A slow start today due to checking out of the Drumnadrochit cottage and the long drive out to Skelbo. Passing over the Cromarty Bridge I got a message from Tracey to confirm that they would like to film me at Skelbo.
Arriving at 11:20, Tracey and Holger were ready to proceed with filming and the interview, so we got started straightaway. I enjoyed chatting to Tracey on camera, and was tickled during the filming to see an osprey fishing, and then upwards of 30 eider duck feeding and preening behind me.
As well as talking about the John O’Groats Trail, Tracey was keen to explore what motivates people to walk, and to what it’s like for a woman to walk alone. For much of the day I reflected further on the conversation and what Tracey had said. Slower time, it’s something I’d like to write about further.
It was past mid-day before I started walking for real, and I was starting to think it unlikely and not necessary for me to walk further than Golspie. I was however lucky - the heavy rain forecast didn’t materialise near the coast, and although it was damp for much of the day, it didn’t impact the walking.
The path followed the minor road around Loch Fleet to the old rail track, and along here I disturbed a young family of wrens and was amused to be assaulted by the loud whirring alarm calls of 5 young wrens in my ears. Clearly not too young to vocalise!
I crossed Thomas Telford’s Mound across the Loch which was built to prevent salt water encroaching upstream, and came off the A9 just before 13:30. I wasn’t hungry so carried on through woodland to pasture. Looking ahead I could see a couple of fields with young bullocks and wondered how they would behave. As I had done before, a mix of talking to them firmly but calmly, and every so often stopping and facing them to slow them down if they were getting too close or frisky, worked, but I won’t deny that I felt relieved as I climbed the gates into the following fields.
I heard a high pitched call of a bird of prey, and glimpsed it through the tree tops carrying nesting material. It circled around me and I believed it to be an osprey. I discreetly checked the call on the ChirpOMatic app - a match. Turning that off, I heard the call again and did a double take thinking I couldn’t have turned the app off. But then the most amazing thing happened. I was the Osprey coming back into view, circling again and then landing at the top of the Scots Pine I had just past under, onto its nest. What an absolute privilege to see. I was thrilled.
Not wanting to disturb the bird further I continued on, and after following the actual railway for a while, crossed over and headed into Balblair Woods. I decided to eat a sandwich while walking into case I did to carry on beyond Golspie. A pair of bullfinches perched on the fence by the path and remained for a minute allowing me to admire them before landing in some long grass to feed. Beautiful birds.
Going through the woods I realised that I was now skirting around the other side of Loch Fleet. I reached a lane leading to the golf course on Golspie Links. With the tide high I wasn’t able to walk along the beach and so followed the path skirting the edge of the gold course, requiring me to keep a wary eye for golf balls, and the direction the golfers were taking.
Just as I was reaching the end of the course, Martin appeared and we walked into the village together, heading to - what was becoming a habit for us now - a cafe for coffee and cake. I started to take root and as we both started yawning, we came to the same conclusion that at close to 16:00 we would prefer to head to our new base at Lairg and settle in, rather than my walking a further 6 miles to Brora.
Arriving at our new cottage, we were immediately entertained by the wide variety of birds coming to the bird feeders, including a very handsome male pheasant and his mate. Apparently, hedgehogs and pine martens also visit and we had very specific instructions on how to feed them. Sounds like we will be kept busy!
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