Log No 55. Sat 1st Jun 2013 - Thurso to Melvich, 23 miles (953 miles walked)

Mick's train was at 06.40 so it was an early start for him rising just after 5.

Today was going to be a rest day as Sandra had intended catching the 9 o' clock ferry but as it was fully booked she couldn't get here until this evening so as it was a glorious morning I would walk and have tomorrow off.

My pre-walk plan was to have one day off a week but so far it seems to be every 2 weeks.

After seeing Mick off I left at 07.00 aiming to walk 23 miles to Melvich and get the 16.42 bus (the only bus) back to Thurso.

From the lighthouse at Scrabster there is a good path on the cliff top going past Holburn Head, Spear Head and on to the disused quarries at Ness of Litter.

After that it was short, sheep grazed grass. Coming to Brims Ness it was cattle grazed and with the farm right at the shore I took a track inland a bit to get to Crosskirk.



I stayed on the cliff top to Dounreay, the perimeter fence was well away from the cliff so I presumed I would be able to walk right past it.

Son-in-law was supposed to check this out for me as he was working there at the time, however,I found out for myself that access was barred with a high fence so I had to back-track and find a way back to the road.

I stayed on the road to Reay and got back to the cliffs at Fresgoe.

The going was still good as I went round Sandside Head but I had long detour to make to get round the geo.

On this final stretch to Melvich this was going to happen quite a few times.

I didn't have a map with me today, Sandra is supposed to bringing the next set with her, so it was not easy to judge when to start cutting across to the end of the geo.

I had the maps & GPS on the phone but I was only these now and again to conserve the battery. If the phone died before I reached Melvich I might be in trouble.

I stayed inland going round Loch na Moine in case I couldn't cross the outlet stream.

The terrain inland was harder going so I headed back to the cliffs.

When I got there I met a bird watcher photographing Great Skuas, the first walker I had seen today, she said her husband was watching Puffins somewhere behind her.

I met him a few minutes later and he said the Puffins wouldn't come close.

They were all on a stack and content to stay there. The stack was a very unusual shape having a triangular face and it was dotted with burrows.

I had made good time today, plenty of sheep tracks had helped, and I had plenty of time to get to Melvich.

I came round the final headland at Melvich Bay where there were a few fishermen at the mouth of the river.

I crossed the river by the footbridge and stopped at the car park at 15.00 to finish off my lunch.

Melvich is scattered along the road and I walked on to the junction to Portskerra to have a coke In the hotel while the bus came.

This had been another good hike.

Sunday will be a rest day.