Ok, big day today, all the way to John O'Groats and the around the west coast and down to Gairloch. Given the rain had arrived it was probably the best day to stay in the car.

First stop was the Glen Ord Distillery (Singleton). A good tour for six quid and a nice way to start the morning. Lunch was at Helmsdale, another small fishing village, and the weather was still holding but by the time we got to John O'Groats it was cold, wet and windy. Mind you we were at the top of Scotland. Now onto Gairloch via Thurso, Armadale and other small towns down the west coast. If the the countryside around Bagingarra is like the Cairngorms, then the west coast of Scotland is the granite country around Albany magnified a 100 times. Majestic and imposing, with lochs and lakes everywhere. Amazing to be high up on the cliffs only to go around a corner and then there is a lake even higher.

After about 4 hours we arrived in Gairloch, although another Shearings hotel it was much more comfortable and newer. The downside being we had find dinner somewhere after 8pm in a little town.