I woke up that morning and felt a sight better. I was here now and there's no turning back, all I had on my agenda today was to walk.. Come on how hard could that be! Before leaving I chose to get rid of some of the food I'd packed. I had a KG of porridge, rice and pasta and halved it all. I got rid of a couple note pads I'd bought of writing and simply had a journal and a A5 book that became my character file, full of people i'd met and their favourite songs.
Once I'd handed over my key I took my picture at the infamous John O'groats sign post and thanked those who donated that morning.
For the next two weeks I was set to follow the John O'groats trail that hugged the coast to inverness. I could see this was going to be a stunning walk and had dismissed the few warnings on the page about bogs and overgrowth. The sun was beating down and really helped motivate me to just get on with in.
The wild flowers that adorned the coastline took a lot of my attention, this occasionally caused my to fall into bog. Which in hiensight is funny but at the time, not very fun. It took core strength to not let the bag take me in head first. At one point maybe two hours in, I decided to take a picture of the heather (See below). As I knelt over the bends in my joints felt warming and encouraged me to take a seat and then a little lay down. I let my eyes rest and a power nap ensued.
The breeze picked up, I could feel warmth on my face and YAP YAP YAP. A little terrier frightened the life out of me! Weighed down by my bag it was as if I was in an electric chair. He owner yelled and came over to see if I was alright. This altercation was actually quite lucky and probably the first of what some call a happy coincidence. Turns out if i'd carried on the route I was going I was heading back to John O'groats sing post. HA! Well thank you sir, and your little runt of a dog - I'm now quite pleased we had such an explosive encounter.
That night I didn't make it to where I'd hoped. I stumbled across a farm and met a wonderful lady named jacqueline, she invited me in gave me a cup of tea and some beans to cook for dinner. She told me I'd have a lovely camp down at freswick bay just two minutes down the road and explained how to make a fire out of dried up seaweed.
She was right. I couldn't of had a more perfect setting for my first night camping. Thank you Jacqueline for you kindness and advise.
It took my over half an hour to put up my tent that night. All I could hear in the back of my head was my Dad the night before asking if i'd practiced putting the tent up before. I laughed and smugly "I'll be fine". Thinking... "Once you've put up one tent you've put up every tent" another one of my misconceptions.
It's quite funny looking back at my thought processes and how things planned out. I can be such a know it all!
TBC
