LEJOG day 67: Brora to Helmsdale
There's only three days of walking left between me and John O'Groats, all of them entirely on the A9. Today's half-day was also all along the A9, and just to make sure there was no way I could possibly enjoy it, it rained.
If walking along the edge of an A-road is already miserable, it becomes more so when you're wet, splashed by every passing vehicle, and sweating profusely inside your waterproofs. To add to it, this is the first time it has rained since I bought my new boots in Fort William and I'm sure you can all imagine my delight when, barely 4 miles in, they began to leak. I don't know if I'm just being unrealistic in my expectations, but I am fairly sure gore-tex is meant to keep you dry, even in a downpour, for more than an hour and a half.
If walking along an A-road is dangerous, it becomes even more so in heavy rain. The visibility wasn't great today, with the clouds low and the rain relentless, and a lot of the cars had their headlights on- not an option that's available to me. My waterproof jacket is a bright but not luminescent or fluorescent turquoise, and I did wonder if I ought to have thought of this when I was packing. Nonetheless, I survived.
The only good thing about this route is you can be pretty sure a majority of the people on the road who aren't in cars are doing the same stupid thing I am. Today I said hello to a cyclist who is on his way back to Land's End from John O'Groats, because cycling the length of the country once wasn't enough of a challenge- as he's done that three times, once with the other two corners (North-East and South-West) thrown in for good measure. Oh, and he's walked it once, too, of course, in 57 days. Some people just don't know when to stop. He did tell me he'd met both Steve- who I last saw in the sunshine on my day off in Jedburgh- and Vera, the Israeli lady I met on my way to Alston, walking along the side of the A9 today. It's nice to know they're still going! I've been following some other walkers on Instagram, and those who started with me have almost all finished, and those who are behind me are catching up, so it's also nice not to be very far behind those two.
Distance walked: 11.11 miles
Time taken: 3h34
Percentage complete: 95.0%
Miles left to walk: 57
Days since I was last rained on: 0
Lunch: hoi sin duck wrap, doritos and a mug of tea made for me by my hostess
Last night's B&B: Clynelish Farm, Brora: I hated my past self for booking this one- it's a mile and a half outside town and I really didn't want to walk 3 miles for my dinner last night. BUT it was absolutely lovely, the hostess was great, I got a lift to and from the pub, breakfast was amazing and, in short, I would happily stay here again as long as I don't have to walk there
So cheery
Wolves were hunted to extinction in Sutherland in 1700
If walking along the edge of an A-road is already miserable, it becomes more so when you're wet, splashed by every passing vehicle, and sweating profusely inside your waterproofs. To add to it, this is the first time it has rained since I bought my new boots in Fort William and I'm sure you can all imagine my delight when, barely 4 miles in, they began to leak. I don't know if I'm just being unrealistic in my expectations, but I am fairly sure gore-tex is meant to keep you dry, even in a downpour, for more than an hour and a half.
If walking along an A-road is dangerous, it becomes even more so in heavy rain. The visibility wasn't great today, with the clouds low and the rain relentless, and a lot of the cars had their headlights on- not an option that's available to me. My waterproof jacket is a bright but not luminescent or fluorescent turquoise, and I did wonder if I ought to have thought of this when I was packing. Nonetheless, I survived.
The only good thing about this route is you can be pretty sure a majority of the people on the road who aren't in cars are doing the same stupid thing I am. Today I said hello to a cyclist who is on his way back to Land's End from John O'Groats, because cycling the length of the country once wasn't enough of a challenge- as he's done that three times, once with the other two corners (North-East and South-West) thrown in for good measure. Oh, and he's walked it once, too, of course, in 57 days. Some people just don't know when to stop. He did tell me he'd met both Steve- who I last saw in the sunshine on my day off in Jedburgh- and Vera, the Israeli lady I met on my way to Alston, walking along the side of the A9 today. It's nice to know they're still going! I've been following some other walkers on Instagram, and those who started with me have almost all finished, and those who are behind me are catching up, so it's also nice not to be very far behind those two.
Distance walked: 11.11 miles
Time taken: 3h34
Percentage complete: 95.0%
Miles left to walk: 57
Days since I was last rained on: 0
Lunch: hoi sin duck wrap, doritos and a mug of tea made for me by my hostess
Last night's B&B: Clynelish Farm, Brora: I hated my past self for booking this one- it's a mile and a half outside town and I really didn't want to walk 3 miles for my dinner last night. BUT it was absolutely lovely, the hostess was great, I got a lift to and from the pub, breakfast was amazing and, in short, I would happily stay here again as long as I don't have to walk there
I'm sorry that the road is grim, but only three days left to go!
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