Pausing a while

It's been a relaxing week spent in Bristol, with a night last weekend in London to allow us to attend the wedding of close friends last Sunday morning.  I've spent quite a bit of time looking through my route for the next stage of my pilgrimage, which God-willing will take me from Mallaig, through SW Scotland, Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales during June.  I'm then intending to return to Bristol for a second break, not quite as long as this one has been, before aiming to finish in Dover at the end of July.

Whilst preparing to leave the Highlands, one thing on my mind was whether the rhythm I'd built up over the first weeks of walking would be dissipated during this break.  It feels like that's not been a particular concern after all, as the time spent reviewing the next stage of the route (in light of the experience to date) has kept me in 'pilgrimage mode,' as I've tried to fit around the usual daily pattern at home.

It's been nice to be able to cook most evenings here, which I've been doing most nights I've been away anyway.  I've also caught up with a few matters around the house and the garden, including digging up the onions and garlic which have been growing over the winter (and several potatoes...so obviously I didn't dig up all the tubers in the autumn!) which are drying out before storage:

Onions garlic and potatoes(!)

My walking boots have had some TLC, thanks to a local cobbler who has repaired some stitching which had started to open up a little and put on some new heels.  I do have a second pair of boots which I'd broken in before starting the walk, but it's good not to have had to use them yet.  I've also changed one or two bits of equipment to lighten the backpack; I am also planning not to have to camp once I've crossed the border into England as there are more hostels near to my route and also friends and family who have offered hospitality.  Assuming I plug the remaining gaps, then I can drop off the tent and one or two other bits and pieces.

I'm looking forward to another look at the landscapes surrounding the West Highland railway line which runs from Glasgow to Mallaig.  At some point during my early adult years years, I was given a book 'Stopping Train Britain: A Railway Odyssey' which I've read any number of times, and it's still tucked away on my bookshelf.  In common with the rest of the book, the chapter about the West Highland line is evocative, so travelling along it for the first time brought pleasure as I experienced it first hand, simply looking out of the window and soaking up the views.  Only in the last hour (or so) of the five and a half hour journey does the track double up, and the views become more built up.

St Patrick's RC Church, Mallaig

One point of personal reflection over the past days has been about the extent to which this adventure is a pilgrimage or simply just a long walk.  I've paused for prayer at each church building I've passed, but I've started each day in prayer, usually as I take the first steps en route, using words from Northumbria Community Morning Prayer which I often use anyway.  The concluding blessing reads as follows, words which have held true over the past month:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors. + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

I've been reading  'The Celtic Way of Prayer: the Recovery of the Religious Imagination' by Esther de Waal, which includes a journey blessing, written by Mary MacDonald, a crofter on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, apt words for me as I continue:

God be with thee in every pass,

Jesus be with thee on every hill,

Spirit be with thee on every stream, 

  Headland, ridge and lawn; 

Each sea and land, each moor and meadow,

Each lying down, each rising up,

In the trough of the waves, on the crest of the billows,

  Each step of the journey thou goest.

Just a couple more days here, then I will be heading to Glasgow during the day on Tuesday, where I will spent a night in the Youth Hostel, before returning to Mallaig on Wednesday.  All being well, the refurbished boots will be back in use on Thursday.

Over the water

If you were watching the tracker this afternoon you'd have noticed that my progress speeded up somehat from the usual 2.5-3 miles (4-5km) per hour, equally that I'd abandoned walking for swimming!  After a straightforward walk from Broadford along the SE coast of Skye, I'd arrived at Armadale and took the ferry across to Mallaig, the first time I have moved for well over two weeks without putting one foot in front of the other.

Stage 1 of my pilgrimage is therefore concluded, although I hope to use some of the train journey to Bristol tomorrow to look through my journal and see what themes are emerging and potentially explored further.

For today, I feel thankful for God's blessings in getting me here in what feels like good physical shape, feeling a sense of inner stillness and having found a rhythm for this period of sabbatical.  All well and good in the main, but there have been a few more challenging moments, including:

- getting somewhere to sleep a week ago in Kinlochewe (mentioned before)

- equally a long climb into the wind on the first day south of Durness, when I was questioning whether I was doing the right thing at all

- needing to embark on a longer day's walk early on when it became apparent that I'd not be able to buy provisions as intended

As I look forward to seeing everyone at home, there are at least a couple of things I will need to sort out before I return:

- a bit of re-arranging of the next bit of my itinerary, building on my experiences so far.  I've been happy camping, whether on a site or wild, but it's been more than useful to have my rest days in a hostel of some sort

- reducing the weight I'm carrying in my backpack.  Obviously I have made it thus far, but it would be good to have less to carry.

