A Year Long Pilgrimage

From Inverness I caught the train to Nairn, to begin walking, having decided that I wasn't going to negotiate the traffic from Inverness.   Nairn was a delightful town, really two towns.  There is the Victorian "hoy poloi" part, set back from the ocean.  Historically this was where the "artisans" lived, and grand houses they were too, on wide, well planned streets.  Then, closer to the sea was the fishing town, with its small houses, and with the essentials such the smoke houses in between.   This part is known as Fishertown.  In this section of the town the narrow roads have no pattern, the cottages are crammed together, and there seems no organisation to their placement. From Nairn I made my way across to Forres, on a cycle path, ready to start the Moray Coast Path.  However, the forecast for the next day was not promising,  and I made the fortuitous decision to catch the train to Elgin and "rest".  The rain was very heavy all day...

I left France on September 11th and headed to Edinburgh.  So far I have done very little the way I planned it.   I had planned to catch a train straight to Inverness, but didn't.   Why, you ask?  Well there were no hostel rooms available in Inverness and the cheapest room was coming in somewhere between £180 and £200!  I managed to get a hostel bottom bunk on the fourth attempt, dumped my gear, and went straight out to do my chores, simple things like:- get some pounds, purchase a UK charging plug, purchase a train ticket to Thurso for the following day, and most importantly get a UK sim. The wonderful waiting room at Edinburgh's Waverley train station Jobs done I could relax, and enjoy the train ride, killing time in Inverness for a couple of hours and arriving in Thurso at about 6.00 pm.  Another hostel, and a number of people to chat with, including my room mate, a young German lass who had ridden her bike from home. Thurso An early start the n...

Having injured yet another ligament, I hopped on a train to Alès.   Here I spent 2 nights wandering around the town.  I stayed in an Ibis hotel and got regular bags of ice to put on my ankle.  The receptionist got so used to me appearing and asking for more ice he even asked me if I wanted ice to take with me!  No point though as it would have melted by the time I got to the station.  I was in Alès on the weekend and so took myself of to the Temple (Church) for a protestant church service.   I have decided that French would be easier to learn if one sang hymns.  I found that it was slow enough to read and I had time to think about the pronunciation as I sang.  Didn't understand too much though! Sunset from my bedroom window in Alès  Books seemed to figure prominently in Alès,  this oversized one being in the centre of the roundabout.... .... and these, used as seats at the bus stop From Alès I made my way to Nimes.  I mana...