Saturday
Our first delight was spotting a dolphin followed by a walk around Helmsdale, apparently named from the Norse word ‘helmet’. The village is surrounded by hillsides of golden gorse with a Thomas Telford bridge, a fine statue telling the story of emigrants who were forced to leave during the clearances and an ice house, talk about opposites.

We had a scone and coffee in the community cafe meeting a guy from NZ who is also heading for the Orkneys. (I didn’t ask his views on gorse). His grandfather emigrated from Glasgow, and now he and his wife are on a Rabbies mini bus tour of Scotland, sadly the tour was leaving as we arrived, I would like to hear more from him. We finally left the village and set off along the wonderful single track road to Melvich, a slow, pretty drive with few dwellings along the way. As we neared the north coast there was that mist again and as I write we are now in Kirkwall on the Orkneys and covered in cloud. And a drop in temperature after all those sunny days.

Sunny with sea mist. Overnight in Kirkwall, on the car park, 10 designated bays for CC. Very quiet.