After the previous two days high mileage, the 21 Miles from
Dornoch to Alness was, on paper a bit of a rest. We made a good early start from the campsite
and having learned our lesson regarding available shops, made sure to stock up
with enough food to last the whole day’s walking. The route out of Dornoch follows quiet lanes
up to the Dornoch Firth Bridge which, after a slight navigational error and a
hop over a fence and barrier, we crossed via a good footpath. From this point to Tain, it was back onto the
A9 which was its normal busy self, complemented by low flying jet fighters up
and down the Firth. However, at Tain the
route turns off onto an 11 Mile straight, but very quiet lane through Scotsburn
to Alness. Scotsburn seems to be a very
exclusive area, sparsely dotted with pretty houses and mansions with old castle
remains in the gardens of some. The view
to the left of the road shows several oil rigs in the estuary, presumably
waiting to be towed out to sea.
As today was only 21 Miles, we got to Alness at about
mid-afternoon and visited a hotel on the high street to try and get a room. The hotel was full, but they gave us the
numbers of some other B&Bs’ to try and we soon got booked into some good
rooms to rest up for tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s route does nothing to enthuse as it is almost exclusively on
the A9 again for the 20 Mile leg into Inverness. However, once this is out of the way, we will
be able to start the journey proper by beginning the Great Glen Way. Hopefully Tim’s sore feet will start to
recover soon so that he can enjoy the miles better.
The Dornoch Firth Bridge in the distance. We took an unconventional route getting on it.
Statistics
Distance: 21 Miles
Moving Time: 6 Hours 28 Mins
Cumulative Distance: 105.14 Miles
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