Month: July 2019

Day 105 of the End to End was a momentous day in many ways. First of all I went over 1000 miles walked since Land’s End and secondly I crossed the Dornoch Firth which definitely puts me in the North of Scotland. It was a day of signs telling us many things en route.
I started at Tain Airfield which had got a bit soggier since yesterday due to overnight rain. We waited for the rain to clear before I walked into Tain. We found a pleasant cafe for a bit of late 11s, next door to the Co op for a bit of shopping. Tain marked the 1000 miles since Land’s End.
On the way out of the town I stopped at St Duthac’s Chapel (or St Duthus if you prefer: seems he had two names) which has been a popular place of pilgrimage for several centuries. James IV is recorded as making 18 visits to the shrine. It was good to be able to give thanks for 1000 miles walked at this place that so many pilgrims have visited before, and which we first heard about when we visited Whithorn (which was several weeks ago now).
I walked out of Tain and into the A9 for the first time since my rather wet encounter with the Kessock bridge. There was a wide verge, so although it is a fast road, it wasn’t as bad as I feared it might be.

I met a local runner, and she asked me what I was doing. Once I’d explained LEJOG she said she’d seen another on the other side of the Dornoch bridge. We had a chat and she was very encouraging. Seems likely if you’re walking on the A9 at this point you’re a Lejogger as there’s nowhere else much to go.

Bob parked on the North side of the bridge and came back towards me, so we retraced his steps and walked across the Dornoch Firth together. After a break at the car for a sandwich and to change my wet boots, he showed me the path to the Dornoch Road.

That section of the walk was fairly quiet and I was soon arriving in Dornoch at the Cocoa Mountain cafe for the celebratory hot chocolate. We also bought some chocolate to eat later, of course.

Our accommodation for the next 3 nights are the sleeping cars at Rogart Station. Real trains still run through here a couple of times a day so we had a lovely time watching trains and eating chocolate.

From Isaiah 40

Those who wait upon the Lord for strength will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary, walk on and not faint.

This is my favourite Bible verse. I saved it for today. 1000 miles and 12 days to go.

God grant us a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 31.07.2019
Day 105 of the End to End, Tain Airfield to Dornoch.

Here’s a song to sing on the Nigg ferry if you’re the only passenger:
I’m a walker,  I’m a walker,
Going John O’Groats way,
It may be day 104
But I’m looking forward to more!

It’s day 104 of the End to End, sponsored by Christine and Richard of LCSB, and I was first in the queue for the 10am ferry to Nigg. Actually I was the old passenger. The captain of the ferry obviously gets plenty of practice shuttling back and forth all summer. The crossing was flat calm and the low cloud was lifting.

At the Nigg Pier a bus was waiting for passengers. There were none as I was walking.
I walked up to Nigg Old Church, a simple 17th century building that houses the Nigg Stone. This 8th century Pictish stone is wonderfully decorated and very well preserved given the adventures it has had over the centuries. It is said to show the earliest representation of the Eucharist in British Religious Art. The detailed carvings include a central cross and surrounding decorations on both sides of the stone. It was broken several centuries ago, but recent restoration has tried to give an indication of its original dimensions.

From the church, I took the Bishops Path back to Nigg Bay. Walking along the road I came to the RSPB reserve which has a small bird hide. The volunteers were having their lunch and we had a conversation about the masses of painted lady butterflies we had all seen.
I saw far fewer today, around 20 compared to over a hundred more yesterday, but that would usually be a high tally.
I met Bob further up the road and we had our picnic lunch by Arabella bridge. We then walked into Fearn Station together. It was quite hot by this time and so I was pleased to sit down for a while when we hot there.
The last 3 miles were via Loch Eye and the road was sheltered by trees most of the way. The days walk ended at Tain Airfield, one of several WW2 airfields in the area, which closed in 1947.
We had quite a long drive back. We went over to the coast at Shandwick to see another of the Pictish stones. Also damaged over centuries, this one is of similar age to the Nigg Stone but bigger and similarly decorated. It stands in a barley field in a glass box for protection.

As of tonight I am 4 miles away from 1000 miles walked.