Back to the present, I'm currently staying in The Mission Bunkhouse in the centre of Mallaig, just over the road from the railway station.  The building is owned by The Seamen's Mission, but the demand for temporary accommodation for seafarers has declined so it has been converted with the income used to support ministry in other ways.

With ten days at home, plus three days travelling, it will be two weeks today before I'm back here and looking forward to heading south on foot again.  I'm hoping that the overall weather pattern will have improved, particularly compared to the following, sent by Monique and Casper who I met last week (thank you, as I know you are likely to be reading this at some point)

I will post whilst I am away from the walking, not sure when.

Feeling introspective

Following a previous post, a friend commented on the calm and warmth emerging from my previous comments.  I've certainly felt a growing sense of inner stillness as I've made progress southwards.  Today has been no different, but tinged with moments of introspection as there was a sad outcome to the lifeboat launch which I mentioned yesterday.

Sadly, the kayaker who was involved in the incident in Loch Torridon lost her life, despite the efforts of the search and rescue agencies including HM Coastguard and the RNLI who launched lifeboats from both Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh (see their update).  As someone fortunate to be able to go to sea for a leisure activity, I'm always conscious of the risks involved, and no matter how well managed they might be, things do sometimes go wrong.  The contribution that statutory and voluntary agencies make towards safety on the water is second to none, underpinned by their willingness to help others at potential cost to themselves.

As well as praying for the kayaker who has died, I am holding those close to her in my prayers, likewise those who were involved in the incident and now dealing with the impact on them.

Torridon is over to the left of this image, you can't see the loch, but the mountains around there are visible in the distance.  Pausing as I took this picture at Broadford, today's destination on the Isle of Skye, gave me space for prayer about yesterday's events but also to reflect on my journeying over the past few days.

The Torridon mountains look a long way off, and there's a sense of personal accomplishment that I've walked from there since Sunday morning.  In my personal journal I've also been thinking about the next few days, as I complete the first stage of my pilgrimage and return to Bristol for a break.

Having got into the groove of walking, that will obviously stop for a while, but I'm hoping that some of the stillness I feel will continue.  Looking back through my personal journal, there were quite a lot of questions in the early settling in period, but fewer of late.  So I'm wondering whether these next few days of transition will provoke further observations.  Let's see.

For this evening, I'm just going to enjoy the excellent facilities and welcome here in Skye Basecamp hostel, oh and the views which are stunning.

Over the sea to Skye

My title comes from 'The Skye Boat Song,' a late 19th-century song recalling the journey of Bonnie Prince Charlie from Benbecula to Skye as he evaded capture by government troops after his defeat at Culloden in 1746.  Robert Louis Stevenson adapted the lyrics over a century later, and it's the title which finds use today as a slogan for the tourist industry.

The end of my journey was very much over the sea as I walked over the impressive bridge, built a quarter of a century ago to replace the ferry service from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin, where I'm staying in a hostel overnight before walking a few miles to another hostel before heading down the island to catch a ferry to Mallaig, thence a train back to Bristol for a break.  Having established a good rhythm to my pilgrimage thus far, it will be interesting ti notice how a break affects my growing sense of stillness.  More on that to come, I'm sure.

(view southwards from the bridge, Kyle of Lochalsh on the left, Kyleakin on the right)

Since the end of last week, I've struggled to remember what day of the week it is, for me that's a sign of a good break.  Since I last wrote (Sunday!) I've walked most of the perimeter of Lochcarron - that's one significant change from the route of 1972 when it was possible to take a ferry across.  The former destination on the south side is Stromeferry (where there's a railway station which would have connected), leading to the somewhat unusual signs now:

After a quiet evening (only one other guest in the small independent hostel) on Sunday, I had an early start on Monday, stopping in Lochcarron to shop for food, then continued east to reach the head of the loch around lunchtime.  Plenty of sheep around, on the much flatter and greener landscape.  The afternoon was uneventful, and I reached Stromeferry (no ferry) mid- afternoon before spending a while looking for somewhere to camp, finally finding a spot on the edge of a small woodland (sorry, no pictures on the phone) where I wild-camped.  Wasn't completely sure that it was a viable spot, but things worked well, midges excepted!

Tuesday started out much the same, and with the sun in view I decided to start early again, getting away just after 0730.  The route to Kyle of Lochalsh was largely along tree-lined lanes and I enjoyed good views across Lochcarron over to Plockton, a pretty loch-side village.

