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.