Day 17 Bettyhill to John o'Groats - sting in the tail

Chris the Bettyhill proprietor served me breakfast at sharp as a favour . Only others staying in hotel were 3 surfers from Newcastle - yes surfers! - and as I heard them returning to their rooms in the wee hours - I was on my own. Chris quite delightful and just done a major refurbishment of the fabulously situated hotel.

Sting in the tail . The strong to gale force east wind that I had to battle into all day . Only50 miles but it felt like 100. On the firsr 30 miles to Thurso I lost count of the number of energy sapping descents and steep re- ascents from sea level. Quick soup and salad in the cheerful and very good Le Bistro . A check at the tourist off on ferry times to Orkney and back to fight the east wind. Pretty bleak landscape , constant heavy rain squalls and it was simply a slog to make it. But the wildness and the views over to Orkney made it at times even enjoyable - easy to say in hindsight. And of course hugely satisfying,

A memorable trip with the usual combination of all the ingredients of  cycle touring that we've expounded on before . Nothing like it. For the stats my odometer shows 1,132 miles since leaving Keith &Fiona's house in Edinburgh ( for the first time ! ) , so that included the trips to Waverley and the Kings X to Paddington ride and then getting down to Lands End. Charlie's route i.e. the Pewsey route shows 1066 miles and just under 72,000 feet of climbing. I can believe the latter!  For the former the diff in addition to the extra mileage noted above must be accounted for by my failure to follow Charlie and getting lost i.e additional and quite unnecessary slog! Hospitality everywhere has been superb and v good value . Youth hostels - I'd recommend them to anyone. People I met along the way - delightful . Weather apart from last 2 days - very good. Accom - hotels 8 nights , B&B's 2 nights , YH's 4 nights , camping 3 nights. Wind - predominamtly favorable . Last day a conspicuous exception. Rain - hardly any, with again the notabe exception of last 2 days particularly the penultimate day. Bike - worked like a dream . Well worth getting new wheels ( and Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres ) as I was able , safely , to maintain tyre pressure at close to 80si. I kept the chain well lubed esp after rain and that makes a big difference. Gear - inevitably one thinks one is carrying far too much weight . But I used everything I carried. The tent , sleeping mat and sleeping bag were vital not just on the 3 occasions I used them, but on pretty much everyday when I rode on in the late afternoon knowing I always had that option even on the side of the road. Alness a perfect example of this.  Stove and Tiso bags were again vital for the occasions I needed them - 7 in all , heavy , but I used them all. A heavy bag of Oatmeal of Alford I only used once with Keith at Lochranza and that prob was excess baggage . Maybe I'll use in Orkney. I WILL use in Orkney !

Taking the v convenient ferry tomorrow morning  from Gills Bay ( a couple of miles from JoG ) to St Margaret's Hope , Orkney , having a couple of days there and getting the midnight ferry to Aberdeen arr there at 7.30 on Tues morning.

Leaving Bettyhill - reluctantly! Beige's jacket - 2nd waterproof layer - a lifesaver

Could hardly believe it

Phew !

A fine welcome - typical day I guess

Day 16 Alness to Bettyhill

Wow - what a day. I had forgotten Scotland- or anywhere - could have days like this.   Mary's memory on such matters is better than mine I suspect.        

On leaving the library in Alness last night at 7 ish having 'rough ' pitched my tent in a wooded area  of the local play park by the river , it started bucketing and at 7pm and 80 miles further on , it hasn't stopped bucketing since. I did get a decent meal in the only cafe there and that helped to put off the evil moment of discovering what might have happened to my tent in the meantime. All well though and everything as I'd left it with no appreciable water ingress - at that stage anyway.

Roughish might in a tent that did well to hold up to the deluge and a rising river right beside me , but it does make getting up easy. All packed up and ready to go on daylight at 7.30 . Expected to get breakfast in Bonar Bridge 18 miles away. Got there just after 9 to find neither of the 2 hotels open, but one of them with a hopeful sign that they would open for 'all day breakfast' at 10. Changed out of soaking kit in porch of closed hotel and waited.  Worth waiting for though . Open fire , only customer , an enormous breakfast and dried some clothes .

Away from there with some reluctance at 11.30 . Sign said Tongue 38 miles with pretty much nothing in between other than than the small village of Lairg after 10. Wind easterly with a touch of south which made it do-able . Without that I prob wouldn't have set off. Horrific conditions for whole of it. Very wild with nothing but bare moor . Virtually no traffic.

Got to Tongue ( a mile downhill off route ) about 4 only to find Tongue Hotel with no vacancies. Couldn't believe it . Asked the owner to telephone Bettyhill Hotel 13 miles in the direction of John o'Groats to check on vacancy and  a room available . So after quick bite in rain outside Tongue Hotel of oatcakes, cheese and apple - too wet to step inside- set off for the 13 miles into an easterly wind for Bettyhill. Made it just after 6 and got a great reception. Ros and I with M & D had a family holiday there 50 years ago. I remember getting wet then too.

A day to remember.