From Psalm 118

The stone rejected by the builders became the cornerstone: we were amazed at how God caused this to happen.

To see these old stones now, they are amazing. They have been telling the Christian gospel for centuries. At times they have been well cared for and valued, at other times less so. They have been broken and buried but they are not silent now.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 30.07.2019
Day 104 of the End to End, Nigg Ferry to Tain Airfield.

Day 103 of the End to End was a beautiful day, the sort of day the makes End to Ending so uplifting. Quite different from yesterday when I was battling a sore throat and feeling grotty. We had stopped in Fortrose and bought some donuts for 11s. These were the most excellent donuts and led to me thinking we should add donuts to the list of important End to End foodstuffs.
The walk started at the Red Rock Trails car park and the path went up through the woodland. Tasty wild raspberries and blueberries filled the holes left between the donuts.
I was soon back on the road and walking towards Cromarty, meeting Bob about half way. Coming round the corner at Eathie Mains Farm I walked into a cloud of Painted Lady butterflies, which completely amazed me. From then on, all the way down to the village, there were almost more Painted Ladies that we could count.
Yesterday I saw 8 and thought that a lot. Today it was 126 at least. I did read yesterday that several thousand had been seen on the Isle of May, which is about 120 miles south of us.

It wasn’t just Painted Ladies though. I also saw 26 small tortoiseshell which surprised me. Among the 7 different species seen altogether there were also Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. The large thistles seemed particularly popular plants for them all. All of which made this peak butterfly day so far.

We had a brief walk round Cromarty which is the departure point of the ferry I shall take tomorrow. There were good views across the Cromarty Firth.

A warm sunny evening meant we got all our washing dry back at the hostel. The fresh farm produce they sell, fruit and vegetables, means we ate well, of course.

From Psalm 50

God says ‘I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine’.

Tonight, I write to the background drone of many bees. The countryside is alive with insects, so many butterflies I was struggling to count them! Later a couple got disorientated in the the poly tunnels at the farm. I cupped my hands around them and guided them outside. One sat on my finger for a few heartbeats before flying off towards the lsetting sun.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 29.07.2019
Day 103 of the End to End, Red Rock Trails car park to Cromarty.

Martha had many dragons to slay,
She would do it everyday.
Walk right up and push them down:
She was the best dragon slayer in town.

Dragons come in many sizes
And wear a lot of different disguises.
They start off small and then they grow
And often have other dragons in tow.

You may think a lie is very clever
Being found out, you think you’ll weather,
But make a lie as big as a bus
And you ain’t fooling none of us!

You may think people can be manipulated
In many ways not yet stipulated.
But dragons like these we call them out:
Each one gets a hearty shout.

Shoo, shoo you dragons all be gone,
We will slay you one by one!
Dragons will not here survive,
But equally we want humans to thrive!

JAL 29.07.2019
Feast of St Martha, dragon slayer.

Day 102 of the End to End across part of the Black Isle was somewhat heavy going. The sore throat I’ve had for a couple of days was a pain in the neck and in the morning I was very tired.
Thankfully it was mostly easy walking and I had Bob’s help. I started at Munlochy and as I walked on, Bob set off to see if a path we wanted to use in the afternoon was viable. Our various maps offered conflicting inconclusive information.
I was walking on the road to Killen which was mostly quiet. I met Bob there and we paused to decide what to do. The outcome, although it involved a bit of coming and going, did work. We drove to the Red Rock car park which is used by those doing the mountain bike trails in the area. I had a sleep there, trying to shake off the virus, while Bob sought out some of the paths to see if they were usable. When I woke up, I took the car back to pick him up. We then had a sandwich lunch in a lay-by. He dropped me at Killen to continue the route.
I was feeling a bit better and by the time I met him on the path near Blackstand we were on the last section of the day (although by now Bob had done this section of path three times).
There were a lot of painted lady butterflies about. I later saw reports that many had come up from the south with the last blast of warm weather.
We came back via Fortrose where I made a brief visit to the ruins of the medieval cathedral.

