Walking

We try to take a good walk every day, whatever the weather, on the premise that the weather is only a factor if one doesn't have the right kit - and we do. Golspie excels in the variety of walking it offers, whether it be the long, empty strand of south beach....

....or. our favourite, the wide spaces of Sutherland's hills, or....

....the many paths and tracks which wind through Golspie's Big Glen and the local forestry.

What research we've done suggests that, along with varied nutrition, basic hygiene, a decent night's sleep, and some form of mental stimulation, daily exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle. Our most recent research, care of 'New Scientist', suggest that we need upward of 10,000 steps a day to keep ourselves physically fit by walking, so we now have an app that counts our paces. It tells us that, on today's walk, we took 9,127 steps to cover 3.40 miles, though this takes no account of the vertical distance we climbed.

One of the joys of walking in an area like this is that it encourages sleep and provides the mental exercise we need, be it as simple as asking the question 'what pollinates gorse?' - because there never seems to be an insect anywhere near it. Walking also offers the pleasure of spotting....

 ....the first bloom of a spring flower, like, today, this wood anemone, and often....

....provides something which needs research when we get home, like his scat which may, or may not be, pine marten.

If there's one thing I dread it is losing the ability to take a good walk. The prospect of prolonged confinement within four walls fills me with horror.