Homward Bound (again)

Day 6:

Ballindean to Edinburgh – 58.2 miles

Planned mileage: 58.2 miles

Actual mileage: just a fraction more (little tea room trip around the block in Perth)

Actual cycling time: bit less than 4½ hours

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1512951.html

Accommodation: Home again!

We were up bright and early today as we'd seen the weather forecast last night and it looked like (nasty, heavy) rain from mid-afternoon, so our target was to get back to Edinburgh before it. So we were ready to leave at a remarkable 09:30 and set off down the quiet back roads alongside the Tay from Inchture to Errol and St Maddoes. Quiet back roads? They were teeming with traffic, even at this early hour on a Sunday! Haven't a clue where everyone was going. Still, after Errol things quietened down somewhat and even more so after St Madoes, when we crossed over the main road then climbed up towards Kinnoul Hill. We had really good views over the river, the edge of Perth and the Lomond hills beyond, so enjoyed this section greatly, helped by the sun showing through the clouds.

All the climbing was made worth while not just by the views but by the speedy descent into Perth, and we were pleased to note just how many other cyclists, runners and walkers we saw on the quiet roads out of the fair city. We were crossing the river into Perth itself when we heard a call and turning round spotted Allie speeding towards us along the pavement – she had spotted us while travelling with her mother and new baby Calder, and had temporarily abandoned them both to flag us down. Quite a coincidence, and it meant that we had a chance to meet both Calder and Allie's mother and had a very nice catch-up with Allie. So thank you for spotting us Allie! It was also serendipitous as we were rather hungry and Allie recommended the excellent Hettie's tearoom on nearby Princes Street, which we visited and had a fantastic brunch of bacon & egg baps, really excellent hot chocolate, HUGE freshly-made fruit scones and a pot of tea. Other than a quick bar of chocolate at Inverkeithing that got us all the way back to Edinburgh!

Giant scones at Hettie's

Glorious Fife views

We set off again at about 12 and climbed up and out of Perth towards Bridge of Earn (looking pretty in the sunshine) and then up a lovely twisting road, which gently climbed up and up through wooded glades up to Glenfarg. We curved off this B road onto an unmarked narrow route which again afforded excellent views and took us into Milnathort and then to Kinross. From here we were on familiar roads, having cycled this way the summer before last, though by now we were battling another brisk southerly wind which at times forced us to change down into lower gears just to keep going. Through once-industrial west Fife we carried on, eventually getting some extended downhill sections (we seemed to have spent most of the day climbing since Perth) though we still had to pedal hard as the breeze was so strong. Crossing the Forth Bridge was such hard work we just had to laugh, as we struggled to keep going in a straight line, our speed probably dipping well below 10 mph on the uphill section of the bridge.

Fortunately it was easier when we turned westwards for the final few miles from South Queensferry into Edinburgh, though the very heavy traffic along the main road from Barnton meant we had to concentrate hard. What a contrast with the empty roads of the far north (or even of rural Cornwall back in August)!

We arrived home at 3:30, tired but pleased that we had safely completed our tour, and before the rain! 380 miles or so since last Tuesday to add to the 830 we did in the summer, and completing our slightly inverted 'end to end' cycling of Edinburgh-Land's End and John O' Groats to Edinburgh. What's next I wonder...?

Some reflections on the best bits, the not so good bits, the lessons learnt and how our legs recover over the next day or so. Not tonight though, too tired!

Dalwhinnie, Drumochter & Perthshire sunshine

Day 5:

Kingussie to Ballindean – 82.5 miles

Planned mileage: 82.5 miles

Actual mileage: approx 84 miles (avoided the rough track in to The Peach House)

Cycling time: approx 6 miles

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1512944.html

Accommodation: Staying with Reynolds family

After finishing our blog writing last night there was a whole load of noise out in the hotel corridor which sounded like someone was trying to demolish the place. Then a few minutes later it happened again in the opposite direction. And finally, some people went out and about 10 seconds later dogs started barking in the room next to us AND... from a room down the corridor. And it went on, and on, and on. Eventually we had a knock on the door which was one of our very apologetic hosts saying they'd gone on an urgent search for the dogs' owners. Who were duly summoned 15 minutes later and to their credit did also come and knock to apologise. Fortunately it wasn't late, so we watched the end of the news (liking the look of the weather forecast) and were still in bed well before 11.

Very good night's sleep and we both awoke properly refreshed before the alarm. We were surprised to go down to breakfast and find there were actually quite a few people staying and we were the last ones down. Another very hearty and tasty breakfast and we were rapidly ready to get on our way in the sunshine. Definitely a slightly quirky and unusual hotel (really more of a large guesthouse nowadays), but very comfortable and we were warmly welcomed and very well looked after.

