I was in a quandary. My guidebook had a 14 kilometre stage to Berridale where there was no accommodation. Marked as challenging, another source suggested it would take several hours. People's blogs on the section wrote of overgrown paths and difficult terrain. The following stage to the village of Dunbeath was 10 kilometres and marked as moderate difficulty. Dunbeath also had a campsite where I had booked in assuming it would take two days to get there as per the guidebook, but as it was only 24 kilometres from Helmsdale to Dunbeath could I cover both stages today, avoiding the need for a wild camp in an area less than ideal?
I set out to do my best, swallowing a couple of Ibuprofen tablets knowing that the terrain would stress my knee. There was an easy start as the trail followed the coast above a pebbly beach, then it climbed up over the cliffs. It would stay a cliff top path for the rest of the day. The problem with such paths is that streams, or burns as they are called in Scotland, cut down into the cliffs as they flow down to the sea, creating ravines of various sizes that must be crossed. So there were several times when a steep climb down to a burn was followed by a steep climb up to return to cliff top level. My trekking poles were extremely useful for gaining some purchase on wet grass to avoid me slipping over, as well as allowing me to use my arms to help push me up steep slopes, and to take some weight off my knee going down slopes.
Another issue was the bracken and gorse which obscured the path. Fortunately being the start of October, the bracken was dying back turning an attractive reddish brown, in places it had been cut down, but elsewhere bracken made finding the path difficult. Frequently I went the wrong way on some line where sheep or deer had created a path, then I had to push through the bracken to recover the official trail. The waymarks, attached to small posts, helped enormously as they showed where I should be heading, however their density was variable, sometimes plenty, sometimes not. Nevertheless I managed to forge ahead, it was not all hard work there were areas through heather and cow pasture. I saw a few deer, they had less of a problem with the bracken, just leaping over it as they traversed steep slopes below me.
Of interest were the remains of long abandoned houses, crofts dating from the Highland Clearances, now often just heaps of stone in a rectangle. Older remains included the base of an iron age tower, called a broch in these parts. More modern relics included Second World War look out posts.
Despite the challenges I reached Berriedale around 1:00 pm, in time for a bowl of soup at the River Bothy Café. Being too early to stop for the day, after finishing off a slice of cake I began the next stage.
The stretch to Dunbeath was also along cliff tops, at times rather close to steep drops. I kept my eyes on the path and where to place my feet rather than looking down at the rocks and blue sea below. At times however the scenery forced me to stop and look around. In particular there was a graceful waterfall formed by a small stream shooting off the cliff, for some reason it had not yet cut a valley. A natural arch was a little later and an isolated stack. I could also see small fishing boats close to the cliffs, collecting lobster pots I expect. On the skyline I could see the bridge connected platforms of Beatrice Alpha, an oil production platform now being decommissioned as its productive life is over. Nearby was a satellite platform and a large offshore wind farm. A sign of our times, an old oil production facility being abandoned while renewable energy from a new wind farm is brought into production.
Leaving the cliff I walked through a dark pine wood to reach the old A9 road that lead me into Dunbeath on a tree lined Avenue. The community of Dunbeath seems quite spread out. I walked down towards the harbour before climbing up to join the new A9. A little way up was the Inver campsite. There was a little confusion as I had booked for tomorrow night. As no formal pitches were available, and as I was a walker, they let me camp on the front lawn of the house and even gave me a refund as I had booked on-line for a pitch that included a car.
By the by, on route today there was a book where the charity behind the John o'Groats Trail was asking for details of walkers. I doubt it is a comprehensive list as I did not see the name of the guy I met a two days ago walking the trail. However I did see Tessa and Andy Whittaker's names from back in July. I met them two times on my earlier trip, and was pleased to see that unlike me, they had reached this far without being stopped by injury.
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