Gills Bay Pier & the Island of Stroma

After last minute packing and cleaning, and yet another lateral flow test (negative needless to say) we left home just before 10:00. First stop was the Ralia services near Newtonmore where we sat in glorious sunshine for a flask of coffee. Flora had a short walk but we were soon back on the A9 for a two hour drive to Golspie. I can never choose between Golspie and Brora but Golspie comes first when you're travelling from the south. The beach is the extra with Flora enjoying the space. As was I.

The last leg of today's journey was on the twisty bit of the A9 then across a bit of Caithness to Canisbay. We are staying in what feels like a very covid safe place which has its own entrance, food delivered to your door and everything nice and eco friendly.

My blip is the Gills Bay ferry terminal with Stroma about two miles off shore. Stroma is a now uninhabited (but for sheep) island, the most southerly in the Pentland Firth. It isn't one of the Orkney Islands but belongs to the county of Caithness. Stroma's last human inhabitants finally left in 1961.

It is wide open country here. It is quiet (not even much traffic on the North Coast 500). Given the huge increase in covid cases today I'm very glad that we are more or less self sufficient. The die is cast and we have taken as much care as we can but the FM's briefing today was uncomfortable listening.

Apologies in advance for lack of engagement this evening.

I already feel a hundred miles away from Golspie, a thousand from Stirling and a million from Afghanistan.