Month: August 2019

Day 108 of the End to End, that started at Carn Laith Broch, was somewhat perilous at times. We had spent considerable time researching the route. I did not want to spend all day walking along the verge beside the A9. The John O’Groats Trail is an option but its perils need to be considered. It’s not a fully marked Way so finding the route can be a challenge, but then we’ve managed poorly marked routes before. However, this one also has additional advertised perils like routes you can’t use at high tide, places where the route is squeezed between the railway and the edge of the cliff and other places where you need to be prepared to cross a 3 metre wide stream. Having considered all of this, we decided to use the John O’Groats Trail in the morning to Brora and after lunch along the Brora links. These proved perilous enough.

First, cattle can be perilous. They were big and mooed a bit. But that was all the cattle peril for today. There were other creatures, all less perilous: significant number of butterflies for example as have been reported inany places, taking advantage of a fine day and lots of flowering plants. There were also common seals lying on the beach in various places, a total of 20 altogether. Second, the tide was coming in, but Bob thought we had enough time to make it along the low route rather than the higher route for when the tide is in.

At Brora we had a picnic before I set off up the second part of the route north of the town. The path goes along the side of the golf course and was reasonably easy to follow and frequently placed benches were welcome. There were more butterflies in the dunes and even people swimming in the sea.

The most perilous part was being dive bombed by Arctic Terns near the dunes. There is a protected area here, but the Terns seem to take exception to any one coming along the path and I’d no wish to disturb them.
Bob had found the footpath off the golf course, which wasn’t easy. He met me in time to accompany me to the A9. Here the road peril started. I needed to do about 3 miles on the A9 because the Trail did not have many access points that fitted our requirements, and I didn’t want to ford the stream or get squeezed on the cliffs.
We have a high visibility vest for road walking and while the traffic is fast there’s not too much of it, and the verge is usually reasonable. Bob came to meet me and after three miles we stopped at the lay-by before Lothbeg. It’s a poignant spot as it includes the memorial to the last Wolf killed in Sutherland over 3 centuries ago. There are moves to reintroduce wolves to the Highlands. Maybe the remembered She wolf will not be the last to live in Sutherland after all.

Back at Helmsdale Hostel, an excellent place we’ve stayed before, we even got our old room back. Dropping a bottle of smoothie on my toe brought to an end a perilous day.

From Psalm 91
God will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.

The cormorants hang their wings out to dry. A feather or two blows across the sand. The Arctic Terns spin in the air, clattering a noisy warning. These are the birds that God has counted and who’s feathered wings provide a refuge.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 03.08.2019
Day 108 of the End to End, Carn Laith Broch to Lothbeg Lay-by.

Day 107 of the End to End was another very beautiful day. It started at the path to Creag Bheag from the A9. This was another of the A9 avoidance routes of the John O’Groats Trail. We went through a small piece of woodland and a couple of fields alongside the railway. Bob came with me and turned back at Kirkton level crossing. I continued down the track into Balblair Wood, which borders the North shore of Loch Fleet.

We first visited this wood on Bob’s walk in 2003. It was a bit earlier in the year and we were lucky to see the single flowered wintergreen, a rare plant of which this is one location. However, being later in the year, there were no wintergreen today, but there were creeping ladies tresses that also prefer older pine woods.

I met Bob on the road into Golspie, where we decided to have a fish and chip lunch, followed by local ice cream, made in Brora.
The afternoon walk from Golspie was along the coast, past Dunrobin Castle. It was a beautiful route, full of butterflies. Our second busiest day for Painted Ladies, totalling 105 and 36 small tortoiseshell. I identified 8 different species altogether, and I also saw two common seals.

The path was lined with Ragwort, thistles and Rose Bay Willowherb, all popular with the butterflies and very colourful. Bob met me on the path and we walked to Carn Laith Broch where today’s walk ended. It is an Iron Age structure under the care of Historic Scotland and has wonderful views of the coast.

From Psalm 77

Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were invisible.

Many folks are still waiting tonight for flood waters to subside or for routes cut by flood water to be restored. We think of them.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 02.08.2019
Day 107 of the End to End from the A9 North of The Mound to Carn Laith Broch.

It’s day 106 of the End to End and rather than biblical interpretation I’m doing natural history.
The Common Seal is more common looking than the Grey Seal, who has the large nosed look, so it’s common seals we see today at Loch Fleet, an RSPB nature reserve.
To get there its three to four miles from Dornoch. On the outskirts of the town a small low building, now the local Chiropractor, used to be the station of the Dornoch Light Railway which, a century ago, bought passengers from The Mound via Embo. This contributed to Dornoch’s rise as a tourist destination. You can still see signs of the line of the route, which closed in 1960, as you walk round Loch Fleet.

At Loch Fleet we sat on the same seat we’d sat on in 2003 and ate our picnic. It was about high tide so the Loch was quiet. There were a small number of Eider, Widgeon, Herons, Oystercatchers and a couple of Curlew. After a rest of about half an hour I walked on round the Loch. In total I saw 7 common seals; a couple doing a showing off balancing thing but most just bobbing in the still water.

As I approached the junction with the A9 I saw a small John O’Groats Trail sign on a fence post. I’d not been looking forward to the main road, so decided that the John O’Groats Trail was worth a try. We’d looked at the website and I got the map yesterday in Tain. In places it provides off road alternatives to the A9 route. However, they are not all well marked or maintained. I’d no idea what this part would be like. It turned out to be a section of the old Light Railway route now overgrown. In some places the bracken was chest high and it seemed more like swimming through foliage than walking, but mostly it was OK and certainly better than the A9. I emerged from the path at the southern end of The Mound. Bob met me and we walked back to the car on the north side. He’d been looking at a bit of tomorrow’s route, also on the John O’Groats Trail.

From Revelation chapter 8

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Even in heaven silence is valued. To sit by Loch Fleet today in silence, the water like a still mirror, is to mirror the activities of heaven. We heard on the news of places in the North of England where recent flooding is causing problems and we think of them. Water can do a lot of damage. We pray for those trying to sort out the mess.

God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 01.08.2019
Day 106 of the End to End, Dornoch to The Mound.