With the van loaded and the bike strapped down, with a bit of help from Jonny, I headed north on Friday with the the other Bank Holiday travellers to do battle on the M5& M6. 5 hours later I had checked in to the Tickled Trout hotel, quaffed a large G&T and settled into my room for a quiet night. Saturday was a long day of driving… heading for Elgin 30 miles east of Inverness which was slightly off route but gave me a chance to catch up with an old work colleague who works for the Scottish Ambulance Service! Dave Payne was a generous and gracious host providing me with a bed, a Chinese take away and access to his wife’s collection of malt whisky. Needless to say I slept well. My 7 hour drive had taken me passed a whole host of well known distilleries, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet, Glen Moray to name but a few. I made a mental note to call in on my way back south, on my bike. Elgin to Wick on Sunday morning was a very pleasant drive that skirted Inverness and followed the gorse lined A9 and A99 with spectacular views across the Cromarty Firth and the Dornoch Firth. Arrival in Wick was heralded with warm sunshine, perhaps a taste of things to come! My home for the night is the Norseman Hotel which overlooks the river and seems to be where most of the population of Caithness come to eat their Sunday lunches so the bar area resembles a cross between a school refectory and a pensioners centre , with an overpowering smell of overcooked vegetables. I think I may eat my Scotch eggs in my room?!
So tomorrow I’ll say farewell to my trusty van and load the panniers, attach the batteries and start the cycling part of my journey. The weather seems to be in my favour at the moment but for how long?
Laters!
