Day 9: Tain to Evanton
Distance: 16.06 miles (25.85 km)
Weather: Cloudy and cold morning, sunny and warm afternoon
Start Time: 08:57
Finish Time: 15:35
Today’s journey took me down a path that was much different than what I had originally planned. The route from Tain to Evanton I initially set was through forest, but I decided to use the quiet road —something I didn’t expect to be particularly exciting but, as it turned out, the scenery along the road was beautiful.
The morning started off chilly and cloudy. As I set out on my own, the quiet road offered peaceful surroundings, although with the potential to get a little boring after a while. Then during a coffee break Jacky appeared—someone I had met previously on the route. We chatted for a while and, after a quick catch-up, I continued on. But, of course, fate had other plans! As I reached a café in Alness, she came in for a coffee. We decided that we would walk the rest of the way to Evanton together.
The walk was not as long as expected because I had cut out the forest sections, and the road walking wasn’t as bad as I thought, with some beautiful views of the the countryside and of the Cromarty Firth. The morning chill gradually faded, and by the afternoon we had warm sunshine.
We also got to the campsite earlier than expected, which allowed me to indulge in a little sunbathing, and we’ve decided to head to the local pub for dinner, as apparently happy campers get a 10% discount!
Tomorrow promises to be a shorter day distance-wise, but it’ll be a bit more challenging as I venture through the forest and onto unknown footpaths. Who knows what surprises it’ll hold—hopefully, the beautiful sunshine will stay with us!
Until then, time to rest and recharge for the next leg of the journey.
