After a planned rest day yesterday with my parents in Aberfeldy (I got taken walking instead) I'm now in Alness, north of Inverness.
Papa αdαmsκι rode the first 70 km with me and we spent the morning hoping from one valley to another via Tummel Bridge area to avoid as much of the A9 as possible. We were essential following General Wade's military road and it was fantastic, empty roads and bleak Scottish landscape.
The cyclepath along the A9 was okay, despite the pinch flat I got and by 10:30am we're in the
Pottery Bunkhouse café destroying treacle tart. The tail wind had been amazing and I was hoping it would remain with me after Laggan.
From Laggan I was again on my own, parallelling the A9. I got a soaking around Newtonmore, but it was a small price to pay for the tailwind.
After Aviemore I didn't know my route too well despite having driven the A9 countless times. This is because my route kept cutting away from the main road and it was really interesting to discover all the little places & spectular views that are missed when one is driving. It was brilliant.
I wizzed down in to Inverness, over the bridge and across the Black Isle in afternoon sun, with views of the Cromarty Bridge and the oil rigs for company.
The plan is to be in John o'Goats tomorrow, going from Alness via Loch Shin and Bettyhill. It's pretty much bang on 200 km. Hopefully the wind will be kind.
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