Today we were surprised by our daughter. She had made breakfast early
in the morning and so we were able to start well-timed. Near by Auckengill
we visited the
"Northland Viking Centre", a small but excellent museum about
the everyday-life of the Viking. The Viking left a lot of bequeathment
in this area. For example up to today the northern part of Scotland is
called "Southerland" due to the fact that it was the land in
the south for the Viking. We had to search a little for the ruins of the twin
castles Sinclair & Girnigoe Castle shown at many Scotland guides and
flyers. However, at last we found the car park and then we strolled over
blooming meadows to the castle. The ruins of the twin castles by
themselves
were not very impressive. Much more interesting were the rocks below
the castles. The sea had shaped a deep canyon and a peninsula with
vertical edges and free standing rocky towers.
The city centre of Wick reputed as worth to see we did not found.
Instead we went shopping in a Scottish Lidl. After that we had some
difficulties to prepare lunch. There were no parking places along
the coastal route and even the short trip to a lighthouse was
ending because of a fence - private ground. So we decided to turn into the
Rumster Forest and there we found a nice place for lunch. Before we
drove back to the coastal route we visited a stone circle, the standing
stones of Achavanich. Passing Durnoch we decided to pitch our tent at
the camp ground of Portmahomack. But before that we wanted to visit
Ballone Castle. This was not easy. At first we alight at the Lighthouse
of Tarbat Ness and then we stranded at the end of a way adventuresome
to drive. From this point we went over a wet meadow to reach the castle.
And then for our disappointment Ballone Castle was an ugly building impossible to enter. To complete
the misfortune of the day the camp ground was only open for caravans (not for tents). So we drove back
to Durnoch and there we pitched our tent at a giant but nice and silent
campsite in a spacious area of dunes.
Durnoch
