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Monday 24th May 2010 Spean Bridge to Conon Bridge The weather stayed dry with sunny intervals but it was cooler than the previous two days and I had reverted to my tasteful lycra tights to keep the muscles warm. There was also an annoying wind later in the day which was a bit energy-sapping, although after 16 days without a break pedaling away I was getting a bit depleted anyway. I could have done with a day off really but didn’t want to waste the decent weather while it was holding up so well. After breakfast spent partly chatting to Colin I got ready and got the bike out of the garage. I put my helmet down and was loading up the panniers and instruments in the now well-practised fashion when a couple came out of the B&B and started chatting to me about the bike and the ride. They were a Scots couple from Glasgow, Cameron and Aileen Smith, and after asking if I was doing the ride for charity they kindly chipped in with a £20 donation for Unicef. As Andrew was to comment later: ‘a generous race, the Scots.’
After chatting for a while they bade me fare well so I got on the bike and set off north up the A82. The road from Spean Bridge immediately ascends a winding hill to the Commando Memorial but there is a tarmac strip, a cycle path, beside the road for this short stretch. I got on this, settled into bottom gear, muscles still cold, and concentrated on winding my way slowly up the hill, legs whirring away as I inched my way uphill. As the top of the hill came in sight I noticed there was a bloke standing full square across the cycle path at the top, looking down towards me. He didn’t move a muscle, just stood there, legs apart and I began to wonder what on earth he was up to and whether or not he was going to move out of the way when I got there. Then as I got to within 30 yards of him he slowly raised his right hand and there, dangling from it, was… a cycle helmet. The man was Colin. Distracted by my conversation with the Smiths I’d forgotten all about my helmet and had set off without it. Mrs Smith had then noticed it and alerted Colin who had kindly jumped into his Landrover, overtaken me to the top of the hill and was now handing my forgotten property over to me with a smile. Very nice people.
I rode up the Great Glen, stopping for refreshment at Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit. At the latter I went to a café I’d been to before but my metabolism was feeling odd. I needed something to eat but didn’t really fancy anything on offer much. In the end I decided to have a banana milk-shake and a toasted teacake. When the teacake came it was small and uninviting and just had one tiny portion of butter. I asked for more butter and was given some by the bloke who seemed to be in charge. When I got back to my table I found it was half a portion – presumably salvaged from the plate of an earlier diner. I was not impressed but couldn’t be bothered to go back and make an issue of it. Paid and left.
From Drumnadrochit the route lay north across country following the A833 to Beauly. There was an enormous hill at the start which rose steeply and lengthily before me and up which I pushed the bike. At the top the big hills were now done and I could ride along but a headwind kept my speed down and made it hard work. I’d decided to cut the leg short and aim for Muir of Ord rather than Dingwall, my original target, saving on today’s rather long leg at the expense of tomorrow’s short leg to Lairg. Unfortunately Muir of Ord is a total dump. I tried a B&B but was told they didn’t put people up anymore, despite still having the sign up. There was one more place right on the edge of town but that, if available, would have meant eating at the pub next door which looked rather seedy and downmarket. Although tired I decided I’d rather press on and do the extra 6 miles to Dingwall after all.
I was en route for Dingwall and passing through Conon Bridge when I saw the Conon Bridge Hotel and decided to try it. They had a non-en-suite room available for £35 and a shed for the bike so I checked in. I was about 3 miles short of Dingwall but after 915 miles to date I was feeling like a rest. The meal at the hotel proved to be quite nice – vegetable tikka masala, rice and mini nan bread plus strawberry gateau. The tikka was very nicely done but in my state I could have done with about 30% more. Distance: 62.96 miles Average speed: 11.3 mph Max speed: 34 mph | ||||||
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