Total miles: 16.2
Elevation gain: 931 ft
Time walking: 10am – 7pm
Miles to date: 1,323.1
Wow. After 95 days you’d think I would be getting used to everything that comes with long distance walking; the emotions, the aches and pains, the scenery, the joy, the challenges, the pride, the humility, the wonder, the excitement, the routine….but no, every day still hits me in some way, some more than others. Today was a big buffeting wave that rolled over me and somehow embraced and knocked me all at the same time, and I’m almost at a loss for words to describe it! Today’s walk was one of the most beautiful days and also one of the more challenging days and came with a huge mixture of emotions. I know it is one of those days that will stay with me forever.
As all good walking days should start, I had a good breakfast and a really lovely chat with my Airbnb host Caroline (I highly recommend her gorgeous, peaceful little B&B, Sputieburn, in Doll!). Once again, it proved that one of the most incredible things about this journey is the people I meet along it. I left the house in my waterproofs as we were due heavy showers all day but it wasn’t long before I took my jacket off. The showers came, on and off, but they were mostly light and the wind had dropped today so it was mostly warmer. The wind still picked up every now and then and prompted donning of the jacket for warmth (it’s around 12-14 degrees max during the day here now, but the wind strips away several more degrees!).
It was a short walk back down to the beach where I’d left off yesterday, where the pretty Sputie Burn cascades off a mini cliff down to a pool on the beach. A waterfall is always nice, but first thing – it’s a good beginning to a walk! The beach was still and beautiful. Without the wind the sea was flat, and silvery under a sky that hadn’t quite made up its mind, with gentle waves rhythmically lapping the tiny pebbles at the water’s edge. I was immediately filled with a sense of calm. The sound of the waves, the light breeze carrying scents of salt, fresh air, space and possibility, the serene light, all added to a sense of contentment and peace that went deep to my core. It was so beautiful, even right there, that I could feel tears and emotion welling up and the desire to impart even a little bit of this feeling, this sense of being right here right now, to everyone who needed it – present-ness, peace, fulfilment, grounding, alignment, connection – whatever you might call it. It was a feeling that stayed with me most of the day and I know it has some part to play in my future.
It was almost hard to keep walking at first. If it had been a shorter or easier day I might have sat on a rock there and then, and stayed all day! But I knew I had a challenging walk ahead and I did not want to be caught out by the light along a pathless coastline! I thanked myself for booking Orkney – where I’ll have time to sit on endless beaches – and carried on. A lot of the path merges into one in my memory, but the first two or so miles were reasonably straightforward as the path between Golspie and Brora, although not waymarked, is known and used. It was still quiet though, I didn’t see anybody else out, despite it being a Saturday! I wasn’t alone though – at one point I looked more carefully at some of the small rocks just poking out of the sea, swearing that they’d moved, wondering if my mind was playing tricks with me, when one of them disappeared completely, only to reappear again a few metres to the left. Seals! My first up close seals! There they were, just bobbing along in the sea, watching me curiously. Once I’d worked out what they were they were easy to spot – they bob along with their noses pointed up at the sky, then look around, then sometimes take a quick swim. They always look so happy, just floating around! I was thrilled to have seen them, but when I was a bit further along it got more exciting – there were a whole group of seals on the beach! At this point the path ran inside a field so I wasn’t on the beach which I was glad of, it meant I didn’t disturb them too much but also I got closer before they realised I was there as the field dipped out of view for a bit. As I drew nearer they saw me and some eyed me warily, some grunted and “oomfed” their way into the safety of the waves. They move pretty fast, for creatures without arms or legs! They are amusing to watch when they are lolloping their way into the sea. Is that a word?! Lollop? I don’t know, but it suits seals very well!
All this in about two miles. Today was going to be a glorious – if slow – day! I reached the seaside village of Brora which seemed incredibly sleepy for a Saturday but there was a nice little cafe open so I decided to stop for a coffee and some lunch as there was nothing between there and Helmsdale. The ladies in the cafe were so friendly, and even though they see many End-to-Enders they still showed a lovely mixture of admiration, interest and encouragement. The panini and coffee were delicious too, and set me up well for the next section.
The next couple of miles were easy and beautiful, along the edge of a golf course on a path through the sand dunes. The sky was a mixture of colours from grey to white to blue and the colours reflected on the sea. It was incredible to clearly see half the sea blue, half grey. Along the northern coast ahead of me the hills rolled into the sea with the sun and clouds dappling their bracken covered slopes. A light shower passed over me and headed towards the hills, momentarily veiling them in grey, and then, the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. It poured out of the clouds and into the sea, colours shimmering vibrantly. It grew brighter over the next few minutes and I kept stopping to watch it and to try to capture its brilliance on photo, expecting it to disappear any moment. It shone there for well over five minutes though, a beacon signalling my onward path!
