Stage Four: Altnabreac to Spittal (15.5 miles/25 km)
Loch More to Mybster (8 miles/12.9 km),
Mybster to Spittal village (0.7 miles/1.1 km and Spittal Byres is 1.5 miles/2.4 km
If you do not take the Dalnawillan option, continue on the forestry track to Loch More. Continue along the north shore of the loch to the gate and small car park. If you are being collected by car, it is worth walking the extra 2.5 miles/4.1 km to the next car park as the road between them is in poor condition.
From the second car park, the pilgrim can turn to the right until close to the loch, where there is space to park the car. The track continues for apr 2 miles to Achscoraclate, where the remains of a cottage can be seen, but is too rough to take a car. Achscoraclate was the site of a chapel and holy well dedicated to Saint Bridget.
The route continues from the second car park along a narrow road towards Mybster on the A9.
Another diversion worth taking is to the graveyard at Dirlot. Turn right three miles/4.8 km along the road for a short distance until you reach some farm buildings. (There is a 'private' notice at the turn-off but this does not apply to walkers.) At the farm buildings a gate to the right leads into a field and the path goes to the walled-in graveyard. Within the graveyard was a chapel dedicated to Colum although no trace of it can be seen now. This would not be Columba of Iona but either the Colum who worked mainly in Orkney or, more likely, Colm, one of the three followers of Drostan. There was a holy well north of the graveyard near the shepherd’s house called Tobar Chalum-Cille. An attractive view of the river passing through a gorge can be seen from the path just past the graveyard. This diversion will add apr 1 mile to the journey.
This site is in a field used by the farmer to graze animals and care must be taken not to disturb them. It is possible to access the site by going through the next field and walking up the river side. On the opposite bank of the river are the remains of Dirlot Castle and there used to be a ford between the two sites. Legend has it that there is treasure lying on the river bed at the ford.
Continue along the road from Loch More to Mybster at the junction with the A9. Turn left towards Spittal. Go through the village of Spittal and continue for 1.5 miles/2.4 km to the left-hand turn-off for Spittal Mains Farm. Soon after this, there is a section of the old road forming an incomplete lay bye. There is a ruined building here known as the Spittal Byres (or the Spittal Dairy to some) which may be on the site of the original hospital serving the chapel and graveyard of Spittal, the remains of which can be seen further down the hill. Some sources argue that the hospital would have been beside the chapel but this site is interesting in itself and does give a view of the main Spittal site without disturbing the farmer. The only other way to view the site is to turn in at the farm entrance and walk through the steadings – risking disturbing the farming activities. The name of the site suggests that it may have been used as a collecting point and market place for cattle in the days of cattle droving. It could, of course, have been part of the religious settlement whose walls were later utilised for keeping cattle, as pilgrimages had stopped some time before cattle droving began.
Spittal has only one B&B and no shops. The nearest village to Spittal with a shop, hotel and medical centre is Halkirk, 4 miles/6.4 km away. (For some information on Halkirk go to thisishalkirk.co.uk.) The Inverness to Thurso bus service goes through both Dunbeath and Spittal but please read the timetable carefully as some busses do not go through Spittal and Halkirk, going via Wick instead.
The knoll at Halkirk on which the ruined St Fergus church stands was known as Tore Harlogan, indicating an earlier dedication to Talorc/ Tarloc/Tarlogan, another follower of Donan. The bishop's cathedral was just north of Halkirk at Skinnet. Some remains can be seen below the Halkirk-to-Thurso road and just up from the river.
For information on Thurso go to;
