[This walk was completed on Monday, the 15th May 2023]

I park my Scooty bike beside the turn-off to the Cnoc Mor relay station above Kirtomy. Can see the large mast on the hill in the distance, where I stopped to enjoy the views yesterday.

I had to leave my comfortable hotel this morning, after two glorious nights in a warm bed, with an ensuite shower – such luxury! I celebrated by eating a proper breakfast of fried eggs, bacon and tomatoes (no mushrooms, sadly). Then I drove to a place called Armadale and cycled back here, to the end point of yesterday’s walk.

After locking the bike, I turn eastwards and start walking along the road. It is nearly all going to be road walking today.

The cycle ride here was very hard work, even with an electric bike. The wind was blowing against me, driving sleet into my face at one point. And the roads are atrocious – in most places the road surface consists of lumpy gravel held together with a bit of asphalt. This creates a juddering ride, which is not only very uncomfortable but the friction on the tyres makes it hard to maintain speed.

Despite many days of walking, my fitness levels don’t seem to have improved.

You will gather I’m not in a good mood. It doesn’t help that the road is actually quite boring. Not much to look at, apart from windswept bracken and grass. The only excitement is the occasionally hold-up caused by sheep ambling across the road.

Why do the sheep cross the road? Because the grass always looks greener on the other side, I presume.

A little kink in the road adds some interest and I spot the only house for miles around – actually the only house I see along this whole stretch of road. What a lonely place to live!

The road goes on and on. Here is where I battled against sleet earlier while on the bike. Luckily, the weather seems to have cheered up and the sun is shining through a scattering of high clouds.

I wonder why so many of the road-side warning poles are lying flat on the ground. Battered down by the winds, or bowled over by cars?

It is quite a treacherous road, I would imagine, in the winter. Two lanes give the impression you can speed, but the occasional tight bend would punish any careless driver.

“REDUCE SPEED NOW” warns a sign.

Onwards and upwards. The long ridge to my right is Crasbackie Hill, according to my map.

Finally, I find a place where I can leave the road and walk along a higher strip of land beside the tarmac. And, from up here, I am rewarded by a view of the sea. That must be Armadale Bay ahead, although I can’t see any sand yet.

All too soon, I must rejoin the road. But the sun is shining and my destination is in sight. I cheer up.

Somewhere to my left is the abandoned village of Poulouriscaig, and my map shows a track leading from there to Armadale. I did have some vague plans about walking to Poulouriscaig from Cnoc Mor, keeping closer to the coast and avoiding the road altogether. But I chickened out from attempting the cross-country route. Partly because of the poor terrain, concern that the track didn’t really exist, and fear of other hazards… such as cows.

Hello cows!

The road begins winding downwards, and now I have a lovely view of Armadale Bay. The road into Armadale village is just ahead, where the delivery van is turning. Nearly there!

The little lane into Armadale is wonderful. Such a change from the emptiness of the past few miles. Leaning lamposts, people in their gardens, roofers at work, and flowers, trees and shrubs to look at.

My plan is to follow a little path down to the beach. My map shows the route as a dotted line, but it is always a relief to find the path actually exists in real life. Here it is…

… and what a lovely little path it turns out to be. Just a few hundred yards, but such varied scenery. I walk beside a field’s edge dotted with wild flowers, through a grove of twisted trees, down to a little stream…

… and then through fragrant gorse bushes, across a small barrier of vegetated dunes…

… and finally emerge onto the beach beside the wide mouth of the little stream, where I hop across stones to get to the sand.

I’m tired and it is nearly 2pm. Time to sit down and have something to eat. The large rock (in the middle of the photo above) makes a convenient, but uncomfortable, seat for lunch.

Balancing my camera on another rock, I attempt a self portrait. The first shot cuts off my head and shoulders. The second photo is somewhat better, but I have my eyes closed!

Of course, as soon as I sit down, the sun goes behind a cloud. The rock is uncomfortable and the wind is chilly. Luckily I don’t seem to have much of an appetite these days, and I finish my lunch quickly.

But this beach is lovely. The tide is going out, exposing acres of empty sand. Nobody here, except a lone woman who is trying to train her dog to come to heel when she calls him. She seems to be doing well.

I walk along the sands to the end of the bay. The sun comes out again, shining low acoss the beach and bouncing reflections off the gleaming sands. Gorgeous colours. Can’t resist more photographs.

At the end of the beach, another little stream crosses the sand. This is Armadale Burn, and a path leads up its eastern bank. This is actually the official path down to the beach.

I’m sad to leave the sands behind, and stop to take more photographs looking back across the mouth of the burn and beautiful Armadale Bay.

Ah, here are some picnic benches! I needn’t have perched on that uncomfortable stone, after all. Never mind, the picnic table makes a solid base for another self-portrait. This one is MUCH better.

I walk up the river bank, where a substantial bridge crosses the burn and a wide gravel track takes me back to the main road.

A car is parking on the verge, and an elderly couple get out and begin walking down the track towards the beach. We exchange remarks about the beautiful weather and the lovely scent of gorse that fills the air. One of the most beautiful scents in the world, in my opinion.

Across the road is a tiny car park where I have left my van. I think this is the remnants of an older road, because there is an old bridge across the burn, but the route is now closed to traffic.

After my struggle this morning when I cycled against wind and sleet, I had planned to call it a day at this point. But now, refreshed from a lovely beach walk in glorious sunshine, I decide to carry on to Strathy Bay.

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[To be continued…]

Route so far today:

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