Day 10: Invermoriston to South Laggan

Distance: 18.1 miles
Time: 6 hrs
Weather: Cloudy
Cumulative distance: 160.8 miles

Forest tracks, canal paths and...company!

The short cut from Invermoriston to rejoin the Great Glen Way had disappeared since my map was published. This now involved a one mile detour in the wrong direction and a mile returning on a slightly more elevated path. I was having none of this! Instead, I followed the A82 along the banks of Loch Ness, then scrambled up a minor track to be reunited with the GG Way.

The path eventually descended in to Fort Augustus, from where it joined the Caledonian Canal. Just then, Lynda called me to arrange to join me an hour or so later. As soon as I'd ended the call, a couple walked past in the same direction as my route, so we wandered along together for a few miles. Geoff and Christine from Preston had taken up long distance walking in their retirement and had covered many of the paths across UK. It was refreshing to see their enthusiasm and great to have my first walking company in 10 days. They also made a donation to my charity tin.

Soon afterwards, I had my second company of the day when Lynda appeared with her dog Megan. We strolled for a few miles along a dismantled railway and stopped for lunch by the loch, but soon moved on as the infamous Scottish midges made their first appearance of my journey. Out of my rucksack came the Avon Skin So Soft, which the Army apparently uses to deter the wee beasties.

As we arrived at my youth hostel accommodation, Lynda and Megan returned to her car in search of a more up market bed. I haven't stayed in a youth hostel for over thirty years, so approached with trepidation. I need not have worried. They were very welcoming and I soon settled in. My dormitory companions are a group of senior cyclists from Lancashire.

I booked a table for dinner at the Eagle Barge Inn, a Dutch barge moored at nearby Laggan Locks. Reports to follow tomorrow, which is probably my longest day's walk of the journey, 25 miles to Fort William.

Day 9: Drumnadrochit to Invermoriston

Distance: 15.3 miles
Time: 5 hrs 20 mins
Weather: Mostly sunny
Cumulative distance: 152.7 miles

A pleasant walk through woodland tracks high above Loch Ness.

Last night's dinner at Fiddlers restaurant was an international affair. In a small room in a quiet Highland village, I ate amongst Australians, Americans, Canadians, Russians and Germans. My Scottish fayre was excellent - Orkney herring, followed by venison casserole, washed down with Nessie Monster Mash bitter and Cromarty coffee-infused stout.

Checked out of my very welcoming B&B a little later than planned as the host was quite talkative. The weather forecast indicated rain, so I packed my waterproofs so that they were readily accessible. I joined the Great Glen Way along a woodland track which climbed for several miles. The rain didn't materialise and the clouds dissipated, so I was privy to super views of Loch Ness and the mountains beyond. I stumbled across a young deer a couple of metres away, but I wasn't nimble enough to pull out my camera before it disappeared into the woods. I met a few walkers en route from Denmark and Germany, but nobody appeared to be heading in my direction.

I arrived in Invermoriston, but couldn't immediately spot my next B&B. The village shop had a sign stating "back at 2.30" but by 2.50 I gave up and went into the village pub. The B&B was very close and I was made very welcome by the host, a friendly lady from Bridlington, who had moved up here with her husband.

As it was Saturday night and I hadn't reserved a table, I wandered down the road to eat early at the village pub.

Day 8: Inverness to Drumnadrochit

Distance: 15.6 miles
Time: 5 hrs 15 mins
Weather: Sunny
Cumulative distance: 137.4 miles

A route change and a gentle stroll along the edge of Loch Ness.

I met Lynda at the Castle Tavern last night and it was good to exchange travel stories over a meal and a few beers. Lynda is touring Scotland by car in a unique figure of eight shape, but seems to have experienced more rain than me. I returned to the hotel just as Cinderella's coach was about to depart, my latest night so far.