From Psalm 139

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

The human body is amazing. I’m constantly amazed by mine. After walking 102 days, we’ve now about 2 weeks of walking left. So I hope to get up on the morning and walk a bit further.

God grant me a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 28.07.2019
Day 102 of the End to End from Munlochy to Red Rock Trails car park.

Day 101 of the End to End led onto the Black Isle. It was grey and overcast when we left Drumnadrochit, which had been our base since the beginning of the week. Rain was promised.
I started walking at the Coastguard HQ in heavy drizzle. By the time I made it onto the Kessock bridge that had turned to heavy rain. There was zero visibility. The amount of water lying on the road meant lorries and buses created a wave each time they passed me. The rain got heavier. By the middle of the bridge, when I saw 2 Joglers coming towards me on heavily laden bikes, I was drenched.

Thankfully Bob had parked at the first lay-by after the bridge. A change of clothes, a toasted sandwich and hot chocolate and I was good to go again.
I walked down the steps to North Kessock, the village at the slip way across the Moray Firth. Ferries do not run since the bridge was built, and the old ticket office is currently being transformed into a local heritage project. There was a warm welcome there and I had a look round. Outside there’s a new garden with lovely coastal views.
I walked on towards Munlochy, stopping first at the now closed Black Isle Wild Life Park. Hannah and I had visited this attraction 16 years ago when Bob was walking LEJOG. Nevertheless we had our sandwich there for old times sake.
There were plenty of slugs on the prowl and also fungi under the fine lines of beech trees that lined the road.

At Munlochy there was a small weather station by the old mill which suggests they take meteorological conditions seriously in these parts.
On the way to our new accommodation, the Ryefield Farm Bunk House, we stopped at the Munlochy Cloutie Well. I have seen examples of this old Celtic Tradition before but this was probably the most extensive. Originally based around a small spring, there are numerous objects hanging from the trees there for some distance. It is also obviously the focus of frequent visits.

From Psalm 100

Know that the God is Creator! God made us and we belong to God as sheep belong to the Shepherd.

I don’t choose to put my trust in stuff that rots and decays like musty washing left out too long on a line. I trust the Living One, who attends me constantly; beside me, within me.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 27.07.2019
Day 101 of the End to End, Inverness to Munlochy.

Consider the notion of walking for 100 Days. What would that be like. I’d no idea!
Day 100 of the End to End began at Wester Altourie on the Great Glen Way. By the end of today’s walk I would complete that route.

After the first mile on the road, the path went up through the forest. This mixed woodland included Old Caledonian Pine Forest and I saw creeping ladies tresses there, a small orchid, difficult to photograph due to low light. It was also a fungus superhighway, with many different species lining the path.

The descent to the Caledonian Canal was through a community woodland area. There were wild raspberries and blueberries to sample along the path. Bob met me in the houses on the edge of Inverness. We walked along the canal and admired the swing bridge in operation. Lunch was in the Whin Island car park and included ice cream.

The walk into the city was via the Ness Islands. At the war memorial, there’s a Stone in memory of Edith Cavell. The Great Glen Way finishes at the Castle, where Flora MacDonald stands guard. But there was little by way of recognition for the effort!

I walked on beside the river to the Coastguard HQ near the Kessock bridge I will cross tomorrow.
Our last night at the Loch Ness Backpackers coincided with the first night of the Loch Ness film festival in the bar, although Bob said he didn’t understand them all.
From Psalm 65

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
At sunrise or sunset, joyful songs are sung.

I add my voice to those songs now!

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 26.07.2019
Day 100 of the End to End from Wester Altourie to Inverness.

Day 99 of the End to End felt like the hottest yet. It might have been but we’ve not kept a record. When walking like this each hot day seems to be the hottest, each uphill climb seems to be the steepest. Today was both hot and steep.
Knowing this was likely, we set off early. The uphill path from the A82 was through woodland which helped quite a bit. It was another day of humongous fungi which is always fun.

