The day started with a brief vist from Phil Cross at breakfast. What a great effort to come all the way cross-country from Aberdeen. Great to see you Phil and thanks very much for your support.
First stop after checking out was the bike shop in Pitlochry to see if we could find a map of the cycle route to Inverness. We did and the National Cycle Network route 7, runs all the way alongside the A9 to Inverness. Brilliant - no need to further dabble with the A9. The cycle route is fantastic. It follows B roads where possible but there is a cycle lane / track where there is no other alternative. It was like having my own personnal cycleway! I can fully recommend it to anyone else taking this route. It was also a lovely morning, with the sun shinning brightly. It was the first time for a week I put on a short sleeved shirt and suncream.
The route took me through the gorgeous Glen Garry, past Dalnacardoch, Dalnaspidal, with the Sow of Ahtoll behind, through the Drumochter Pass and into the Cairngorms National Park. From there it was onto Dalwhinnie, past the distillery (no time to stop unfortunately) and through Glen Truim to Crubenmore. The scenery is breathtaking.
At Crubenmore there was a potential drama. There are some roadworks on the A9 and the cycle route is closed. There was a sign indicating cyclists should ring for help. I rang and was told a vehicle would be along shortly to transport me through the roadworks, as the road was too narrow (and therefore dangerous) through the roadworks to allow vehicles to overtake bikes. I explained to the guy that I was not wanting to be transported - I am on and End to End and want to cycle the whole distance. In the meantime another group of cyclists doing the same thing arrived - 2 solo and 1 tandem. When the highways vehicle arrived we explained our dilema and the man was extremely helpful and offered us a rolling road block through the 3 miles of roadworks. What a star! There was no way I was entertaining cycling nealy 1,000 miles to have to have my bike in the back of a truck for 3 of them!
I cycled a short distance with the other cyclists until they stopped at Newtonmore for lunch. The tandem was part of a group that had set out from Land's End, but the others had had to retire due to mechanical issues. The guy on the back was blind - what a fantastic effort! I carried on to Kingussie for my planned lunch with George. Yet again she had excelled with a fantastic picnic. It was so nice we were able to eat outside at a picnic table near a park.
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| Anticipating another fantastic picmic |
From Kingussie, I followed the B970 to Aviemore. I passed a sign advertising watching sheep dog demonstrations at 2 and 4pm. Unfortunately, it was closer to 3. If it had been nearer 4pm, I am sure I would have stopped to observe as I have always found it fascinating. On the approach to Aviemore I experienced a real change (drop) in temperature and a couple of really heavy downpours ensued. Time for a quick call to George to see if she was close by as I stopped at Bei Nannini cafe (cafaidh - I assume is gaelic) for a warming cup of hot chocolate.
George went off exploring in the Cairngorms - Loch Insh and the Watersports Centre and Loch an Eilein with it's castle on a small island, before heading into Inverness to find our guesthouse (Avalon Guest House) http://www.invernes-loch-ness.co.uk/.
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| View over Loch Eilein |
Meanwhile, I continued on the A95 to Carrbridge and then followd the NCN7 again as it went off the main roads past Sloch Summit, Tomatinand Dalmagarry, before joinging the B9154 through Moy, towards Daviot and then to Newlands and into Inverness. The road into Iverness took me past the Culloden Battlefield site, which George and I had visited on our last trip to Scotland in 2003.
I arrived at the Avalon Guest House to a warm welcome from Bradley and Jo Norris and a very pleasant surprise - Jon Jones had organised for a letter of congratulations on reaching Inverness together with a bottle of champange, to be in our room. George and I look forward to enjoying that on the completion of the journey on Saturday evening. Thank you very much Jon.
We headed into Inversness, via a very peaceful stroll along the River Ness, for a superb Italian meal at Riva http://www.rivarestaurant.co.uk/. We got chatting to a couple of ladies at the table next to us, that were on a short touring holiday around Scotland, having first been to one of their grandchildren's confirmations in Glasgow. Thank you to Gill and Gaynor for adding a fiver each to the sponsorship kitty.
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| View of Inverness Castle from outside Riva restaurant |
Duration: 6 hours 16 minutes cycling
Calories burned: 5217
Max speed: 27.3 mph
Average speed: 13.28 mph
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779410
Total fundraising to date: £715.00
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