Polar exploration

Okay, so is this really Summer? I guess I didnt realise just how far north I am travelling and thus how cold it would be. Ooops. In my head yes I thought, far north, but oh it's Summer, that will be okay. And thoughts of puffins and adventure blocked out the reality that this is very far north which means close to the arctic circle which means very cold the whole year round.

So I went walking in the forest near thre castle this morning and while it is breathtaking seeing the trees and lochs and the tiny birds calls and the wild flowers in shades of purple and yellow... it is freezing! Each day I get colder as I go further north and I am glad I had a real taste of Summer in Prague.

Not really buoyed by the guy on the desk pretty much saying that the hostel in John O'Groats is a bit skanky. Arrrgh! Getting used to dorm accommodation although the flashbacks to school camp are not so great. Also, why do I always get landed with a top bunk???

No, it's not so bad, afterall, I am staying in a castle, the last one built in Scotland, completed 90 years ago, in a beautiful isolated area. I just wouldn't want to be here in winter.