Prayers, pills and perspective

 Inverness looked like the end of the world this morning. The city finished at the water's edge with the enormous "Kessock Bridge" setting off from the city, out over the Moray Firth into mist and mystery. As we approached it, the mystery deepened as the cycle path over the bridge had been closed. In the end, a sprightly elderly lady on a bicycle let us in on the secret of how to access the path that lead beyond the edge of the world. 

I haven't mentioned the trapped nerve in my shoulder yet. Well, probably in my neck but it sends pain down my arm sometimes to my fingers. It's accompanied me for about 3 months. I didn't want to mention it but today it featured too heavily to be omitted. I was quite anxious that it might feature heavily in the entire trip so am pleased to report that up to now Ibruprofen has kept it at bay. The doctor gave me some big boy pain killers to be used on the trip if necessary. Today it was necessary. The first 15 miles between Inverness and Dingwall were hard. You know that sort of pain where you find you've forgotten to breathe... As we were leaving Dingwall we spotted a wheelchair on the road ahead. It had flags flying. A union flag and a Yorkshire flag. When we got closer we read "End to End" on the back of his chair. This guy (at least our age) has no legs and is propelling himself - no motor - from Land's End not to John O Groats but the northern tip of the Shetlands.... Not only that but he is unsupported. Not only that but he's camping. Not only that but he has wild camped the whole route so far!!  My arm felt a lot better. Prayer? Definitely. Pills, certainly. Perspective? Undoubtedly. We also stopped in Dingwall for coffee. I had two. Large ones. In fact, it might have been nearly as much as you get in Starbucks in one of those cups with two handles... I bought one of those by mistake near Carlisle. Didn't drink it all.

The day improved dramatically. The sun came out YET AGAIN. We have seen such beautiful scenery. Most of the time we agreed that the phone wouldn't do it justice so we just  "Ooo" ed, "Ah" ed and "Wow" ed our way through Scotland. We passed high places with tremendous views, loch sides with blue water thanks to the blue sky and pretty little valleys with streams and waterfalls and quaint houses and bridges. We are adjusting our concept of Scotland by the day. I know the next, and last, two days could unleash wet and wind and may well do, but we have seen Scotland in all its glory. And glorious it is. 

Apart from the route suddenly incorporating a flight of steps down to a gantry hooked on to the side of a railway line in order to cross a river, followed by another flight if steps on the other side, the journey was without hitch. And anyway,  after the east coast of Loch Lomond affair, that was a walk in the park...

Lairg, our destination this evening, is not well equipped with shops or places to eat so we actually ate out at a restaurant (!) The food was delicious. The service was      anyway, we had a lovely evening sitting on the shore of Loch Shin. Kate said, " We could almost be on holiday"........

Pics include, stopped on the middle of Kessock Bridge. Coffee in Dingwall. More bits of Scotland. A sign proving Kate's wellbeing...  'Wild West' feel coffee stop in Ardgay at a shop which boasted "Shop and Cafe" but in reality sold hardware and brought takeaway cups out to the car park for you. Our lovely meal on the shore of Loch Shin.