[This walk was completed on the 17th May, 2023]

I could walk back to the A836, and then walk along the main road towards Reay. But, my map indicates a path leading off to my left, which runs parallel with the road for some distance, before joining it. Here is the start.

So far so good. It’s not a very obvious path, but looks as though vehicles have driven along here. There are two separate tyre tracks through the bracken.

Oh dear. The tracks soon peter out and I’m soon wading through grass, gorse and bog!

I stop to tuck my trousers into my socks. Since I caught Lyme Disease a few years ago, I’m now paranoid about ticks.

The “path” should run close to a loch. At times, I catch glimpses of tyre tracks in the bracken, but at other times I’m just walking blind. Worryingly, there is no sign of a loch.

But, suddenly, I come over a slight rise… and there is the loch right in front of me. (It has no name on my map). I keep it to my left and continue ploughing my way owards.

Ah. The path seems to have magically reappeared. I’m on the right route after all. Near the top of the next slope I can see some rocks – a good place to sit down and have some lunch. It’s nearly 2pm.

Funnily enought, I’m not very hungry. In fact, I seem to have lost my appetite recently. It’s a good idea to stop, though, and have some snack bars and a drink – and a short rest.

Then onwards. Until I swing my camera up to take another photo… and realise I don’t have it! I hurry back down to my lunch spot and, yes, there is my camera sitting on a rock. Whew. What a relief.

Now, up over the brow of the hill and the path disappears again, but here is another loch – another nameless body of water. Again, I keep the loch to my left.

Shortly after this, I realise I’m very close to the main road. Somewhere, near here, the invisible path rejoins the road. I decide to head straight down and get back onto solid tarmac.

Later, walking along the road, I see a track coming down on my left. Was this the track I was supposed to follow? Don’t know, and it looks too obvious and too clear to be my track!

I pass a sign which has its back to me. Cross the road to see what it says – “Welcome to the County of Sutherland.” A nearby stone obelisk reminds me this is “Mackay Country”.

Of course, I’m actually leaving Sutherland and Mackay Country, but I think back to when I first saw a sign welcoming me to Mackay Country… and it was way back near the Kylesku bridge, just south of Scourie. That was in 2022.

Wow. Mackay Country is huge!

Back on my side of the road is another sign. “Welcome to Caithness”

Next to this is a little sign warning me to beware of sheep. Some joker has added a white sticker, a mushroom sticker, and googly eyes to the sheep.

I wonder if its the same person who created the unicorn sign I saw yesterday? Or is altering sheep signs a common pastime in the Highlands? To be fair, there isn’t much else to do around here!

From the road, I can see another loch. This one actually has a name – Loch Hollistan – according to my map. It seems surrounded by little structures. Fishing stations? It’s not clear to me.

Onwards. I don’t like this road. It’s a wide two-lane highway – which means cars come whizzing along. Frightening.

So, I’m relieved to round a bend and spot my camper van. When I left him this morning, he was all alone in the layby, but now looks as though he has found a friend!

I climb into the back of the van, make myself a cup of tea and look out over the view. That is Reay below me, and Dounreay across the bay. A nuclear power station – or it was a nuclear power station. Now decommissioned.

That is where I am heading tomorrow.

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I don’t add up the miles as I walk, but later I realised that this was the day I achieved the 5,000 mile waymark, on my 505th day of walking!

Miles walked today = 6 miles (yes, another miserly distance)

Total around coast = 5,005.5 miles

Route (earlier in black, this section in red):

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