LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

I drove from Bettyhill along the A836 & B871 roads to the junction of B873 & B871, where I found a shady spot in the car park near Syre Village Church. This is a very sparsely populated part of the United Kingdom, so the chances of seeing a person or a vehicle are small. Especially as there is very little through traffic, just the odd holiday maker, like me. I waited for the bus to arrive, which it duly did. I know what you are thinking, 'how did you find a scheduled bus in the far north of Scotland'? It wasn't easy, but I will try to explain. When I did my research, on the web, while I was preparing for this walk, I looked for the best option for getting to and from the accommodation, to and from the start & end of the walk and my car. The options are, walking, cycling, thumbing a lift, bus, train or taxi. I discovered very occasional buses in the area. So, I discussed the problem with the bus operator and I was told it was possible but it would have to be early morning on a weekday. After careful consideration I concluded this was by far the best option. The mini bus arrived with just the driver, exactly on time. This was another surprise as there was no bus stop or bus shelter to be seen. We drove along the B873 towards Altnaharra, so I naturally started chatting to the driver. I soon learned that the bus was a school bus on its way to collect the children from the surrounding villages, spread far and wide. This explained why the bus was so early. I quizzed the driver about the possibility of another ride for the next section of my adventure, the next day, Thursday. However, he didn't go into Bettyhill but drove from his home at the bottom of the hill, straight towards Altnaharra. I thought about walking down the hill, but as I was in a cheeky mood I asked if he could collect me from the top of the hill outside the accommodation,. He said he would so we agreed a time at his convenience. When we arrived at Altnaharra, the driver asked if I wanted a ride round the villages to collect the children, because he would return to Altnaharra to take the children to Bettyhill. I had to decline because I knew the walk was a long walk with lots of unknowns. We agreed he would get the children to wave to me as they passed while I was walking along. The driver stopped the bus at the junction of A836 & B873, so I jumped out. This was the perfect spot, the exact location where I finished the previous day's walking. I looked round and took the customary photos and then started my walk and adventure to my car at Syre Village along Strath Naver valley. The B873 road gained height slowly giving me a much better vista to the south, looking towards Ben Klibreck, Loch Naver & the village of Altnaharra. Because there was a deep high pressure weather system over the region at the time, with very little cloud and wind, the view was spectacular. How lucky I was. As I got to the brow of the hill, I reached Grummore Little Wood and the logging which was well in progress as I passed. There were lots of neat piles of timber, all sorted to the appropriate trunk size and length, scattered around a temporary road off the B873 road. At the east end of the wood there was more activity, but this time the action could be clearly seen from the road. However, the action was only to the logging equipment, the driver repairing the jib head equipment ready for more production. So, unfortunately I couldn't see the logging process in action, up close. All I could do was continue walking with disappointment etched on my face and a frustrated walking action. As usual there were many reasons I could not foresee which would delay my walk, so time is always of the essence and a trade-off is always to be considered. The road at this point was close to the shore of Loch Naver, so Ben Klibreck Mountain was clearly visible from the single track road. As I glanced across the Loch the view was so incredible I had to stop in awe and take photos of the perfectly clear cloudless mountain and the millpond stillness of the water. The icing on the cake, as far as the view was concerned, was the reflection of the mountain in the Loch. It was a crisp mirrored reflection with the colours and the detail all perfectly formed with no distortion from the motion of the water. A bird in the water or a puff of wind would have disturbed the tranquility. I walked on and the quiet and stillness was abruptly shattered by a loud hoot of a horn. I turn to discover the school bus advancing towards me. I jumped off the road onto the verge and waved back to a bus of school children all waving vigorously at me. Unfortunately I didn't have time to raise my camera and take a photo because my arms were busy waving back to the children. But, the memory will stay with me forever. As I walked on, I soon came to a notice on the roadside next to a Strathnaver Trail post, which I thought was very clever. It read, 'Lambs have no road sense'. As the lambing season had passed many months previously, the sign didn't have the same meaning, but still applied to sheep. However, as the weather was hot, most of the sheep would search for higher ground and a chilly wind. The quietness of the Scottish countryside soon returned and after a while I came to the Altnaharra Caravan Club Site. There were a number of caravans and caravanettes scattered around the undulating area, with a small outcrop of rocks here and there. However this did not add to the noise level, perhaps it was a little too early for the campers. Onwards, forever onwards! Next I came to a Parking Area, and another Strathnaver Trail Post. An Information Board, explaining the history around the 'Land Clearance' and the demise of the old village of Grummore and the smaller village of Grumbeg, All that remains is the Old Grumbeg Cottage by the B873 road. Opposite the cottage the impressive wooded crag of Carn Ach' a' Chuil could be seen with its reflection clearly visible in Loch Naver After all the walking so far that day, I was still at awe with the wonderful views of the surrounding area in the hot sunshine. By this stage of the day, I was looking for shade. Not to hide from the wonderful views, but to try and cool down. My water supply was beginning to run low, so I needed all the help I could get to the end of the walk in comfort. From this point the road diverted away from the loch for a while to cross the Allt Gruama Beag, a relatively small river which could becomes a raging torrent during wet periods. The bridge therefore needed to be substantial and built at the best location. As the road came close to the loch again, the loch tapered & became less wide with the end of Loch Naver visible ahead. The overflow of water from Loch Naver formed the source of the River Naver. From this point the river took a left turn and flowed approximately north towards the Atlantic ocean at Bettyhill, with the coniferous tree plantations close to the banks of the river. I came to a rope bridge on the right or east, where the local fishermen cross the river for the best fishing locations. This is also where the tree plantation on the east bank begins, and the Allt Dalharrold waters combine with the River Naver. The B873 road runs along the west side of the River Naver for approximately 4km before the scenery opens up again. Although the trees were close to the road and river bank, the shade was still restricted because the actual tree-line was not close to the plantation fence. After the end of the plantations, on this walk, it was good to focus on the horizon for approximately 1.3km to Syre Village. A good walk requires a variety of scenery and this walk certainly had that. As I approached the village the red building of the Strathnaver Parish Church along with the Syre Lodge, positioned just a little further up the hill, and the bridge over the River Naver carrying the B871 road, all came into view slowly but inevitably. As I walked towards my parked car a- the end of the walk, my feelings were varied, sorry that such a great walk had ended, but pleased that I had reached my emergency water supply in the car. If the weather is good, this is certainly an excellent walk. Enjoy! One more day's walking before I reach the north coast of Scotland. A huge milestone on this extended adventure. Not to be missed.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk, -
Start: at Road Junction - IV27 4UG - Altnaharra, A836/B873
Finish: KW11 6UG - Syre Church Car Park, B873/B871