Day 66 Alness to Dornoch

I know it is getting to be a bit of a habit but another dry day beckoned. Running through Alness I believe I may have become affected by a new medical affliction, that of fusion of my ankle to me leg as they simply would not flex or bend at all. But I was back on the country lanes amid fields of crop and sheep. The plan was to follow the quiet lane as it passed through small hamlets and woods and then run through a much bigger wood thereby avoiding the A9. The first part of the plan ran perfectly smoothly. I saw a couple of partridge and unfortunately disturbed a female pheasant who was quietly laid in the hedge at the side of the road with her young. It was actually the youngsters that flew away first in all directions leaving the mum to panic trying to round them all up again. I then stopped for a while watching a couple of young deer playing in a field oblivious to me spying on them. My only annoyance was a whole swarm of buzzing flies that seemed to be following me - either I had died (which obviously I hadn't) or I was beginning to really smell!

My maps showed what looked like a track existing in Lamington Park Woods which would then emerge onto the A9 at Dornoch Bridge but the trail simply didn't exist where it should have so I had to take the lane into Tain and then join the A9 there unfortunately. Whilst the traffic wasn't too heavy, it was fast and being a single carriageway there wasn't much room in the kerb for a runner!! The good news was that there was a convenient grass verge which made it a lot easier.

One of the famous Scottish whiskies is Glenmorangie and the distillery was now on my route; whilst I'm not that interested in how they make and mature the drink, if the tour had been free as advertised, then I would have joined but they were now charging so as they also had no soft drinks to offer as refreshments, I passed on the opportunity.

This time I didn't have any real choice but to cross Dornoch Firth via the A9 bridge which luckily had the addition of a pavement. A couple of terns flew overhead plus a heron. Just afterwards I was able to divert through Cuthill onto a much quieter lane. I passed on the opportunity to sample the fitness trail in the woods! Met a couple of elderly gents who'd got slightly lost and was able to point them in the right direction. When I told them where I had started from one of them replied "Was that today?" duh!

Dornoch sprang to fame for where Madonna and Guy Ritchie were married in 2000. The cathedral itself is actually the smallest in Scotland.

Tonights B&B, Kyleview House is excellent and I spent an enjoyable evening watching Andy Murray's comeback at Wimbledon. I was also really naughty as I couldn't really be bothered to get anything to eat so made do with cake and biscuits washed down with a pot of tea!

Mileage 21.66 Time 4.05

Total mileage 1117.05