Day 03 - Helmsdale to Dornoch - 30 Miles

Today started a bit later than usual as 7:30 was the earliest we could negotiate our breakfast at the B&B.  However, we did start the day fully refreshed after a good nights sleep and evening meal the previous night.  The route today started on the A9 out of Helmsdale, but we had decided to cut out a 10 Mile stretch to Brora by following the coast line.  At first this seemed like a bad idea as the going was very rough and was quite a scramble over large boulders, but soon we were on to beautiful sandy beaches colonised by hundreds of seals.  We followed the coast practically all the way to Golspie where we passed the picturesque Dunrobin Castle, then it was back to the A9 for the final 11 Mile push to Dornoch.  This last section seemed to take forever, so when we finally made it to the campsite we hastily pitched tent and headed back into town to get food in the only place left serving.  The 30 Miles today were quite hard, probably due to the scrambling on the coast, so hopefuy tomorrow's 21 Miles will seem like a rest.

Tim posing with a few hundred curious seals.

Statistics

Distance: 29.6 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 57 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 84.14 Miles

View the route for day 03 here.