Today was a long one – by any standards!
Anyway, before getting into that, being Sunday, breakfast was a little later which meant we had some extra rest time and left the hotel ready for the 2nd longest (distance) day of the whole journey.
Early Sunday morning meant quiet roads from the start which was helpful. Walking through Latheron and onwards and enjoying the scenery, a rainbow and the first of many bridges.
Nice memorial to First World War soldiers and then a road sign that didn’t seem at all helpful – 30 miles still to go! More stunning scenery and then we got to the strangely named Latheronwheel.
Plodding along at a steady pace we passed through Dunbeath, birthplace of Neil M. Gunn, and a view of a huge White House built on the cliff edge and, of course, another bridge.
Neil Miller Gunn was a prolific novelist, critic and dramatist who emerged as one of the leading lights of the Scottish Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. With over 20 novels to his name, Gunn was arguably the most influential Scottish writer of the first half of the 20th century.
Some more stunning scenery, through Berriedale Braes (a brae is a steep bank or hillside) and into Berriedale itself with views of Berriedale castle before descending a long hill and, consequently, ascending a brutal hill back up out of the valley. Berriedale Castle (meaning rocky ground) was developed from a 14th Century stronghold of Sir Reginald Cheyenne.
We then crossed the border – from Caithness into Sutherland and walked down into Helmsdale for our lunch.
Helmsdale was planned in 1814 to resettle communities that had been removed from the surrounding straths (broad mountain valley) as part of the Highland Clearances.
Finally our destination, Brora, came into view at the end of a long sandy beach – what looked so close was in fact a very long way away! But, as always, we arrived at our end point – the Royal Marine hotel.
55.1km and 64,200 steps later it was very welcome to sit down and have a nice cup of tea and some huge shortbread biscuits. I’m sure we all look as fresh as when we started the day
Total donations received by the end of today stands at £29,425 which is amazing but still a long way to go to reach our target