Taidor one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Taidor here.

I walked this one on a colder, fresh, sometimes sunny, day (Friday, 24/2/2023) as part of the John O'Groats Trail (JOGT). I did it in 3h 32m (with a couple of stops) but had a few problems and a diversion from the prescribed route as I will explain. It wasn't a bad walk, I chose to deviate over a hill rather than follow the A9 but the route is pretty flat and easy going, just a bit exposed as you walk across the long Dornoch Road Bridge.

Set off from Tain centre from bus stops on the North West Road out (Tower St., Academy St. then Morangie Road) in a straight line getting up to the Aldi which is close to the main northbound A9 road junction. Slight confusion at the junction as to how to get past a mound of spoil. Don't take it on, go straight to the A9 and walk on the verges, not a path here, so best to cross as there are, at least, good views of oncoming traffic, The A9 is a busy and fast road, taking heavy traffic sometimes, up the coast to Thurso and Wick. Cars are often at speed (60/70 mph) so careful crossing and the A9 is wide but doesn't cater to walkers well at this point, just a wide grass verge. The Slow way presumably takes you along the A9 so you can see the famous Glen Morangie distillery but personally I don't like this road. I walked it for about 500yds and then turned off left on a lane signposted Tarlogie 3/4 as prescribed on the JOGT and went along a gradually rising wooded lane that turns into a track further up and then through the entrance path to a larger house, this (all marked) takes you over a small field to some cottages at the top of the hill. Then its straight down the track and you are heading directly on to the traffic island at the beginning of the Dornoch Bridge. I got here in exactly an hour. The bridge is a modern, flat, concrete construction from (1991) which, in it's time, saved traffic (but not the nearby railway) a big diversion inland. Just to the left is a small diner if you wanted to pause. The bridge is long and the day I did it, a bit windy and exposed, as high speed traffic speeds past but the pavement on the LHS is wide enough. It's over a mile across but good views of the hills west, inland up the Dornoch Firth. On the far side, I crossed over following the JOGT and went over the barriers and down a steep bank (tricky this) onto a lower footpath leading directly to Dornoch and out of the wind. This bit is nice, a wide path through open gorse and dunes to the lane at Cuthill and turn right, back on tarmac in a straight line. No problems here and I had my headphones on. Another half a mile and at the cottages at Lonemoor I turned off and up left following the forest path signs into Camore Woods.
By this point I really was struggling a bit with new boot soreness and slowing up but, the country round here is pleasant in the sunshine. The track snakes around Camore woods, a lot of which has been felled in recent times, you do have to check the map a bit, follow the odd JOGT marker. there are different ways through. Eventually it brings you out along the side of a field and then at 300m you hit the main (pavemented) road into Dornoch, the A949 with drystone walls, in past the academy, all straightforward. You can vary the route as you get into town, there are shops and pubs and restaurants here (more in season, it's quite a touristy place). For a small town there are one or two striking buildings, particularly the Cathedral and Dornoch Castle (why has Dornoch got a cathedral but not referred to as a city?). My walk was something like 3h 20m (8.84miles, 14.23km) but you could do it a little quicker. Dornoch is a key bus stop with the 25a to Tain and on the X99 to Inverness or further north but check, because there aren't many of them in the day now with cuts to services. Irritatingly I just missed mine and had to wait. If you wanted to carry on past the town square, the beach and big golf courses are only about half a mile on.
This route wasn't too bad, trees and a hill after Tain but then over the Dornoch bridge you are open and exposed. The land approaching Dornoch is flat. It should be doable by someone with wheels but you need to think about the A9 and how to cross it. Not that much in the way of toilet opportunities out of Tain or Dornoch.There are different ways off the bridge for wheels (see the prescribed slow ways trail). Check your bus times and don't wear boots that hurt, like some people have.

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