back to the coast
Day 61 Land’s End to John O’Groats
Distance: 30km
Cumulative distance: 1611km
Initially I was going to have just two nights on the farm, but I decided to stay an extra day so I could also catch up with Caroline and Chink. It was the first time I’ve had consecutive days off, but I needed the rest and it gave me a chance to help out a little on the farm. There were sheep that needed bringing over from the other side of the Kyle, and that was a job that took most of Saturday afternoon on a pretty wet day. I love the farm in Culrain. Chloe and I went there in late March of 2015 for a couple of months, and then I returned in February the following year and stayed for almost six months before moving back to Australia. I’ve visited a couple of times subsequently and it’s such a magnificent place. Robert and Anne have looked after me incredibly well since I first turned up at the place, and I consider it my UK home. I’ve also met some incredible mates over there including Caroline and Chink, Steve and Rachel (who now live in Canada) and Sheila, plus I’ve met a stack of other locals and visitors along the way. I could go on for years with farm stories but I shall leave those for another time. Let me just say this visit was a superb couple of days, and it re-energised me sufficiently for the final fling up to John O’Groats which would begin today with a decent slog up to Brora. Anne dropped me off right where she’d picked me off, and after a quick shop I was on my way again.
The trail took me out of town through the Royal Dornoch Golf Course, which in 2007 was rated third in Golf Digest’s top 100 international courses outside the US. I watched a few members teeing off, but didn’t have time to squeeze in a quick nine myself. Instead I found myself walking a little back from the shoreline which was decorated with some beautiful rock formations. Further along the trail took me through Embo, which is dominated by a gigantic holiday park by the sea. It didn’t seem to be an overly stimulating place if I’m being honest so I didn’t hang around too long. After leaving town I lost the trail and ended up wandering aimlessly through some vegetation that threatened to turn into sand dunes. I had zero interest in stumbling through sand dunes if there was a less sandy alternative, so I forced myself to back track and start again. I ended up finding a dirt road running parallel to a farm fence so I walked along that for awhile until it took me to a road which was marked on the map.
I followed roads down to Loch Fleet which opens up to the North Sea, and required circumnavigation. Well almost – I had to walk all the way inland and cross what’s called The Mound over the River Fleet, before bearing north east once more and continuing on towards Golspie. But let me just take a moment to wax lyrical about the wonders of Loch Fleet. For starters the path took me underneath Skelbo Castle which stood in ruins on a grass mound above me. The water itself almost shimmered under the blue sky and was so colourful and still, reflecting the hills which lined its banks. There were even a few seals frollicking about. Picnic benches were scattered along the way allowing people to sit down and drink in the views. To the west were the hills of Sutherland, and in the other direction the loch opened up into the North Sea. The trail took me all the way along its southern banks to the A9 which I used to cross The Mound before veering off into a small, green forest. I came to a stile and had my lunch, reflecting on what had been a truly enriching start to my final leg of the walk. The trail wound through a farm adjacent to the railway line, and after a couple of miles I opted to walk back up to the A9 and take that into Golspie. That wasn’t overly pleasant but it seemed the most efficient way to proceed.
I was going to stop in town for a coffee but decided to press on instead. I’d been to Golspie once before and taken a wonderful stroll along the burn, before checking out the gardens of Dunrobin Castle. Golspie is also where the Northern Times is based, a weekly newspaper covering these parts which I had a bit of a running battle with during my time on the farm in 2015 regarding the ownership of Carbisdale Castle. On this occasion I whisked myself through town, and eventually past Dunrobin Castle. This beautiful castle featured on the front of the OS map I was using, and I managed to take a photo framed in almost exactly the same fashion. There was another small forest to go through before the walking became pretty tough, fairly close to the water but over jagged rocks which was pretty hard on sore feet. I had no option but to put up with it and press on to Brora. I can’t remember how long I was slogging along those rocks but I was incredibly grateful when they finished up and I was on some more sturdy ground. I passed a waterfall just before Brora and came across a stunningly beautiful horse before turning up into town along the river and heading up to the main drag. I crossed the river then walked for about a mile up the A9.
I’d seen a couple of campsites marked on my map just beyond town, and I was planning to stay at one of those this evening. The light was starting to fade after another pretty long day, but I finally arrived at a campsite which was utterly deserted. There was no one manning the office so I pressed on to the second campsite. Upon arrival I was greeted with another deserted campsite, only this one was wrapped in barbed wire and the front entrance was locked up with a chain and a chunky padlock. I headed back to the first campsite and just pitched up on a nice little patch of grass. There was just enough time to cook up a feed before I crawled into bed and braced myself for another freezing night.
