Waking up early I packed away the tent and joined Josephine and Peter for a cooked breakfast before leaving the cottage to be dropped off where they'd picked me up from in the community centre car park next to the public toilets. Peter was so insistent that I was dropped precisely where they'd picked me up he parked in the same parking space. It was a lovely drive back with the sun shining and this time no mist. Unloading my kit from the car I recognised a gentleman walking towards me, it was Jonathan the writer I'd met up on the peninsula a couple of days before. After a quick introduction and a little natter I had to say goodbye to peter and Josephine before they made their huge journey back home and left Jonathan to continue my little stroll around the country. I still had an extremely long way to go. Before I left Gairloch though I had to pop back to the radio station as freda had left some home baking there for me to take with me.
Calling in at the station, carol opened the door and welcomed me in. Sure enough there was a couple of little packages, some scottish tablet and millionaires shortbread. Before leaving the studio though I had a mic shoved in front of me and chatted with the presenter live on air. Once the quick interview was over I had a quick natter with everyone sat in the studio and was told of a youth hostel that had been turned into a bothy just passed red point. It seemed like a good place to stop that night. It was now about midday and I really needed to make a move.
I headed away from the studio along the road. As I made my way up the hill away from Gairloch I met a couple of ladies walking towards me. Stopping for a little chat it transpires that they'd met a fella pulling a trolley also walking the coast I'd met in Durness while waiting for my supplies to arrive. He was also walking the coast and had mentioned me to them. A small world I guess. Only stopping for a quick chat I continued up the hill aling the road to the first junction. Leaving the junction I carried on towards the loch when a car pulled up alongside me, the driver wound down his window and called over "you're the walker right! We've just been talking about you", "good things I hope" I replied as I walked over. "No! We think you're f@#$ing mad!" He said with a smile on his face. They drove off and I carried on with the days hike. I had only walked about a mile when another car pulled up. It was the two ladies I'd met on my way up the hill leaving Gairloch. Their friend had picked them up and they were heading to red point for an afternoon walk. As I turned I saw them waving and once again the driver wound down her window. We began chatting and they offered to take my pack to the point to give me an easier hike. I wasn't sure if I would even make it that far so opted to decline and keep my pack with me. Before they left they said they'd wave as they passed me on their way home later that day.
They then set off for red point and I continued walking. I was still getting used to my pack and every so often I stopped to make small adjustments to the straps and belt until I finally had the pack sitting comfortably. Arriving at badachro bay I stopped to look over the bay. It was picture perfect, the tide was out and the boats moored. With the mountains and hills on the horizon I wished I could stop longer to really take it all in. Whilst sat on the decking of the badachro inn it began to rain lightly. Deciding that my break was over I slung my pack on and headed off, hoping that the shower would be brief and quickly pass by.
After a couple of miles the skies cleared up and it looked like it would turn into a lovely evening. Passing a small bay I was joined by an elderly gentleman. Charlie was retired and had been working on his boat. He was expecting his friend who lived 3-4 miles away to pick him up but he hadn't arrived decided to walk hoping to meet him on the way. Although charlie had a limp he had a good stride and marched along the road with me like a soldier on parade. As we walked together we chatted away about crofting and the lovely views I'd see on the rest of my Highland journey. Charlie had also known the infamous sandy who's bothy I'd stopped at near Sandwood beach. He said that sandy was a lovely chap when he was sober but if you invited him home for a wee dram you wouldn't be able to get rid of him and that sandys temperament would become quite obnoxious. One time sandy disappeared from the bothy for several months and although when he'd first started living there he'd spent time maintaining and cleaning the bothy up after a few years he'd let it fall into disrepair. During his absence the mountain bothy association sent organised a work force to rebuild and repair thinking sandy had left only for him to turn up again while the work was going on. Another time sandy arrived in Kinlochbervie and decided to visit the church and sit in on a service which delighted the locals. At the end of the service they realised sandy had gone and so had the collection tin. It was an interesting insight into the life of sandy and his exploits and the walk seemed to go by quickly. Eventually charlie arrived at his friends house just as his friend had got into his car to collect charlie. Moments like this happened quite rarely and I will never forget the brief time I walked with charlie.
As charlie went off with his friend to the pub which we'd passed I continued on to red point a few miles further on. Arriving at the path that lead to the beach I decided to take a short break and sat down on my new pack. As I was resting the three ladies returned from their walk. They were quite surprised to see me there and expected to pass me on their way home. I explained about charlie and how his regimental march had kept me going at a good pace and that even I hadn't expected to arrive so early. At that another elderly lady out walking her dog walked by. I mentioned I was thinking about heading to the bothy I'd been told about at two lochs radio. She said it was only an hours walk away. I had a couple of hours of light left and although I was thinking about camping at red point that night decided the extra walk would probably be worth it. The lady, who apparently had been a teacher, said it was a lovely place and even had a toilet.
I headed down to the sandy beach and up the hill onto the headland following it round to the beach on the other side. Apparently there was an otter resident on the beach but I didn't see it. The sun had begun to set now and it quickly became apparent that I'd probably be hiking the clifftops in the dark. Leaving red point behind me I headed along the faint path towards the bothy. After an hour the light had gone completely and although the previous nights had been quite bright with the moon light this particular night the moon was completely absent.
Now with only my head torch to light the way I began to regularly loose the path, looking for small signs of disturbed grasses or well trodden trails I slowly made my way along. After two hours and still no sign of the bothy and having crossed several burns and waterfalls, walking narrow trails on the steep hillsides which I presume were more than just several meters above the rocks and sea below I decided to stop for a coffee and a couple of slices of ginger cake Josephine had put in my pack. I only fancied two slices so I cut the cake in half.
After my break I followed the trail which had now turned from marsh and ferns to boulders and birch. It was hard following it but I figured I couldn't be that far away now. Muttering to myself "an hours walk! " I came upon a wooden bridge crossing a fast flowing river. This had to be a positive sign. I crossed the bridge and followed a muddy trail up a small hill. Then in the light of my torch I made out the shape of a building. Hoping it wasn't a ruin I approached the front of the building. It was the old youth hostel, the bothy, my home for the night. Going inside I went into the living room and immediately lit sone candles and started a small fire in the old wood burner. Whilst the room was heating up I went for a little explore finding the kitchen space and bedrooms upstairs. I took a foam mattress off one of the bunks I brought it downstairs and laid it out in front of the fire.
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