the sky
Day 60 Land’s End to John O’Groats – Alness to Dornoch
Distance: 37km
Cumulative distance: 1581km
One of the best things about doing a walk like this is how it makes you appreciate the little things in life. Things a lot of us take for granted every day like showers, home-cooked meals, heating, and those things we call roofs that act as a layer between us and the weather during times of inclemency. I received all of those things in spades at Steve’s Mum Netty’s house in Invergordon, a superb double storeyed number overlooking the Cromarty Firth which offers stunning sunrises every morning. Netty took me in like I was one of her own – I had full use of the shower, an elevated sleeping quarter and a full three courses at dinner time, plus beer. We had soup, followed by a pasta bake, followed by a pie for dessert, all the while sucking back a few tins and catching up on times gone past. Netty is very similar to Steve in possessing a love for all things botanical, and was trying to identify the leaf of a rogue plant that had taken residence in her garden. Steve, Bart and Netty were all on the case, flipping through gardening books, and trawling the internet to try and find a similar looking leaf. It was one of the most pleasant evenings you could ever imagine. The next day I woke up and watched the sun break through the horizon before casting an array of yellows and oranges across the water. Then I was loaded up with porridge and coffee ahead of another long day. Netty even packed me a container of leftovers for lunch before we took off for Alness, where Steve and Bart dropped me off on their way to Inverness.
The plan today was simple. Walk from Alness to Tain (about 23km along the road), then from Tain to Dornoch which was about 14km extra. Anne would pick me up and I’d decided to have two full days off on the farm before getting stuck into the final stretch. That would mark more than 170km over the last five days since departing Fort William – easily the hardest I’ve pushed in terms of sheer distance on the entire walk. I’d been hoping to finish the walk on October 20, but now I spied a chance to finish a day or even two early. Lisa was also due to have a baby in the coming days, and I was hoping it would happen while I was on the farm so we could Facetime in a wifi sanctuary and I could meet my little niece or nephew.
These were just some of my thoughts as I strode out of Alness and took the long road to Tain. All the rain seemed to have buggered off, and it left a remarkable sky out to the south-east overlooking the Cromarty Firth. Wispy clouds rose high into the air temporarily leaving remarkable ringed patterns on the deep blue background before breaking apart and moving along to reform elsewhere. The road might have been boring, but watching the sky kept me sane for long periods of this stroll, as did the Teacher’s Pet Podcast drumming away in the background. If you haven’t listened to it already, I’d recommend you do at the next available opportunity.
(UPDATE: About six weeks after my walk they arrested the bastard, 36 years on.)
Not a great deal of note happened between here and Tain. My pack was heavier because my waterproofs were stuffed inside, a trade off I was more than willing to make if it meant there would be no rain. About two miles out of Tain I stopped at a little bridge and found myself a nice little seat just off the ground where I wolfed down the substantial leftovers Netty had left me. What a gem she is I thought as I packed up and knocked off the last couple of miles into town. I’d been here a few times before (it’s only about 20 miles from the farm and is the nearest biggish town), and headed straight for the Sunflowers Cafe which I knew from previous experience did good coffee and delicious food. I grabbed a cappuccino and some waffles as I psyched myself up for the final stretch to Dornoch. This would involve several miles on a busy A road down to the bridge over the Dornoch Firth before I could veer away and jump onto some quieter roads.
I’d made good time to Tain, and gave myself about three hours or so to arrive in Dornoch. Up the road I headed, past the Glenmorangie whisky distillery which I’ve toured before, and towards the Dornoch Bridge. This was all part of the John O’Groats Trail and fortunately they’d created a little pedestrian verge adjacent to the A9 which meant I could walk in relative safety. And as it turned out this little stretch wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated. I could see the bridge off in the distance, and the Dornoch Firth was unobstructed to my right for the most part so there was always a view to enjoy. I made it down to the bridge, which took me over the extensive banks of the Firth and then finally over the water itself via a pebbly walking track. The views were stunning from here – east out to the North Sea and west up the firth which turns into the Kyle of Sutherland, a place very close to my heart. This bridge is not even 30 years old, and has played a significant, but detrimental role in reshaping this part of Scotland. It was opened in 1991, from which point A9 traffic could cross the Dornoch Firth much closer to the sea without having to head inland to Bonar Bridge which used to be the only option. It made driving up to the north coast a more efficient operation, but left the towns of Bonar Bridge and Ardgay bereft of the tourist hordes which used to drive through these parts. They’re lovely towns, but business has slowly decayed in the intervening 27-odd years since the bridge’s construction. I think Bonar used to have four heaving pubs in its heyday. As of 2018 that number has dropped to just one.
Not too far past the water, I spied a sign for the John O’Groats trail taking me away from the road, down the bank and over a shaky looking stile. The path went down almost to the water’s edge and cut through some longish grass which was a delightful change from the last couple of days. That spat me out onto a quiet country road which promised to take me into Dornoch, and it did despite some sporadic rain that decided to return late in the day just to keep me on my toes. After a few miles past the odd farm I came upon the charming town of Dornoch, and headed for a pub to write in my diary and wait for Anne. You may or may not have heard of Dornoch. It made international headlines back in 2000 when Madonna and Guy Ritchie were wed at Skibo Castle, just west of the town. And while we’re on the subject, Elon Musk married his second wife, Talulah Riley, at the exquisite Dornoch Cathedral. I tell ya, there’s a lot more to this fascinating country than just a mythical monster hiding out in a loch.
