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7:
Day 6:
We awoke to our first morning in Scotland, slightly misty, but bright
and we had a delightful start to the day cycling through the Forest of Ae. We
climbed up to 1000ft to views of grey mountain ranges in the distance.
Descening
to Closeburn, an a quick stop for rations at the Post Office, we were given some
more money for the Research Fund, and we then ploughed on up the A76 all the way
to Cumnock.
It was a tough ride, capes on, then capes off routine, and we
were bang into a NW headwind. Lunch was at the Loch Side House Hotel near New
Cumnock, and it was during lunch that we realised that the headwind was really
knocking the pace down and we needed to get some miles in.
We hammered in
to Glasgow via the A77, and crossed the city to stop at Milngavie, where John
lived.
His girlfriend Ruth had made us a good meal which revived us well,
but thoughts of staying the night there gave way and we decided to press on to
Inverbeg for the night. After a few mechanical adjustments we made a good pace
and got to Inverbeg at twenty to eleven, which wasn't bad considering we didn't
leave Glasgow until about 9 O'clock. |
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| 8:
Day 7:
Next day we left Inverbeg hostel ready to start on Scotland
proper, - Crianlarich, - Glen Coe, and the Great Glen across to the East Coast.
We were at last sheltered from the wind, and the going was a lot easier
. We stopped to take a picture of the "Brodies" stores on the way to
Glen Coe, in fact all along the route we kept stopping for photos of the mountains
and lakes which seemed endless. Crossing
the bridge to North Ballaculish the rain started up and persisted all the way
through Fort William and Spean Bridge, and by the time we arrived at Loch Lochy
YH we were well and truly damp. My cycling socks had gone black, as had my feet,
and the hostel drying room was soon crammed with everything from track suits to
wet Kendal mint cake!
LOCH
LOCHY YH (SYHA)
| 
GLEN COE. Click picture for a big version. |
9:
Day 8:
Our penultimate days ride left us with a dilemma. Did we just
make for Carbisdale Castle leaving us a 100 mile ride on the last day, or make
a dash for Helmsdale, leaving only 50 miles on the last day but giving us 120
to ride that day. In the end we just got on the bikes and rode. Through Fort Augustus
and along Loch Ness with a tail wind was good for morale, but the 1:7 climb from
Drumnadrochit towards Beauly wasn't, however we had a huge lunch at "Brockies
Lodge" at Kiltarlity which set us up for the next climb from Alness and then
down to Bonar Bridge.
Skirting Cromarty Firth splendid views of the Black
Isle were interrupted by by towering oil rigs, and various steel constructions.
Shortly after Bonar Bridge we saw a sign saying "John o Groats 96 miles",
which set us up for the next section.
We studied the map and did a few calculations
and decided to head for Helmsdale, and were glad we did so as the ride proved
quite easy with a tail wind and the sun shining all the way to the hostel, in
fact it was still light at 10 o' clock when we arrived.
HELMSDALE
YH ( Wetdale) (SYHA)
|
Bridge
at Ballacullish
Fort
Augustus
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| 10:
Day 9:
The other reason we were glad that we had ridden to helmsdale
that night was that the following morning, - our last day - it was very very wet.
As soon as we poked our heads out of the front door it teemed down.
This plus
the long climbs to Ousdale and Berridale physically drained us, so at Dunbeath
we stopped for Fish & Chips at a pub, where the landlord supplied us with
a valor heater on which to dry our clothes.
The rain eased off on the way
to Wick where we stopped and made pigs of oursleves. The girl in the restaurant
where we stopped brought us a selection of cakes and pastries to choose from and
we chose " the lot"! To our amazement we were charged less than £1
for this gastronomic feast!
We meandered the final 17 mile stretch, apart
from a mad sprint for the John'o Groats sign which seemed futile since apart from
the sign there wasn't much else there, and then we freewheeled down the hill to
our final destination.
Shortly after we arrived the mists rose a little and
we saw Hoy with cloud resting on top of the cliff, and somehow it all seemed worthwhile.
 
JOURNEYS END.
| 
CROMARTY FIRTH - The Black Isle.
CLIMBING FROM HELMSDALE
John O' Groats - Harbour.
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