Happy hound!

A little update on Alfie, he's now home and enjoying lot's of sofa time! A few days off the trail and he's back to himself, the precaution of bringing him home before he gets hurt has paid off for him :-).
For me it's back on the train this morning for a another 10 hours trip!
The walk must go on!

Paws for thought

We're having to implement Alfie rescue!
His paw is getting no better sadly So the walk is on hold for a few days while I take him home.we're catching a return train from Inverness, with luck I'll get back to Cannich tomorrow or thereabouts, this way with an unnecessary rest day ahead we should only lose one days walking..... Fingers crossed

Day-12 surpassed ourselves!

Waking in our wild camp it seems we've used the local dog walking woods! Happily clean woods!
Moving we enter the loose collection of homes called Dunmore with a few hellos as we go.. Always nice that!,  the twisting road carries us as we plod tiredly this morning, down eventually to a renovated chapel that is now the Kilmorack gallery we didn't enter but had look at a very tactile looking sea otter statue and a huge lizard fixed to the side of the building!
Passing over a bridge there's another hydro electric dam that blocks the river Beauly,onwards we plod slowly up and over a gentle hill really not on form this morning! This pleasant little road takes us to Hughton were we take a cheeky use of the bench in bus shelter for a quick break and jelly baby sugar fix!
This seems to help as we follow a very level road along the valley heading upstream with the Beauly river on our right, making a lot better time now we eventually stop for lunch with a view to the grave in the image! And there was me thinking Bambi was a cartoon character ;-)
Keeping level the path finally meets up with my planned route again at the beginning of Strath (valley?)Glass now this valley/Strath is really beautiful! And the road still so very level! With Mountains either side and gentle pasture on the valley floor with the river meandering along  its idyllic by 4.30 we'd reached my estimated end of day and decided to push on, by quarter to six we'd reached Cannich.... Which miraculously is the planned end of day! Not sure how we made all that distance up after yesterday's diversion but we have, that little dog rocks!!!

Day-11 Road blocks!

My A really nice night in the hotel with all the mod cons was great! everything is packed away and dry again and Bertha is finally going on her way!
One downside to hotel living is you never get away early so with a full stomach I head out at 9.30 with an hour and a half to make up, out of the pretty village of garve and into the woods again, first stop was to pick up a food and fuel cache that I'd hidden on the drive north, timing of this was perfect with my fuel for the stove low and down to one more use!
The trail takes us along the north east bank of Loch garve where the track is on a steep wooded hillside, Bertha had one last surprise for us (see pic) where her flood water had washed away the the track! After a few tentative checks of the depth and with dog under one arm and my walking pole for balance.we wade out, the strong flowing water made finding a footing treacherous, since the road surface was washed away and we were stumbling across hidden boulders, but make it across we did with boots full of water!
A familiar feeling squelching off again but the going underfoot was now easy, the track took us under a railway line and over a hill still in silver Birch woods towards Strathpeffer, a tiny loch just before town had a crannog in the middle (man made island!) not sure if I've seen one before? Still it was lunch and my stomach was calling again, and finding a reasonably priced steak baguette was just the job!
With provisions bought we headed back out of town the way we'd come to a hamlet called James town where passing a ruined church we find that the path marked on the map no longer exists! @#(§!!!!!!!
Finding a road route puts us further behind but gets us back on track and over the Moy bridge that crosses the river swollen river Conon.
Up into the woods and passed a comical robot letter box decked out in the pro independence 'yes campaign' stickers and flag (pic will follow). On to Aultgowrie and quick check of the river Allt Goibhre proves my suspicions of a further road block ahead to be very likely (we need to cross this river in the hills!).
So route change was in order taking us off the map and east towards conon bridge, turning south a few miles before town we aim for another 'path' that barely exists! (so many whinges could be put here!) onwards and around a hill with views of the Beuly firth and distant Inverness and the Kessock bridge we eventually find a pitch in woods for the night.
Though we now have about five extra miles to go and playing catch up with the plan will be a long term game.

