Orkney Part 8

St. Magnus Way: Dounby to Finstown

In which Lis meets a dinosaur, an emu, and trees!

The morning sun over the Kirbister Loch was fantastic. Good to start the day without worrying too much about the weather… [This is called foreshadowing.]

Before too many sheep and cattle, I encountered a dinosaur. But I carried on walking.

Then I came across an elderly man whose car became stuck when he pulled over to let someone pass. I asked if I could help, but after holding the door so he could get out of the car he said there was nothing for me to do and he was going to walk to get help. I walked on, but felt a bit uncomfortable leaving him there because he seemed quite frail. When I looked back from up the hill he hadn’t gone far. Luckily, I soon came upon a farmer who was just leaving his house and he said he’d go and get it sorted. Phew.

Another beautiful, but not very convenient pathway – inevitably in the scramble over muddy tracks or tussocky ground, the feet get soaked.

And all of a sudden, I came across an emu! Later Margaret told me that the emu’s farmer is the person who makes the sausage I had for breakfast. It’s not emu sausage, though.

There were lots of bulls in fields with cows and calves – strange for me who grew up near mostly Holsteins.

Along the Loch of Wasdale – with ruins of an old chapel on the island.

And into the trees!

Trees are few and far between on Orkney, and Binscarth Wood is a beautiful old woodland.

Looking back at the wood from the field beyond.

And at the end of a mostly dry day (except the feet – the feet never survived the waterlogged and boggy ground without getting at least somewhat wet), I stopped in at a shop in Finstown and when I came out with my ice cream, it was rainy pretty steadily. Good thing I always had my rain coat, hat, and even rain pants with me. Although this time I was just about at the end of the day’s walk, so I don’t think I bothered with the rain pants.

Now only two sections of the St. Magnus Way to go!