Stunning Speyside sunshine

The Speyside scenery was looking glorious in the sunshine, so we had a very relaxing start to our ride. However, before long we hit the A9 cycle path and the wind. And a few miles later a section of cycle path which was closed (for 10 months!!!) as it was being used for heavy trucks working on the A9 roadworks to make the road dual carriageway. All there was was a sign at the gate saying it was shut and to call a mobile number for 'transport of cycles'! So... there was incredibly nothing for it but to cycle on the A9, through the roadworks! Very dangerous for everyone, though fortunately it was at least quiet and they've nearly finished the dualling, so we were able to pedal on the other side of the cones, having to avoid the occasional heavy works vehicles. Most definitely not ideal and there may be a letter sent to the appropriate authorities.

Very relieved to turn off and take the back road to Dalwhinnie. From here it was pretty much straight into the fairly stiff headwind all the uphill way to Drumochter summit (462m). Fairly gradual incline, but it was still a hard slog, the sun was hiding and it felt rather cold. We were very glad when we started to make our way back down. This almost coincided with a swing round to the east, so we got rid of most of the wind too – bliss!

Earned chocolate reward at Drumochter summit!

Cycling alongside the A9 doesn't sound very pleasant, but actually very little of the cycle path is immediately next to the road. Track surface is somewhat varied in quality, but it wiggles its way up and down around the railway and the river (most of which disappeared down a giant concrete plughole at one point – most mysterious) and is very quiet and rather pretty in a slightly bleak sort of way.

For the last 8ish miles down to Calvine we had a superb section of wide old road completely to ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed zooming along in the dappled light conditions alongside the river.

Lunch today was at The Watermill in Blair Atholl (down the same road as the station). Much anticipated (we've stopped there loads of times) and it certainly didn't disappoint. Making short work of toasties, pop, cake and hot chocolates, we were rapidly on our way again. Starting gently by undulating our scenic way to Pitlochry where we delayered in preparation of the anticipated climb to come. Now, if you're ever in the area you MUST cycle the A924 from Pitlochry to Bridge of Cally. A good (though manageable) climb up to 384m with a super smooth road surface to swoop and zoom down on (whooping all the way of course), before wiggling alongside the River Ardle on a tree lined road.

Turning onto the A93 to Blairgowrie you instantly hit horrible, rough & bumpy tarmac which is less fun, although the final swoop down towards the town is an amazing long, sweeping descent where some very good speeds can be made (well presumably, still not sorted out the cycle computer).

Quick coffee and cake stop at the new Wee Coffee Shop and it was onwards to Coupar Angus and back roads to Abernyte and Inchture. Glorious sunshine (still a bit of a chilly breeze) by this point, so cresting the ridge where you get your first glimpse of the silvery River Tay was beautiful. Having made great time this afternoon, we made our destination by 5:45 (8 hours after leaving this morning) to a lovely, family (Euan's parents were also here for dinner) welcome. A reviving cup of tea and a chat later and we thought we'd probably better get cleaned up before dinner.

Very relaxed rest of the evening and we're looking forward to a shorter cycling day tomorrow. Longest leg of our tour this time, but by no means the hardest. Very chilled out and now thoroughly used to being in the saddle!

Where have all the trains gone?

Planned mileage: 54.6 miles

Actual mileage: see above (cycle computer still not working)

Cycling time: round about 4 hours – easy!

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1512934.htm

Accommodation: Osprey Hotel, Kingussie - http://www.ospreyhotel.co.uk/

No trains here... Euan South of Culloden

It's not often that you're served breakfast by a sporting World Champion, but that's what happened today – Ewan MacDonald, Olympic curler and B&B host. And it was an excellent breakfast, with pleasant chats with our American and Canadian fellow guests – two of them presented us with a bag of chocolate & nuts to help us on our way. We have met some very interesting and pleasant people on our route this time. We left Craigside Lodge – well worth booking in there if you happen to be visiting Inverness – Amy MacD even put our cycling kit in the wash for us – at about 10:30, and headed east towards Culloden moor in 'bright cloudy' conditions with a bit of a south westerly breeze. We passed an elderly couple we had met yesterday, who were doing a similar route to us, then turned off the main road shortly after Culloden, to head south again, on a very pleasant twisting narrow road that roughly followed the railway. After passing Daviot we joined the B9154, the old main Inverness to Perth road (constructed by general Wade and remade in 1925 by MacIntosh of MacIntosh & his friends – we read this on a plaque by the road) which was a beautifully quiet wide, twisting road through scenery which was definitely more of the native woodlands of Rothiemurchus than the bleaker tundra we had experienced further north. We paused at Moy to admire the last wooden bridge on a mainline railway in Britain, before joining the cycle path that adjoins the A9 as we climbed up to Sloch summit (405m or so).

