Tongue to Lairg Wednesday May 3rd
The beauty of the northern coastline was replaced by the barren and desolate moorland of the Flow Country today.
A short steep climb out of Tongue which sapped the batteries a tad, soon settled into an undulating jaunt along Loch Loyal with views of Ben Loyal to the west. The Flow country is the vast expanse of peat and bog lands that occupy much of Caithness and Sutherland. The Motorhomes & Motorbikes racing around the NC500 had deserted me so I was left to pull into the passing places on the main road to let the occasional lorry and delivery van through. The highlight of the day was the complete and utter isolation and remoteness that the route offered.
I cycled 30km without seeing any settlement.. with the exception of an old shooting lodge that was boarded up. A long 4km descent to Altnahara meant I didn’t need to pedal and Altnahara , despite its hotel, seemed to be a bit of of a one horse village that the horse had left!
Lunchtime found me in the Crask Inn for a bowl of the most delicious Leek & Potato soup. It was like walking into the Slaughtered Lamb from American Werewolf in London… the bit when everyone stops talking and stares at you… I soon realised that they didn’t speak English! The final l 20 km through the newly planted plantations proved to be a gentle descent into the village of Lairg and the safety of the Highland Hotel!
Lairg to Inverness Thursday May 4th
Having breakfasted with the other hotel guests I decided in view of the impending weather to opt for an early departure. Which was just as well, not as a result of the weather but the steep climb from Bonar Bridge took its toll on my legs and my batteries! The trip as far as Bonar Bridge had followed the River Shin and a glimpse of the Shin Falls was an added bonus to my day.
There were more spectacular views over the Firth of Dornoch and as I got closer to Inverness the roads got busier. I crossed the bridge into Inverness and it was reminiscent of crossing the Pont de Normandie last year.
My arrival at the hostel was slightly early so a trip to Morrisons to get essential supplies was in order. Once settled in I spent some time talking to a gentleman from Suffolk who had brought his bike up on the train and was pootling round the area! My age and still willing to stay in dormitories?! Early to bed after nearly 90 km and 750m of ascent and a good nights sleep! That was until the noisy party of cyclists arrived late into the room above! I did however get my own back early the following morning.
Inverness to Grantown on Spey Friday May 5th
The selection of photos tells the story of a great day! Rebecca Heliwell joined me for todays jaunt from Inverness to Grantown on Spey. Dave, who I’d stayed with on the way up .., and Rebecca had both worked with me in my days at Atlantic College. Both are former students and had worked summer vacations as activity Instructors at the Extramural Centre. Both are now working for the medical services in Scotland.
After a sumptuous Scottish self service breakfast in Morrisons, Rebecca and I headed out of Inverness dodging the rush hour traffic and steadily climbing through Culloden to the high pass at Schold. A detour up a track which apparently was a military road built by General Wade in the 17th Century to move troops around the Highlands, many a slight delay as we decided to double back and opting for the tarmac version. Long down hill stretches brought us into the Spey valley and the villages of Carrbridge and Nethy Bridge The sign on entering Carrbridge read, “ Home of the World Porridge Championhips” I learned later that competitors compete for the Golden Spurtle!
On reaching Grantown we located my B&B which I had previously stayed in in the 1980’s when it was a bunkhouse. The new owners Nick & Ceri Baker are in the process of turning into a B&B so I had the only guest room that had been converted…luxury. Nick is a well known TV naturalist ( The Really Wild Show) and author of countless books on the natural world. He’s also a keen cyclist with several bikes adorning his garage! How many bikes can a man ride?!
Dave, having driven from Elgin, joined us for supper in a local hotel, where we slurped our way through bowls of Cullen Skink. Rebecca and Dave also kindly agreed for Rebecca to accompany me on the journey to Dalwinnie.
No comments:
Post a Comment