LEJOG day 66: Dornoch to Brora
Today was mostly a nice walk along quiet roads and paths, completely and utterly overshadowed by two stretches of the A9 which made me miserable beyond belief.
I started off along a single track road out of Dornoch, which quickly turned into a nice walking path along the edge of the golf course with views out over the sea. I ambled along, joining the road along the edge of Loch Fleet, passing the ruined Skelbo Castle and dodging the caravans while admiring the seals.
Then I walked four miles along the edge of the noisy, busy, horrendous A9, alternating between fearing for my life on the tarmac and turning my ankles on the verge. I get the impression the drivers mostly think I should be walking on the grass edge- all 12 inches of it- but that thing is not a lawn, it's a nightmarish mat of layers of dead grass with regular drains cut through it and cleverly disguised by more long grass.
After Golspie, I got to drift along another lovely coastal footpath, with no sound other than the sea lapping against the shore, past beautiful houses and the stunning Dunrobin castle- another Victorian fake, but whoever designed this one had clearly been to Germany and learnt how to Castle over there. I passed the ruins of a broch, am ancient fortified dwelling unique to far Northern Scotland...
And then I was back on the A9, eardrums shattered and all enjoyment over. My sense of time is utterly ruined by A-road walking: each half-mile seems to take at least an hour because it's just so awful.
Needless to say, I'm skeptical about my ability to enjoy the last four days of this walk, which is a real shame.
Distance walked: 18.63
Time taken: 5h46
Percentage complete: 93.9%
Miles left to walk: 68
Days since I was last rained on: 8
Lunch: tuna and cucumber sandwich, pepperami, smoothie
Last night's B&B: Woodlands, Dornoch: a grand house, but not very convenient as a bed and breakfast
seals!
I would live here
This is How To Castle
I started off along a single track road out of Dornoch, which quickly turned into a nice walking path along the edge of the golf course with views out over the sea. I ambled along, joining the road along the edge of Loch Fleet, passing the ruined Skelbo Castle and dodging the caravans while admiring the seals.
Then I walked four miles along the edge of the noisy, busy, horrendous A9, alternating between fearing for my life on the tarmac and turning my ankles on the verge. I get the impression the drivers mostly think I should be walking on the grass edge- all 12 inches of it- but that thing is not a lawn, it's a nightmarish mat of layers of dead grass with regular drains cut through it and cleverly disguised by more long grass.
After Golspie, I got to drift along another lovely coastal footpath, with no sound other than the sea lapping against the shore, past beautiful houses and the stunning Dunrobin castle- another Victorian fake, but whoever designed this one had clearly been to Germany and learnt how to Castle over there. I passed the ruins of a broch, am ancient fortified dwelling unique to far Northern Scotland...
And then I was back on the A9, eardrums shattered and all enjoyment over. My sense of time is utterly ruined by A-road walking: each half-mile seems to take at least an hour because it's just so awful.
Needless to say, I'm skeptical about my ability to enjoy the last four days of this walk, which is a real shame.
Distance walked: 18.63
Time taken: 5h46
Percentage complete: 93.9%
Miles left to walk: 68
Days since I was last rained on: 8
Lunch: tuna and cucumber sandwich, pepperami, smoothie
Last night's B&B: Woodlands, Dornoch: a grand house, but not very convenient as a bed and breakfast
You've always wanted to see seals in the wild.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes that IS a castle.