[posted retrospectively] July 4th DAY ONE - Thurso to John o'Groats

I Finally arrived in Thurso and walked into town to 'Sandra's Backpacker's' where my bicycle had been posted a week earlier.  
Settled in to my poky but cheap single room - and then tried to put Groucho back together.  If 'no dogs allowed on the Caledonian Sleeper' had been Disaster no.1 - then this was Disaster no. 2. 

The bicycle has been crushed by the courier!  Despite using huge amounts of bubble wrap, cardboard and similar padding, the forks have been bent around the front wheel, and the drop outs so squashed, I couldn't get the front wheel to go back in.  

I'd spent all night sleeping intermittently - with periods laying awake worrying about it.  I finally dozed off when I decided planB was to get a bank loan and buy another e-bike.   I was down at 'the Bike Shop' with all my gear as soon as they opened (9am) to see what they could do - Sam and Eric are heroes in my eyes - they fixed it!  (Which was lucky, as they don't sell e-bikes!).  There's an art to packing bikes, they said - not the least, using a fork divider (who knew?). Perhaps I should have let Chris Warburton help after all. (He did offer when he sourced me the bike box).  Sam had spent some time chatting - telling me how hard it was to keep the Bike Shop going in these difficult times.  Then they only charged me £12 for saving my entire expedition!  I haggled them up to £20.  
Pootled around Thurso - it's a run down little town - with some beautiful areas to make up for obvious lack of funding - green parks along the River Thurso. Mabli loved the beach - she went crazy in the waves, after her long journey up.    We got going on the first section along the A836 (NCR1) to John o'Groats after buying a cheese sarnie for later.  

I hadn't really had time to get Mabli accustomed to the trailer in Devon - consequently she found it fearsome. Made the mistake of thinking a short tether attached to a ring inside could stop her leaping out - it didn't! In a bid for freedom, she snapped the bit of fabric holding the ring and leapt out while i was cycling along.  Trailer tipped over, scaring the life out of her - and she endeavouted to become road kill (Caroline's phrase) by leaping into oncoming traffic  Fortunately, drivers all saw what was happening and slowed down, putting their flashers on - no doubt with a few more grey hairs themselves.   I let her run alongside for a while, before trying again. I zipped her inside next time, and she eventually lay down.
​The ride was along part of the N500  - so there are lots of camper vans and motorcyclists. But also alongside the coast, and i saw the Orkneys just off shore, or so it seemed. I also saw a dead deer, a live deer, rabbits and oyster catchers.

It was fab to arrive in John o'Groats.  Until I realised I'd lost my purse. Disaster no.3.  I had NOT put it back in my rucksack when I'd bought a cheese roll for lunch. Instead, I'd put it in a carrier bag in the trailer. I'm fairly sure it tipped out into the verge when the trailer fell over - and I didn't notice while i was busy catching Mabli. Sigh. Phoned shops - no joy. Told the landlady of the glamping pods - she was in Thurso so reported loss to Police. Fortunately i still have online banking and a debit card or two on the phone itself - if i can get the app. to work. Talk about being thrust into the age of technology! Things can only improve from here! My first instinct was to go back to Thurso and search for it.  But it could have been anywhere in the past 20miles, so common sense prevailed.  Onwards to Watton.