After almost three days in near solitude, Kyle of Lochalsh seemed very busy (several coaches around, and lots of other tourist-related activity).  I just missed the launch of the inshore lifeboat on a service (as opposed to training) call, but saw the launch crew preparing for the boat's subsequent return and recovery, with perhaps the RNLI's youngest volunteer being familiarised with the equipment (look carefully on the left)

I've got a shorter walk inland tomorrow,; I'd briefly wondered if I should see if I could change my travel arrangements to return home earlier.  Whilst there are some benefits to that, I feel it will be good not to rush now.  It seems longer than a month since Easter Sunday.

Torridon onwards

It's been a good weekend as my pilgrimage southwards continues.  I've recorded almost 300km of walking since I left Cape Wrath, a significant milestone in its own right but there's still a long way to go!  Alongside the sense of personal accomplishment, physically I feel well and the change of rhythm away from my usual day-to-day responsibilities is well set.

Over the next few days I'll be heading through Kyle of Lochalsh, briefly onto the Isle of Skye, via ferry to Mallaig to catch a train back home for a week or so.  It will be nice to see everyone at home, not least Sandy, and I'm hoping that this different rhythm will continue in some form during the break.

After the wet and windy few days, it was nice to have a quieter day weather-wise yesterday (Saturday) which was a rest day for me, mostly spent relaxing in the youth hostel, a bit of reading, shopping for a few days and looking through my route for the walking to Skye.

(View of Upper Loch Torridon, from near the hostel) 

The hostel was full with a combination of walkers, road cyclists and mountain bikers. Plenty of conversations!  One challenge I had when planning my route was that Hector's narrative focused on the encounters and conversations with others, less on the detail of the route.  I'm beginning to understand why. Amongst those staying in the hostel was a group of friends from Weymouth Baptist Church: Fiona, John, Keith and Ruth, three of whom are cycling the North Coast 500 (John acting as support driver in a van).  We enjoyed a couple of meals together and time in fellowship, but that sense of fellowship was equally shared with fellow walkers and others staying in the hostel (some of the mountain bikers had ridden much of the route I took today through Ben-damph Forest).

(an hour into today's walk, looking back towards Torridon Village)

Mostly away from the roads, I continued southwards today, heading up through forest and then a mountain pass in the direction of Kishorn, a small village on the north shore of the loch of the same name.  I'd discovered that one of the leaders from 62nd Bristol Scout Group (affiliated with one of the churches I serve) was in the area so we arranged to meet.  All going well until the last stretch of my walk to meet up, when it became clear that the map was at best 'indistinct' so I spent about an hour walking the last mile or so, exploring various boggy areas!  Nonetheless good to see Tim, ask him to take a parcel of maps back to Bristol and catch up with him before heading our separate ways - he to an overnight stop in Cumbria, me to a small independent hostel a couple of miles further on.

(note the hat ... the sun made a significant appearance today ... my waterproofs have been in the backpack throughout)

A closing reflection - in addition to laying down day-to-day responsibilities during my sabbatical, one of my colleagues talked about the background hum having chance to fade.  I'm beginning to sense that too, and allowing a sense of God's nourishing calm to be received.

Counting blessings

After the difficult end to yesterday's walk brought on by the extended period of rain, it was good to wake feeling reasonably refreshed.  Having unpacked everything to help drying it out, the first job was to repack and then tidy up the church hallway.  That done, I headed over the road to the local cafe where I met Jon (who'd arrived at the campsite at about the same time last night) who it turns out is a member of a Methodist church in the NW of England and two couples who joined in conversation, one giving me a donation towards my fundraising.  After breakfast of porage, teacake and coffee I set off towards Torridon, making good progress all morning, despite more rain, a strong headwind and batches of passing cars resulting from work on the single carriageway road.

I'm told this is the most photographed deer in Torridon...it lives close to a carpark where I stopped to eat my packed lunch, and is fed by a group of locals.  Not sure of the reasons behind that, but I'm told it's partial to a banana as well as vegetables!  

Whilst I was putting my phone away, a voice called over to me and asked whether I'd like to come and inside and have a coffee.  For half an hour or so, I enjoyed the said coffee over conversation with Casper and Monique who come from The Netherlands and are currently enjoying touring the NW Highlands.  They've previously enjoyed several cycling and walking tours, and had been invited into camper vans to be given shelter and a drink.  When they got their own van, they vowed to return those favours - generosity breeding generosity (something reinforced to me by my hosts in Ghana in 2014).