At the end of the golf course the railway line, a near-constant companion throughout the day (although only about four trains a day I think) drew near to the beach and I had my first burn crossing. It looked narrow and easy. Unfortunately it was just wide enough that it was un-jumpable and just deep enough that potential stepping stones were submerged or dangerously slippery. After a few minutes of trying to figure out how I could get across without taking my boots off, I resigned myself to having my first enforced paddle of the day. I wasn’t bothered about getting my feet wet, it was quite nice actually, but it’s a real palava, taking the gaiters and boots off, rolling up waterproofs and trousers, crossing (literally in two steps) and then drying feet off properly and ensuring no sand is left to irritate my toes then putting everything back on again. It’s a lot of effort to move forward less than a metre!! Boots back on and feet feeling a little refreshed after their chilly paddle, the path crossed into a field on a small rustic stile, with white paint splashes on fence posts marking the way – always reassuring to find waymarkers, even when it’s reasonably obvious where you need to head….keep the sea to your right….! Out of the field the other side and across another small burn – this one small enough to half tiptoe half jump across.
The path then gets incredibly squeezed between the railway and the beach, and with the tide being mostly in there wasn’t much of an option to walk on the sand so it was a bit of boulder hopping along a rocky embankment beside the railway (with a handy fence in between to cling on to where bits got a bit narrow). There were small sections of grass covered bank too and as I walked along these I instinctively stepped over something in my path. I turned around to see what it was and to my amazement saw an adder curled up in the grass, sunbathing. I’ve never seen a live adder before! I didn’t get too close, adders being venomous (not quite your Aussie killers but can still do some harm!), but it was beautiful with its olive and black zigzags. Hard to tell how big as it was folded up in a concertina, but probably no more than two thirds of a metre, and much more slender than I expected. I left it be and headed on, a warm fuzzy feeling at having seen a little bit more of nature’s magic. A little further on was burn crossing number three, this one wider than the other two, a couple of metres from bank to bank. I spent a few moments looking for the best place to cross. The beach end was relatively shallow if I could dodge the incoming waves, with just one slightly deeper section that looked like it would require boots to come off. In the middle it looked like there could be some stones to hop across but the burn was flowing just a little too quickly – I didn’t trust my balance enough and envisioned an unwanted bath. I opted in the end to cross just under the railway bridge, where there was a slight ledge over which the water fell. It looked just about shallow enough to cross with my boots on (yes, I was getting lazy already!), although there was a small scramble down to get to that section. I made it across no problem, but I can tell my boots aren’t as waterproof as they used to be – or the morning’s wet grass had soaked them enough that they were just letting in any old water now – as although no water went over the top of my boots I still ended up with one slightly wet foot. In hindsight I probably should have just climbed up into the small railway bridge as I don’t think there was another train for ages, but somehow I preferred to face the water than a train!
The next section of path went through (thankfully cow-free) fields and was fairly easy to follow, with another rainbow showing me the way, this time a full arch right over the path ahead! When the path dropped back more or less to the beach I noticed movement in the flat sea beside me. I watched for a while, and a head popped out of the water, looking at me curiously. The seal dove under again, emerging a little closer this time, and then I noticed two others a little further away. They swam closer, inquisitive, and I watched them for a while before heading on along just above the beach. They swam along with me for a while, following me along the coast, and it felt nice to feel like I had a little bit of company! The path ventured up some bracken covered rough ground for a short while but although overgrown there were definite signs of a path which was promising – the trail is obviously being used at points by someone! Along here I saw yet another incredible rainbow, the best one yet, full, bright and a double, pouring into the sea. They are magical things, rainbows!
