Day 63

An easy coastal path from Golspie to Brora meant we could avoid the A9 for 7 miles and get to Brora at midday for an early lunch at a hotel. A young lad working at the hotel suggested we walk along the sea shore from Brora to Helmsdale. Only 3 hours he said. (We were soon to find out that's 3 hours for a 17 year old not two old codgers). What about the fact the tide was coming in? No problem, he said. The first mile or two were quite easy but we found ourselves on a steadily shrinking beach and were soon walking on shingle and scrambling over rocks. Andrew began to pull ahead and, because he doesn't looks behind, I suspected it might be some time before I would see him again. And I was right because by the time I came across a river too deep to walk across Andrew was well ahead. I didn't want to take my boots off to wade across the river because it would take me 10 minutes to redress the blister on my little toe so I climbed up an embankment to cross the river on the railway line. (I had seen a train on the railway a few minutes before so knew there wouldn't be another one for a week or so). After that I decided to admit defeat and rejoin the A9 for the final 6 miles, eventually arriving in Helmsdale half an hour before Andrew.
Janet has flown up to join us for the last 3 days.