Day 9 (28th June 2022)

 The evening in Hopeman was delightful but we woke up to wind and rain. We had quite a few miles to cover, and only one place to visit on Germinal CCXXIV mug/T. I did stop and do the pic, but shortly after we set off, I remembered that there was a much better photo opportunity a few miles further on. So off we went again to stop #23

CROMARTY FIRTH

Quite a sight, all those decommissioned oil and gas platforms in the background, if you're not used to them.

We sped past Inverness with barely a sideways glance and other than a quick supply stop in Wick, we managed to get up as far as John o'Groats for lunch.

The Seaview Hotel doesn't look very promising as a decent place to eat from outside, but the food was excellent. We did "the sign", 

looked in the tat shop and then headed west through Thurso to the port of Scrabster as the next few places are in and around The Orkney Islands. We had an early supper in a pub opposite the terminal, where we ate some fabulously fresh seafood. Neither Guy nor I had ventured to these islands so it feels like a huge adventure. The weather had turned even more hostile but put Guy on a boat and he's always happy.

It had gone 9.30pm by the time we found our campsite. Putting up a drive-away awning in the wind is never fun and by the time we'd finished and had a glass of wine, I discovered that there was no signal or Wi-Fi so consequently no blog entry. So I will attempt to get them done earlier in the day while we're here. So, until later..

Allons-y

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out