KING STEPS IN THE MIST

The April walk was organised by Hugh and Pam and started at the auspiciously named Maggot car park in Nairn. I had always thought that this was so named as it was the site of an old town dump. However, it is more likely a bit more prosaic than that. It probably derives from the Gaelic - magh - which merely means a plain or flat area. There is, apparently, a maggot in Inverness as well, although I didn't know of it. It is actually down by the river, near the Black Bridge - although there is a suggestion that the name there derives form the Church of St Margaret.

Anyway, you can't see the Maggot because of the mist. You'll likely hear that a bit in the rest of the blog. That's because I wasn't there due to illness, so I am having to make this stuff up.

You can hardly see across the river because of the mist.

Dave shows off his tap-dancing skills while they all wait for Richie and Agnes to arrive

They get fed up and start to head off, when the errant McMasters arrive and leap from the car so as not to be left behind.

Agnes starts to explain that it is Richie's fault they are late, while Mac surreptitiously pees into a dustbin - presumably because he believes the town dump explanation for the maggot name.

After two hours, they finally get moving purposefully.

Soon they are walking across the featureless beach, which is rendered even more featureless (or should that be less featureful) by the enveloping mist.

A feature.

There were some ghostly figures appearing in the mist. Quite what they were doing or why they were doing it there is unknown. Surely one of the Dinos would have had their curiosity sufficiently piqued to go and find out?

But,no they didn't. The wraiths danced away into the mist and we must guess whether they were just some innocent fitness group or a more sinister, mystical and sorcerous group of necromancers enacting some arcane ritual on the otherwise deserted beach.

I'm going for the latter.

Here's what a normal group out for a wee walk look like.....

 .....not the lithe, supple voodoo children we have just seen disappearing into the dunes.

Apparently, this was alive and moving. It looks like a Ragworm to me. They are actually common across most of the UK and they live between high and low water and are widely used as bait for fishing. Apparently they can bite an unwary angler - not unreasonable given that the angler would be trying to stick it on a sharp hook.

Even more apparently, this was dead. It looks like a Guillemot to me. There have been recent reports of hundreds of seabirds washing up on the east coast of Scotland. It is thought that the birds found it difficult to feed in high seas caused by the Beast from the East and that the attendant cold weather froze the starved and soaked birds.

As it was Hugh's walk, there had to be any number of map consultations. Surely they must know where the sea is despite the mist!

Maureen feels that they would be safer heading for the woods.

Dave is not so sure.

He's not alone.

Charlie has decided that the route lies opposite form the trees that Maureen thought offered some form of sanctuary.

Eventually, they seem to settle on the fact that they need to cross this stretch of water. They cannot agree whether to go from left to right or right to left.

 Hugh, Mac and Robin decided to draw straws or walking sticks to decide who should go next. All well and good, but the sticks seem to be the same length. 

 Robin goes first with 2 sticks.

Mac is slightly braver with one stick.

 Charlie goes next with 2 sticks......

....but, not having quite retired, he cannot walk properly with sticks and loses his footing and gets a very wet foot for his trouble. Hugh follows on behind with a broomstick which must surely have been left by Sharon or Susan.

Maureen and Pam just use the very handy bridge nearby.

 By now, the sun is trying really hard not to be perpetually lost in the mists of time.

Of course, as the sun tries to come out they decide to go into the shade of the woods. 

 This doesn't make navigation any easier.

 Dave tries an old Indian dance to try and divine which way is up.

They are beginning to feel that they are doomed to wander in the woods forever.

 Then they remember that frogs only lay spawn in the warmer south facing pools of water. They have been saved.

 They shout tracker Dave back from his fruitless search for waymarks or an interpretive board that would tell them where they were.

Luckily, they find some signs of civilisation and decide to celebrate with some lunch.

 It's not clear if Dave has found something interesting or whether he's trying to interest Janet in his latest shipment of really good gear from his "contact" from down south.

Robin is having nothing to do with that sort of behaviour.

They all settle down for a bite to eat in what looks to all the world like a junction.

Dave and Sandra decide to try and hitch a lift from whatever might be passing by

Richie just isn't sure. 

Luckily, Agnes comes along and tells him what to think.

 Meanwhile, a local horse has stolen one of Pam's anoraks.

Maureen and Pam think this is a mule and give it Dave's bag of gear.

I almost mist the blue sky.

 Charlie takes advantage of the helpfully placed selfie mirrors.

After  a short walk further, it is time to sit down and consult the map again. 

 At last, they can see the sea, now that the mist has gone.

 A sign for the Minister's Pool. This is allegedly the place where the local minister used to skate. As he was just the minister and not actually god, I assume the pond was frozen at the time.

A place to reflect on blue skies and grey seas.

and to pose questions.

Why?

Clearly Maureen doesn't know the answer.

 Walking back through the caravans - no jokes about Ross County supporters, please.

 Back to the start, but at least they can see the other side of the river by now.

For many of them they ended up where they should have payed more attention - The Classroom.

Not all of them had paid any heed to face the camera either.

Outside, they queued up for medical help, but only Mac had the sense to knock on the door to see if anyone was in.

Apparently no-one was in - it was time to go home.

Thanks are due to Hugh, Pam and the Ordnance Survey for organising the walk.