| Day: | 063 |
| Date: | Sunday, 4 July 2010 |
| Start: | Watten |
| Finish: | John O'Groats |
| Daily Kilometres: | 36.0 |
| Total Kilometres: | 2043.8 |
| Weather: | Rain and strong winds in the morning, with a mix of strong wind, sun and showers in the afternoon |
| Accommodation: | Hotel B&B (£35) |
| Nutrition: | Scottish breakfast; ham sandwich for lunch; pea soup, fish pie, chips and vegetables, and rhubarb crumble and ice-cream for dinner |
| Aches: | None really |
| Pictures: | |
| GPS Track: | |
| Journal: | I had breakfast and was on my way from the hotel by 8:45am on a wet and windy morning. For only the second time on the trip, I was wearing my Goretex long pants and splashed off down the wet road, huddled against the strong wind determined to stay as dry and warm as possible. Actually, the temperature wasn't too low, but the wind chill was significant. I had decided against the guidebook route which would have involved crossing to the east coast via some tracks and cross-country sections and then following the cliff edge northwards. Although the scenery would have been interesting, slogging through knee-deep wet grass and nettles in rain and wind was likely to make it very unpleasant. Instead, I chose a route that involved quiet back roads north to the north coast and then eastwards along the coast until I reached Duncansby Head, the most north-east point on the UK mainland. It took about four hours of walking along the roads to reach the north coast, but there was little traffic and, despite being blown about by the wind, I managed it comfortably and could see enough of the rolling rural landscape to make it interesting. I finally came within sight of the coast at about 1pm and stopped soon afterwards in the village of Canisbay to eat my lunch huddled in the lee of a bus shelter. The coast looked windswept and exposed, with forlorn houses overlooking the white-capped sea and the rain-shrouded Isle of Stroma offshore. I could see a ferry struggling to make headway northwards through the waves. After lunch I paralleled the coast eastwards and actually had to pass through the village of John O'Groats, about 500m south of the coast, on my way to Duncansby Head, about 3km east of John O'Groats. The rain had stopped and I had some long periods of sunshine, though the wind was still very strong. I climbed up to Duncansby Head and its lighthouse, arriving about 3:45pm and had a look around, with clear views west and south along the coast, including the spectacular Stacks of Duncansby, rocky spires rising from sheer the sea. This really completed my journey from south-western tip to north-eastern tip, but I still had to walk back to the John O'Groats tourist area a few kilometres along a coastal path. It was a pleasant walk, overlooking some sandy beaches and low rocky headlands. A highlight was seeing large seals wallowing in the breakers just offshore, and a second highlight was watching the track of a large thunderstorm passing just to the west of me north to the offshore islands. I was glad it missed me. I reached the tourist area and had a brief look around, though there wasn't much to see. I confirmed that there was no Sunday bus to Thurso, 32km away, from where my train leaves at 8:41am tomorrow, but also confirmed there was a 6:47am bus tomorrow morning, which will get me there in plenty of time. I walked back to the village of John O'Groats and booked into the rather tacky hotel where I had dinner and was given a small "breakfast pack" since I will be leaving before breakfast is served tomorrow. So, my hike is over. It lived up to all my expectations (and the weather significantly exceeded my expectations....I am very brown). It will be nice not having to walk every day but I know that, in a few days' time, I will be thinking back nostalgically to various points along my trek. Trips as long as this become a way of life, rather than just a vacation. They are cleansing and rejuvenating. Nevertheless, I will enjoy returning to civilisation and am looking forward to seeing my loved ones. |
