Day 113 of the End to End in 2019, with only four days to go, was the day I crossed into Caithness. This county is what Cornwall is in the opposite direction. If you are a south walking ‘Joggler’ then Cornwall is your last county. But if you are a north walking ‘Lejogger’ then it’s Caithness. Both have their merits but on day 113 it was hard to determined what they might be in Caithness due to low cloud and persistent rain.
Reay was the one village on the coast road and the Reay Golf Club was welcoming with hot drinks and cake even for non-golfers. The old graveyard is home to an 8th century cross slab but it is in a locked vault so cannot unfortunately be visited.
Our accommodation that night was our first at Thurso. The backpackers hostel is above a taxi office and opposite a fish and chip shop. Our room could best be described as the Red Room, being mostly red including the sheets. The weather forecast for the north coast was not very encouraging for the next few days.
It was getting to that part of the walk when it was nearly over. It seemed remarkable that this was so. Each day still had to be walked and weather is not negotiable. By now I had got very used to getting up each day and walking, ticking off things I saw, adventuring in small ways as I went along. It now seemed likely that I could walk the 4 days still required even though that would mostly be along roads, which was never my favourite.
From the remembered Gospel, Jesus said ‘The first will be last and the last will be first’.
Although he did walk a lot, the Holy Land End to End was not what Jesus was referring to.
Way wanderer, I will walk with you.
I am alarmed to see how the first treat the last
and how the last are pushed even further back:
when arriving in barely inflated boats, news it, it’s their fault.
How can that be?
Which of us, in the first group, would put our children’s lives on so fragile a line?
May we not turn our backs or pull the plug
on need and necessity, we who have plenty.
JAL: 08.08.2020.