Day-10 Bertha shows us!

What a night! fighting to keep dry, keep the tent from blowing away and trying to sleep... Didn't get much of the last plenty of the other two!
Hurricane Bertha was really putting us to the test, extremely heavy rain and winds up to 100 miles an hour made this a trip into survival not just an adventure, but stubborn gets me through most stuff, and this was something I can do, so packing everything away wet was not just optional, off the hill and finding a safe place to relaunch the trek was the order of the day, although not easily done in the high winds we did get away with some kind of order, just walking now proves difficult the wind behind isn't so bad you just lean back into it and keep going, where the track led across the flow of the wind is where It gets hard throwing you around and threatening to throw you on the floor at any moment.
Like this we pass loch Vaich where the mountains to either side are white with water gushing down into the valley and so on to flood the lower parts of the Glen. At Strathvaich lodge the river is swollen and churning white/brown where it hasn't already broken it's banks, splashing through this until black bridge where Bertha finally kicks us out the valley.
A bit of road walking past an old hotel and into forestry commission wood's soggy but under cover from the wind, a few miles of this till lunch where we shelter under a tree perched on a dry but uncomfortable rock while I heat some noodles and give Alfie ham and other treats.
From here we leave the woods aiming for Garve which we reach in his time and get a room at the hotel here, the room is soon converted into a drying room with my entire kit splayed around the room! At least we'll be starting in good order again tomorrow.

Day-9 positive pictures only!

Title will become obvious.....
Woke up to the most beautiful day, not a cloud in sight! Sunlight on the mountains around us and on the road as we headed along Strath Carron, butterflies skitting around and wrens hoping from post to post!
Great views of the rocky river Carron the photo was taken from a rusty old bridge near a building marked on the map as a school.
Waking into the woods of Amat where red squirrels live allegedly... None about, the sky clouds over pleasant still, up and around a hill for Dinner with a view from the track down Glean Mor. A really nice view point!, then we head down and it starts going wrong! The grey clouds have started to shower us, (probably needed!). Walking along a section marked in gaelic 'Abhain a Ghlinne Mhor' I translate this with zero knowledge of gaelic to mean 'abandoned hope! midges moor' and boy was it! Normally if you stop for a rest they attack, not here tho this breed hang around in gangs mugging you as you walk along!, even in the rain the persistent b@$t@rds!!!!!! Think they annoyed me!
Eventually the rain increased to such a level they dispersed, across the bridge at Deanich lodge and a quick break inside the generator house of said lodge (they have no mains connection) to avoid the deluge which didn't have the grace to stop! We pushed soggily on past Meall Chorainn (cor rain?  pretty accurate!) a great lump of a hill to descend in increasing weather towards loch Vaich where we gave up trying to find a good pitch and have curled up still soggy but fed for the night.
Hours later it's still raining and windy think this must be the promised tail end of hurricane Bertha
Well she knows what she can do!!! ;-)

Cheers!

Wow
Callum the same chap who said I could pitch here tonight, just turned up on his way to a party up the road with this for us!
What a great guy!

Day-8 what a day!!!!

