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We sat through another tasting session, and talked with Bruce and Anne about their va-
cation. They were spending three weeks in Scotland, hiking, eating and drinking.
'This is our address,' said Anne, 'if you are ever in Vermont again, make sure you stop
by.'
Sandra, the guide, then presented Ben and me with a rare bottle of Truffle Oak Reserve
single malt whisky - one of only 800 bottles produced.
'What's this for?' asked Ben. 'We don't deserve this'
'Yes you do. It's our gesture of goodwill. You can either enjoy it during your trip, or
save it to celebrate with afterwards.'
'That's so kind of you. We better not have any more today otherwise we'll never make
it to John O'Groats,' I said.
My rucksack was completely full, and there was no room in Ben's bag as it still con-
tained the complete picnic set he had carried since Cornwall. After a bit of effort, we man-
agedtostrapthevaluableboxedbottleofwhiskytothebackofTheHorse,andwewobbled
off with heavier bikes and lighter heads.
I'm not sure if it was the whisky or the weather, but the next few miles were incredibly
tough going. We crossed the Dornoch Bridge which straddles the Dornoch Firth, and the
wind had turned dramatically and was now blowing against us, as well as across from the
left.Thismeantthatnotonlydidwehavetofightagainstitjusttomoveourselvesforward,
but we also had to lean into it to avoid being blown under the wheels of the many passing
articulated lorries.
We pushed our bikes for a large section of the bridge because we didn't want our trip to
come to an abrupt end so close to the finish, and also because it was as quick to walk as
cycle.
I'm sure Dornoch Firth would be very beautiful on a nice day, but the wind had turned
it into a wild, intimidating body of water and we were glad to reach the other side. If the
name 'Dornoch' sounds familiar to you, it is probably because it is the location of Skibo
Castle where Madonna and Guy Ritchie married in 2000.
We continued uphill for a while before descending to a causeway across Loch Fleet,
which forms part of a 19,000 acre wildlife conservation area that is a popular spot for bird-
watchers.
The village of Golspie (population 1650) was a heaving metropolis compared to most
of the places we had passed through that day. Places such as Evelix, Poles and Culmaily
looked significant on the map, but often boasted one house, and sometimes not even that.
Golspie even had a shop.
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