Further into the far north, camping wild, midges, tics and firths

We've reached Bonar Bridge and a night not in tents. The drizzle mist keeps coming in waves from the hills and over the Dornoch Firth. Walking over and watching the misty view widen out this morning (fourth picture) we stopped and made coffee by the road just as a bus full of Australian and American tourists pulled up and looked on in fascination. I think we may be in some holiday albums.
The first photo is our camping spot above the Guisachan forest, a few days ago. We had to search hard for this after a long walk on a wide scar of a track over empty hostile rocky, muddy, heathery landscape. It was perfect though, and quieter than you can imagine.
The second photo is our camping spot in Glen Strathfarrar, just by Loch Beannachran. Just as we had pitched, an osprey came flying up the glen. Up the glen to the west, huge mountains with snow fields towered silently.
The not-so-lovely thing about wild camping in Scotland in July is the midges. You can set up camp in a high breezy light place and feel pleased that you've avoided them, and by the morning the drizzle has come through and the wind has died down and the midges come out like you would not believe. The morning above the Guisachan forest, there were so many millions of them they sounded like a swarm of bees. And tics ... tics. It doesn't matter what you do, they will get you.
Because of the morning midge, we've found it's better to just get up and leave, and stop and make coffee later on. The third photo is coffee making in the porch of Struy church. Best coffee ever. This followed a slight change in the route plan after an experience close to purgatory, walking at less than 1 mile an hour over pathless heathery, brackeny, boggy moorland.
So, this and the fact that I am now putting medical tape over the holes in my tent to stop the midges coming in - oh, and that the hip belt on my rucksack has nearly given up - I am quite glad that it's only 7 or 8 days to go!
It is all incredibly beautiful though, in ways I've not really experienced before. Everything is huge, strange, stunning, and weathered. And here in this corner of the country the LEJOG cyclists converge. We've seen lots yesterday and today. No other walkers though ...!
Lairg, Crask Inn and then the vast remote Flow Country awaits. For now, tea and beer.