Wildpathanna

13/04/2026

13/04/2026

As I have been missing my weekly sauna in Dorset I decided to set off in search of some Scottish coastal saunas
ostara

Wow 🤩
what a relaxing couple of rest days spent checking out the wild saunas of the Moray Coast! It's not all trudging on this JOGLE adventure 🥾

I have enjoyed meeting the local sauna lovers and spent a gentle few hours wandering around Cullen with Molly browsing in 'ohh that's nice!' shops (aka gift shops and bookshops) Molly felt right at home meeting and greeting - and eating dog treats.

it was lovely to chat 😊

12/04/2026

Days 10 and 11 Oykel Bridge to Loch Vaich

Day 9 was a rest day 🛌💤

These two days saw us walking through remote Glens on seemingly unending estate tracks. I still had Gabe for company until Strathpeffer. We walked through the rewilded estate at Alladale and enjoyed the young trees and birdsong. It was a beautiful sunny morning as we walked through Gleann Mor - pretty warm so l had a dip in the river and felt like a new woman!

I also deployed my secret morale weapon - a tester of the small batch organic perfume I love from Ffern it felt so good to be clean and to have the small touch of luxury to lift my spirits after a cold wild camp!

The next Glen by Loch Vaich had a more bleak feel to it. This is where we decided to make camp in an abandoned hut that had been cleaned out at one end. I regretted all the haunted Bothy podcasts I have listened to in my time!

There was the chill air of a Scandi Noir murder mystery about the place. We were around 10 miles from the nearest road at this point and I don’t think I would have slept there if I had been alone! We were, however, grateful for the four walls and roof when there was wind and rain during the night.

Please support my journey by donating to my fundraiser for Mind in memory of my brother Nathan Ferris (link in comments below 👇)

11/04/2026

Days 7 and 8
Forsinard to Crask Inn

I had company for the week with Gabe joining me.

We set off away from the Flow Country towards Sutherland and more into the mountains.

Day 7 was a long day - pushing onto Loch Choire bothy. The simple mountain hut is named after the former gamekeeper of the estate, Albert, 'Bert's Bothy. We later learnt the irony of this as Albert had guarded the estate from terrified walkers with a shot gun! In spite of Scottish Right to Roam laws. Now his hut hosts weary walkers 🥾 ⛰️

We pushed on over some questionable bridges and through some very boggy terrain to reach the comfort of the Crask Inn before Storm Dave hit. There was wind and snowfall overnight and we were very glad to be safe inside!

Molly was happy lounging in front of a blazing log burner 🐕 🐾 I suspect she is not a wilderness dog at heart!

My walk is in memory of my late brother Nathan Ferris and I am raising money for Mind the Mental Health Charity. Link in comments below 👇 😊🐾🐕🏕️

10/04/2026

Walking from John o’Groats to Land’s End raising money for Mind the Mental Health Charity 😊

In memory of my brother Nathan Ferris ❤️

https://www.justgiving.com/page/wildpathanna?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

09/04/2026

I've been in the wilderness for a week - crossing Caithness and Sutherland, wild camping or sleeping in bothies most nights.

I am behind with updates (and will catch up) but all I want to say tonight is that I am in heaven!!

From derelict hut 10 miles from the nearest road to the comfort of a beautiful home and a dog friendly Air BnB guest suite 🐕❤️😊🙌

02/04/2026

Days 3,4 and 5 - Watten to Forsinard

So the weather continued to challenge on Monday. So much so, that thanks to a friend, I found a bed for the night at Wick Lighthouse with the very kind lady, Ben, who owns and runs The Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage, Noss Head,Wick.

Ben drove out to the wilds to pick me and Molly up, fed me, washed my clothes and let me have a long soak in the bath and a sleep in a comfy bed - before dropping us back to the trail again the next morning.
#
I felt a bit sad when Ben drove away and left us with a 15 mile walk across the Flow Country - a vast expanse of peat blanket bog now owned and managed for peat habitat protection by the RSPB.

It was awesome in the purest sense of the word and my little i-phone 8 camera could never do the scale and wild beauty of the landscape justice.

Emotionally I alternated between awe and overwhelm and happiness at the wonder of it all.

We had our first wild camp in the shelter of the forest and the weather was at last kind to us. With spirits high, after a night of pure enveloping silence, we headed down to the remote station at Forsinard.

It was only 6.30am and Goldcrests, Chaffinches and Coal T**s were singing in the forest and Skylarks over the bog. Greylag geese flew in v formation overhead and after a 5 mile walk we spent a cheerful hour in the RSPB visitor centre on the station platform at Forsinard.

There were infographics (love an infographic!) and a little coffee machine.
Molly even found a random tennis ball.

We had got up and packed away early enough to miss the rain so felt very pleased!

Rest day in Wick tomorrow before the next leg out of Caithness and into the mountain areas of Sutherland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏕️🏔️🐕🐾

Link to fundraiser for Mind below 👇

02/04/2026

Day 2 - Auckengill to Watten

Lots of road walking in the rain / hail / wind / sunshine. Basically April showers on steroids.

I had fantasies of a pub lunch at the Brown Trout Hotel in Watten but it was very closed. Turns out the owner only opens evenings for contractors staying and working on the wind farms and twice a week for a community lunch.

The community shop was open though (even though it was Sunday) so I spent a happy couple of hours sitting on the chair they bought for a blind lady who comes in, drinking tea (they have a drinks machine), eating filled rolls and chatting to Sue the force of nature behind the community buyout of the shop. I heard about local Highland politics, wind farm funding, a bit of village gossip and community spirit.

Molly was happy meeting and greeting every Watten resident who came in and was introduced to everyone as the pup walking to Land's End 🐕🐾
I left with a full heart, cash
donations for Mind and two tins of dog food someone had bought for Molly ❤️

have to say 1 am loving the connections I am making along the way as much as the Nature.

29/03/2026

Day 1 - John o’Groats to Auckengill.

The Scottish weather threw everything it had at me today. It was brutal. The trail was really challenging due to the high winds, driving rain and hail whipping my face. The hood on my fancy raincoat proved up to the task, my waterproof socks worked in bog and I miraculously stayed dry. It was a back to basics first day - all I could focus on was staying upright, each step and managing staying warm enough and dry enough. I made sure to eat my trail mix and had a cheeky sugar hit from the pear drops that I had stashed in my pocket.

I admired the blue at the edge of the world and saw oystercatchers in their monochrome finery with a pop of red! 🌊 🌊 🌊

I was so glad I had booked a camping pod for the night 💨 😱

28/03/2026

Uploading this from the toilet block at John o’Groats - too windy to stand around outside! Well here goes!