On the Birnam path alongside the Tay

Left Edinburgh under a thick cloud of gloom wondering what the journey north would be like. Not to worry, north of the Forth the weather rapidly improved so that by the time we reached Dunkeld it was warm and sunny.

What a fine place Dunkeld and its environs is. Cyclists galore in the car park, bespattered with mud, plenty of trails, the River Tay, a cathedral and a very fine coffee shop. This was just one of the many walks from Dunkeld, the Birnam walk passing by the famous Birnam Oak (see extra)

The A9 around there was a zoo, to try and turn right onto the A9 was impossible unless you were let in. Eventually, the further north we travelled the better it was and the final stretch from Aviemore to Forres was a joy, very little traffic, nobody in front and nobody behind.

We spent the evening with the third set of relatives, Susan’s niece, her husband Tricyclist and their son - who was only 7 months old when we last saw him in January 2020.