Total miles: 11.6
Elevation gain: 1,522 ft
Time walking: 9:45am – 5pm
Miles to date: 1,395.2
I am sitting outside my tent, wrapped up in multiple layers, with a spectacular view of the Stacks of Duncansby, and Duncansby Head just beyond. If you aren’t familiar with the geography of north east Scotland that basically means two things. Firstly, I am about 2.5 miles from my finishing point at John O’Groats. Secondly, that I have one of the most spectacular camping spots in the country! My incredible journey ends tomorrow morning when after 103 days and a fraction under 1,400 miles I finally reach that famous signpost at the very top of Great Britain.
Most of today felt surreal. I woke up to a beautiful morning, in a room overlooking the sea and the sunrise, and after a lovely breakfast Neil dropped me back at Keiss to start my penultimate leg and last full day of walking.
The morning’s path took me between the two Keiss castles, one old, one new, the old ruins standing tall against the blue sky beside the sea, the “new” castle (18th century) tucked back a little. More beautiful coastline, the cliffs gradually starting to get a little higher again. The rocks here are really blocky – almost like the gods have been playing a giant game of Tetris! I pass a large broch which looks like it had inner and outer walls and multiple outer buildings, and a strange broch-like monument built in honour of the man who first excavated the settlement. It’s amazing to think that people were living here well over 2000 years ago, tucked away among those walls!
Some soggy walking alongside a pig farm was rewarded by the dramatic ruins of Bucholly Castle, perched high on what is virtually a sea stack, just the tiniest ridge of rock connecting it to the mainland. It was blustery, so I didn’t venture over for closer inspection! Around the next headland I have a great views of Freswick Bay, with Skirza (the last little settlement before John O’Groats) spread out in the middle and Freswick Castle at the southern end. My route past Freswick Castle took me through a large patch of nettles but thankfully Jay had warned me of these so I was ready to switch into scrub-bashing mode! Down onto the beach and then quickly back inland slightly to get across a burn that I couldn’t be bothered to ford. Back on the beach and then a bit of field walking. Thankfully the cows that had left cowpats and deep hoof marks were nowhere to be seen!
The path drops down to the beach again below shallow cliffs where there are fantastic colours and interesting rocks, then up to a bench made out of boulders and pebbles overlooking the bay, a bench that Neil had made! I had reached my lunch stop.
It’s funny how I expected this section of the journey to be really remote and lonely – I’ve ended up making lots of friends in these parts! Neil made me a delicious lunch of homemade soup, chicken sandwich and a cup of tea, which was all much more civilised than I had expected for my last day! I didn’t dare stop too long as I didn’t trust myself to get going again, but Neil walked the next half mile with me which was nice.
The weather wasn’t so nice by the time I was rounding Skirza head and onto the home straight. It could definitely have been a lot worse though – it was dry at least – so I’m not complaining! Lost in my thoughts and carefully picking my way around a couple of narrow geos sudden movement ahead makes me jump. A young red deer skitters out of the dip in front of me and starts to run away along the cliff. He tries to jump the fence but fails, crashing into wire, sending it shivering. He panics, and bolts back towards me, passing me just a few metres away, scarily close the the cliff edge. He was so close I could see his patchy fur and the wild look in his eye. I watched him dash off and leap on his way over ditches and, more successfully this time, a fence or two. I’m amazed at how many deer I have seen in the last week. From resigning myself to perhaps not seeing any, to seeing deer most days! Just the one stag though. He was very special!
I could tell I was getting further away from civilisation as the fences eventually ran out and the path wandered along on open moorland with not a house in sight and dramatic cliffs below. I soon reach Wife Geo, one of the more famous geos on account of the stunning near-stack right in the middle and the through-cave in one of its sides. It was an impressive sight, too much to capture in a decent photo, but standing near the edge made me a little giddy (it is a particularly deep geo) and I continued a little further away from the edge. The path was distinctly visible here, a sign that despite being away from major settlements it was reasonably well used. Given the scenery, I’m not surprised, and it was pleasant to walk along a decent (if at times boggy!) path for a change. I still didn’t actually see anyone though!
Wife Geo
Ahead was a slight rise – the Hill of Crogodale. It was barely worth calling a hill really but it certainly deserves that title for the view it delivers. There is no higher ground between the Crogodale and the islands of Orkney, which meant that I had a clear view down to the Stacks of Duncansby, Duncansby Head, John O’Groats and the islands beyond. Tiny Stroma, the closest island, was clear and distinct, with the hills of Hoy shadowy in the background. South Ronaldsay, linked to the mainland, was also clear, and the tiny island of Muckle Skerry with its lighthouse over to the east, with nothing but wide open sea beyond.
Gosh, I could see my end point! And what an end point. I’ve only ever questioned my south-north choice once, and this afternoon, looking at that view, I was heartily glad I’d stuck with my decision. The Stacks of Duncansby are genuinely spectacular. I wondered whether they might be famous solely on account of their proximity to John O’Groats, but no, they are stunning. Tall, triangular, pointy, majestic. Combined with Duncansby Head and Orkney behind, sea all around, they make for a breathtaking sight and a fitting end to my journey.
I had one last challenge for the day – finding a dry, flat camping spot. I’d set my heart on camping overlooking the Stacks, so at least that narrowed my search slightly! It actually wasn’t as hard as I had thought it might be. There were a few flattish spots and a couple were even more or less dry. My spot is ever so slightly lumpy as there’s nowhere with just plain grass, but I have to say it is actually quite cosy – the lumps are fairly squashy so provide a bit of cushioning! The main plus point though: the view. I am sitting outside looking right at the stacks. I am so happy to be here. At first when we made the plan for me to get to John O’Groats sometime in the morning I wasn’t sure it would be a great idea – part of me just wanted to get in and finish at the end of the day. But now I’m in this spot I’m incredibly grateful at how it has worked out. I have had the evening to sit and gaze at this beautiful view, contemplating my journey and preparing myself for the finish tomorrow. Some time for it to sink in that I’ve actually done this thing that I set out to do. When I started it didn’t know if I could do it. I believed I could, but I just took each day as it came and suddenly, somehow, I’ve walked nearly 1,400 miles.
I’m going to need some time to process it all, and I’m so glad I have some time in Orkney to do that. I daresay I’ll be writing a few more blog posts to wrap up the adventure, but I’m not entirely sure the magnitude of what I’ve achieved will ever really sink in!
For now though, I’m wrapped up in as many layers as possible (including a headband, hat and three hoods!) and have just added my sleeping bag to the mix. It is now dark and I can see at least 7 lighthouses and a few other lights on the islands. There’s something quite reassuring about the regular flash of the lighthouse beam as it passes my way. It has clouded over slightly now but there are still a few stars about and I can hear the waves far below. It’s a magical spot.
So, tomorrow…! The journey ends but it will also mark the start of something new. There’ll be a few more blogs to come, so if you’ve enjoyed following my posts do stick around for whatever comes next…and I daresay there’ll be another big adventure to write about in the not too-distant future!