Lunch at Carrbridge - wish you were here?

The descent towards Carrbridge made all the effort climbing worth while, with what was by now bright sunshine and a tail wind just adding to the enjoyment. We covered the last 5 miles in almost no time.

We stopped for lunch at the Old Bakery cafe in Carrbridge and enjoyed their excellent home cooking and baking. Carrbridge felt in good form, with a liveliness about it helped by a good dose of sunshine.

On familiar roads now and suitably refreshed, we headed on to Boat of Garten and then picked up the Coylumbridge road. Into the fresh breeze, but lovely Strathspey scenery to keep us happy. Soon we were at the southern edge of Aviemore, where we took the B road southwards to Kincraig, six miles onwards. Here we stopped off to visit Shona, Derek & Niamh (the latter fast asleep so we didn't see her) where we were given a great welcome and a welcome cup of tea. We chatted for about an hour then it was time to head on to Kingussie, making excellent time and arriving at the Osprey Hotel at about 4:45.

This was a characterful place of hospitality, and we were told to bring our bikes right in to the main reception area – not that there really was a reception, as the place seemed to be run more or less single handedly by one woman, and if you wanted to eat dinner in the hotel you had to book in advance (we hadn't). Still, our room was comfortable (if a tad pink for my liking) and we were certainly made to feel very welcome.

Showered and changed, we wandered round Kingussie before selecting the Silver Fijord Hotel, right by the station (it probably less originally used to be called the Railway Hotel) for dinner in what appeared to be their brand-new or at least renovated restaurant. A very good meal with more friendly service, and we later wandered back to The Osprey, without seeing any trains – we've been following the main railway line for two days now and haven't seen anything using it – and settled down to write our blog.

Following the Firths

Day 3:

Lairg to Inverness – 63.3 miles

Planned mileage: 63.3 miles

Actual mileage: approx 65 miles (B&B location measurement inaccuracy)

Cycling time: guestimate of 5 hours (lots of messing around stopping to take pictures etc...)

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1512928.html

Accommodation: Craigside Lodge Guesthouse - http://www.craigsideguesthouse.co.uk/

Oddly enough, we slept pretty well last night. Can't think why...

Very reluctant to wake up and get ourselves down to breakfast. Unusually, we were all sharing one big table. Fortunately, the other guests (two cyclists – one from Burnley and one from Kent, plus a teacher from Adelaide) were very friendly and interesting, so many stories were swapped and enjoyed over a very relaxed and tasty meal.

Falls of Shin

Of course, having woken to sunshine, by the time we eventually (rather slow to get going today) were ready to leave it was raining (again)... So we started out with wet weather gear this time and pedalled off along the other side of the River Shin, all the time appreciating the shelter from the wind. By the time we reached the visitor centre at the falls it had dried up, warmed up and we were pleased to pause, wander down to view the Falls of Shin (plenty of water whooshing through), pay a micro visit to the shop to top up on whisky and remove layers in preparation for some steadier cycling.

Brilliant, brilliant morning's pedalling. First, alongside the railway having carried our bikes up steps and across a footbridge at Invershin Station. Gently undulating, with stunning views over the Kyle of Sutherland. Then, with a tail wind all the way to Tain. Over the previous two days, many of the main A roads were single track with passing places and the occasional cattle grid. Today only the unmarked roads fell into that 'far north, middle of nowhere' category. But they were still pretty quiet and we were able to really relax and enjoy the ride without too much in the way of physical effort.

Bridge at Invershin Station

Resisting the temptations of the Glenmorangie visitors centre, we stopped for lunch in Tain at the Sunflower Cafe. Quite disappointed not to spot any sign of Caboc cheese anywhere, so we consoled ourselves with macaroni complete with nice stretchy cheddar instead. Terrible chore, but someone had to do it!

At last - coffe and cake in Dingwall

Heading south-eastwards out of Tain, we undulated gently into a headwind (thankfully SO much calmer than yesterday) through a succession of small towns up above the Cromarty Firth before diving down into Dingwall. Not just because it looked like it was going to rain, but more because we hadn't done it so far this holiday, we found a nice (brand new) cafe and made ourselves comfortable. By the time our cappuccino and massive slices of Victoria sponge arrived, it was chucking it down outside – poor bikes!