Today looked in planning to be a short non discript day with an amorphous finish!
Couldn't be more wrong,Here's my best description of it!
We didn't leave the camp site (Dunroaming!) till 10.30 to complete the full days rest we both needed, the site has its own restaurant so we took advantage of a full fried breakfast at a very reasonable £4.95!
Then back to the pet shop from which I'd bought the treats Alfie didn't like, my idea being to buy more and give these to the lady (in the pic! sorry forgot your name!) who runs the place as she'd mentioned she has dogs, but no she was really kind and not only swapped the treats for ones he liked but also gave him some paw wax to protect him! One of those very special moments! Thank you again!
Back to the main road and the loch where we saw a cute 6 foot long house with its own wind turbine! Duck house presumably?!
Over the river shin to pick up the B road cyclists use along Achany Glen and the environment changes completely! From the boggy moorland we've walked through for the last seven days we now enter lush a wooded valley, I'd really missed this level of greenery and trees! of which we've seen so few.
Lots of pretty houses here and we discovered an old ruined mill house with the gearing still partially in place.
All along this Glen we had people waving to us.... Like minor celebrities! Ha!
Along the shin is a nice waterfall which would normally have had facilities but these apparently burnt down.
Leaving the B road we walk along the A836 (just for a change! It's the road from jog!) much wider here busier which Alfie found excessively boring, he slows down when he's bored so just to add a little extra weight and to increase speed I carried him... Much to the amusement of the traffic!
Eventually I got bored of his scheme and let him walk the rest of the way to Bonnar bridge passing a lady unloading peat from a trailer,who's husband Kenny Campbell is famous for carrying a piano up Ben Nevis! And he also walked lejog too!
Walking lejog seems to be a common occupation here as in town I got chatting to a lady outside the grocers named Norma Roche who has also walked it!
I walked on a little to the pub and supper of pan fried duck! Yummy and also cheap!
Over the bridge out of Bonner to Ardgay and past Gledfield house where a groundsman Calum allowed us to pitch by an unoccupied house that Gledfield own.

Day-7 to Lairg and rest!

Waking up to the sound of the midges was concerning! So a cold breakfast was eaten inside the tent and everything packed into the pack before braving the swarm!
Glad I bought my midge head net with me very much needed as I took the tent down even with smidge!
As ever once the packs on and your ten yards down the road you leave them behind, relief!
No rain this morning but it is overcast, so once again good walking weather, the road we're following eventually joins with the road to Durness bringing back memories of last year's trip to Cape Wrath. With that road behind we head on into Lairg with its hydro electric dam, seen in the distance in the pic, which also shows the town war memorial.
Up to the campsite for our first 24 hours rest, with some reprovisioning and lots of sleep being the order of the day!

Day-6 first injuries

After yesterday's push to get to Altnaharra we're both in pain this morning, Alfie with a sore pad which his boots soon sorted and me with a muscle or tendon strain in my ankle no quick fix there just hobble on!
And that's just what we did, on the same road all day.going out of Altnaharra with Ben Klibreck impressively catching the sun on our right the aches and pains were easily ignored and the steady stream of lejog cyclists heading north allowed for a stream of friendly greetings :-)
Not much notable really this morning so getting to the Crask Inn at midday for pint of black isle red kite ale was very welcome!
Ale drunk we headed along the road a bit to make and eat some sandwiches with views of a fine range of mountains to the west sadly couldn't identify any.... Just too many up here!
The road continued through the desolation of North Dalchork forest where the tree fellers had been busy, never a nice thing to see, juxtaposed to this was the arrival of Janet and Dave two lejog cyclists who passed us earlier in the week very friendly people (see pic) who Alfie soon had rubbing his belly!,they continued of having completed their trek to cycle back to Inverness to catch a plane home.
Immediately after they had gone Fay and Robert Crawford stopped their car to say hello having passed us three times in the last week! Very kindly they donated £5 to the charity! Lovely people.
Carrying on south to Rhian bridge to get Alfie a drink then on past the next, where with evening approaching we set up the tent as a heavy storm lashed us! Once the rain had passed we were besieged by billions of midges! Really nasty little creatures these and the scourge of the Highlands!
Suitably prepared with the best deterrent 'smidge' which worked very well inside the tent though the swarms outside didn't get the hint!
While settling down for the evening a car pulled up to inquire if Alfie was OK, confused by this I assured them he is fine, before they clarified that they had earlier seen us with Dave and Janet where Alfie had been rolling around on Daves feet. They had been concerned that he had been run over and wanted to make sure he was OK! People really can amaze me still!

