Swallow Thurso

... and I can't see what's wrong with it. <br><br>For some reason, I come over all emotional after Lybster, it must have been the sugar! Pulling myself together, I try to make it to Dunbeath but by a tiny place called Latheronwheel the siren's call of a B&amp;B sign is too much and I stagger to their door. <br><br>Sandy and Betty are lovely and help me hang the tent up in their garage to fully dry out, then force feed ...

... briefly and I decide to continue back to the A99 as the off-road route for the next section describes climbing over fences and walls - too much for me with a heavy pack! <br><br>A group of cyclists peddling their final few miles nod in recognition. Suddenly one stops: "Are you walking to Land's End? Wow! That's amazing! You're mad!". I thank him for his kind words and congratulate ...

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

... citizens including a winner of UK Big Brother and a winner of the Miss World pagent. Perhaps the most relevent citizen was Eliza Fraser (of Fraser Island fame), which we didn't know about until we walked past her house. The Orcadians make excellent ice cream which we did sample (best is honeycomb, then apple crumble, then Oarkney toffee swirl- however we didn't get to try the rhubarb and custard) quite a bit of despite the slightly ...

... which was probably the most amazing scenery all day. The area around Loch Ness (no sign of Nessie, though we had a good look from the ruined but still pretty Urquhart Castle on the banks of the Loch) is also very pretty, though with less rugged mountain peaks. Loch Ness is one of the larger lakes and you can sail through it now, though you'll have to navigate the Locks, but luckily all the bridges over the waters swing now (interesting to watch ...

... 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&#8217;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. <br><br>

There's something amazing about knowing that you have everything you need to survive with you. I have clothes, food, shelter and transport. What more do I need?<br><br>There's something a little bit less amazing about having all that stuff with you when you try to get it on and off several busy trains. Why did I bring so much stuff??<br><br>Train ride up was fairly uneventful, it just took a long time. I always thought that Inverness was a long way North ...

... and flags at the finish line. Total distance travelled on day 7 was 139.75 miles. Toal distance from Land's End was 906.52 miles and the total time spent cycling over the seven days was 67.47 hours. After celebrating at John O'Groats cycled the 2.5 miles to the Hostel with Sue and the children following behind in the car. Spent seven days eating continuously....three cooked meals a day and ...

... on the train meaning they had to bring in a new carriage...Fortunately George, the nicest conductor British Rail ever had was on hand to calm everything down. When we eventually got going the train ride has to be one of the worst in the UK...it got delayed at every stop pretty much...some stops are 'request stops' meaning that you have to tell George you actually want the train to stop there. So in the ...

... to walk. I feel like I am in a car wash on constant rinse cycle. 18 miles of horizontal rain to look forward to. I met Mark Allison who started his 'run' from John O'Groats to Lands end on the same day as me. (He arrived at Lands End on the 12th August http://www.justgiving.com/markallison) Taking a break at a small shop for a cuppa and a chance to stand in the ...