Virtual Walk: Scotland

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 12th March 2021:  98.50km walked today taking the total to 6931.17/8868km. 14.5% of 87 entries submitting 679.28km. We visit Inverewe Gardens then make our way to Gairloch before heading inland past Loch Maree through Kinlochewe and Achnasheen to reach Garve. Route 20: Scrabster to Inverness NC500+ Part 2 Following the road, we soon reach Inverewe Gardens which were started in 1862 when Lady Mary Mackenzie bought a barren 850-hectare estate for her son Osgood Mackenzie. The only soil at that point was acid black peat and the only vegetation was heather. He initially brought in tonnes of topsoil and planted large trees to provide shelter before he started to plant many exotic shrubs such as giant rhododendrons, Himalayan blue poppies, eucalyptus trees and palm trees. The gardens cover 21 hectares with the rest of the estate managed for recreation and conservation. In the gardens, despite the northerly latitude, the exotic plants thrive due to the warm cur...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 11th March 2021:  108.90km walked today taking the total to 6832.67/8868km. 16.5% of 90 entries submitting 660.30km. Today our walk takes us to the Bone Caves, at Inchnadamph before we visit the Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve and Ullapool before finishing just after visiting Aultbea. Route 20: Scrabster to Inverness NC500+ Part 2 Ardvreck Castle was built circa 1490 by the Clan MacLeod family who owned the surrounding area. It is famous, or infamous, for being the place where the Marquis of Montrose fled after losing the Battle of Carbisdale in April 1650. There are different stories of what happened but in one version it is said he sought refuge with Neil MacLeod, but he was away and his wife, Christine, tricked the Marquis, betraying Highland hospitality, and handed him over to Government troops. He was taken to Edinburgh and executed. In 1672, Ardvreck Castle was attacked and captured by the Mackenzies of Assynt and in 1726 they replaced it with...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 10th March 2021:  116.17km walked today taking the total to 6723.77/8868km. 17.5% of 87 entries submitting 663.84km. From Laxford Bridge we head south, passing Kylestrome, the Old Man of Stoer, Clachtoll and Lochinver before heading inland along the shore of Loch Assynt towards Ardvreck Castle. Route 20: Scrabster to Inverness NC500+ Part 2 Once across the Laxford Bridge we join the A894, which continues through the Badnabay settlement. From Badnabay we walk southwest to Scourie, on Loch a’ Bhadaidh Daraich, taking in fantastic views of hills and mountains to the east, and lochs and moorland to the west. Scourie comes from the Gaelic word for ‘sheiling or shed’ and is a very remote rural village. We are still in what was Clan MacKay territory; the last MacKay estate was sold in 1829 but the name remains popular in the area. We wander down to Scourie Bay, which opens into The North Minch, for a glimpse of Handa Island, a Scottish Wildlife Trust Nature Res...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 9th March 2021:  95.46km walked today taking the total to 6607.60 /8868km. 16% of 79 entries submitting 596.62km. Our walk continues from Eriboll to Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain, before heading south passing Kinlochbervie. Route 20: Scrabster to Inverness NC500+ Part 2 We continue to follow the road from Eriboll around the loch head, where there is an interesting view over Lochan Havurn to Loch Eriboll, before turning northwards at Polla along the western loch shore. We are surrounded at every angle by the most stunning mountainous scenery as we progress through the settlements of Laid and Portnancon, where the ferry used to come in from Heilam, to arrive at Rispond where the loch opens into the North Atlantic Ocean. At Rispond, we take the Rispond Pier Road to visit the historic harbour built in 1788, before continuing a short distance along the coast to Ceannabeinne Beach. The beach gets its name from the mountain behin...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 8th March 2021:  106.01km walked today taking the total to 6512.14/8868km. 13% of 95 entries submitting 815.46km. Back on mainland Scotland we work our way along the north coast to Eriboll, part of the NC500 route, and discover the history and beauty of this remote area. Route 20: Scrabster to Inverness NC500+ Part 2 We arrive back in Scrabster on the Scottish mainland after our Orkney and Shetland visit excited to continue the North Coast 500 route. We follow minor roads to join the A836 which we will be walking to Tongue, 77 kilometres away. The north coast of Caithness and Sutherland is one of the remotest parts of the Scottish mainland and, as we head west, the skies open out to expansive landscapes of rugged coastline with coves and tropical beaches with majestic mountains as their backdrop. Despite its remoteness, there are still many ancient remains dotted throughout the region, too many to mention, but we will see the most important as we progre...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 7th March 2021:  104.74km walked today taking the total to 6406.13 /8868km. 16% of 84 entries submitting 654.62km. Today we walk round the rest of Orkney, taking in Scapa Flow, the island of South Ronaldsay and the Ring of Brodgar before heading back to Stromness. Route 19: Shetland Route 18: Orkney We retrace our steps along the A960, leaving the peninsula to turn left to head south-west on the B9052 through remote grassland to Holm Sound on the south coast. Following the coastal road, we arrive at Scapa Flow, where one of Orkney’s famous landmarks from modern military history is located, the Churchill Barriers. Scapa Flow is a body of water that is sheltered by several of the Orkney islands, creating a natural sea harbour. Over the centuries, this has proved a valuable asset for seafaring defence. During World War 1 (WWI) the Navy placed anti-submarine nets and sank a large number of boats, called blockships, in-between the east-lying islands of Scapa ...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 6th March 2021:  107.81 km walked today taking the total to 6301.39/8868km. 8% of 169 entries submitting 1268.35km. We complete our tour of Shetland today then take a flight back to Kirkwall, where we continue our journey on the north of Orkney Mainland. Route 19: Shetland From Lax Firth we head to Gott on Strand Loch before heading to Veensgarth and then on to another sea loch called Dales Voe. From the head of Dales Voe, we walk across the moor east to Holmsgarth on the edge of Lerwick. Holmsgarth is only a mile from the centre of Lerwick and is where the ferry terminal for ferries to Aberdeen on the Scottish Mainland and Kirkwall in Orkney is located. We turn left here to visit the Bod of Gremista where there is the Shetland Textile Museum. It is also the place where Arthur Anderson was born in 1792. In 1808 he joined the Royal Navy before he joined a London partnership running ships to Spain and Portugal which later became the Peninsular and Oriental...