Tag: weather

23rd May – John O’Groats to Dunnet Head

20190523-the-end-at-the-most-northerly-point-of-dunnet-head.jpg
The End!  Neil at the most northerly point of Dunnet Head

I guess that it is not too surprising that I woke this morning at 5.00am.  As Alan was also up, we decided to make an early start in an attempt to beat the worst of the weather.

I left John O’Groats at 7.15 to run the first 9k to East Mey.  This went quite well, apart from the light drizzle, and I met up with Alan and the car at the turn-off.

20190523 The Castle of Mey 02
The Castle of Mey

Having shed my wet gear, I set off for Dunnet Head.  I passed the Castle of Mey after another encounter with my bovine friends.  I went on through Harrow and reached Scarfskerry.  By now the wind had got up and was blowing a good Force 4.  I sheltered next to the Baptist Chapel before continuing to Brough.

20190523 Looking west from Dunnet Head
Looking west from Dunnet Head

At this point the rain was really coming down, and with the wind blowing from the north the walk up to Dunnet Head was not the best section of the whole trip.  Nevertheless after another hour I arrived at the end of my journey at Dunnet Head at 12.10pm

20190523 The lighthouse at Dunnet Head
The lighthouse at Dunnet Head

I went past the lighthouse to the most northerly point and then donned my Sobell House T-shirt for the publicity photos.

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Alan has been marvellous all this week.  He has always been waiting for me at the end of each day, except when it was my fault at Nybster.  He had also cooked each evening which has been a real treat.

We got back to the cottage at 1.45 so I have had time to wash and dry my kit.  Alan will bring most of my stuff south when he comes down next week to see Richard and Stuart and their families.

Tomorrow we will start to travel south, and will have a military history day as we are going to Fort George near Inverness.  Alan has spent this week supporting me so deserves a day pursuing his interests.  I will fly south later tomorrow evening.

I need time to consider all that has happened over the last two years while I have been on my journey.  At this point I can only say thank you to all my friends who joined me on the trip and to everyone who has donated to Sobell House.  Finally I’d like to thank my sister Katy, who has edited the blog and enhanced and uploaded all my photos throughout Bottom to Top.

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22nd May – Nybster to John O’Groats

20190522 Looking north to Ness Head and Skirza Head
Looking north to Ness Head and Skirza Head

We woke to rain as anticipated, and with a poor forecast for the day.  I left Nybster at 8.05 passing Samuel’s Geo and a pig farm…

20190522 Samuels geo
Samuel’s geo

…before arriving at Bucholly Castle.  The castle is delicately balanced between two geos.

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Rounding Ness Head, I dropped down onto Freswick Beach, passing Freswick House on the way.

20190522 Freswick House
Freswick House

Once past the beach I was detoured up to a road before rejoining the trail at Skirza jetty.

20190522 Freswick Bay
Freswick Bay

Skirza Head at the end of the bay had a large guillemot colony, and they were very noisy.

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After two more geos I stopped for a break in an old quarry.  It was one of the few places where I could find any shelter from the wind.

Soon after leaving the quarry, the rain began again in earnest, and I was fortunate that it cleared as I approached the Stacks of Duncansby and Duncansby Head.  I met a lady on Orca watch as I came up to the stacks.  Apparently some had been seen off Helmsdale last week.

20190522 Stacks of Duncanby
The Stacks of Duncansby

I looked at the Geo of Sclaites as instructed by the guide – it looked similar to several others.

20190522 Geo of Scalaites
Geo of Scalaites

I made my way to the lighthouse car park, and sheltered behind an information board to eat lunch.

20190522 Duncansby lighthouse
Duncansby lighthouse

The route led me down to the Bay of Sannick, where locals were tidying up the beach.

20190522 Beach cleanup at the Bay of Sannick
Beach tidy at the Bay of Sannick

It was then just a question of going round the Ness of Duncansby and entering John O’Groats.  I arrived at 1.10.

20190522 John o'Groats through the rain
John o’Groats through the rain

The weather had taken a turn for the worse at Duncansby, and became what my mother-in-law would have called “lazy rain”: it doesn’t bother to go round but just goes straight through.  That being said, I have been incredibly blessed with good weather both last year and this year.  Rainy days have been few and far between, and the dry spells have made the trails much easier.  Few of the bogs mentioned in the trail guide actually gave me any problems, but you could see they would be very difficult in wet conditions.

Today was the highlight of the John O’Groats Trail with easy walking and superb scenery.  Tomorrow I will take to the roads, and with luck should reach journey’s end at Dunnet Head by early afternoon.