The rest of the walk went smoothly, with the clouds lifting a bit.  Hopefully tomorrow's views from the Panoramic Lounge in the hostel will reveal sunlit vistas!

All-in-all a good day, prompting me to think about today's blessings, including:

- good night's sleep in the dry

- conversations over breakfast

- unprompted donations

- meeting Casper and Monique

- fantastic facilities at the Youth Hostel in a beautiful location

- a video call with Sandy this evening

- everything now dry

- a sense of being rested even though I've walked over 170 miles since leaving Cape Wrath

- a day off tomorrow

Hospitality

Today was planned to be another longer walk, so I was up and away from the campsite shortly after 8 o'clock, stopping by at the local shop for a few bits for lunch and my evening meal.  I made good progress all morning, not seeing much in the way of passing walkers, cyclists and traffic.  Gairloch was covered in a light mist/rain in contrast to yesterday's fine conditions.

Shortly before stopping for a coffee break, I came across some substantial road widening work a few miles east of my start point, and chatted to the project manager for a few minutes whilst some large machinery was blocking the road.

I'd previously noted a 'Victoria Falls' on the map, and decided to aim for there for lunch as there's a picnic site too.  The weather was closing in somewhat, so any thought of lunch at a table was put aside in favour of a tree!  The falls were in full flow, following good few days of rain 

Alfred Wainwright, the well known author of many books about Lake District walks, once said 'There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.'  Today's continued rain certainly tested my waterproofs to the limit, likewise the ground of the small campsite in my day's destination, Kinlochewe.  Sadly, the pitch was waterlogged or nearly so, and with other accommodation including the bunkhouse and B&Bs all full, my options were more than limited. I called ahead to the Youth Hostel where I am due to be tomorrow (thinking I could walk there, at a push this evening) but it was full.

A phone call to the local church minister, then to the Elder... could I please sleep in the church?  Thankfully, yes, and within a few minutes I was installed in the church hallway complete with heating.  It now resembles a hostel drying room, but I am safe and warm with a roof over my head. Many thanks to Colin, Alan and Patricia from the Free Church of Scotland in Kinlochewe for their hospitality.

Tomorrow's weather doesn't look much better but the forecast is improving.  I am booked into the youth hostel at Torridon for two nights from tomorrow, including this week's rest day, and then several other hostels next week in the run up to returning to Bristol at the end of next week.

A real gem

After two longer walking days, I completed 'just' six or so miles / 10k this morning and arrived safely in Strath, on the north shore of Gairloch at lunchtime, receiving a warm welcome at Gairloch Holiday Park (which I can recommend to anyone wanting a camp/caravan/static van site around here.  Gairloch is not entirely unfamiliar as I sailed from Badachro, in sight of my current view across the loch, in the early 1990s:

After the windiest night thus far, I was pleased to be able to pack up in the dry, nonetheless 'a good drying wind' was put to good use this afternoon to thoroughly air my tent, and get waterproofs, towels and boots all dry.

Strath also boasts a coffee and bookshop, a choice of places to eat (one of which I am currently enjoying...) and yet more stunning views including over to Skye which you can see in the distance to the right here (as the cloud arrived this evening)

The quieter afternoon also gave me chance for a bit of foot care (sorry to bring it up, but it's a necessity!) after 10 days on the move: pleased to say only one small blister so far.  Whilst walking yesterday I'd also wondered whether I'd been eating enough to compensate for the extra energy I'm using, so have been thinking through what I'm eating and when, alongside keeping well hydrated which appears to have been fine so far 

As I close, interesting to note that the main factor about when I can write a blog entry is the availability of power to recharge my smartphone.  I've got a power bank which is sufficient for the tracker, and the basic phone which I'm using to keep in touch with home, and both 4G / WiFi are generally not a problem.  After tomorrow, I'm going to be in hostels for a few nights, so I hope to provide more frequent updates as I head inland to Kinlochewe and then towards the coast again.

On the third day

Sunday in Ullapool started with a visit to the Scottish Episcopal Church where I was made welcome, and enjoyed several chats with members of the congregation afterwards.  I made the observation that there were relatively few local accents to be heard, with quite a few 'incomers' amongst those present.

Most of the rest of the day was spent wandering slowly around the village, including a good couple of hours sitting on the beach watching the world go by, reflecting on being still myself when there was activity around (albeit quite gentle).  I returned to the hostel to prepare a meal, somewhat 'Ready Steady Cook' as I used several items from the spare food shelf in the hostel kitchen.  Was pleased with my efforts!

