Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Day 9: Tongue to Thurso

Norman and I leave quite early, having separately both told the Warden how excellent the hostel is. After this he rather blots his copybook by being extraordinarily rude to Helen and Angus. What is it with these people? A little politeness would be no bad thing.

The weather has taken a turn for the worse, with the forecast saying succinctly Gales. And it’s right. The morning is definitely our worst day so far: we had thought that at least the wind would be behind us, but it’s mainly northerly. The combination of a lot of steep hills, rain, and winds coming from all directions mean that we are tired by Bettyhill, and there’s still a long way to go to Thurso. In Bettyhill we are very tempted by hot meat pies sold in the shop, but decide that it’s too early and leave it till lunch time. Of course we never see a whiff of a meat pie all the rest of the day. We stop for a bite of lunch at Melvich, and by the time we set off again, the sun has started shining, the wind has dropped a bit, and the roads are definitely flatter, so we bowl into Thurso feeling just fine.

As a celebration, we decide to put up in what is said to be the best hotel in town, but find it quite disappointing. It’s shabby, the carpets are stained, our room is small, and the window is cracked. This is not the first time we’ve been disappointed by hotels in Thurso. Anyway, we’re invited to an evening meal with Isobel (distant relation) and Norman (nb, different Norman) and have a delightful evening. What talented people!

Today the support team followed behind and took a trip to Bettyhill, where they had lunch in a cafe and then explored the local beach, where a beached whale had been spied by them many a year ago.

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