50 odd miles to go to JoG.

wet, wet, wet

Bettyhill - what a haven

Day15 - Spean Bridge to Alness

Invergarry Hotel and what a breakfast

Caledonian Canal

Castle Urquhart and about to leave the Great Glen

My attempt to depict a wet and cold night in tent in Alness

Not difficult to rise from sleeping bag in a cold tent. It was a long night and all available garments were donned.Did get some reasonabel sleep though and certainly a decent rest. Started raining just AFTER I took tent down this time . On road the moment it was light enough to do so safely - 7.30. Back on the busy A75 but 15 odd miles took me to Invergarry Hotel where I had a superb breakfast with gallons of hot tea and coffee. Oh the joys of cycle touring. Then on to the canal towpath for last 5 miles into fort Augustus. Dry most of time but quite busty road. Quick purchase of provisions at Co-op and on to Drumnadrochit. Equally quick stop for cheese , biscuits and fruit to gain strength for the horrifically steep , but thankfully short pull up to summit of hill between D and Beauly. Raining intermittently at this satge. Straight on to Dingwall and on further to Alness getting there at 5.30. ). Looks pretty quiet , so here's hoping . Now to find a pub for a beer or two and with luck a good meal. Early start tomorrow may see me somehere up towards Tongue.

Day 14 - Oban to Spean Bridge

Another gorgeous day . Sunny all day . Wind negligible . Wonderful views of hills for the whole of my 73 mile trip.

Got away from YH at 8 ish after cooking the usual huge plate of porridge. Didn't stop then till after Ballahullish and then for tuna sandwich , fruit and nuts. Charlie then directed me over the Corran ferry at which point I realized I needed the ferry back again to Fort William at Treslaig to avoid a 20 mile detour.  Decision required . Treslaig ferry runs only every 4 hours! Could have continued on busy A82 to and through FW or take Corran ferry and either wait 3 hours 11 miles up the road or cycle round the top end of Loc Eil. Decided to,take last option  , and if ever there was a day to,take a 20 mile detour this was was the one. Quite magnificent views of Ben Nevis on near cloudless day for most of the detour , and hardly a car passed me for,best part of 2 hours.

Rejoined Charlie's route ( which took in both ferries ) at Corpach , turned right to,take the quiet road heading for Loch Arkaig, followed that up to the cut off point where I crossed the Caledonian canal and eventually ( a steep,climb this one ) joined the FW - Imvergarry road at the V impressive Commando 2nd World War statue. Getting dark at this stage - but still the most divinely beautiful evening with views of the high tops in the Nevis area I've rarely seen- and found little private campsite ( just about to close for season ) a mile or two up the road. Only person  there  and a t a charge of £5  gave me everything I needed incl warm - not hot - shower . Benefit of having tent and stove paid handsome dividend . But long coldish night .  May splash out on more comfortable accom tomorrow in absence of any more YH's as I head north

The Corran ferry and start of a 17 mile detour

...but these views of Ben Nevis made it worthwhile

The hugely impressive Commando statue at Spean Bridge

Mary has been rude about the lack of care here in tent construction. Did the trick though and too tired to do better.

Day13 - Lochranza to Oban

Looking back to Arran from boat to mull of Kintyre

Tarbett

Lochgilphead

That hurt !

Arriving in Oban

Normally one can only dream of cycling on Scotland's west coast on days like this. To say it was perfect would be an understatement. Keith would support me in claiming this was a day to beat all. And we thought yesterday could not be much better. After cooking good rolled oats in YH , we caught the 8.15 ferry 600 yards down the road. Virtually the only passengers for the 4o min ride across to the mainland. Views quite staggering. A good ( 2nd ) breakfast in Tarbert and completed the 64 miles to Oban with only a brief stop at Loch Melford Hotel right beside NTS's Arduanie Gardens. Keith caught train just after 6 from Oban back to Edinburgh after a refreshing pint and I found yet another top class YH on the shore front here in Oban. Fort William tomorrow and I hope the YH up Glen Nevis if not too far off Charlie's route. Mary to note please weather conditions on each of last 3 days! Well done Keith for powering up some really testing hills partic in last hour. And it wasn't just the train to catch. Very much the pattern for all 3 glorious days you had with me . I'm so grateful for your making the effort to join me and for the planning that that involved. Well done indeed.

Day 12 - Casphairn to Lochranza , Arran

Looking over to Arran

An Autumn chill - boat to Arran

Leaving Brodick , Arran on way to Lochranza

A testing one a the end of a long day - well done Keith!

A truly magnificent day and terrific to have someone to share it with. After the exertions of yesterday Keith seemed to have little difficulty starting where he finished last night and completing the 66 miles to the north end of Arran via the Ardrossan - Brodick ferry. And he's had none of the 8,000 feet plus training that I have had not to mention the 'warm up' in Cornwall and Devon. Cycling down the Doon valley to Ayr was a joy . We had a J & J style coffee and muffin sitting outside a little Ayr cafe in the sun, and then followed pretty much the Sustrans cycle route ( abandoning Charlie much to his disappointment ) all the way down the coast till we got close to Ardrossan. Caught the 3.15 ferry with 25 mins to spare and then had a hardish 17 miles from Brodick to Lochranza including a 600 feet climb in the middle. Superb views of the high tops of Arran and over to Bute and the mainland. YH as ever right up to scratch. Ate more of the Tiso bags and then off to the pub to sample an Arran blend . Oban tomorrow where Keith will catch the 6.25 train back to Edinburgh Hopefully another YH for me and on then to the Great Glen.