It is wonderful to wake up to sunshine, even if it doesn't last the whole day. It was a beautiful morning for a walk in this rural area. Sheep and cows were plentiful.
The countryside soundscape is full of baas and moos. From a distance we could see some highland cattle - but we hoped to see some close up.
Back in the car to head closer to Thurso where we would get the ferry for the Orkneys. We stopped in Golspie to admire the beach and wander through the town.
The beauty of the countryside is only exceded by the beauty of the people - friendly, helpful and welcoming. As we were driving northward I spotted a herd of Highland Cattle and luck was with us - there was a parking area near enough for us to stop and gawk.
I'm not sure how they see; their hair droops over their faces. After admiring them for a while we continued our drive, taking a small road to see some standing stones.
These stones at Achavanich have been standing here for about 4000 years. They are unusual in that unlike most stone circles, the sides of the stones, rather than the flat surfaces, face the centre of the circle. These stones were in a remote field, reached by a one track road. Fortunately with the treeless landscape it was easy to see if someone was coming and you could pull into one of the passing places.
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