Breakfast entertainment was provided by a 2 year old Chinese girl who poured a pot of yogurt over her head! The best part of breakfast was finding out that I have now reached my £10,000 target. I haven't got Pat Snell's email details with me, so I'll have to thank him publicly for his generous donation which took me to the target and promise him a beer when I return some day. Of course, I'll now have to increase my target!

I crossed the river to collect my boots - the stretched right boot immediately felt more comfortable. I can't thank the staff at Craigdon Mountain Sports more - they were so helpful. Hopefully I can now continue without discomfort.

I checked out of the Premier Inn and the two girls at reception made a donation when I explained what I was doing. The Premier Inn has been perfect for a long distance walker seeking rest and recovery. The spacious rooms, hot baths, comfy beds, eat-as-much-as-you-like breakfast, early check in / late check out, and friendly staff tick every box. Just a shame that head office didn't reply to my two invitations to make a donation on the basis that I had paid for a handful of nights' accommodation during my journey (If anybody reading this has employment connections with Premier Inn or the Whitbread group, perhaps they could pull a few strings!).

Due to my late start and wearing 'adjusted' boots, I shortened today's route slightly. The first few miles, along the towpath of the Caledonian Canal, were idyllic and reminiscent in some ways of my training walks along the Thames towpath. My boots were much more comfortable and, having discarded a few pounds in kit, my rucksack felt so much lighter.

I arrived early in Drumnadrochit, so popped into a local shop to buy a cool drink. Taking pity on me, the lady gave me a home cooked sausage roll.

Have a great weekend!

Day 7: Inverness (Rest Day 1)

Distance: 1.1 miles
Time: 20 mins
Weather: Sunny intervals
Cumulative distance: 121.8 miles

No serious walking today! Received an email from Lynda, who I used to work with, saying she would be in Inverness tonight. Apart from having company and catching up, this is also a chance for me to offload some excess kit. I moved into ruthless mode and extracted the following from my rucksack:
Used maps (50 A4 sheets)
Spare t shirt
Polo shirt (1 casual top to last to Carlisle)
Pair of spare socks
Travel wash (will have to use soap)
Various toiletries
Travel towel (towels provided most nights)
Leather belt

I estimate that their removal will lighten my load by a few pounds, but psychologically it feels like even more.

I walked into town and located Craigdon Mountain Sports shop. I explained my boot predicament to Calum, the very helpful boot specialist. He's arranged to have my right boot stretched overnight, but also recommended a padded insole support for the boot - this would allow the foot to sit further back in the boot. I agreed to collect the newly stretched boot tomorrow morning.

I had a couple of hours to kill before I checked into a different Premier Inn (last night's was closer to yesterday's route), so I stocked up on plasters and foot padding, then had a light lunch at a super pub called Hootananny - the Red Kite bitter from the local Black Isle Brewery went down well with the homemade pea and watercress soup, served with a salmon and cream cheese bloomer.

I checked into my second Premier Inn in 24 hours, with a fine view of the city and the river from my bedroom. A free afternoon gave me the chance to wash some clothes. I had to construct makeshift coat hangers and will probably have to use the hairdryer in the room to complete the process.

Many thanks for all of your donations to Cancer Research UK. I've noted that we're very close to the initial £10,000 target. So who's going to be the lucky person whose donation breaks through this barrier? Must be worth a prize?

Day 6: Alness to Inverness

Distance: 19.8 miles
Time: 6 hrs 45 mins
Weather: Sunny intervals, rain later
Cumulative distance: 120.7 miles

Good progress towards a rest day, but soaked.
Today was all about getting to Inverness. After taking a minor road from Alness, I joined the A9 for the last time. I crossed the Cromarty Firth bridge and plodded on.

