LEJOG day 65: Alness to Dornoch
Today I had my first experience with the A9, and I'm afraid it looks unlikely we can be friends. Unless the road is closed to South-bound traffic from tomorrow until I get to John O'Groats next Wednesday, I predict that walking along the A9 is going to feel a lot like taking my life into my hands.
There are a few problems I've already identified with the A9, and I'm sure I'll find more. To start with, as soon as the cycle route I was on yesterday hit the A9, its attitude to walker- and cyclist-safety became frankly lackadaisical. The same cycle route which provided me with an off-road tarmac path to protect me from the horrors of a mostly-deserted single-track road yesterday today decided that a painted white line along the edge of a thundering A-road frequented by HGVs carrying literal actual trees was sufficient protection. It did not change its mind as we crossed Dornoch Firth, with the exception of the actual bridge, where I was gifted a whole eighteen inches of concrete to walk on- although I suspect this was structural rather than being included for my benefit. Walking on the concrete, of course, put me significantly closer to the insufficiently opaque barriers between the bridge and not-the-bridge i.e. the drop into Dornoch Firth. I can swim, but not with my backpack on and having been dropped from high enough up for the water to be like concrete, and the currents looked nasty and did I mention I'm scared of heights?
Another problem with the A9 is the people driving along it. The problem with being human is I lack an exoskeleton, and so any collision with a metal box travelling at 60 or 70mph is going to go badly for me. However, for whatever reason, the drivers of the A9 today appeared rather unconcerned by this. I realised that there were three kinds of driving I witnessed: a small number of cars and a larger proportion of lorries would pull into the centre of the road (away from me) as they passed; the vast majority of cars acted as if they hadn't even seen me and obstinately stuck to their current line in the road- usually up the middle of the lane but a number of them quite close to the hard shoulder, and me in it; and a small but noticeable cohort who actually pulled towards me as they passed, presumably to let me know I had no right to walk on their tarmac. It made for a pretty terrible couple of miles.
The rest of the walk was also on roads, again, and my knees and feet terribly impressed, but at least these were mostly quiet roads with a lower risk of my painful demise. I've started to see nice houses again, probably partly a function of being off the walking paths, but it is fun. So other than the A9, today continued to be a reminder of Cornwall and Devon, albeit rather flatter.
Distance walked: 20.67 miles
Time taken: 6h50, Runkeeper couldn't cope again
Percentage completed: 92.3%
Miles left to walk: 86
Days since I was last rained on: 7, if you don't count going out to eat in the evenings which I don't
Lunch: egg and cress, pepperami, smoothie
Last night's B&B: Morven House, Alness: three words: memory. foam. mattress. I was so cushioned. The room was the size of the bed, more or less, but who cares when the bed is that comfy?
Most of today looked like this
First John O'Groats sign!
There are a few problems I've already identified with the A9, and I'm sure I'll find more. To start with, as soon as the cycle route I was on yesterday hit the A9, its attitude to walker- and cyclist-safety became frankly lackadaisical. The same cycle route which provided me with an off-road tarmac path to protect me from the horrors of a mostly-deserted single-track road yesterday today decided that a painted white line along the edge of a thundering A-road frequented by HGVs carrying literal actual trees was sufficient protection. It did not change its mind as we crossed Dornoch Firth, with the exception of the actual bridge, where I was gifted a whole eighteen inches of concrete to walk on- although I suspect this was structural rather than being included for my benefit. Walking on the concrete, of course, put me significantly closer to the insufficiently opaque barriers between the bridge and not-the-bridge i.e. the drop into Dornoch Firth. I can swim, but not with my backpack on and having been dropped from high enough up for the water to be like concrete, and the currents looked nasty and did I mention I'm scared of heights?
Another problem with the A9 is the people driving along it. The problem with being human is I lack an exoskeleton, and so any collision with a metal box travelling at 60 or 70mph is going to go badly for me. However, for whatever reason, the drivers of the A9 today appeared rather unconcerned by this. I realised that there were three kinds of driving I witnessed: a small number of cars and a larger proportion of lorries would pull into the centre of the road (away from me) as they passed; the vast majority of cars acted as if they hadn't even seen me and obstinately stuck to their current line in the road- usually up the middle of the lane but a number of them quite close to the hard shoulder, and me in it; and a small but noticeable cohort who actually pulled towards me as they passed, presumably to let me know I had no right to walk on their tarmac. It made for a pretty terrible couple of miles.
The rest of the walk was also on roads, again, and my knees and feet terribly impressed, but at least these were mostly quiet roads with a lower risk of my painful demise. I've started to see nice houses again, probably partly a function of being off the walking paths, but it is fun. So other than the A9, today continued to be a reminder of Cornwall and Devon, albeit rather flatter.
Distance walked: 20.67 miles
Time taken: 6h50, Runkeeper couldn't cope again
Percentage completed: 92.3%
Miles left to walk: 86
Days since I was last rained on: 7, if you don't count going out to eat in the evenings which I don't
Lunch: egg and cress, pepperami, smoothie
Last night's B&B: Morven House, Alness: three words: memory. foam. mattress. I was so cushioned. The room was the size of the bed, more or less, but who cares when the bed is that comfy?
Yay for less than 100 miles! Yay for the first JOG sign! Yay for the milage on the sign being basically the same as your mileage and not depressingly more direct!
ReplyDeleteI was so relieved about the last one!
DeleteYou are doing so well! How exciting to have your first road sign! Hoping the A9 is miraculously quieter next week.
ReplyDeleteHope you will be safe. Take care
ReplyDelete