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Walking Land's End to John o'Groats with Mark Moxon

Dunbeath to Wick

Looking north towards Wick
Looking north towards Wick

Oh dear, what a let-down. I've nothing to say about today except it went on and on and on, and I just put my head down and walked fast. It's the only way to treat the coastal A-road, I've discovered; I shan't miss it.

Wick

A Highland bull near Wick
A Highland bull near Wick

Wick is a surprise, if only because it's a lot bigger than you might expect. During the 19th century Wick was the largest fishing port in Europe, with a fleet of around 1000 herring boats using the harbour, and although modern Wick is a rather dull, grey place, it hasn't shrunk much. The fishing fleet might not be as large as it used to be, but the town centre is still big enough to boast a pedestrianised high street, an airport and a Post Office that stays open until 5.30pm on a Saturday (quite a rarity outside major cities). But probably the biggest indicator of Wick's size is that it is home to the northernmost Wetherspoon pub in the world.

There's no denying that Tim Davis is a fan of all things Wetherspoon. For the 47-year-old electronics tester has covered tens of thousands of miles visiting the company's pubs during the past six years. To date Tim, of Stone, Staffordshire, has visited 618 Wetherspoon pubs and Lloyds No.1 Bars, including all of those in Wales, all but one in Scotland and the vast majority in England. His aim is to visit the remaining 24, which include all nine Wetherspoon pubs in Northern Ireland.

A pipe band in Wick
A pipe band in Wick

That 'one in Scotland' is the Alexander Bain, the newly opened Wetherspoon pub in Wick, so I felt duty bound to sound it out in tribute to the dedication shown by this fellow native of Staffordshire. Just as I expected, it's exactly the same as every other Wetherspoon pub I've ever been into, but there is one subtle difference apart from the emphasis on Scottish beers. Forget the accents, forget the different approaches to beer, forget the football leagues and for Christ's sake forget Braveheart; the real proof that England and Scotland are two distinct nations is in the Wetherspoon menu, because there, proud as mustard and at the knockdown price of £3.20, you can get a plate of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Along with the availability of Irn-Bru as a soft drink in McDonald's, I think we can chalk that up as a definite victory for Scottish nationalism. Hurrah!