Day 17
Fort Augustus to Strathpeffer 50miles/4480ft ascent
This was a route that I had done twice before so I was pretty chilled about what was ahead of me. I had arranged to stay with my friends Alasdair & Linda that night and knew that they would not be around until about 6:00pm. The ride was lovely and I truly had forgotten how much fun singletrack there was on the Great Glen Way so that was nice. The final third of my day was over the Culnakirk hill which is actually quite steep but went by smoothly after over two weeks of riding from Lands End. The descent towards Beauly is an absolute belter as the road is usually pretty quiet and there is excellent visibility. As the road was starting to flatten out I was passed by a VW van whose passenger gave me a big friendly wave. Then I saw them stop and pull in on the other side of the road. It was my friend Fiona and her daughter Sara. I pulled in then crossed the road to greet them. Fiona said that she had been following my progress and was wondering which way I was going to head today. I explained that this way was the straighest line to Strathpeffer via Dingwall where I hoped to visit my old local bike shop. It was cool to hear what these two had been up to and I have to admit that nice, flat rides along the canal on e-bikes in the sun sounded like fun. Once Fiona and Sara had posed for a photo with the yellow bike we said our goodbyes and I cranked it up onto the 44 at the front and headed for Dingwall.
There I made a quick trip to the shop for provisions before heading to Dryburgh Cycles hoping to catch up with Mark and James. While waiting for Mark the two of us had a right old blether about the route and both laughed about how my Penrith to Hamilton effort had apparently come out of nowhere. This was truly a day spent with friends and I did feel that I was back amongst people and places that I feel close to. Once the shop was sorted and closed I headed west for a short ride to Strathpeffer.
Despite some canine distractions my hosts treated me to a delicious dinner, refreshing beer and some local advice on the safest and quickest way of getting established on tomorrow’s ride. Last time I stayed with Alasdair and Linda we were in the depths of the Pandemic with Al and I camping in their garden. This time I was warm and comfortable in their ‘Hobbit House’.
What a day!
A Teacher trying to Divide. 