The Weigh Inn 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.

... verge repeatedly, sapping energy and morale.

I'm intrigued by how huge all the animals are out here - cows, sheep, even the flopsy bunnies are all enormous! Must be something in the rain!

Stopping for tea at the Portland Arms Hotel in Lybster, the lovely barmaid offers me some of their home-made shortbread. It's buttery and very sweet and gives me a much needed energy boost, especially as my right foot is ...

... 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!

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 ...

... in itself. There is no direct bus from Inverness and the quickest route seems to involve a slow bus to Wick and then another even slower bus (from the other side of Wick, of course!) to J O'G itself. Gazing out of the window I try to take in some of the landscapes I'll be walking over the next week and ponder why on earth I thought this was a good idea! The narrowness of the A99 and the twists and turns north ...

... 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 ...

... the most riveting of lectures. Our lecture theatre has the fatal flaw of providing free wireless internet to all students with a laptop – and thus access to magicseaweed. There was a seductive area of red circling towards North Scotland - the perfect swell! After 17 hours on a train and 3 hours sleep we found Thurso, perpetual lines of swell pumping from the horizon, breaking mechanically on the reef below. Our escapade north had paid off! We suited and booted and paddled ...

... orange colour. On arrival I immediately remembered why I hadn't been in a Scottish youth hostel for almost 20 years...it was as it has always been; grumpy 50 something women running the show, sheet sleeping bags, lights out and all sorts of other inane rules. As we knew we would be too late for the pub we got a couple of cans for our arrival but had to sneakily gulp them down incase miss busy body caught ...

... before devouring. He went down without a fight and was quite a tasty devil, served with Clapshot- mashed turip and potatoe. Craig was esspecially respectful and doned his full kilt for the occasion which I must say is quite striking in person! I also got to participate in the Christmas tradition of Crackers a wee bit early. Little presents pop out of packages with a bang! Quite exciting I tell you! Please enjoy the pictures!