Holborn Hotel Thurso

Off to the next hostel, Sandra's in Thurso where I got a private room as there were no dorms left. At last a good nights sleep! Sandra's hostel was fairly small but I still managed to bump into a group of about 12 guys who stayed at Casrbisdale Castle the night ...

... the A99 along the East coast stopping occasionally to take a photo or two. I got to John O'Groats around 3pm and there was not much going on, just a few cyclists coming in from their Lands End trip and having their photos taken around the famous sign post. I sneaked a picture of the sign while the man wasn't watching and then headed off to the Stacks of Duncansby just about 2 miles from John O'Groats for a few more pictures.

... cake and tea - "Will you not be having another cake Charlie?" If you insist!

An inspection of my right foot reveals a two-inch blood blister all down one side! That'll make the going easier...

What made me smile today:

Sunshine
The nice barmaid at The Portland Arms
Their delicious shortbread
The names of the villages - Thrumster, Occumster and Lybster. Must be because they are Norse!

... the rabbits playing in the fading light. An early one for me as it's a long day tomorrow.

Things that made me smile today:

The sun coming out
Seeing a red deer as I leave the offroad section at Skirza
The ease of setting up the tent and using the JetBoil stove. Thanks Robin - they're brilliant!
A late night text from a friend checking I'm ok and cheering me on

... a friendly B&B. I think I'm going to need this as some days I won't be smiling much!

It's early evening by the time I arrive in J O'G and there is a beautiful pink sunset. Camera in hand, I get a couple of shots of the harbour, the Last House and the view over to Stroma and the Orkneys. Having exhausted the delights of J O'G in about five minutes, I turn in for an early night as my departure looms...

... The civilisation is remarkably advanced given that this was before the pyramides. There are also a few sets of standing stones (current theory is one for the moon cycle and one for the sun) on the island, which are huge. most of them have been re-erected in about 1906- apparantly it only takes about 8 men and a huge wedge thing to lift them even though some stones are several ton. Currently there are a whole bunch of archaeologists digging ...

We have managed to hit the great majority of Scotland today, as we drove from Ediburgh in the South (Edinburgh is to Scotland a bit like Brisbane is to Queensland), through Fort William in the West to Inverness in the East and up to Freswick (near John O'Groats) in the North. Start time was about 9am and we finished up at about 7:30 having covered rather a lot of ground.

The day didn't start particularly well (but did improve, along with ...

... A deep channel meant you could paddle out without getting your hair wet. Surfers are a bunch of intrepid muppets when you think about it. Days of travelling in exchange for literally seconds (if you’re lucky) of wave time. What is wrong with us? Is surfing nothing more than a bit of shameless escapism and a quick adrenaline fix?? What I do know is that afterwards there is genuinely nothing better than a fat mug of coffee and hot shower to regain the feeling in my face.

Woke to sunshine - again, but pretty high winds. The boys set off at 9.00 on the last leg of their adventure. With Bill riding in front, the boys were aided by strong winds from the rear(s) which aided the ascent of the steep 10 mile climb. The chicane at Berridale was the final uphill challenge, they thought, but they all stayed in the saddle and pushed over the top. The next 10 miles were somewhat easier and they pulled into a most ...

We arrived in the North of Scotland over the weekend. We have been settling in and exploring a bit. It is really pretty up here in the country side and as much as I liked the hustle and bustle of London, I think I feel most at home in the countryside. We went for a run with the dog, Meg, along a beach near Craigs house. Punching along through the sand, and some seaweeds. A slight breeze and the waves crashing in next us, almost ...