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21st May – Wick to Nybster

20190521 The path from Wick - much lower cliffs today
The path from Wick – much lower cliffs today

Another day in the office, but today the roof was leaking.  Consequently I geared up for wet weather at the cottage, and left Wick at 8.10.

20190521 Primroses on the side of a geo
Primroses on the side of a geo

The path to North Head introduced me to the lower cliffs and less dramatic scenery I could expect for the day.  Once round the point, roads led to the village of Staxigoe.  I was intrigued to find that in the 19th century, this was home to the largest herring-curing plant in Europe.  Little remains of its industrial past today.

20190521 Noss Head lighthouse
Noss Head lighthouse

More cliff walking led to the lighthouse at Noss Head, and an abrupt change from walking north to almost due west.  This change coincided with someone adding a fan to the leaking roof; naturally the wind was from the west.

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Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Just round the headland is Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, the first of several ruined castles.  This one was used by Cromwell’s army, but fell into disrepair soon after.  The next village was Ackergillshore, and a brief encounter ensued with some of my bovine friends.  Ackergill Tower is a magnificent house, just before the sandy beach of Sinclair’s Bay.

20190521 Ackergill Tower
Ackergill Tower

After a brief stop I raced the tide along the 5k of beach.  I won – thus avoiding being forced off the sand onto either the boulders higher on the beach, or the sand dunes.

20190521 The beach at Sinclair Bay
The beach at Sinclair Bay

Half way along, I had to cross the River of Wester.  The guide said this could be waded, but gave alternatives; and the map indicated that it was a dangerous river crossing.  In the end it was a total non-event, barely calf-deep.

20190521 The Railway of Subsea 7
The railway of Subsea 7

Beyond the river, there is a curious railway track which runs into the sea.  The track is 7km long: sections of pipe are assembled and then towed out to sea to be joined together underwater.  No activity was happening on the beach, but later driving to the cottage we saw the lengths of pipe on the railway.

20190521 Sinclair beach with Keiss on the horizon
Sinclair beach with Keiss on the horizon

I reached Keiss at 12.25, and was now only 3k from the finish for the day.  This was somewhat of a problem, as I had given Alan an e.t.a. of 4.00.  I emailed him explaining I would be finishing by 2.00.  He got the email, but did not pick it up until 2.35.

20190521 The New Castle at Keiss
Keiss New Castle

After an extended lunch, I sauntered on.  Old Keiss Castle is a fine ruin, with the New Castle only 200m away.  The defensive positions, where these coastal castles were built, are very impressive – they look impregnable.

20190521 The Old Castle at Keiss 01
The Old Castle at Keiss

Despite my best efforts, the car park at Nybster kept getting closer, and I arrived at 1.50.  After a second lunch break, I walked up to the Caithness Broch Museum for a look around, and soon after 3.15 Alan arrived to pick me up.

20190521 Mervin Tower at Nybster Broch
Mervin Tower at Nybster Broch

Tomorrow I will reach John O’Groats.

20190521 Another fine sea arch
Another fine sea arch
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20th May – Whaligoe to Wick

20190520 Whaligoe
Whaligoe

Today was a much shorter section, only 17k (11 miles).  My plan was to start by 8.00 to be finished by early afternoon.  However we woke to thick sea mist, and in the end I got away at 8.50 in a light drizzle.

20190520 Stack of Ulbster
Stack of Ulbster

The whole day was basically spent on the cliff edge path with only a couple of excursions inland to cross burns.  Amazing stacks and arches followed one after another.  The Stack of Ulbster was the first highlight, followed quickly by a blowhole.  That would be spectacular in an easterly gale.

20190520 Looking down the blowhole
Looking down the blowhole

Carrying on past geo after geo…

20190520 Riera geo
Riera geo

…I came The Needle’s Eye at Ashy.  This huge arch easily rivals Durdle Door in Dorset.

20190520 The Needle's Eye
The Needle’s Eye

At Girston there were South Stack…

20190520 South Stack at Girston
South Stack

…and Dunbar’s Stack.

20190520 Dunbar's Stack at Girston
Dunbar’s Stack

Just when you thought nothing could top these, Stack o’Brough appears…

20190520 The Stack o’ Brough
Stack o’Brough

…with finally another impressive arch near The Castle of Wick.

20190520 Sea arch near Wick Castle
Sea arch near Wick castle

Unfortunately, towards the end of my day the mist came back, so my photographs are not as good as I would wish.  It would be wonderful coastline to paddle, and I am a little surprised not to have seen any sea kayaks.

