Friday 18/9 John O'Groats and Whiskey

We were up early today as we intended to do a fair bit of driving. Our accommodation in Inverness is not a B&B

but a room with bed, bathroom and small kitchen all included. Very comfortable for the two nights we're here. We had a very good run up to John O'Groats passing an area where oil rigs were being built in the bay. We saw about 6 of them. The North Sea was very calm which was unexpected and once again we had good weather although it was a little on the cool side. John O'Groats was great to see and we went on another uphill walk (just to please Rob) to see some spectacular coastal scenery. The Orkney Islands are just off the coast here and the Shetland Islands are further out. In Summer, wildlife tours are very popular in the area. The wind was very cool here so we stopped for a coffee before driving on to Thurso for a walk and lunch. We drove  back to Inverness in time to go into the main part of the city and look around. Again this town was decorated with beautiful baskets of flowers everywhere. The River Ness that runs through Inverness was so clean and clear. It was also very tidal. We returned to our room and then decided to head out to a local pub, The Thistle Inn. We walked to this Pub and then the fun began. It was a tiny pub and the owner (Richard) was behind the bar. He asked us where we came from we said South-Australia, Adelaide. He then pointed to the shirt he was wearing and on it was a picture of the Glenelg tram and the words Adelaide, South Australia written under the picture. This guy knew more about Australia than most Australians and had been out to Australia many times for long holidays. We chatted to him for awhile and then Rob mentioned he wanted to try malt whiskey. Richard took us into his lounge bar where he had 167 different bottles of whiskey. The men had a discussion about whiskeys which went over my head and Rob chose a couple of whiskeys to try. He really enjoyed both. Richard recommended a good place for tea within walking distance and we headed there. Following an enjoyable dinner we headed back to our room. I'm typing this up listening to the snoring of Rob......