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.