Loch Lomond to Inverness
Friday 17th May
Luss to Tyndrum
Daily miles 30
Total miles 741.4
Daily ascent 2086 ft
Total ascent 38415
Weather Cooler at first but brighter & warmer later.
Difficulty Easy at first but some climbing later
Today started cold but it did warm up a bit as the day progressed. The ride to Tyndrum though scenic, was hard work towards the end with most of the climbing in the last 10 miles or so. To start with we had fairly level terrain at we rode the cycle track along Loch Lomond but shortly after that we were sharing the main road with quite a bit of holiday traffic which by and large gave us plenty of room. By this time we were well into the highlands and were able to enjoy the the scenery which was magnificent. We were both feeling a little Jaded after the previous days 70 miler and decided to stop for the night at Tyndrum. This was probably a wise move because the next camp site that we knew of was at Kings House, perhaps 20 miles away. That night we had a very touristy fish supper in a very touristy cafe and paid a very touristy price for the privilege, but we did manage a couple of pints of decent ale afterwards.
Total miles 741.4
Daily ascent 2086 ft
Total ascent 38415
Weather Cooler at first but brighter & warmer later.
Difficulty Easy at first but some climbing later
Today started cold but it did warm up a bit as the day progressed. The ride to Tyndrum though scenic, was hard work towards the end with most of the climbing in the last 10 miles or so. To start with we had fairly level terrain at we rode the cycle track along Loch Lomond but shortly after that we were sharing the main road with quite a bit of holiday traffic which by and large gave us plenty of room. By this time we were well into the highlands and were able to enjoy the the scenery which was magnificent. We were both feeling a little Jaded after the previous days 70 miler and decided to stop for the night at Tyndrum. This was probably a wise move because the next camp site that we knew of was at Kings House, perhaps 20 miles away. That night we had a very touristy fish supper in a very touristy cafe and paid a very touristy price for the privilege, but we did manage a couple of pints of decent ale afterwards.
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Saturday 18th May
Tyndrum to Fort William
Daily miles 38
Total miles 779.4
Daily ascent 2266 ft
Total ascent 40681
Weather Rain most of the day
Difficulty Moderate and uncomfortable due to the rain
I was woken up during the night to the patter of raindrops on the tent which meant that it would be a wet start for the day and this proved to be the case. We packed our gear in a light but persistent rain which showed no sign of letting up as we set off for Fort William, a distance of just under 40 miles. it was a cold wet ride and my gloves and shoes were soaking wet after only a few miles and that was how they would stay for the next few days until we reached Dunnet Head. In spite of the conditions though, I enjoyed the ride and was looking forward to a rapid descent down Glen Coe but unfortunately, this was not to be. By the time we got to Kings House, the rain was lashing down and that coupled with a head wind and spray thrown up by lorries and bus's made conditions a little unpleasant and it became prudent to keep our speed down to a safe level. At the bottom of the glen we felt the need for something to eat and drink so we called into the Glen Coe visitor centre where all that seemed to be on offer was some very sorry looking cake and sausage rolls. To be fair, the sausage rolls were probably the biggest that I have ever seen but were completely devoid of any flavour whatsoever, as was the coffee. The whole place seemed to designed solely to extract as much money as possible from the visitors. From there our next stop was in Fort William where had an early lunch at Weatherspoons which was much better value that the sausage rolls we had earlier, after which we set off for the camp site which turned out to be the most expensive of the trip. By this time the rain had eased to a light drizzle so very quickly we put up the tents and got ourselves settled in. One thing I think is worth mentioning, as I was going for a shower I passed a group of young ladies who seemed to be doing some sort of a dance around a burner of some sort. They were all wearing scarves around their heads and were slowly waving their hands in front of their faces. It took a little while for me to realise they were doing a midge dance. I was ok because I was wearing Avons 'Skin so Soft' which seems to work for me.
Total miles 779.4
Daily ascent 2266 ft
Total ascent 40681
Weather Rain most of the day
Difficulty Moderate and uncomfortable due to the rain
I was woken up during the night to the patter of raindrops on the tent which meant that it would be a wet start for the day and this proved to be the case. We packed our gear in a light but persistent rain which showed no sign of letting up as we set off for Fort William, a distance of just under 40 miles. it was a cold wet ride and my gloves and shoes were soaking wet after only a few miles and that was how they would stay for the next few days until we reached Dunnet Head. In spite of the conditions though, I enjoyed the ride and was looking forward to a rapid descent down Glen Coe but unfortunately, this was not to be. By the time we got to Kings House, the rain was lashing down and that coupled with a head wind and spray thrown up by lorries and bus's made conditions a little unpleasant and it became prudent to keep our speed down to a safe level. At the bottom of the glen we felt the need for something to eat and drink so we called into the Glen Coe visitor centre where all that seemed to be on offer was some very sorry looking cake and sausage rolls. To be fair, the sausage rolls were probably the biggest that I have ever seen but were completely devoid of any flavour whatsoever, as was the coffee. The whole place seemed to designed solely to extract as much money as possible from the visitors. From there our next stop was in Fort William where had an early lunch at Weatherspoons which was much better value that the sausage rolls we had earlier, after which we set off for the camp site which turned out to be the most expensive of the trip. By this time the rain had eased to a light drizzle so very quickly we put up the tents and got ourselves settled in. One thing I think is worth mentioning, as I was going for a shower I passed a group of young ladies who seemed to be doing some sort of a dance around a burner of some sort. They were all wearing scarves around their heads and were slowly waving their hands in front of their faces. It took a little while for me to realise they were doing a midge dance. I was ok because I was wearing Avons 'Skin so Soft' which seems to work for me.
