Forsinard to Badanloch

With the drizzle slowly soaking into my clothes I was able to convince myself that the short distance I was covering today was acceptable. Not that I really had a choice; there are no roads or shelter between today's destination of Badanloch and the Crask Inn, a full days walk further on.

Today started with the usual single track road, light on traffic but beginning to take its toll on my knees. Although there were no paths or tracks marked on the map, the wide and open flat bottomed valley called me away from the safety of the highway with promises of skipping through soft grass and meadows. Using a bridge over a stream to cross under the railway I was pleased to find no fences or other human obstacles to limit my freedom. The obvious route was to use Bannock Burn (the less famous one) to get to Kinbrace, with the result that I followed looping meanders to reach points feet away from where I'd passed by, the flatness of the landscape making me blind to this trickery.

Approaching Kinbrace, I stealthily circled the village looking for a way in that didn't involve leaving muddy tracks across someone's back garden before giving up and meeting the road just outside at the cemetery. A few miles along this lonesome strip of tarmac I allowed myself to escape the damp and rest up for the challenges of tomorrow.