LEJOG day 64: Dingwall to Alness

Today's post is going to be brief for several reasons: the walk was short; nothing hilarious or momentous or irritating happened; and someone claiming to be a friend (you know who you are) sent me a link to a truly disastrously good story a few days ago and I've nearly finished it and I have to know what happens next although it will probably break me and none of you should read it.

Slightly worryingly, I've not been able to send texts or make phonecalls since passing the 1,000 mile mark - perhaps the terrible network I'm with didn't bother with masts this far North?

Amusingly, I've started seeing road signs for "the North", which I generally consider to start quite a long way South of here. I've been following them, though, mostly along cycle route 1, which has been giving me plenty of off-the-road walking without taking me too far from my intended route. I was hopeful it might take me to John O'Groats, but although it runs between Inverness and John O'Groats, it's designed for cyclists and so has opted for the more interesting and longer option of going due North and then West along the North coast of Scotland.

I've been looking ahead at future routes, too, just to give myself things to worry about- mostly "the A9" and "the A99", if I'm honest- and have established that no matter what the John O'Groats trail website says, their route really doesn't sound very walkable (I am not fording rivers with my boots off when there's a perfectly serviceable road) and they're being really cagey about where it may or may not run.

Anyway, I only walked for about 3 hours today, with a little break in the middle for tea in a café run by the local Evangelical Church, meaning my eyes were assaulted by such things as an alphabet of good acts and the ubiquitous posters showing sad children dressed in rags who clearly require a helping of Christian Teaching And Ethics with their international aid, because it went so well last time. The walk was nice enough, though.

Distance walked: 9.62 miles
Time taken: 3h00
Percentage completed: 90.5%
Miles left to walk: 107
Lunch: tea, with Scotch pancakes and jam, then a tuna and cucumber sandwich a few hours later don't you judge me 
Last night's B&B: The Birches, Dingwall: if I ever come this far North again, I will happily stay there again



 I wonder what the ex-path here used to go to?

Ah, good, an abandoned building in the middle of a graveyard, that's not creepy at all

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