Sunday 19th May
Fort William to Drumnadrochit
Daily miles 48
Total miles 827.4
Daily ascent 3101
Total ascent 43782
Weather Overcast with showers
Difficulty Moderate
Though the weather had improved somewhat it remained overcast all day with an occasional shower, the traffic was lighter than the previous day too, so for part of the day at least the going was easier. We still had a fair amount of climbing though with over 3000 ft which surprised me.
We stopped for a few minutes at the Commando memorial near Spean Bridge where I spent a little while looking around. I had passed by on a number of occasions over the years but this was the first time that I had actually stopped.
After taking some photos we set off again to towards Fort Augustus by way of Loch Lochy and Invergarry, I had hoped to take the road along the East side of Loch Ness towards Inverness, but tired legs dictated that we used the more level A82 and we eventually stopped for the night near Drumnadrochit at. Borlum Riding Centre. The site was a little basic, but the amenities were clean and well maintained which is the important thing, and we discovered that there was a pub, the Loch Ness Inn, not too far away where we went for our nightcap.
Total miles 827.4
Daily ascent 3101
Total ascent 43782
Weather Overcast with showers
Difficulty Moderate
Though the weather had improved somewhat it remained overcast all day with an occasional shower, the traffic was lighter than the previous day too, so for part of the day at least the going was easier. We still had a fair amount of climbing though with over 3000 ft which surprised me.
We stopped for a few minutes at the Commando memorial near Spean Bridge where I spent a little while looking around. I had passed by on a number of occasions over the years but this was the first time that I had actually stopped.
After taking some photos we set off again to towards Fort Augustus by way of Loch Lochy and Invergarry, I had hoped to take the road along the East side of Loch Ness towards Inverness, but tired legs dictated that we used the more level A82 and we eventually stopped for the night near Drumnadrochit at. Borlum Riding Centre. The site was a little basic, but the amenities were clean and well maintained which is the important thing, and we discovered that there was a pub, the Loch Ness Inn, not too far away where we went for our nightcap.
Monday 20th May.
Drumnadrochit to Evanton.
Daily miles 38
Total miles 865.4
Daily ascent 1825 ft
Total ascent 45607 ft
Weather Overcast with intermittent showers.
Difficulty Easy to moderate
We had more rain through the night and by the time we began to pack, we probably had more damp clothes than dry but fortunately our sleeping bags were OK. Again, we used the A9 for most of the way but we did manage a few miles on Sustrans 1 which closely followed the route.
By the time we reached Dingwall we were ready for something to eat but were beginning to despair of finding a cafe when we were directed to the 'Courtyard' tucked away down an alleyway and there we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before going on to the local branch of Lidl to buy food for the rest of the day. As we came out there was a really heavy shower of rain which probably lasted for half an hour or so before it relented enough to allow us to continue on our way.
Once back on the A9 we began to encounter some heavy traffic but most of the time we were able to use the cycle tracks & lanes alongside the road. We could not help but notice how considerate the majority of drivers were on this section, in fact, we saw very few instances of bad driving over the whole route with the possible exception of one dickhead near Glasgow driving a dark blue Toyota bullying his way through a busy roundabout with one hand on the the horn.
We spotted the Blackrock Caravan & Camping Park at Evanton and decided to call it a day. as we were erecting our tents a chap came across with a freshly boiled kettle of water so we could have a cuppa for which we were very grateful.
I had felt quite lethargic for much of the day and I think we were both beginning to tire, because of this and the fact that we were beginning to struggle to keep our gear reasonably dry, we decided to change our plans slightly and head directly to Thurso to rent some kind of self catering accommodation. Thurso was now only about 90 miles away and about 10 miles or so from Dunnet Head so we were confident that we would finish the ride in three days.
Total miles 865.4
Daily ascent 1825 ft
Total ascent 45607 ft
Weather Overcast with intermittent showers.
Difficulty Easy to moderate
We had more rain through the night and by the time we began to pack, we probably had more damp clothes than dry but fortunately our sleeping bags were OK. Again, we used the A9 for most of the way but we did manage a few miles on Sustrans 1 which closely followed the route.
By the time we reached Dingwall we were ready for something to eat but were beginning to despair of finding a cafe when we were directed to the 'Courtyard' tucked away down an alleyway and there we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before going on to the local branch of Lidl to buy food for the rest of the day. As we came out there was a really heavy shower of rain which probably lasted for half an hour or so before it relented enough to allow us to continue on our way.
Once back on the A9 we began to encounter some heavy traffic but most of the time we were able to use the cycle tracks & lanes alongside the road. We could not help but notice how considerate the majority of drivers were on this section, in fact, we saw very few instances of bad driving over the whole route with the possible exception of one dickhead near Glasgow driving a dark blue Toyota bullying his way through a busy roundabout with one hand on the the horn.
We spotted the Blackrock Caravan & Camping Park at Evanton and decided to call it a day. as we were erecting our tents a chap came across with a freshly boiled kettle of water so we could have a cuppa for which we were very grateful.
I had felt quite lethargic for much of the day and I think we were both beginning to tire, because of this and the fact that we were beginning to struggle to keep our gear reasonably dry, we decided to change our plans slightly and head directly to Thurso to rent some kind of self catering accommodation. Thurso was now only about 90 miles away and about 10 miles or so from Dunnet Head so we were confident that we would finish the ride in three days.