Did you notice yesterday, there was no mention of the blister. No, I didn’t like to ask either, I was rather hoping that the Jogler had managed to lose the unwanted companion on his journey from John O’groats to Land’s End. Sadly it lingers on and although he tried, my brother Steve discovered that the only chiropodist in Dornoch was closed on Wednesday’s. Thanks to an email from Antony, one of his clients, he has now applied an @CompeedUK blister plaster, so we’ll see how that goes. (Actually, I suggested exactly the same thing a couple of days ago, but he ignored me. Tsk!🙄 Bloody kids!) By the way, I’ve added the Twitter handle for the aforementioned medication in the forlorn hope that the good people of Compeed might send him a lifetime supply.
Anyway, back to his charity walk in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support (add your own support here if you’re so minded at http://bit.ly/2Tzmjwi ) He left Helmsdale en route to Tain even later than usual, waiting for a break in the weather, but having donned waterproof coat and leggings he ventured out into the howling maelstrom of the ferocious storm. (Actually it was a bit of rain that lasted for an hour, but I’m trying to build dramatic tension here, o.k?) Consequently, when he stopped in Dornoch for some lunch and an abortive visit to the foot doctor our brave soldier rather resembled an overly-cooked boil in the bag meal.
On the way there he did manage to follow the coast road rather than the A9, which meant some moody weather shots and that he thankfully did not have to leap out of the way of every passing juggernaut. Here are a selection. Nature at its best eh! With the obligatory discarded plastic bottles in the foreground of the coastal shot. People of Britain I salute you!
Wildlife featured prominently too. There was a possible sighting of an Osprey – it certainly wasn’t a Thrush, our amateur ornithologist tells me. Sheep (yawn), ponies, Oystercatchers and Common Seals (the posh ones weren’t around apparently) That’s them lying on the sandbank in the picture below. I tried to blow the picture up, but unfortunately they turned into the common blurry seal. 
Not in evidence however were the Otters, So rather a misleading road sign then.
As previously mentioned, lunch was in Dornoch, not far from the rather tiny Cathedral and then on across the Dornoch Firth Bridge, past the Glenmorangie distillery (I know, I know, I wondered, but apparently he was too late and it was closed).
And so into Tain and his stop for the night.
Interestingly he came across some fellow walkers doing their own version of the Jogle (or Lejog – as it’s known to us professional Bloglers – in the opposite direction). An Irish couple who are doing it in stages criss-crossing various national trails and are 5 years into their trip. Also an older gentleman Jogler who it turned out hailed from Blackheath in The Black Country, which strangely enough is where bro and I are from. He then moved to Wollaston, where curiously enough Steve lives now and the old chap currently resides in Bromsgrove, where spookily, Steve has worked for more years than he cares to remember. And the moral of this story – Steve will talk to absolutely anyone. Oh sorry, apparently that last sentence should read – it’s a small world isn’t it?
Anyway, Day 5 stats for those of you remotely interested are.
Mileage 18.9 so now a total of 94.73. He walked for 6 hours 35 minutes and 59 seconds and get this – did 37,383 steps which takes him into the giddy heights of 110,909. Well done Steve.
We’ll catch up with Steve and his blister tomorrow as he heads out to Evanton.
mistybooks 