June 30, 2018

June 30, 2018

After checking out of our hotel, we drove a couple miles east to Duncansby Head, the most northeasterly point of mainland Scotland. Besides a lighthouse there are several sea stacks off the eastern cliffs. Sea Stacks form when the piece of land connecting them to the cliff falls away. We had to tiptoe across a field full of sheep droppings to view them. The trail was giving Aimee the willies because the area was showing clear signs of subsidence with new sea stacks ready to form. I am hoping not until we get back to the car!

From John O’Groats we retraced our route back to Inverness. We made a 5-mile detour to visit Camster Cairns, a Neolithic burial site. From a distance it just looks like several piles of industrial rock debris on a hillside near modern windmills. Closer up you can see entrances with tiny passages to a central burial spot. People must have been shorter 5000 years ago as I banged my head hard trying to crawl down one of the passages.

We also made a stop at a memorial called “The Emigrants”. This is in reference to the Highland Clearances. When the farmers were evicted they were replaced with sheep. Scotland now has more sheep than people. This became clear a few miles down the road, when traffic stopped to let shepherds move a herd from one pasture to another. This may be coming to and end. Sheep in Scotland is an anachronism that only exists with huge subsidies from the EU. After Brexit, the money will dry up unless the UK picks up the slack.