The forecast for Monday wasn't great, so no surprise to wake to a grey day.  After three hours walking south, I turned off road to follow the Coffin Road west of Inverbroom.  It was nice to be off road for a few hours although Id spent some time deliberating about the decision given the weather.  I came across several other walkers as I crossed, spending time chatting with each.  

Having descended to the shore of Little Loch Broom, there was still a six mile walk to reach the small campsite at Badcaul where I arrived in a downpour.  Whilst I was waiting for a pause in the rain, I was invited by a couple in a camper van to join them for a cuppa, which soon turned into an evening meal together.  Much appreciated, as was their offer to dry out my waterproofs and charge my phone.

Today (Tuesday) dawned clearish, but with not a great forecast.  Having managed to pack up in the dry, the day has been anything but, with stop-start showers and a headwind to boot.  Safe to say not the most enjoyable of days to walk, even with the compensations of some great NW Highland views including that over Loch Ewe.  But I'm safely here, and now listening to another downpour as I write this.  Any deeper reflections will have to wait for another day!

If you have been following the tracker you'll have seen that I've covered over 40miles since leaving Ullapool, so I have just a handful of miles to cover tomorrow to Gairloch, equally stock up with a few provisions and more snacks.  Not yet sure when I will be able to recharge various devices so another update here might be in a few days.

A roof over my head

If you've been watching the online tracker, you'll know that I have made good progress since camping at Scourie on Wednesday evening.  During a conversation with the shopkeeper there it became apparent that the next place to buy food on my route would be here in Ullapool, which I'd planned to walk over four days and perhaps beyond my capacity to carry the provisions. After mulling over the options with a friend (thank you Paul) it seemed feasible to walk from Scourie to Ullapool over three days instead, which I completed yesterday (Saturday).

Equally, if you've been watching the weather in the NW Highlands you can't have escaped noticing that it hadn't been at its best earlier in the week, with a particularly soggy departure from Scourie on Thursday when I packed up in the pouring rain.  Having sent a parcel home my pack was a little lighter and I made good progress to Kylesku, once a ferry crossing but now home to a bridge opened in the 1980s.  It took a while to find a sheltered spot to camp, the wind having got up significantly, finally settling in front of this view, but just behind were the public loos!

The wind settled to allow a good night's sleep but I woke to more pitter-pattering on the canvas, once again packing away in the wet.  Clouds lifted during the morning and there was a real treat of sunshine as I walked along the side of Loch Assynt with some of its fascinating geology - the whole area has been designated a Geopark by UNESCO with several information boards at key viewpoints and also the Rock Centre which I passed before it (and cafe) was open.  Having stopped for my sandwiches by the Old Parish Church of Assynt, I chanced across a coffee van in a lay-by as I started to climb away from the loch and the valley floor. 

After cake, coffee and conversation with Sovi the owner, I carried on to the small fishing and farming community at Elphin. Sadly the broken cloud had become distinctly unbroken, with heavy rain set in.  After looking at a few spots to camp, the Community Hall offered a good lee, and I set up camp just in the corner of their grounds.  Turned out to be an excellent spot, although there was some military activity overhead shortly after I settled off for the evening.

No rain overnight!  A second early highlight of the day was meeting Ros who'd just cycled up from Ullapool and was turning round.  During our conversation she generously offered an invitation for tea and cake when I reached Ullapool - the latter were baked by her husband Kit, and i enjoyed their good company after my arrival.

Knockan Crags (from where this was taken) became a mid-morning break, with further good views of other spots in the Geopark as I wended my way to Ullapool.  I'd underestimated how much water I might need, and was grateful to motorhome owners who filled up my bottle at Ardmair, a couple of miles north of Ullapool.  Turns out that couple run a cafe, the Mulberry Bush in Kirkby Stephen, which I may pass later in my trek.

And so to Ullapool, where I arrived my afternoon, dropped off kit in the Youth Hostel before heading for the tea and cake, some shopping for my evening meal, and time to remind myself of the next few days ahead.  After a night's sleep with a roof over my head, time for a day's rest and to appreciate a beautiful spot.

