The landlady at Melon Patch has a nice garden with a pond. Greenfinches were taking nuts and a jackdaw was picking up the ones they drop. We cycled up to the 405 metre Slochd summit. It was much easier than Drumochter and we saw the first of many curlews on the way as well as wild flowers including tiny pansies. We stopped to shelter from the rain in a prehistoric burial ground with three round burial chambers, each surrounded by standing stones. We passed near to the Culloden battlefield and stopped for lunch in Inverness (after some trouble with the Sustrans signs that had been removed or turned round). We crossed the big bridge over Beulah (Moray?) Firth and took the coast of the Black Isle, stopping for tea in Fortrose. We stopped for the night in a B&B by the shore of the firth in Cromarty. There was an amazing sunset behind the oil rigs parked in the firth, starting at about 9pm when the sun was still high and going on until 10.30. Cromarty is attractive. It has winding streets, old stone houses, an old Court House, a lighthouse and a coast guard station. There is a monument to Hugh Miller (a stonemason, geologist, folklorist, etc) as well as his cottage. We had a meal in the hotel where we met a man who services oil rigs.
 River Findhorn after Slochd summit |
 Evening view of oil rigs |
 Cromarty harbour |
 Boats at Cromarty |
 Evening at Cromarty |
 Late evening at Cromarty |
 Sunset at Cromarty |
 Sunset at Cromarty |
B&B: Mrs G. Cooper, Rhonda Lea, Cromarty
Carrbridge - Cromarty. Total 238 miles (52 today)
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