At the top of the the main climb an information board told the story of the Newfies, those lumberjacks from Canada who came to work this area during WW2.
The forestry track continued across more open country, which was hotter, and we reached the Abriachan car park at about midday.
After a picnic lunch there I set off again for the last section through a small piece of younger woodland. All along the path hand painted signs announced the proximity of a cafe and sure enough there was one. The Abriachan Eco-cafe was one of those one off places you come across on LEJOG. It served excellent cake and cold drinks and the welcome was top rate. We had our photo taken, we felt like celebrities!

Then there was just a couple of miles to go to the end of the day’s walk on rather hot road with wonderful views of the mountains.

From Psalm 118

When the going was hard, I cried out to God, who brought me into a spacious place.

The landscape keeps on changing. The sheltering trees give way to heather moorand. Loch Ness glitters in the sunlight. Small streams jump down the rocks. The trees come back. It is wonderful.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end. 

JAL 25.07.2019
Day 99 of the End to End, from A82 near Drumnadrochit to Wester Altourie.

Day 98 of the End to End was into monster territory. It started in Bunloit above Loch Ness and continued in what was at times like a sauna: very hot and humid. Even on this short mostly downhill section there were some distractions: more large fungi by the Way and Rocky Road from Sue’s Cake Shed.

At the gate (this gate featured in a video on Bob’s walk), I turned left onto a path through woodland down to Lewiston. Bob met me and we had some Rocky Road for 11s at the picnic tables by the bridge. I then walked onto the village of Drumnadrochit.

As we noted on a previous visits it’s a thriving place thanks to the various sightings of the famed Loch Ness Monster and its associated celebrity industry. Most of the businesses on the main street claim a monster relationship of some kind.

We tried the fish and chips and found them very good (actually Bob had the haggis). To my mind, fish and chips is the ideal End to End food. It’s British, you can get it almost anywhere and the calories in a portion will get you from one end of the day to the next.
It was enough to get me to the end of what was a downhill and flat stage, but I didn’t win any prizes for it. I stopped at the point where the Great Glen Way leaves the A82 opposite the Loch Ness RNLI Station, leaving the ascent for tomorrow.
The sign on leaving Drumnadrochit announces that it is 14 miles to Inverness.

From John’s Gospel

Jesus said ‘I am the gate for the sheep’.

The Way so far has had plenty of gates, some open, some closed, some easier to open or close than others. What is the purpose of a gate, other than to go through it? If Jesus is the gate then it’s not for us to take up gatekeeping.

God grant us a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 24.07.2019
Day 98 of the End to End from Bunloit to just past Drumnadrochit

Day 97 of the End to End was from Invermoriston to the Pottery at Bunloit.
It was a hot day, often humid and there was quite a lot of steep uphill climbs to contend with.
After the first set of zigzags the Great
Glen Way split between the Upper and Lower routes. Bob came with me and we took the lower route to the Stone Cave. This ideal spot for hermits holds great affection for us. Bob has been here 3 times, Hannah twice and now me once.

Bob turned back to Invermoriston at this point and I went onto Altsigh. Some more zigzags after that and I met Bob again coming towards me. We had a picnic on a bench looking out over Loch Ness.
The day was full of wonderful views and super wildlife. Butterflies tumbled over and over as the wind tugged me back and forth on the path that like a brown snake slithered up the hill between the whispering trees.
It was definitely the day for speckled wood butterflies: I saw at least 60. I also saw 10 large dragonflies and 4 pearl bordered fritillary. Another interesting sight was several large wood ant nests with very busy occupants.

The woodland was also rich in large fungi especially an orange variety identified for me as Orange Birch Bolete by @wildindevon. It seems you can eat these but we didn’t.

We were soon on our way out of the woods to the car park at Bunloit, not far from the Pottery and tearoom. There, an excellent whisky fruit cake restored us.

From Jeremiah 18

God said “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house.

A lot of images from the Bible are taken from daily life. In this one Jeremiah sees the Potter reshape the wonky clay and it reminds him that God can reshape us, but only if we are willing.
A walk is full of promising images: fungi spring up everywhere and ants scurry about. It depends on how we read the world around us and our relationship with it.

In your hands Creative Potter, reshape us and fit us for your world to thrive alongside the fungi and the ants.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 23.07.2019
Day 97 of the End to End, Invermoriston to Bunloit.