Golspie or bust?

It's a long way aroind the Cromarty Firth.  A long, straight, boring road dragged uphill, into the wind now. I counted ten drilling rigs parked in the Firth.  Last year there were only two - a result of low oil prices perhaps? Fifteen hard miles later I rejoined the A9 to cross the Firth, nearer to Inverness than Cromarty. The A9 traffic was sparse and considerate, and after eventually I took a quieter detour through Invergordon.

The detour was about 35 miles, I reckoned.  I had several options. Cut my day short and come back another day to finish the job.  Press on to Golspie anyway, miss my train, and try to get back by bus, or hitching.  Not easy with a bike, but there are a lot of kind people up here.  Stay overnight in Golspie?   Ride back overnight? ??  I decided to wait till I rejoined the planned route at Tain to decide.

At Tain, a miracle occurred.  It was only 20 miles to Golspie, and I had ample time to get there.  I had missed visiting the headland near Nigg, and a couple of small villages, but I can live with that. After the rush to catch up, my legs were on a go slow but after a short stop in the refined town of Dornoch, with another, fully working, cathedral, I made it to Golspie.

In between,  on another tiny road along a river estuary,  there were maybe 100 seals sun bathing on a sandbank and.  Nice.  And a pair of oystercatchers were there to welcome me back into Sutherland, a real Highland county.  I was so pleased to arrive that I had a celebratory cup of tea in the Caber Bar, Golspie, and nearly missed my train ;-)

Things improved through the day, both weather-wise and result-wise.  For the train ride back there was full sun on the glorious and varied countryside.  Now in the JDW King's Highway, Inverness for perhaps the last  time.

Tomorrow, the west coast, and real hills.  With panniers.