Alness to Tain, 21Km
Tain is such a nice seaside town and has everything you need for a short break. There’s a lovely tea room with the best Victoria sponge I’ve tasted for ages. Also, an imposing hotel which looks like a proper castle, the world famous Glenmorangie distillery and my £70 B&B near the Lidl store on the far side of town. I have a pleasant ground floor room at the back of the house overlooking a garden full of colourful dahlias.
I’m looking forward to sleeping in my King Size bed because sleep was not plentiful last night. It can be quite handy staying in a pub but The Station Hotel in Alness was not the place for a good night’s sleep. First, the fond farewells of the drinkers woke me at midnight and then some other guests woke me at 2.55, stomping along the creaking wooden floorboards of the corridors. At one point a couple tried to open my door and when they realised it was locked they tried their key in the lock. The disturbance lasted until 4.30.
The proprietor made the mistake of asking me if I’d slept well and I gave her a full account of the night’s events which were corroborated by two elderly ladies at their breakfast table. For my troubles I was given burnt toast so I’m preparing myself to write a short review.
Rose arrived from her B&B just as I was scraping the last of the toast and we set off via the CoOp store for yet another ham and cheese sandwich. I’ve lost count how many I’ve eaten but it must be almost 43.
It was a day without obstacles and we declined an optional trail through some woods in favour of the country lane. The way ahead promises enough challenges without seeking more excitement at this point. The lane took us through the rural landscape which looked unchanged for decades. Cattle, sheep, horses, chickens and ducks provided the animal interest and along the hedgerows, nature provided the first of the season’s blackberries, the last of the blueberries and wild raspberries and lots of rosehips.
We stopped at a picnic table in the woods for lunch and saw a notice explaining how to check for ticks. I’ll remember to check when I get home.
Pilgrimage 
Victoria sponge and not lemon drizzle cake!
Where the Dundee cake?
😂 lovely scenery and enjoying hearing of your travels too
All cake is good cake! I’m essentially lemon drizzle in the morning with a cappuccino and Victoria sponge in the afternoon with a cup of tea.
Kia ora, Tim, What a great photo of the sign for Tain with the tower and the red flowering trees – what are they? That’s a fantastic photo of a well-hung black beast! That’s my farming background but it’s not hairy. I’m still waiting for a hairy coo pic! With all these straw bales around I think that you might find yourself sleeping on a straw mattress soon. Kia kaha, Vicky
Hi Vicky, they’re just hanging baskets full of Busy Lizzie or similar flowering plants. They’ll be gone soon. I still haven’t seen a hairy coo but they must exist. I photographed some, last year. Glad you liked the bull
Really enjoy your cryptic comments, makes me smile.
Ha, that’s the point, Gail