Impressed with Scotland in 2006, I revisited the place with the intention to go for a relaxing cycle in the fresh air. But boy, was it a tough 9 days!
Again Scotrail was used to escape from London and I arrived in Inverness early the following day. Here is a brief itinerary of the route taken (click on the appropriate day to download the GPS data):
Day 1 - Inverness to Pluscarden Abbey (68.45Km)
After a quick breakfast and a visit to Mass at St Marys I followed my pre-programmed GPS route out of town towards the Clava Cairns where I had a break, admired the Bronze Aged tombs and stone circles, and a bite to eat.
The good thing about GPS is that you can (with a bit of planning) avoid busy roads and stick to the interesting ones. The only problem is that these roads can be a bit gritty, and so the chance of punctures increase - as I experienced in the Darnaway Forest.
After fixing the puncture (and sustaining a full scale midge attack!) I made my way through the rain towards Forres and on through the Altyre Woods to Pluscarden Abbey.
Pluscarden Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey a short distance from Elgin. It was founded in 1230 by Alexander II and is the only medieval monastery in Britain still inhabited by monks and used for its original purpose. The only thing I regret about this tour is that time did not allow for a longer stay - I had to base the whole trip around the ferry and train timetables, which was, at times, a real pain. I was impressed with the Abbey, the peace the monks live in and way they base their lives around prayer. I will certainly revisit in the future and stay for longer.
Day 2 - Pluscarden Abbey to Braemar (126.95Km)
Thankfully yesterdays rain passed over (my prayers were answered!) and once again I was on the road. My destination was Braemar but many hills (and a few Cairngorm Mountains) lay between the two. At one point on the Lecht Road the gradient leaned to 20% and climbed up to 647m.
Day 3 - Braemar to Aberdeen (100Km)
I didn't have time for the guided tour, but I passed by the gates at Balmoral Castle. I can see why the Queen loves Balmoral. Here you're surrounded by old pine forests, fresh water rivers teaming with life, clean air and the Grampian Mountains. The rest of the day was spent sprinting for the ferry, which I caught in the nick of time.
Day 4 - Shetland Isles (60Km)
Penciled as my "rest day" I used Sustrans Route 1 to explore the east side of the Shetland Isles hoping to spot puffins, seals and other wildlife along the way. I guess I looked in all of the wrong places, my Puffin and Seal tally remained zero for the whole day!
The Shetlands are deceptively big, in a car you'd be able to see most of it in one day, but by bicycle you'd need two or three days to make the most of your stay. I loved the absolute silence you experience in places; so quiet that you can hear the blood flow in your ear drums. The light is quite something too - expect to be woken up really early in summer!
A couple of hours later I arrived back in Lerwick and went in search of somewhere to eat. There are plenty of places to choose from, most of them are quite traditional. In the end I settled for a simple tuna sandwich and coffee before catching the ferry to Kirkwall.
Day 5 - Kirkwall to Tongue (96.86Km)
After a really good nights sleep (actually probably too good!) I soon realized that I had only an hour to get to the ferry. So the tent was thrown into my panniers and I made a dash for Stromness. Had I missed it, a five hours was expected for the next one. Luckily a very strong tail wind carried me there and I boarded the boat with only a minute or two to spare. In retrospect maybe I should have missed it, then I would have seen far more of the Orkney Isles than was the case.
On the mainland I was on a familiar road, it was the same road I'd used last year to take me to the YHA at Tongue. Along the way I passed by people who were on their last day cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats.
Day 6 - Tongue to Ullapool (157.17Km)
"A bit too far!" is written in the diary. Maybe it was, but I had no other option. Between Durness and Ullapool B&B's and shops were hard to find. In the morning the wind was against me, but by the time I reached the other side of Loch Eriboll I was facing the other way and used it to my advantage. It was great to finally arrive in Ullapool, get a shower something to eat and go to sleep.
Day 7 - Ullapool to Torridon (139.32Km)
I underestimated the distance again, but luckily I noticed the night before and so I set off early this time. Highlight of the day was the run into Torridon, the views were amazing, the way the sky was lit by the setting sun was quite inspiring, reminded me of one of Turner's watercolours.
Day 8 - Torridon to Loch Lochy (141.47Km)
If I underestimated yesterday, I really wasn't expecting today!
Hills were on the menu, they didn't rise that high, but neither did they stop rolling.
Day 9 - Loch Lochy to Inverness (70.67Km)
Comparatively easy, the day started with torrential rain. After resting for a bit in Fort Augustus I climbed the 400m up to Whitebridge on the south side of Loch Ness where I let gravity do it's thing and coasted for most of the way to Inverness.
With plenty of time to spare, I had a look around town, grab a bite to eat and watch the freshwater fly-fishing in the River Ness before catching the sleeper back to London.
To view slide show, click here.