The day had gone well so far and I was coping well with the “rough” path. Then I reached Loth Burn! Yikes. The developers of the trail stress heavily that the trail is mostly unfinished and challenging in many parts, with a rating given to each section (red/amber/green) giving an overview of just how challenging/unfinished it is. This section is currently marked amber, and I think it’s probably all down to Loth Burn! I followed the instructions in the guide through fairly well beaten down vegetation to the edge of the burn just beneath the tall bridge over which the railway runs. My heart sank. The burn was wide – about 4 metres – and was flowing fast and deep. The guide suggested wading using a weir as a handrail and I could see the paint splash markers on the other side, but that river did not look remotely safe to even try to cross. I looked back at the guidebook, confused. It did say that it was the second biggest river crossing on the whole trail, and it had an alternative crossing suggestion at the beach, so I decided to try there. It was wider at the beach which meant the current looked much less fierce, and it wasn’t so deep. At least the bottom was a bit more obvious! It was cross here or retrace my steps and find an alternative…which definitely wasn’t ideal as the road had veered away from the coast a mile or so back. I looked at the river again and decided that it would be cold, but safe, as long as I took it steady. So it was boots off again, rolling my trousers etc to above my knees, getting the walking poles out and into the water I went. Brrr! It was chilly and quickly went calf deep, and it was uncomfortable and slow going on the pebbly bottom, but the flow wasn’t too strong and as long as I went steadily it was ok. There was a deeper section two thirds of the way across where the water went over my knees up to mid thigh, soaking the bottom of my rolled up trousers. I had to take a deep breath and remind myself to go slow – wet trousers were better than a full dunking! My patience paid off and I made it safely to the other side, where I rested (and recovered my nerves!) on a rock while rewarding myself with chocolate and jelly babies while my feet dried off a little in the faint sunlight. I’d made it! The river crossing had certainly made this section a little more intrepid though, and it took me a while to get back into the happy place I’d been in earlier on in the day, not to mention a little while for my feet and ankles to warm back up again! Brrr that water was fresh! I’d changed into my waterproof socks though, which were nice and cosy after my somewhat damp other socks.
[Edit: I spoke to the trail developer about Loth Burn and showed him some pictures of that river and a couple of the others. He said he’s never seen them that high before! Which explains why it has usually been relatively safe to cross Loth Burn beneath the bridge. They are currently trying to get a contractor to look at the crossing and provide a quote for a bridge, so hopefully the crossing will be much easier for future walkers!].
Thankfully the path took an easier route again after the river crossing, up into a sprawling, peaceful (and slightly eerie!) caravan park at Crackaig. It looked like people either left their caravans there or you hire a permanently-placed caravan. They were dotted along on top of the cliffs, with stunning views! You can camp there too. It was practically deserted, which I think is why it felt a tad eerie. It made for pleasantly easy walking on grass tracks for a mile or so though, which was nice but not fully appreciated until I came to the next section – a couple of miles pushing through long grass in sand dunes with little more than intermittent sheep tracks to follow. At least I knew what general direction I had to head! It was hard work but not unpleasant walking, with more deserted beaches and more seals. I didn’t spot this bunch until they saw me and noisily made for the water, from the safety of which they turned to watch me warily. There were at least twenty, possibly thirty there, all shapes and sizes (I’m assuming a mix of common and grey seals), and some of this year’s pups.
The last kilometre or so was a mixture of scrambles along narrow rocky escarpments and walking along the beach or sections of grass above, picking my way through on an increasingly well defined path. The sun had turned into that gorgeous golden late afternoon colour and bathed the sand and the rocks in a warm glow, silhouetting the coastline behind me and creating colours in the clouds on the horizon that reflected onto the sea. Once again I could have sat on the beach for ages, watching the colours change, but I was conscious I had a couple of miles to go before I reached Helmsdale and I definitely didn’t want to be caught on the coast path as dusk fell! Thankfully the path leaves the coast for the final stretch of the day, cutting across the railway at a level crossing and heading up a good track into the little village of Portgower. From there it follows a track inland and uphill to cross a burn then takes a back lane through Gartymore to drop down much closer to Helmsdale, crossing the bridge over the Helmsdale River with the A9. Daylight was fading as I walked through Gartymore and the lights in the town and around the harbour down below looked incredibly inviting! It started to drizzle as I headed down the hill and I was definitely ready for a cup of tea and a good sit down!
I am staying in a beautiful old house which is an Airbnb but I have the house to myself which is a treat. After the obligatory cup of tea I headed back out into the tiny town to find the one food shop, a Spar. This shop was amazing, it sold everything! I passed a couple of pubs and restaurants on the way and part of me was sorely tempted to duck in for some food but I also was very keen on the idea of having a hot shower, cooking myself something simple and healthy and curling up for an early night! I just about had enough brain power left to buy some sensible food for the next few days while I was there, without buying toooo many cakes and other such sweet treats…!
Today has been epic. I’m so grateful the weather was good as it would have been a lot tougher in the rain. The photos, while amazing, don’t really do it justice! I’m loving this trail. I didn’t realise quite how spectacular it would be. And river crossing aside, it hasn’t been all that bad. It gets less easy from here though, with most days except the last couple marked as amber or red. Tomorrow (a rest day, yay, my final one!) I’m meeting Jay Wilson, the trail developer, to pick his brains about the onward route. Watch this space…!
[For more photos from today, visit my Facebook page: @jlemarinel.lejog]
