[This walk was completed on Thursday 23rd May 2024]

Today, I’m jumping ahead of myself on my walk – for a very good reason. It is too windy to cycle safely and, without my bike, I have no way of getting back to where I ended my previous walk – in the middle-of-nowhere place called Crackaig.

But, there happens to be a bus service along the A9. So, I can catch a bus to the next place up the coast, a village called Brora. From here, I will be walking back to my base in Golspie.

The weather forecast yesterday was for rain and wind, all day, so I took the day off as a “rest day” and visited a local castle. Turns out, I chose the wrong day as a rest day. Because, when I opened the front door of my rented cottage in Golspie this morning, nearly half the street blew in – it was so windy!

Too windy to cycle safely, but not too windy to walk.

The bus drops me off on the outskirts of Brora. I walk past an interesting clock tower / memorial…

… and the John o’Groats Trail is signposted off the main road.

I walk under the railway line, and head down to Brora harbour. It’s really very pretty.

An information board tells me the harbour was built by the first Duke of Sutherland to service his coal mine and his brick works. It was also used as a salmon port. There are signs that it is still used as a fishing port.

I head down the road towards the shore, and when I reach the open sea, the full force of the wind hits me. It is ferocious. And the waves beyond the harbour are impressive.

Yes, there really are people surfing. I stand and watch them for some time, and take a few photographs, but they are too far away for decent photo shots.

I’m heading south along the sea front. Following a road at this point. “Golspie 6 miles” says a sign, and tells me, “Route follows coastline and is not waymarked.”

Is this a good or bad thing? Hopefully, if the path follows the shore closely, you can’t get lost. On the other hand, why warn about the lack of waymarks?

Well, I have my paper OS map and my trusty Garmin. I won’t get lost.

The road ends at a strange prison-like building. I think this might actually be a holiday camp! It looks most uninviting, I must say.

Skirting the unfriendly prison / holiday camp, the footpath continues along the shore. Tide is high, and the beach is too stoney to walk along easily. And look at those ominous clouds ahead!

But, I soon find a lovely sandy beach above the pebbles, and I drop down off the bank to walk along the sand. How wonderful. And not a person in sight.

Along here, my youngest daughter suddenly gives me a ring. I sit down on a stone and chat to her for a good 20 minutes, while watching the sea. Full of sea gulls, bobbing on choppy waves. And seals!

(I don’t manage to catch any decent photographs of the seals. You will have to imagine them.)

My daughter is unexpectedly pregnant, having fully recovered from her breast cancer (she documented her treatment here: The C-Bomb). I am so glad I survived my own treatment. There is so much in life to look forward to.

I can’t resist taking photos of the lovely pebbles on the beach – some with dramatic markings. This one looks too geometric to be real. I think of all the aeons of history held within that one small rock. Geology really is amazing.

I reach an area of vegetated dunes, and the path runs along the grassy top of the bank. I make good progress, as this path is easier than stumbling over pebbles.

I pass a pretty waterfall on my right. It’s not marked as a waterfall on my map, but this may be where Sputie Burn drops down towards the sea. Beautiful.

I’m always amazed that these scenic places in Scotland seem virtually unknown and unvisited. In the crowded south of England, this lovely waterfal would be a major tourist attraction!

Dunes give way to cliffs. Look at the layers in this rockface! I sit on a nearby piece of driftwood, shrug off my ruck sack, and tuck into my picnic lunch.

Sadly, I have to cut my break short because of a rather unpleasant smell. Closer inspection reveals a dead seabird behind my driftwood. Ewww.

Onwards.

The cliffs are left behind, and I’m walking along a flat area. Fields of sheep to my right. A noisy, rough sea to my left. Misty hills in front.

I walk past a ruined shed. A cow barn? A sheep shed? Or just a storage space? It is currently full of old tyres, and the corrugated iron sheets on the roof flap and clang in the stiff wind.

I am glad the wind is more or less behind me. It would be unpleasant to be walking into it. In fact, I find gusty wind the most tricky weather condition of them all, as you are constantly struggling to keep your balance and it is difficult to get into a good, regular rhythm of walking.

People above me. First human beings I have seen since leaving Brora. They are standing on the remains of an old broch – Carn Liath Broch

It is surrounded by fences, and I can’t be bothered to clamber up the hill and try to find a way through to take a closer look at the broch. Another thing to add to my list of places to revisit one day.

The John o’Groats trail has taken me inland, away from the shore and the noise of waves on pebbles. I’m walking through fields of lambs and sheep. They are hunkered down, trying to hide from the wind, but lumber up when I get closer and run away.

Sorry sheep.

Ah, there is a beautiful castle ahead. Dunrobin Castle. It doesn’t look like your average Scottish castle – grim and forbidding – but more like an elegant French chateau.

In fact, I visited Dunrobin Castle yesterday, on my “rest day”. Despite the weather forecast of rain all day, it didn’t rain much, and I spent my whole visit walking around the amazing gardens and watching a falconry display. The inside of the castle might be very lovely too, but I stayed outside. (Another place to add to the list for a revisit!)

As I get closer to Dunrobin, I enter a patch of woodland.

It is wonderful to be walking through trees, and a nice break from the exposed, flat area of coast behind me. And just look at all the bluebells – spreading in carpets. And they smell gorgeous.

There are people on the path ahead, and I feel a bit indignant. People on MY path? How dare they!

I was worried I wouldn’t get a good view of the castle from the woodland, but the space in front of the castle is clear of trees and I stop to take photographs. It really is a beautiful place.

Further along, I come to a stone monument. “Littleferry battlefield trail.” I’ve never heard of the battle of Littleferry, but apparently it did happen back in 1746. [You can read about the battle and the trail here.]

I’m leaving Dunrobin Castle behind. The wall that surrounds the inner grounds is about to come to an end.

This really is a lovely section of the walk. Green grass underfoot. The wind has calmed. The sea is a flat, milky-blue/green colour. And the rain has held off. Perfect walking conditions.

I come across a bench – a rare find on the Scottish coast. Stop for a drink and a snack, and a rest. (I do get tired so easily these days.) Then, I use the bench to support my camera while I set the timer to take a self-portrait.

On the banks of the Golspie Burn, I turn inland to make my way back to the main road. Here I have a choice – ford or bridge?

The ford looks slippery underfoot, so I opt for the bridge, and get home with dry feet.

Tomorrow, I will cycle back to Crackaig and fill in the missing gap of my walk. Crackaig to Brora. Wind permitting.

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Miles walked today = 6.5 miles

Total distance around coast = 5,141 miles

Route today:

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