Establishing a rhythm

Greetings from the West Coast of Scotland!  As I walked from Rhiconich to Scourie this morning, I passed a sign welcoming visitors to the West Coast: although it's only two days since I set off from the North Coast, it seems a significant mark.  I've had two days of walking since I left Durness Youth Hostel on Tuesday (yesterday at the time of writing) both with a mix of weather, including some sunnier interludes but equally some rain.  There was a long uphill stretch into a headwind yesterday which definitely tested my resilience for a good couple of hours - as I wrote in my personal journal, not a day for deep thoughts!

I'd planned to find a spot to 'wild camp' by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, and limit my walk to around 11-12 miles, leaving a roughly equal distance to reach Scourie today (Wednesday).  As it happened, I had to press on to Rhiconich where I found a nice sheltered enclosure in the centre of the hamlet, next to the police station and also some public loos.  Having cooked a meal, I went to bed fairly early to recover from the longer day.

Unfortunately today dawned with drizzle, so I needed to get fully dressed before venturing out - discovering that there's not much wriggle room for a tall man in a small tent.  I managed to keep everything dry, so just the tent was packed wet.

I'm now sitting by the shore at Scourie, relaxing and hoping the tent will dry out in the breeze.  Time just 'to be'

A day of amazement

There are any number of things vying for attention in this entry - the sense of relief that the ferry and minibus to Cape Wrath both ran as expected, the busyness of the Youth Hostel over breakfast as several of us prepared to set out together, the informative commentary of our driver as we travelled carefully across the bumpy road from the Kyle of Durness to the lighthouse, the stunning scenery of the peninsula, the list continues....

But I want to leave you with two things:

- whilst I was walking back from the Cape, enjoying the variety of the landscape, not only the natural created order, but also appreciating or at least observing the impacts of humanity (the military buildings, former peat banks), I felt a sense of being drawn into the landscape and some of the 'putting aside' of my day-to-day responsibilities seemed to deepen.  Some how the process of self-emptying took a step forwards, but not in the sense of being left empty and devoided afterwards, rather being prepared and ready for something else to fill the void.  Let's see what happens as the days and weeks progress.

- secondly, in his commentary as we drove toward Cape Wrath, our driver mentioned the subtle coconut aroma that gorse blossom provides.  As I walked the last couple of miles back to the ferry, I came across this particular aroma being carried on the wind.  At more or less the same moment, a view opened up in the distance, highlighting myriad turquoise hues the sea, against the variety of yellow-white sand in the sunshine.  Technology won't allow you to experience exactly the same, but I will remember that for a while yet.

I will be leaving Durness behind tomorrow, and intending to camp for a few days.  Although the 4G is very good in the general area, it's unlikely that I will be able to charge my phone very easily.  So expect the next update in a few days.

If you are in N Scotland and want welcoming accommodation on a budget then I can recommend Durness Smoo Youth Hostel.  It's in a great spot.

The only way is down

Sunday 1 May 2022

After two days travelling from Bristol, including an overnight stop with friends near Inverness, I arrived safely at Durness yesterday evening.  Following the train journey to Inverness, the last stage was by minibus through the Northern Highlands.  The rain restricted some of the views outside, but there was plenty of conversation amongst a small group of fellow walkers all heading north.

The ferry which runs to Cape Wrath peninsula isn't now starting up until Monday, so new acquaintances Adam and Richard were replanning their itinerary for part of the Cape Wrath Trail, hopping off the bus early.  Wolfgang and his brother, regular visitors from Germany, offered plenty of advice and all in all there was plenty of conversation at the back of the bus about the challenges of walking in the remote NW corner of Scotland.

Following stops to drop off others, often right on their doorsteps, I arrived at Smoo Youth Hostel where a warm welcome from Ted the Hostel Manager awaited.  Formalities over, I enjoyed an evening meal, chatted a while then headed of to bed.

A reasonable night's sleep, breakfast and then a walk in the hills just to the South of Durness, enjoying some of the stillness and calm as I wandered up to the small loch which serves as a reservoir.  Mindful of words from the hymn 'Be still my soul' I stopped a few times en route and soaked up a little of the stillness of the surroundings, glimpsing something of the change of rhythm which I hope lies ahead.

The opening words of the familiar Psalm 23 seem apt as I leave these reflections with you: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.'

Assuming no further changes, I should make it over to the Cape Wrath peninsula tomorrow morning and 'start my walk proper.'  To quote the title of Winston Churchill's book, it feels like 

'The End of the Beginning' now that I'm in Durness and ready to go. 

I wrote these words in the small chapel, waiting for the congregation to gather for Sunday worship.  I was very warmly welcomed by Andrea and congregants ahead of a meaningful service, followed by conversation.  I shall remember my encounter with them.