand nearby or swoop over me. I toss the last few scraps onto the grass and in a blur of wings the gulls clean up in about five seconds.
From the ridiculous to the sublime - there is a path along the shore from Golspie to Brora.
Away from the A9 it's perfectly quiet apart from the gentle lapping of the waves, and the calls of many different birds. None of which I can identify - sorry. Dunrobin Castle is still looking a bit Disney. These last two or three hours of the afternoon's walk are just perfect.
At Brora I stumble upon the lovely Bay View House B&B which has a guest lounge loaded with goodies for the tired traveller. And... relax.
