Day 103, 104. Fri, Sat 7th & 8th July. Kylescu to Achmelvich.

I managed to stir sleeping beauty at 9am so we'd had breakfast and I was on my way by 10am, still a late start but better than 11am. While I was packing up, I noticed a sports car come down from the bridge and turn round in the carpark, only to drive over the bridge again. Then again, and again... a very pretty young lady driving the car, by herself !! I was thinking, she's either very lost or she's trying to get my attention, maybe she thinks I'm one of those handsome, rugged adventurer types so wanted to have a chat !!! 🫣 on her 5th or 6th spin around the carpark, my curiosity got the better of me so I approached to see if I could be of assistance...

Sophie Storm Roberts, or 'Challenge Sophie', has done more rugged, hard ass adventure activies in her sleep than I could ever dream of doing. Look her up, what an incredible young lady, inspirational and living proof that actually, we can all do more than we believe we can. Sophie was driving this lovely Morgan sports car over the bridge while being filmed, hence why she was going back and forth, they were trying to get the best footage !!! And there's me thinking she was lost !!! Or trying to catch my attention !!! 😂 Pleasure to meet you Sophie, I'll be following your adventures.

Today was mostly 'Cleg mania' day... a lot of inland walking, tough sweaty walking past lots of standing water and the conditions were perfect for the flying assassins. I must have looked like some kind of demented Bruce Lee walking along the road flaying my walking poles around my head and body like nunchucks. I think I was only sliced 5 or 6 times but I must have killed 30 or 40 of them, by far my worse day with the clegs.

I had a breif stop and chat with another celebrity, Nicky Forster, the ex professional footballer was jogging towards me !! He was running the NC500, 516 miles or the equivalent of 15 ultra marathons in 15 days !!! 😱 raising money for Mental Health UK... what a challenge that is, well done Nicky, I'm sure you'll smash your challenge and raise a heap of money and awareness... I really needed to stop bumping into these Uber inspirational people, I was feeling very inferior !!! 😰

We didn't stop for very long as we were both being 'Clegged', Nicky got sliced on the back of his leg while we were chatting so we shook hands and moved of, flaying and swatting as we went.

All this chatting with celebrity sports stars, I needed a pint. I know my place in this world, sitting at a bar, supping an ice cold beer and pretending I'm engaged in a serious challenge, it's just a long walk Jones, get over yourself... 🫣

Only 14 miles of walking today and by 5pm I arrived in Drumbeg, there wasn't a Masonic Lodge in this little Croft but this fella looked familiar, maybe I'd met his cousin at the Lodge in Durness !! The bar in the Drumbeg Hotel was open for business and I'd finished my first pint before John turned up, he'd been further up the coast doing a recce for camping pitches but for the first time was unsuccessful. He joined me for a couple of pints and Richard, the owner of the hotel would not allow me to pay for our beers, what a top man. He also gave us some local intel as to where we could camp so we thanked him and walked the 100 meters or so up onto the viewpoint. What a fantastic spot, John got the dinner on, after he'd finished arsing about terrorising the local sheep, while I pitched the tent and we sat watching the sunset eating a lovely meal of spaghetti bolognaise, washed down with a particularly nice bottle of Merlot.

With John still here supporting me like this, I was feeling something of a fraud but I knew deep down that things were going to change. John would be going home and this West Coast would ensure my bimble around the seaside would become every bit the challenge I had been suspecting it would. For now though, I would continue to enjoy Booney's company and enjoy sharing this experience with a good freind.