20190520 Looking north from Ashy geo
Looking north from Ashy geo

Near the castle I caught up with another walker, my first for 3 days.  He was carrying an enormous rucksack and going very slowly.  I was incredulous when he explained that he was only on a day hike.  Goodness knows what was in the bag.

20190520 Wick Castle built 1160
Wick Castle

The rest of the route was through Wick, and I met up with Alan at 2.15.

20190520 Sarclet Haven
Saclet Haven

The weather for tomorrow is not looking great, and more fog is likely.  It is not the most impressive scenery, being largely on a golf course or beach, but there is a lighthouse and castle, so I hope that I can get some pictures.

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  • Spring Squills (Scilla verna) – blue flowers
  • Sea-thrift (Ameria maritima) – pink flowers
  • Seagulls or Kittiwakes on the cliff
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18th May – Helmsdale to Dunbeath

20190518 Helmsdale harbour
Helmsdale harbour

Today lived up to its billing as the toughest section of the John O’Groats Trail not helped by fog and light rain.

I left the hostel at 7.50, and walked down to the harbour and then along a beach path before the real work of the day began.

20190518 The view back towards Helmsdale
Looking back towards Helmsdale

I started to climb up onto the ridge in gorse, heather and bracken following bearings as the path was very intermittent.  This set the the scene for the rest of the day.  It started to rain when I arrived at an old lookout station, and I took advantage of being able to don wet weather gear in the dry.

20190518 The Ord of Caithness
The Ord of Caithness

I crossed the Ord Burn and the Ord of Caithness, and disturbed a herd of deer.

20190518 Deer above the trail
Deer above the trail

After flogging across some heather moor, following the Allt a Bhurg Burn, I passed another broch and arrived above the Ousdale Burn.

20190518 The Broch above Ousdale Burn
The Broch above Ousdale Burn

Nothing in the guidebook suggested a descent to the Burn being the equivalent of going down the North Face of the Eiger.  The top set of wooden steps I descended facing inwards, as they were so steep.

20190518 Looking down on Ousdale Burn
Looking down on Ousdale Burn

I stopped at Badbea, a crofting community for victims of the clearances.  I am sure it made sense to someone to move farmers, who were being encouraged to go herring fishing, to a village on a steep slope above cliffs 130m above the sea.  Unsurprisingly the village was quickly abandoned.

20190518 Taking a break at an abandoned Croft in Badbea
Lunch stop at abandoned croft at Badbea

From Badbea there was more lush vegetation before I came down to Berriedale where I arrived at 1.00 with another 6.5 miles to go. I had been getting very low on energy, so stopped for lunch and warned Alan that I would be late at our rendezvous.

20190518 Berriedale harbour
Berriedale harbour

In all honesty I was probably too tired to appreciate the magnificent scenery on this section of the trail.  The walk out of Berriedale seemed endless with difficult vegetation and no clear path.  The waterfall at Allt Na Buaidhe was non-existent and the path further on difficult to find.

20190518 Big cliffs and bad weather
Big cliffs and bad weather

The weather was not helping bringing fog and poor visibility, thus explaining the lack of photos.  The sea arch at An Dun was spectacular as was the sea stack called The Clett.

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A few miles before Dunbeath I followed the trail away from the sea, through a herd of cows, to the old A9 and Dunbeath.  I met Alan at the Post Office at 4.15.

All in all a hard day in the office.  With hindsight I think I mainly brought it on myself.  I only had a small pot of porridge for breakfast, and had not got enough food with me. Tomorrow I have farther to walk, but will only have a light daysack, and that’s going to be loaded with lots of food!

20190518 Looking down a geo (zawn)
Looking down a geo (zawn)
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4th-11th May – Braemar Interlude

20190510 The valley of the Lairig Ghru from Carn a Mhaim
The valley of the Lairig Ghru from Carn a Mhaim

My week at Braemar with my friends from MAC (Mountain Activities Club) was most enjoyable as always.  I had a fairly relaxed week and although I got out every day I only had three real mountain days.

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“The snow made things interesting at the beginning of the week…”

The high spot was on Sunday when Tricky completed his Corbetts, (the 221 mountains over 2500ft), having already climbed the 282 Munros.

20190505 Tricky's last Corbett
Tricky’s last Corbett

My tally for the week was 1 Corbett and 3 Munros, and I was put to shame by Karen, John, Stuart and Jack who all achieved far more.

