The final dash

By now we have announced that we have made it to the end of a long but unbelievable journey.
However for the sake of completeness I'll give a quick outline of our last 3 days on the track. Although we were forced to take to tarmac through lack of public footpaths we were still able to enjoy the route.

Leaving Helmsdale we were able to take advantage of a new section of the A9 which cut a little distance off the walk for the day and gave us a wider verge to escape from the traffic which continued to roar past on its way north. The road snaked its way up a steep hillside on the Ord of Caithness, the high cliffs being punctuated by narrow inlets (geos). We passed but didn't visit the lost village of Badbea, the ruins of which commemmorate the 80 crofters which following eviction struggled to make a living ina bleak and desolate location. We plunged down to the hamlet of Berriedale before zigzagging up once more to take a more level approach into Watten. It was a fine and sunny day and at the top of the rise we were greeted with our first views of the coastline stretching towards John O Groats - cause for celebration!! The coast road continued north into Dunbeath and the spectacular privately owned Dunbeath Castlebefore reaching Latheron another former herring fishing village. Passing one of the few native broadleaf forests we struggled on to Lybster our stopping place for the night.

The following morning we manged a quick look at the tiny harbour in Lybster before heading off the A9 a short distance north and on a long, direct and quite deserted road towards Watten.
Some distance along the road we passed the Grey Cairns of Camster which were most worthy of further inspection. Two large neolithic chambered cairns, one round and the other long they were pretty much intact after some restoration work and we were able to crawl through a narrow passage into the inner chamber of the larger cairn. Built in the Stone Age about 4 - 5000 years ago they were thought to be huge burial tombs for local chieftains - a bit of a creepy experience but thankfully no skeletons!! As we approached Watten the country became even more desolate with mainly moorland and the occasional pasture supporting some sheep.
We were pleased to reach Watten, a small town supported by the excellent fishing on the nearby loch, but after a short rest decided to walk on past Loch Watten towards JOG for a couple of hours to shorten our journey on the final day. We returned to Watten for the night.

The final few miles from our stopping place were accomplished fairly easily the following day.
Although the day was fine and a bit chilly views of the northern isles were a bit misty much to ur disappointment. However we were able to appreciate the starkness of the both the island of Stroma and of the Orkneys, Stroma being privately owned and the Orkneys being accessed by a number of ferry services one of which departs from JOG. Suddenly about 4 -5 kms out of JOG we were able to see the outline of turrets of the now disused John O Groats Hotel our final destination. The last few kilometres seemed to take forever but then we were there!!
Tired but elated and probably relieved that we could now give our feet a rest!!

A heartfelt thanks to all those people who have supported us throughout the last 3 months especially Richard without whom the walk would not have been possible and the people who kept things going in Hobart while we have been away. Also many thanks to our sponsors.
It is great to think we will be able to make our contribution to the work of Dr Catherine Hamlin and the Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. And it is not too late for last minute contributions if anyone is interested.

Farewell to Scotland!

more photos

More photos

More photos

Photos for our Friends (cont.)

Photos for our Friends (cont.)

Photos for our friends

WE'RE THERE !!!

             

Some Overall Observations

The three walkers, David, Yvonne and Frances covered 1850 km in 3 months supported by Richard during which:

• None of the four fell ill or suffered any injury at all (apart from minor foot wear & tear).
• The car covered over 4000 km with only one minor undercarriage ding from a hidden rock.
• No relative or close friends fell seriously ill or worse, requiring any rescheduling.
• All but 2 of the 74 forward bookings worked as planned. One was a day out and the other was booked at a town with the same name, 50 miles away.
• The walkers utilised as much as possible recognised long distance walking tracks and where this was not possible, canal, bicycle and disused railway paths together with minor roads resulting more distance resulting in a minimum time on busy A roads.
• In doing so they passed through some of the most scenic and spectacular parts of the UK on some of the most demanding parts of the toughest walking trails such on the Pennine way,  the Cornish coastal path and the West Highland way.
• We had on the whole fairly good quality B & B standard accommodation however the schedule required a real discipline with breakfast around 8am walking around 9.30 and usually finishing around 5-6 pm.
• The average days walk was 25 km per day.
• Apart from a couple of fine and hot weeks in June the weather was awful, particularly in Scotland.
• Yvonne and Frances burst into tears on arrival at JOG and who could blame them!
• We developed into a very compatible group and had a lot of fun despite the relentless walking demands.
• Additional walkers joined the team and added to the experience -  LT and Joni who walked from Bath to Manchester, then LT again back for more with Andy for the full on last week, as well as Tim, Tammy, Matilda and Christine for special days.

Donor Recognition

Recent contributions to the Hamlin Fistula hospital included the Sandhole Farm at Codlington, Navidale House Hotel near Helmsdale, Dyall & Kathy Davies from London, the Manchester Didsbury walkers, Alan and Ingrid Gilbert and Scott & Mirella from Hobart.   Many thanks for your generosity.  The full list will be acknowledged later

The Final Stage

After a day in Inverness where we scuttled about under brollies to avoid the drenching rain and with stories of severe local flooding we walked ot of Inverness along the swollen and fast-flowing River Ness to cross the busy Kessock Bridge across the mouth of the Beauly Firth. north of the bridge we took a peaceful path firthside before heading northward into forest and pasture.

