Saturday 20th June 2020

A Covid 19 scooter escape round the back of Loch Migdale (49 miles)

I had to defy Nicola and get out on my scooter. We are supposed to only go 5 miles from the house. I went a wee bit further. Never engaged with a soul so I was socially isolating.


Anne and I had a Chinese Takeaway for tea. It was a lovely evening so I thought I’d dash out on my scooter. It has been the most wonderful spring and early summer and we are not allowed to travel! I headed up the Struie Road but as I got to Aultnamain I went into fog! I stopped a bit further on at the viewpoint.



You can see the fog rolling over Struie Hill.



I headed down to Ardgay and onto Bonar Bridge. I followed the road to Loch Buidhe and just outside Bonar got this picture of Loch Migdale. I didn’t go to Loch Buidhe but turned right at the old Free Church.



The old Free Church. It is known as Creich Free Church.


Gustavus Aird‘s gravestone. He is buried in the Creich Church’s ground.



I followed the road round and came down to Spinningdale.


Spinningdale has got so run down. The hotel used to be on the main road north. It is now by-passed on the modern A9. I was nearly killed here as a boy. My cousin Martin and myself cycled from Dornoch to Lairg and passed here. I fell off my bike for some reason with a lorry behind me. The lorry brake just inches from me. I can only remember Martin squealing – “Shug!” We headed by the Invershin Hotel and had a meal there thanks to Uncle Hector and Auntie Anna giving us a ‘sub’. We felt so grown up. We then cycled to Lairg and came back by the Rogart Road. By the Mound it was getting dark. The old bike I was on had a dynamo. We had painted it with linoleum paint! A horrid brick red colour. Martin’s bike only had a back light. So I went in front till we got back to Dornoch lighting the way! That’s the excitement of a boyhood adventure.



This is at the Dornoch Firth bridge. You can see the fog banks.






I turned left to Tain at the roundabout on the other side of the bridge. On the bypass I went right, not onto the Scotsburn Road, but took the Hartfield Road. This is at Glanaldie. The weather was so much brighter south.




I followed the back roads eventually coming onto the Scotsburn Road and came behind Alness. This is the old graveyard at Nonikiln.



Looking to Fyrish and home.




It is not far to the house. Just wonderful to go that bit further. I am getting desperate for a long run.