20190507 On the summit of Beinn a Chaorainn
On the summit of Beinn a Chaorainn (1083m)

The snow made things interesting at the beginning of the week, but we were blessed with fine weather on Thursday and Friday.

20190509 Carn a Mahaim from Glen Luibeg
Carn a Mahaim from Glen Luibeg
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3rd May – Drumnadrochit to Inverness

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20190503 Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle

Wyn and I left Drumnadrochit at 7.15, anticipating a long day before reaching Inverness.

Initially the route follows the A82, before turning into the Abriachan Forest and ascending up to 380m.   Around 9.00 we stopped for a break and had just restarted when the snow began to fall.   For the next few hours we were treated to bouts of snow and hail.

20190503 Wyn battling through the snow
Wyn battling through the snow

We reached the eco-campsite near Abriachan, and stopped for bacon rolls, coffee, tea and cakes.  The food was excellent – but be warned, it is not cheap, and you might want to check on prices before ordering anything.

20190503 Five Star Cafe at the Eco Campsite
Five Star cafe at the Eco-campsite

Suitably replete and having been joined by Ove, a German friend we had met on the trail and whose partner had decided to stop at the cafe, we set off along a minor road with increasing views as the weather improved.

20190503 Five star breakfast stop
Improving weather as we leave the Eco campsite

After an hour or so of road walking, it was back into the forest before receiving our final dose of hail.

20190503 Wyn in the forest
Final dose of hail…

Descending Dunain Hill, Inverness can be seen but the final 6k has still to be completed.

20190503 Storm clouds over Inverness
Just 6 more kilometres to go…

The trail links areas of greenery in a clever way eventually leading to the Caledonian Canal and along the banks of the River Ness.

20190503 Crossing the River Ness
Crossing the River Ness

We passed Inverness Cathedral on the opposite bank of the river.

20190503 Inverness Cathedral
Inverness Cathedral

Then with a short sharp climb the trail ends at Inverness Castle.  We arrived at 4.30.

20190503 Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle

It was great that Wyn was able to join me for The Great Glen Way, and we are looking forward to completing the Offa’s Dyke Trail later in the summer.

20190503 Wyn at the end of the Great Glen Way
Wyn at the end of the Great Glen Way

Tomorrow I am going to Braemar for a week with my friends from MAC (Mountain Activities Club).   I will resume blogging again next Sunday.

2nd May – Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit

20190502 Wyn in a fairy glen
Fine weather for walking through the fairy glen

Wyn and I had had a superb meal at the Glenmoriston Arms last night and were pleased that breakfast was not until 8.00.  It was 9.00 before we set off in fine weather but with a poor forecast for the rest of the day.

The day started with the mandatory ascent from the glen up into the forests.  The route took us through some charming woods which had a “fairy glen” feel about them, with thick moss covering the base of the trees and any exposed boulders.  A short detour to the Stone Seat promised extensive views of Loch Ness, which failed to materialise due to the height of the surrounding trees.

20190502 Loch Ness from the Stone Seat
Loch Ness from the Stone Seat

More interesting, and as it turned out useful, was the Stone Cave.  This was apparently constructed to offer shelter to a washerwoman on her frequent journeys from Allsigh and Invermoriston.  We stopped for a short break, and the promised rain began in earnest.  We took advantage of the cave to don our wet-weather gear, which was needed for the rest of the day.

20190502 Sheltering in the Stone Cave
Welcome shelter in the stone cave

A gentle descent down to Allsigh was followed by a long climb up to the day’s high point in Ruskich Woods.  Any possible views of Loch Ness and surrounding area were lost in the cloud and murk.

20190502 Up in the clouds in the conifer plantation
Up in the clouds

The most important question on our minds was, “Would the teashop at the Loch Ness Pottery at Grotaig by open?”  Thankfully the answer was yes.  Not only was it open, but it was crowded with more walkers than we had seen in days.

20190502 Loch Ness Pottery Teashop - A port in the storm
Loch Ness Pottery and Teashop – a welcome port in a storm

After coffee, tea and cake, we departed for the last 5 miles to Drumnadrochit.  Most of this was along a minor road, with a short detour into woodland, before emerging onto the A82 for the final section to our accommodation.  We arrived just after 4.00.

20190502 Wyn on the path down to Drumnadrochit
Bleak walking down to Drumnadrochit

As we had not stopped for lunch, we booked an early dinner at the Fiddlers Restaurant, which we would both recommend.

