SC500: part 2 from Helmsdale to Inverness
Walking along the coast lines of Sutherland, Dornoch Firth and Black Isle from Helmsdale to Inverness, with Brora, Golspie, Dornoch, Tain, Balindore, Cromarty and Rosemarkie on the way.
Great thanks to our great hosts Jean in Helmsdale and Helen in Golspie.
Walking across the mudflats near Tain
Saturday 15 July 2023 - Day 10: Helmsdale, no steps
Sleep in, toast, tea, coffee, eggs, Instagram, web blog, postcard, flowerpress, bath, wash machine, view, Fechlin, Cottage, pylon, big one, phone call, Mutti, Rachel, walk down, Timespan, Jay Wilson, trail maker, genius, 200 landowners, 100 stiles, 50 bridges, amazing. 1000s of hours, of passion, of love, for the path.
Sunday 16th July 2023, - Day 11: Helmsdale to Brora; 29,880 steps
Group, small, RFO chat, Bryan, sole walker, fisher, stony, the path, hard, dunes, sand, Chris, walker, form Landsend, 15 May, started, wife, driving, along, every day, Loth, river, wading, weat boots, precarious, ok, onwards, sand, beach, seals, all good, Brexit, Brexshit, he says, Bryan, weat feet, socks, boots, sand, £15000, paid, one week, fishing, he says, seal, another one, beach, km, after km, Brora, Capaldi, Cappuccino, Jean, good old Jean, Knödel, Gulasch.
Monday, 17th July, Day 12: Brora to Golspie; 18432 steps
Beatrice, the wife, Picking, Owen, show, bus, beach, thistles, seals, rain, sand, soft, river, seagulls, dead, drizzle, sun, drizzle, anorak, on, off, Dunrobin, castle, 189 rooms, mad, Sutherland, statue, massive, overpowering, must go up, one day, heat, Germany, Italy, everywhere, drizzle, Golspie, tomato soup, butcher, postcard.
Tuesday, 18th July, Day 13: Golspie to Dornoch, 33533 steps
Beach, sand, all alone, phone, chat, chat, woods, Scots pine, chanterelles, blueberries, raspberries, Loch Fleet, mudflat, birds, noisy, everywhere, osprey nest, ospreys, cows, calves, cute, road, hard, on feet,rain, group Whatsapp, exhibition, what, should I do?, post office scandal, wild fires in Greece, rain, here, pee, before golf course, royal, of course, Dornoch, goes on, and on, sea orchins, ice cream.
Wednesday, 19th July, Day 14: Dornoch to Tain, 23210 steps
Milk & Honey, aerodrome, more golfers, Dornoch sands, tide, out, so off, to go, sea asters, no one, horse, rider, pee, rest, long, embroider, the route, the idea, concept, doubts, soft, the sand, flat istvas, sink in, climb up, fence, A9, giant, giant, motorhome, obscene, noisy, crossing, NC500 sign, roadside, rubbish, roundabout, rhododendron, Morangie, estate, postcard, stitch, St Duthus, pilgrimage, floral stained glass, unusual.
Thursday, 20th July, Day 15: Tain to Tarrel, 28km, 37159 steps
Oh man, sandy, flood plain, stride, all bliss, Dornoch, opposite, red flag, danger, zone, ach well, Ritter Sport, skirt, round, skirt, skirt, dunes, golden, tide, coming, river, Inver, no chance, skirt, skirt, watch tower, on horizon, red flags, all over, estuary, marshland, skirting, skirting, better drown, or better shot?, bang bang, retreat, back, car, MOT contractor, saw me, from watch tower, shooting range, helicopters?, landmark, contractors, .co.uk, yes, yes, ph, 20k, for 3k, the crow, as it flows, road, feet ache.
Friday 21st July, Day 16: Tarrel to Balintore, 19175 steps
TV, Bob Ross, teach quick paint, drizzle, drizzle, stitching, red, for danger, off, overgrown, Rockfield, path, good one, under cliffs, sheep, sheep, sheep shit, Moray firth, see, the future walk, Mhairi’s wedding, in my head, time, today, embroider on rock, the path, not walked, harbour, boy, with mackerels, gate, climb, Jesus, getting old, Pictish stone, Hilton, fake, Museum of Scotland, the real, mermaid, of the North, fairy story, ugly face, no artist?, postcard, Balintore Inn.
Saturday 22nd July, Day 17: Balintore to Cromarty, 23210 steps
Along the shore, leave mermaid, up, Pictish stone, road today, sea on horizon, phew, fast car, felt the wind, walk in middle, Nigg, another Pictish stone, ornamental, defaced, the heathen stuff, graveyard, community action, Euro money, cholera stone, up, up, rigs, on horizon, a sight, a site, PRIVATE, path, wow, WW1, WW2, gun battery, theatre, exhibition centre, must show you, down, gorse, impenetrable, path?, Euro money?, fence, down, rigs, dismantled, ferry, 1984, Glasgow, precarious.
Sunday 23rd July, Day 18: Cromarty to Rosemarkie, 28245 steps
Pub, last night, rig, small town, like filmset, heavy rain, porridge, sun, up Sutors Point, WW2 pill box, listed?, should be, up, up, barley fields, dolphins, a shawl, wow, at long last, the tide, coming in, damn, road, long road, above, the sea, soles hurt, road-side flowers, marguerites, red campion, clover, cow parsley, meadow sweet, cat’s ears…, floragista, for B+B lady, Janice, eggs, honesty box, fairy glen, more tourists, then rest of walk.
Monday 24th July, Day 18: Rosemarkie to Inverness, 37182 steps
Janice, porridge, long day, no coast, shop, Fortrose, railway track, cool, good, for walking, fire in Rhodes, heat everywhere else, farmers, here, harvest, in July?, barley left, wheat right, tarmac, don't like, Scarpa, hold the bunion, tame, Scarpa v. Meindl, Munlochy, clootie well, Norma walk, bay, mud flats, Wild Fowler Club, no spelling mistake, bird sound, everywhere, woods, overgrown, steep down, Kessock bridge, traffic, crazy, another world.
Friday 28th July, Day 22: Inverness to Ardersier, 25734 steps
Lost tablecloth, orange, yesterday, LNER, panic, unlocked it, staff, 10.30pm, relief, imagine?, family, exhausted, from holiday, sunny, today, no access, to beach, woods, dog, argument, nice stride, mushrooms, feel fresh, Tornagrain, planned, weird, in a pretty way, lunch, long wait, annoyed, anyway, move on, BA above, KLM, airport, road, cars, cars, florage, for my hostess, no pavement, jump, fence, beach, stoney, slippy, tide out, thanks, Welcome to Ardersier.
