Although it rained a little during the night it was a calm dry morning. Looking out from the coffin the skies were overcast but it didn't feel particularly cold.
My shoulder was still quite painful as I wrestled with the sleeping bag and made breakfast. I slowly packed up which was unusual as normally I tried to get ready as quickly as possible. Taking time to briefly check my gear and to see how much food I had left I was surprised to find I still had four main meals left. All the breakfasts had been consumed but having the equivalent of two days rations left and picking up more later on left me with a slight problem, a nice problem but a problem none the less - where will I stow it all.
I left my pitch and headed along the road. Along the way I met an elderly gentleman off on a brisk morning romp through the hills. He was intending to hike to portuairk the opposite way I did the day before. When I asked him about the short stretch of coast I had decided to avoid he agreed I'd probably made the right decision, explaining the volcanic rock formations along there were steep and could easily crumble away. I felt a little happier knowing that maybe I had made the right choice in not attempting it injured with the excessive weight I was carrying.
Carrying on along the road was particularly easy although I felt cheated that after all I'd been through to get this far I was now having to miss small parts of the coast which I knew could probably be tackled but due to either carrying too much gear, loosing faith in my boots or personal injury or health issues I'd decided to not even attempt them. I needed time out. I needed space to sort through my kit and throw stuff away. I needed to make the decision as to how far I was willing to go to complete the challenge.
Kilchoan was the name of the village where I was to collect the last of my rations. It had been lovely receiving the support of those following and supporting my efforts but alas obce again the cupboard would be bare and I wouldn't know if or when I could expect anymore.
Ironically as I was thinking about the food situation I came upon the first 24 hour shop I'd seen since leaving Inverness. Granted this was a garden shed selling local produce and it was unmanned but all the same the large painted sign on the outside stated it was 24hrs. Meaning it was left unlocked and it was up to you to serve yourself and act as a checkout chick adding up the amount you were buying and then putting the money into the honesty box inside. I loved it. I went in and for some reason hoped there would be some fruit. Unfortunately it was really the wrong time of year for fruit in the Highlands and all that was available were jams, vegetables and strawberry vinegar. Still it was an amusing stop off and it lifted my spirits and took my mind if my worries for a short while.
Across from the shop was the most westerly hotel in Britain. I started to walk on but then it dawned on me that destiny had brought me to this place so that I could enjoy the most westerly coffee in Scotland, the cafe at the lighthouse at the point was closed and this was the next closest place. I went over, the door was open and the lights were on. There was however nobody there to serve me. I waited for a bit but still nobody came. Destiny it seems was taunting me.
I carried on to the village and headed straight for the post office to get my supplies. Chatting with the post master I discovered that there was a community hall located at the other end of the village. It was right by the coast and boasted having not only showers but also a small cafe which was open till 4pm. This, I thought, had to be a good place to stop and recover. The post master offered me a lift to the hall during his lunch break as he was going that way anyway but I obviously declined it however I did suggest that he could drop my bag off for me and I'd follow up on foot.
The community centre was about a mile from the post office and it didn't take me long to get there. It was quite nice walking without the weight of the pack bareing down on my shoulders or digging into my hips. Eileen was working there covering for the lady who usually served in the cafe and after I'd had a couple of coffees and chatted she brought over a bowl of cauliflower soup and a roll. It was delicious and was a pleasant change to freeze dried rehydrated high calorie rations. At 4pm sharp Eileen closed and locked up the centre and I headed off to find somewhere to camp. Passing the back of the centre I noticed a small grassy area just big enough to pitch the coffin on and decided that it would be the perfect place to stay the night. I'd just finished setting up camp when it began to rain. I climbed in and made myself at home and rehydrated one of the four spare rations I had left over from the week before.
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