Our plan for tomorrow is to leave at 7.30 at the latest, as we have a 20-mile day, and the weather forecast is not great.

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4th April – Youlgreave to Hathersage

20190404 Chatsworth house
Today’s highlight – Chatsworth

Today has been one of ups and downs.  The weather forecast for the afternoon was very poor, so naturally I could not get breakfast before 8.30 and the shop in the village was closed for repairs.

20190404 River Lathkill
The River Lathkill

I left Youlgreave at 9.10 and immediately dropped down into Lathkill Dale, crossing the river via a packhorse bridge.  I then climbed over the ridge to walk down into the valley of the River Wye at Haddon Hall.  This was the home of William Peverel, the illegitimate son of William the Conquerer.

20190404 Haddon Hall
Haddon Hall, veiled in mist

The route circled around the grounds of Haddon Hall, passing some very impressive cows, before climbing over another ridge and descending into the Derwent Valley near Chatsworth.

20190404 Cows with big horns
Cows with big horns, where I like to see them – in the next field!

The views of Chatsworth were magnificent and I enjoyed the walk through the Deer Park and the extensive grounds.

20190404 Chatsworth house from the deerpark
Chatsworth viewed from the deerpark

Leaving Chatsworth the weather started to deteriorate so I stopped to don wet weather gear.  Suitably clad I continued to Baslow where I had a coffee and bought some lunch.

At Baslow I reviewed my options.  The guidebook route was up over the gritstone edges of Baslow, Curbar and Froggatt. I know these well from climbing trips and a recent visit. Given the poor forecast it seemed wiser to take a low level route and so I choose the Derwent Heritage Way, part of which I knew from a recent MAC trip. This would also be faster.

At 2.00 I stopped near Froggatt village for lunch and it started to rain in earnest. As I watched Froggatt Edge disappear into the gloom I was pleased with my decision.

Walking beside the River Derwent was enjoyable despite the rain, and I think that I saw two mergansers near Curbar.  Leaving the Derwent I climbed up to Hathersage arriving around 3.30.  As there are plenty of gear shops I was able to replace my lost hat on the way to my accommodation.

20190404 Red deer at Chatsworth
Red deer at Chatsworth

I am overjoyed to be back in Derbyshire and especially in the Peak Park.  The paths are well-signed and tend to exist on the ground, which is more than can be said for those in Shropshire and Staffordshire.

Tomorrow my friend Carl is joining me for a couple of days, which will be great.  I am also taking a semi-rest day and only have around 10k to walk.  In the past week I have covered around 190k, about 20% of the total to Dunnet Head. Over the next few days the distances are less but there will be more hills.  Thankfully the weather looks better for tomorrow.

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29th March – Craven Arms to Much Wenlock

20190329 Stokesay Inn
The Stokesay Inn shrouded in morning mist

A perfect day to restart my walk. All went well yesterday. Pam, my neighbour, very kindly took me to Didcot station. All the trains ran on time and I reached the Stokesay Arms by mid afternoon.

20190329 path left the trees
One of the few times the path left the trees

I left the pub at 7.00 this morning, and Subway provided a bacon roll and coffee for breakfast.  I departed Craven Arms at 7.45 and used field paths, basically following the Quinney Brook, to reach Strefford.  From there the path climbed steeply up to Wenlock Edge, which I was to follow for the rest of the day.  Once in Strefford Wood I hit the first problem, a large notice saying no entry due to felling operations.  As it was still quite early, I could not hear any activity and there was no real alternative route I ignored the sign.  Sure enough there was nothing happening and I quickly reached the top and with some relief walked out of the affected area.

20190329 Long Mynd
Temperature inversion – the Long Mynd floats above the mist

The walking on Wenlock Edge is mostly in woods with very restricted views across to the Long Mynd. There was however a good example of temperature inversion with cloud filling the valley and Wenlock Edge and the Long Mynd in sunshine. Despite the lack of views the walking was wonderful with large expanses of wood anemones, violets and some primroses all with the background scent of wild garlic.

20190329 Wood anemones
Wood anemones

I must remember that my guidebook author has a tendency to leave the obvious route and wander up hill and down dale for no sensible reason.  Today I followed his route hoping to see Ippikins Rock, which could just be glimpsed through the trees.  It certainly did not justify leaving an old railway track, ascending and descending about 50m on a muddy path to come back down the the track I had just left!

20190329 Guildhall Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock Guildhall

I reached Much Wenlock at 3.30 having covered around 29k.  The Talbot Inn is very comfortable and provided an excellent meal.

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