We made good time today, arriving at our destination by 2 pm – not because it was a short distance but because it was easy walking. Leaving Alness, we joined a minor road which took us all the way to Tain, and was relatively flat, walking past fields of wheat, cattle and woodland. Apart from distant views of Cromarty Firth at the beginning we were walking mainly between tree lined verges. This meant that it was a less interesting walk than we have been accustomed to in Scotland. We arrived at our hotel and were upgraded to a large, luxury room with a four poster bed, as I had requested a room with a bath and it was the only one available! I was also able to find a hairdresser and get my hair cut!

A Backward Glance

Today we were in A 2 B mode and Carol was determined to set a new land speed record for an OAP over a Half Marathon. Present record time is 1 hour 37 minutes and 1 second. Now you might think that carrying a large heavy bag on her back and walking sticks might have hindered her, but Carol is not daunted by such minor inconveniences. But it was in fact lack of other conveniences that hindered, so two comfort stops (wild wees) added considerable seconds to her time. (There is a move afoot to try and remove time spent in toilets for all OAP distance events greater than 200 metres. Ageist discrimination is internationally recognised and the new ruling will become mandatory on six of the world’s in-continents). Anyway, by the time I’d caught up, puffing and panting, it was a respectable 5 hours and 31 minutes. The race track was a very long grey road through open countryside and occasional small farm settlements. Walking was easy with very little traffic and very few hills. Cows grazing in fields the road crossed would all quickly run to the edge of the boundary fence to watch us pass; it was very strange, as though they expected something from us. A highlight of the walk was a close encounter with a Pine Marten for several seconds at the road edge, another creature I had never seen in the wild before. Our presence didn’t seem to bother it too much, but when we did get close it slowly slinked out of sight into thick undergrowth. These creatures are rarely seen deep in the forests which they inhabit, and even less likely to be seen at roadsides. A very rare sighting indeed and a very special treat for us. An ordinary day’s walk punctuated by a couple of extraordinary moments.