Day 16
Dalwhinnie to Fort Augustus 33miles/3124ft ascent
For once I was pretty close to the estimated time from my app but stops to sort kit, eat and take photos meant another hour and a half. At the hostel Jose & Luisa and I exchanged contact details then we wished one another well. It was great to hear later on that the route south I had recommended to them was exactly what they were after.
My ride to Laggan was horrendous. There was greyness, lashing rain and lots of traffic for the ‘Golden Hour’. I knew that the day was supposed to improve later but that was no use as I was already soaked in these northwesterly squalls. At the first place of shelter I stopped and phoned Alison my Trail Angel. I asked her if she could square it way for me to sleep on the floor of the Fire Station in Fort Augustus as I couldn’t get booked in anywhere to camp. I also stressed that I was soon going to be out of any signal so it did not take her long to get back to me with the news that I could use the floor of the station.
On the approach to the Spey Dam Reservoir I had a great chat with Al. He knew exactly what I was going through and exactly what the conditions were to be like. It was so reassuring how he knew what to say and what not to say – thanks! Already I was thinking about my old guiding and mountain rescue mantra of ‘Being bothered’. By that I mean being bothered to stop and get out your big warm, waterproof mitts then put them on before your other gloves get soaked and your hands cold for the climb and descent. I also mean being bothered to have a decent feed at the same time so that you could then focus on riding all the way to the hairpins without stopping.
These tactics worked and I was then able to switch to ‘walk mode’ for the hairpins where to some extent I could take in the view and importantly not sweat. Did Lachlan Morton really ride them!!?
I had never crossed the Corryairick Pass before. I am sure that on a sunny day with company it might be a different experience but for me it was rather eery. There were no birds, no animals just the hill, the track and the power lines. At the top an old concrete block house came into view so I made that might place to stop out of the wind. At the same time the wind turbines to the north were all picked out by shafts of sunlight whilst I was slowly being engulfed in cloud again. Because I had been bothered lower down and not over heated I was able to efficiently transition to the descent in a couple of minutes. My descent was fun but I was probably riding at 60% because I did not want bag bounce to threaten my front rack repair, or more importantly catch a loose rock at speed and have a crash up here at nearly 3000ft.
The descent just got better and better with that wonderful sense of achievement that comes after all the effort on the way up. I had some glimpses of Fort Augustus and Loch Ness before disappearing into the green of a Highland summer, all was going well. Then things got even better when near a stream crossing I spotted the roof of what could only be the roof of the Blackburn Bothy. It was time for some food and a drink so I took the wee path along to it. There I changed out of some wet kit and had a look around which didn’t take long as it is only one room! Having seen for myself how long the descent to the north goes on for I’m sure this has been a very welcome stop for the evening if caught out by weather, darkness or pace.
There was a sting in the tail for me…the grave yard. A sign said ‘Right of Way through burial ground.’ I chose to ignore this as I didn’t want to lug my bke over a gate. Instead I quested off into the path through the head high bracken. This was going well until I reached a gate which didn’t know if it should completely fall over or not. Negotiating this gate demanded very careful footwork so as not to twist an ankle whilst tip toeing across it with a loaded bike in your hands.
The final straw was having to clamber onto an old wall then jump down the other side with the bike. With only three days left I sustained my one and only bike injury as one of the pedals clattered into my calf.
Eventually the path delivered me at Fort Augustus Community Fire Station. There I stripped off any remaining damp kit, emptied out my wet Sky Trekker shelter and sleeping quilt onto the railings at the rear of the station in the late afternoon sun. It felt SO good to get into my sandals and put my riding shoes and socks into the mix to dry as well. Unfortunately I had trouble with the key safe combination and was about to text Alison to check it when Davie, one of the crew appeared. Davie soon has me inside and gave me a tour of their station, showing me where to get a shower, fresh water and where to sleep. I was a happy and grateful rider that night safe in the knowledge that all of my kit would be dry and sorted for the next two days through the mountains to Lairg.
A Teacher trying to Divide. 