There followed a daunting crossing of the causeway across the Cromarty Firth which was teeming with all manner of trucks and vehicles. One surprising sight was a number of massive oil rigs in the Firth either waiting for repairs or to be towed to their sites in the North Sea. From the end of the causeway it was a straightforward route via roads and a cycle path running parallel to the A9 via Evanton to Alness passing the Fyrish Monument, another hillside folly, on the way. Alness only claim to fame appeared to be as recipient of a number of 'Britain in Bloom' awards but given it is now autumn the floral displays were beginning to look a bit weary.

From Alness we took to the empty lanes at the back of the town and headed into the Ardross Forest stopping for a coffee at a wildlife park near Aldieburn before reaching the town of Tain which was rather mieval looking and which traces its roots back to the 11th century. Heading out of town we passed the Glenmorangie Distillery before crossing another very busy bridge over the Dornoch Firth. On the far side of the bridge we took the minor road into Dornoch. Dornoch proved to be a fascinating and handsome town with a beautiful Cathedral, the site it would seem of Madonna's wedding. Apparently it was also the site of the last witch-burning in Scotland.

We took tea at the very fine Dornoch Castle Hotel and an early dinner before walking out of the town a further 5km to our accommodation at the very isolated but very comfortable Four Penny Cottage.

The following morning some were treated to the sight of roe deer grazing in a nearby paddock at breakfast before we set off to join the lane past the ruins of Skelbo Castle along the southern shore of Loch Fleet. This is a national nature reserve which was once a sea loch but ashingle build-up at the mouth has turned it into a lagoon that supports all kind of wildlife including thousands of birds. A large number of seals were spotted lazing on the mudflats. Having crossed the bridge on the A9 we cut across as soon as possible into a stand of ancient Scots forest featuring Scots pine, heather and lichens - very beautiful and quite unique. We emerged on to the Golspie Links golf course and followed this into Golspie where we enjoyeda sandwich on the seawall in bright sunshine. A delightful seaside path then took us out of Golspie along the coastal sward to Brora. The highlight of this walk was a tour of Dunrobin Castle which claims to be one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses. Containing 189 rooms it dates back to the early 1300s but was remodelled to its current fairy tale appearance in 1841. Home to the Dukes of Sutherland it featured a fascinating collection of their memorabilia, elegantly furnished rooms and beautiful gardens inspired by those at Versailles. Beyond the Castle the path passed an ancient circular stone tower or broch. These defensive homesteads are commonly associated with the Picts and are peculiar to northern Scotland. As it was low tide we were able to walk along the beach where we again passed a number of seals with their babies on the shore or perched on neighbouring rocks. overnight at the small village of Brora.

The following morning we followed the wide sandy beach north of Brora for about 2 miles before Andy and I climbed onto the A9 and the others opted for a less noisy route along the shore.
As the A9 wound northwards we became more aware of a growing remoteness with the high rough moorland closing in on our left and the North Sea on our right. Not long after passing through Port Gower we were relieved to reach a footpath which led us over a bridge into the town of Brora which has proved to be a most interesting place for a rest day. The modern development of Helmsdale was based on the herring fishing industry centred on a picturesque harbour but the fishing fleets have now disappeared. The history of the town is charted at a modern visitor centre 'Time and Space' which relates the story of the infamous Highland Clearances (the Duke of Sutherland removing crofters from their meagre holdings to introduce sheep farming) and the 19th century gold rush in nearby Strath of Kildonan which was agin put to an end by the Duke of Sutherland. Below the town runs the River Helmsdale famous for its salmon fishing, the rights to which are held by a consortium of 6 influential people and are issued by invitation only. The Visitor Centre informed us that the record for the heaviest fish ever caught there was by a ghillie of Lady Liverpool and it weighed in at 37lb.We made a mid afternoon visit to inspect the harbour and by this time galeforce winds had whipped the sea into a frenzy with large waves breaking over the breakwater - a spectacular sight. Our accommodation at the Navidale Hotel about a mile from the town is a former hunting lodge of the Dukes of Sutherland and is located on a cliff above the shore - well positioned to again give us splendid views out over the windswept North Sea.

David in good shape, at lunch

MORE MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Details CAN be had from at least one team member

How to extend the never ending conversation with the garrulous host, by David

The West Highland Way Procession

Lady Buckley and the Midgies

The Dovers Dog midgie warning & closing the window incident

How to climb a difficult style with the gate open, by Yvonne.

Making friends with Glum and Glummer

Will Andy finish the boat in time?

“The worst is behind us’ by David   (Monday)

‘The worst is behind us’  by David   (Tuesday)

‘The worst  is ………. never mind’  by David   (Wednesday)

Frances ‘mugged’ by a chicken at Rory’s forest Café 

Mr Buckley’s booking? …..  YOU were expected LAST Night!

Frances caught with her pants down despite Lady Buckleys warning.

David….  there are 2 places called Laggan and we’re booked in the one 50 miles away??

How to pick a snipe by its long tail by Richard

posted by Richard