Today's lunch venue was more upmarket than yesterday's as it was sheltered and offered a comfortable seat (see photo), but several bus drivers seemed disappointed that I would not be joining them.
As I approached Keswick, to the north of Inverness, roadworks on the bridge resulted in slow moving traffic. I was conscious that lots of people were photographing me, but many gave me a thumbs up and some clapped.
Then, it finally happened. After nearly 6 days and 120 miles, the heavens opened. As I was only a couple of miles from Inverness, I didn't bother to put on my waterproofs, so got completely soaked. A lorry driver took pity and gave me a meat pie!
I arrived at the Premier Inn somewhat bedraggled and soaked to the skin. Minutes later, I soaked in a hot bath and curled up under the duvet for an hour before dinner.
So the rest day awaits. I plan to sort out my boots and to reduce the contents of my rucksack. Hopefully this will make the walking a little easier.

Day 5: Dornoch to Alness

Distance: 19.9 miles
Time: 7 hrs 35 mins
Weather: Cloudy with sunny spells
Cumulative distance: 100.9 miles

A tough physical day, mainly along country lanes.
Perhaps I'd better start with a medical update. Two fingers on my right hand are slightly swollen, but I can now manoeuvre them more than I could last night, so I think they should be fine. My feet are ok, but I'm being troubled by a blister on the end of my baby toe. I'm planning on visiting Cotswold Outdoor in Inverness on Thursday to see if they can stretch my right boot to solve this - I recall from their website that they have a tool for doing this.
After another full breakfast, I left last night's B&B, which was previously a bank, and set off down a lane which took me to the bridge which crosses the Dornoch Forth. Soon afterwards I left the A9 and joined a long country lane which led all the way to Alness. I passed many substantial houses, but didn't spot a soul, which ruled out having my water bottle refilled.
I felt tired at lunchtime so found a perfect spot for a lie down - two cable covers located on the verge at a quiet junction (see picture). I slept for an hour, disturbed only by the occasional tractor, and felt much better for it.
In Alness I ate at the local Indian restaurant and was the only customer!
So off to Inverness tomorrow, followed by a much awaited rest day.

Day 4: Loth to Dornoch

Distance: 23.8 miles
Time: 8 hours (including 30 mins delay)
Weather: Sunny
Cumulative distance: 81.0 miles

A long, but very rewarding day, with a couple of "incidents" towards the end of the walk.
After a delightful and filling breakfast, I set out in the knowledge that this would be a long day. The footpath across the golf course didn't materialise (probably overgrown), adding yet more additional mileage. Finally, a conversation! Spoke to an Australian couple who were touring Britain in a motor home. The were charmed by the Scottish scenery, but also thought that Britain was very clean!
The next part of the walk was the best to date. I finally left the A9 for a while and followed a footpath along the coast to Golspie. I walked along deserted golden sands for a few miles and came face to face with two groups of seals basking in the sun at the water's edge. The path ran parallel to Dunrobin castle, the largest house in the northern Highlands. This is the ancestral home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland, some of whom were notorious for their role in the Highland clearances.
At Golspie, a JOGLE cyclist waved me over and passed on good wishes from Alan & Lynne at the Wick B&B - he had stayed there last night and they had asked him to look out for me!
I had my first mishap when I stopped by a bridge to get my sun hat out of my rucksack. A gust of wind blew my map holder over the edge and ten feet down a bank into nettles. Luckily there was was an outlet pipe which I was able to stand on to support me as I climbed down to recover the holder. A near miss!
I made good progress towards Dornoch and was heading along the A9 in open countryside, when suddenly a car braked sharply and pulled over on to the roadside right next to me. I crossed over to investigate - they were Italian tourists and had just had a puncture in their hire car. Unfortunately, they didn't speak a word of English so I ended up calling the hire company for them, then spoke to the RAC after being transferred. This all added half an hour to my day, but they seemed very appreciative. They saw my Cancer Research t-shirt and I tried to explain what I was doing. They obviously understood as they had collection and donated 50 euros!
Just five minutes later, I had an embarrassing fall. I somehow stumbled and the weight of my rucksack pushed me towards the gravel. I landed on my hand - luckily nobody was around to see it. Twenty minutes later I arrived at my B&B with my hand covered in blood, looking totally disheveled! Hopefully no lasting damage....