Lybster to Wick: LEJoG Day 83

A long day on the cliff tops with stacks, natural arches and foaming waves on the rocks below.

All day was spent walking along the top of the cliffs. Sometimes in fields, more often between a fence and the edge of the cliff. At times the width of the slippery grass between the fence and the steep drop down to the sea was worryingly small, causing me some anxiety, at times I grabbed hold of the fence wires for added safety although I am not sure that if I slipped the fence would actually take my weight. At the stile into one field a sign said "Bulls, cows and calves in field, please walk outside fence". The path outside the fence thinned to about one foot above a steep drop (see photo). I assessed it was safer to risk the Bulls, Cows and Calves, rather than fall off the cliff. Of course there were neither bulls, cows nor calves in the field which I crossed and exited by another stile. Often I was not sure where the trail was meant to be. If not sure, I had a bias towards assuming it was on the field side of the cliff top fence, feeling safer that way. This did result in me climbing over barbed wire fences that would otherwise prevent me from continuing along the coast. Somewhere I had been advised to bring stout gloves to handle barbed wire, however when putting my leg over its hazardous spikes, it was not my hands that were at risk! At other times I found myself trying to walk through long, tussocky grass searching for a path, finding one only for it to disappear again. A tiring exercise.

I thought the path here above a vertical drop was rather too narrow, so I braved the (non existent) Bulls, Cows and Calves.

The hike was more lengthy than one might expect due to "geos". These are inlets of the sea, often box like in shape, bounded by high cliffs on all sides within which the sea crashed against the rocks in a fury of foam. Formed by the pounding of the sea rather than any river or burn, the trail would carefully follow the edge of the geos, the better to see any features such as a stream pouring over the edge of the rock walls to form a horse tail waterfall. 

The action of the sea on the cliffs also produced natural arches, sea stacks (isolated blocks of rock), caves and other grand, artistic effects. Big holes in the ground by the cliffs led to the sea, at the right state of the tides, they would act as "blow holes", spray shooting up as the waves crashed into them. More subtlety there were folds and faults in the stratified rocks. There were also valleys to cross, one with a series of waterfalls.

Sea stack.

Natural arch.

In addition to these cliff displays I also saw a deer bounding away on spotting me, a red fox escaping through a fence and a rabbit. A sign warned to keep your dogs on a leash, to illustrate the risk it showed a dog chasing a rabbit over a cliff into empty space. A broad beamed boat collecting lobster pots came into view around a promontory. There only appeared to be one man crewing it, fortunately the sea was relatively calm, otherwise his boat might have been washed onto the nearby reefs by the wind and waves while he lifted his pots. Later a "rib" (a rigid inflatable boat) full of orange suited people sped by heading south. Later it returned, a sight seeing boat maybe, looking for seals?

Fisherman collecting lobster pots.

On the horizon lines of white, wind turbines rose from the sea, although today their arms were still, contributing no power to National Grid and Britain's homes. A superannuated lighthouse stood on the cliff top, stripped red and white.

Today I covered two of the guidebook's stages as the end of the first stage was at Whaligoe where there was no accommodation or campsite. There was once a café, but it is now no longer in operation at this location. So I briefly sat on a bench and enjoyed a bar of Highland chocolate with some water before continuing onto Wick. The few remaining walls of Old Wick Castle, a 12th century edifice standing on a tongue of rock, showed I was nearing my destination. A road took my by the Trinkie pool (a 1930s open air lido) to enter Wick via a quarry and its extensive harbour. I walked over huge stone flags by the sea wall and then by lobster pots, fishing boats and yachts. Leaving the harbour I walked up the pedestrianised high street with more than one boarded up shop to find a hotel for the night. As I was not sure I would manage the two guidebook stages in one day, and I knew there was plenty of accommodation, I had not booked anything, and the hotel receptionist seemed somewhat surprised that I was a "walk in".