Day-5 A change of plans

The day started overcast but dry no complaints here, so fed and packed we headed south past the hill and foundations of Dun Viden Broch,which in its day must have been imposing! Today in the dull grey light it just managed a little mysterious!
Carrying on the rain started a fine but persistent drizzle that required waterproofs, donning these in the shelter of an old farm chimney stack we carry on to Rhifail and much to the chagrin of the folk of Skelpick we made it back to the road! This carried us easily to Skail where you can see Alfie Inspecting a neolithic burial! (he passed it Jim!) fascinating spot and in the newly returned sunshine incredibly peaceful. The same can't be said about Alfie whenever sheep are within sniffing distance!
The road carries on for miles and at lunch we fill my water container in the river... Very clear water and I'm told a renowned salmon fishing river,all the same I purified the water and cooked up coffee and pasta, while doing so a car pulled up to say hello, apparently they had also seen me in my wanderings along the north coast! Fame at last! in this case I got a second helping, turning on my phone I received a message from radio Northampton saying they would like to do another over the phone interview today!. Packed and pushing on we round the corner to loch Naver avoiding my planned route via the river Mallat, the reason for this is my route took us off path through boggy terrain and after the mornings rain not worth the risk!
The phone rang at the appointed time and a rather surreal interview was had with me in the middle of nowhere chatting away! Can only be good for the charity.
Walking along the Naver with great views of the mountains only being spoilt by swarms of Scottish midges attacking we stopped at caravan site for a quick drink then rather than stop we upped a few gears and raced to the hotel at Altnaharra for dinner tonight, and a use of there bunkhouse to avoid the midges!
A good twenty mile day with plenty of interesting history!

Day 4- changing our ways

Firstly I should add a bit to last nights blog that being that we've left our first county going from caithness into Sutherland as the sign said we entered Mackay country!.not something monumental but crossing County borders becomes important when your on foot!
Back to today, leaving behind an excellent campsite and company we continue west out of town, passing an old chap whose house is festooned with vote yes for independence flags and stickers, stood around chatting for a good ten minutes, then made to leave at which point he uttered his goodbyes in the form of 'Good folk are scarce!' by his tone it was a complement, which struck me as a great way to say good bye! People can be so fascinating!
Back onto our old friend the A836 which claimed to have had eu grants to improve it and the going was certainly improved with nice wide edges for us wanderers to dodge traffic, today the roads character definitely changed with plenty of Hills so the going become tougher and by midday I was yawning! Quickly I recognised this for the sugar low that it was, and after eating a good hand full of jelly babies to boost my sugar decided I must pay more heed to my bodies needs... Takes a while to get back in the swing of the trail.
Closing on Bettyhill we come to a viewpoint with spectacular mountains rearing up to the west great to see and only slightly sad that my route won't pass through them. Into the village itself and and tea stop was had at the tourist information centre, much needed.
Up the hill and provisions were taken on board to keep us going for the next three days, the pack is ridiculously heavy now! With a new loaf of bread perched on top we head downhill passing a family just leaving there home on an errand, one daughter pipes up were you in Thurso yesterday, nodding the affirmation, she nods 'i thought I'd seen a walker with bread on top of his rucksack!' certainly one of the oddest things I've been recognised for!
Very warm by now and Alfie is lagging behind, luckily there's a simple cure for this....a good dunking! Into the river Naver he goes! And comes out instantly revitalised... Thankfully!
At this stage we've finally stopped walking west and have started walking south along the Strath Naver Valley, also said goodbye to the A road and are walking along a tiny B road busy with manicly driven hay carts! Loud enough to dodge. The road itself goes to a quiet hamlet called Skelpick, the occupants of which don't appear to like walkers, on three different occasions people stopped to tell me that this road is a dead end, and each looking a bit miffed when I pointed out that there is track to a place called Rhifail at the end of their (single street) village... Nod and smile!
And it's by that track that I've pitched for tonight. And where this pic of Alfie was taken