Day 57 - A few steps too far..

 

In order to make sure I could maximise celebration time on my proposed final day (Wednesday!), I amended my schedule last week to cut that day's mileage from the originally planned 25 miles. Of course, the knock on effect is that those miles have to be walked at another time and that pushed today's mileage up to a whopping 28.9 and over 60,000 steps. I have walked further on a couple of days during my trek but not on terrain quite as tough as this and we only reached the van just before 8.00pm, having being out for 10 minutes short of 12 hours. I think that is my longest day but I'm too tired to go back and check.

My legs actually feel strong but my feet are pretty sore just due to the nature of the ground. At least I have had the opportunity to become battle-hardened over the last few weeks but I dumped this on Keith on only his second day. He does have an ultra-marathon in a couple of months but I think the step up in training was a bit sudden. I actually thought I'd lost him during the morning: he was right behind me one moment, the next he'd gone. I couldn't see him anywhere and had to resort to phoning him (as previously mentioned, I never retrace my steps). Somehow, he had spotted a shortcut and was actually in front of me. However, by the time I caught him up, he'd tripped over a rock and fallen flat on his face, so that will teach him.

The day had started with a walk round the edge of another golf course, Brora. I never had the chance to inspect greens or fairways but, given there were cows and sheep meandering all over the course, I presumed they were not of the same Championship standard we had seen at Royal Dornoch. Soon we were walking in the dunes and then moving between the rocks at the top of the beach and the sand further down. Both took it out of you: the rocky bits were really those large pebbles that shift when you stand on them, whilst sand can be like walking in treacle. Red Rum's time on Southport sands would explain his subsequent fitness.

It was 12 miles to Helmsdale and we had made reasonable progress, reaching the harbour by 12.45 in time for lunch. The guide book confirmed we were now where the big cliffs begin and big cliffs on the coast mean big climbs and descents, plus a few close to the edge, one foot wide paths we didn't need. Well, we did need the paths but we needed them to be wider and further away from the edge. This stage was nine miles to Berriedale but the going was slow and difficult. Spotting an opportunity to escape, we found a path that could take us the half-mile to the A9 and decided to take to the road.

On reaching Berriedale, it was further six miles to our final destination, Dunbeath. Again, we started on the path but this proved even trickier than the earlier stage. There was no escape route this time, so we made one up and sent some sheep scattering as we headed back to tarmac for the last three miles. 

It had been a long and hard day but the arduous ones are always best shared and this was no exception,. Keith and I managed to keep each other going and the extra efforts of today should make the next couple of days even better. We had a great day on the bird front, although neither of us are sea bird experts. There were plenty of oystercatchers, loads of terns and gulls, some cormorants and then a group of white birds with black bellies that were sort of duck shaped. A quick search on the internet didn't throw up any candidates, so any ideas would be gratefully received. I am sure my detailed ornitholigical  description will prove useful. We rounded the day off with the return of the cuckoo call and my old friend the lapwing.

This stretch of coastline was viewed as a likely area to be at risk of a German invasion during the Second World War and much of the area was fortified. Some of the pillboxes remain, as well as the concrete blockades intended to halt incursion by tanks. There were also plenty of landmines and I am glad I only found out about those after I thought I had lost Keith.

Finally for today, a big Happy Birthday to my much-missed carer Phil, who celebrates his 60th today. Indeed, he has so many holidays and celebrations lined up, that is why he has been absent from his duties for so long. Suzanne is doing an excellent job in his absence and even earned me a second shout-out on 6Music's Radcliffe and Maconie Show this morning. She is clearly aware that I will be making a Best Carer Award at the end of my walk and is trying to push the birthday boy out.

A Strike of Cormorants (or possibly a Gulp), unless someone tells me different