Friends of the North Highland Way 2

I walked a lot of the trail in Asturias in 2021. It was a wonderful experience. The beaches and forests, some of them occupied by bears. The public transport system is not too bad for a rural area, and, hey, there is no hurry, is there? I recall drinking cider in the little bars and enjoying the food and the culture, which is totally different to that in the Andalucia region. I have always meant to go back, but never quite made it.
We did do a car tour along the coast in 2014. We landed at Santander and drove all across the north coast.

We have joined forces with the European Trails Network and look forward to working with the Greeks, the Germans, the French and of course the Spanish to create a great trail, right across Europe to Scotland, even to Orkney.

We have been doing some work on the UK coast. This aligns with the route of the Spanish Armada. From Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of the UK mainland, where this all started in 1999, we expanded out to Aberdeenshire in 2022, Moray in 2023, Lincolnshire in 2024, and in 2025, we head to Argyll. All the time we promote the North Highland Way, the only multi use route in Scotland. We are not building paths, that is the responsibility of public services, not the private sector. We consider it to be irresponsible to build paths without concern for safety.

The North Highland Way is well in hand, and now we truly join with Spain through the European World Trails network, focussing on the areas we know best, Chichlana de la Frontera, Andalucia and Asturias. We had a great meeting last Friday, and now as Treasurer of the European Trail Network as well as the World Trail Network, we look at trails outwith the Caminos and further to the south.. In Eye on Spain in fact. We hope this is OK with everyone. If not, just say and I will remove.

The North Highland Way has gone from nothing, not even maps, to a World Trail in 20 years. We may well celebrate in 2025 with another Caithness and Sutherland Walking Festival, so hope some of the Pilgrims will join us. We have task teams for education and tourism, and are looking forward to the next stage and putting the route on the map with Northern Ireland and Lincolnshire. The Way runs through the Geopark which is now a UNESCO site, and we look at the effects of the Sutherland Space Hub and the bridges which are difficult to traverse.

Would you like to become part of our new Travel Club. Individual businesses can send me their discount offers to me at tinadawnmarshall780@gmail.com

We have not only twinned with Spain through Ivar's hard work, but now we have twinned with the South West Path in England, thanks to World Trails. We are getting three bridges sorted out so there is more off road walking, cycling and horse riding. With this and our baggage handlers being more prominent, the north of Scotland is on a roll. Now, perhaps for the east coast. It is very dangerous to walk on the road there, so take care if walkers are coming our way.

What sort of food do the pilgrimage folk eat? Do they stop off at little bars and restaurants, or do they snacks and picnics? Do they eat healthily enough to sustain their walks. We are comparing what folk eat on our sister site in Scotland, and what differences there might be.

We are working away in the background on trying to get an integrated transport system with taxis, trains, buses, flights and ferries. It is not easy, as Ivar knows, with so many operators. At least we have a bag transfer system now, and soon we hope to have lockers at the some of the stations on the north coast of Scotland. However, not many of them even have buildings so difficult. We will keep you updated, and once you have done the Caminos, come and join us in the north...

We planned a pilgrimage to some of the churches in 2019 but never got round to writing them up. Churches and cathedrals visited were Kirkwall, Armagh, Lincoln and we even found one in Spain but not on the Caminos. I promise I will look it up and post here. We will be going to Lincoln in April, June and again in October, and no doubt will visit Lincoln again, if not walk some of the route.

British Pilgrims routes