Today took me back to Inverness and along Loch Ness at the beginning of the Great Glen. I had hoped to follow the Loch’s quieter southern shore but doing so would have committed me to making it as far as Fort Augustus to find accommodation. The northern shore, with its main road, gave me more options and after yesterday I decided to ere on the side of caution. However, when I awoke this morning, body and soul felt better than expected and I had to force myself to think back to how I felt last night to once again curb my enthusiasm for that southern shore. As it turns out, I arrived at my hostel accommodation right next to the Loch with time and energy to spare, and situated only eight miles from Fort Augustus. It sits in splendid isolation and even after the coach of youngsters arrived as I was enjoying the peace and tranquillity it still had charm.
It has been a mixed day: on the plus side I have got a fair number of miles done and without the effort of yesterday; on the other hand most of my riding has been on main roads and with more traffic than I had anticipated. And then there was the rain. Unlike yesterday I set off early. And unlike yesterday the route was through a busier and more cultivated landscape than the isolated moorland and empty roads further north. After two hours of relatively flat cycling along a main road I reached the small town of Tain, just as the local cafe opened for breakfast. By the time I left and was back on the road the traffic had built up. Whether it was because it was now later in the morning or because I was heading further south and towards more major urban centres I did not know but it made it a rather uninspiring ride. I passed woodland and along the edge of Loch Fleet. And I went past the edge of small towns and no end of agricultural land. But all the time I was contained within the unnatural world of the main road, albeit thankfully flat, and enveloped by the presence and noise of the surrounding traffic.
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| Loch Fleet |
The only notable change of character for the day was after crossing the low slung, mile long bridge leading to the Black Isle - actually a peninsula rather than an island. It led to a long three mile climb to the top of the promontory with views behind of snow streaked peaks which marked the beginning of the Grampians. Ahead was a long descent towards the water on the other side of the peninsula, the pleasant relief of some quiet back lanes and then a steep track up onto the substantial, arcing road bridge to cross the water to Inverness. I dropped down to the industrial outskirts of a very misty city, both myself and bike very wet from the heavy rain that had dogged me for the previous half hour. It was not the first rain of the day, but it was the worst.
After a dripping and dispiriting ride through Inverness I hid from the weather in a cafe on the edge of the city, warming up and planning the evening’s accommodation. I came out to fair weather and started my final leg of the day, a nineteen mile cycle alongside the northern shore of Loch Ness and nowhere near as flat a ride as I had expected. And although I always seemed have blue sky in the distance I got caught out by more rain.
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| Towards Loch Ness |
I am now in the hubbub of this busy hostel right on the Loch - nothing else for miles around - and enjoying the stories of other travellers both young and old. I think though, despite the social atmosphere - and unlike many here - I am not long for my bed.
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| Loch Ness |
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