Fortunately, the bikes hadn't dissolved and were still patiently waiting by the time we went back out and put on waterproof layers before cycling onwards. Glad to say that the rain didn't last much longer, but at this point we did find ourselves back onto busier roads. Knowing it was only 12 or 13 miles to Inverness helped us on our way along our first sections of very smoothly surfaced cycle path alongside the A835. Particularly enjoyable was a section near some roadworks where it went silent as all the cars had to stop and we continued zooming along.

The approach to Inverness through North Kessock and Kessock Bridge was very impressive. The power of the tidal waters of the Beauly Firth was evident in the speed of movement and mixing of different wedges of current. Scary stuff, we were glad we didn't have to swim across! By far the steepest climb of the day was up to the bridge – I accidentally took the inside line on a tight corner and very, very nearly stalled.

Crossing the bridge on the cycle path a mere 50cm from two lanes of approaching traffic (the cycle path is on the right) travelling at 70+ mph was somewhat intimidating, but we survived and dropped down onto a low level road through the northern industrial end of Inverness where we came across a renovated clock tower from the time of Oliver Cromwell. Rather innocuous in a busy industrial estate.

The only trauma of the day was managing to lose each other shortly afterwards when I spotted the cycle path and despite attempting to stop Euan, he went on at a roundabout into the busy traffic and ended up at the railway station. After a couple of false starts at getting hold of each other, we managed to meet up alongside the river and find our way up the hill to our B&B. We had deliberately picked our accommodation from a previous stay in October 2008 for the Loch Ness Marathon where we'd been looked after after amazingly well. So we weren't surprised to get a really warm welcome and shown to our comfy room with an amazing view out over the castle and the river. The right choice I think. And we even got our stuff washed for us – much needed after three days!

Restorative curry

Tonight we had curry for dinner in the highly recommended Rajah restaurant. Very tasty, modern setting and pleasantly lively atmosphere. Euan was facing out and had good fun people watching and telling me what was going on. Bit chilly and breezy out, so our stroll along the riverfront was rather speedy and we're now settled back into our room and looking forward to another good night's sleep and a shorter cycle tomorrow.

Into the wild westerlies

Day 2:

Thurso to Lairg – 79.6 miles

Planned mileage: 79.6 miles

Actual mileage: 82ish – inaccuracies of B&B locations on mapping & going into Tongue

Cycling time: approx 6 hrs 45 mins (it felt like a very, very long time!)

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1512914.html

Accomodation: Highland Croft House - http://www.lairghighlandhouse.co.uk/

We have several thousand miles of cycle touring under our belts (or tyres) and today was probably the toughest day of any of them. It started out innocently enough, though there was a bracing breeze right from the start and the sky, while bright enough in Thurso, had plenty of dark clouds racing around. We paused to buy a new battery for Jenny's cycle computer (though it still didn't work) and set off at about 10:15. Right away we were heading into that incessant westerly wind and we made what seemed like slow progress in the bright sunshine. Little did we know what was ahead of us.

In full waterproof gear - much needed!

Today's route was essentially on one road, the A836, though we did pick up a B road for the first few miles out of Thurso, until just west of the Dounreay nuclear installation. We followed the A836 for many miles through not many places but with views of sandy bays. All the time battling with the headwind. And then it started to rain. Not the gentle precipitation of Edinburgh (?) but great big buckets of rain which stung our faces and got us pretty wet quite quickly. Fortunately we were well equipped, so out came the overtrousers, overshoes, helmet covers and waterproof covers for our bar bags. By the time we got to Bettyhill, about 30 miles into our day, we were cold and tired and definitely in need of the products offered by the nice-looking cafe. Unfortunately the nice-looking cafe was closed today, due to family commitments. We commiserated with another cyclist who looked even colder and wetter than we were, and headed on our way west. There was a village shop just up the hill which advertised hot food and drinks, so we popped in there for hot chocolate, a pie/pasty and a Fry's peppermint cream. That's the good thing about a cycling holiday – you can eat all that and not feel guilty.

Incredible views over the Kyle of Tongue

We continued on the 13 miles to Tongue and again were rewarded with more great coastal views (understatement of the century – the scenery is totally, totally stunning), a little bit more sunshine and more of that westerly gale.

Arrived at Tongue at about 2:45 and discovered that the post office cum shop cum cafe didn't do lunches, so we tried one hotel, which had finished serving lunches, but fortunately were directed to the Tongue Hotel which turned out to be a real find: comfortable, cosy, welcoming and serving excellent food – what more could you ask for? We had a nice chat over lunch with a motorcyclist from Reading who had come up from Ullapool earlier in the day and then very reluctantly went back out to our bikes – we could so easily have checked in to the hotel and not moved for the rest of the day.

We pressed on. We were now heading south, and the wind appeared still to be right against us. 40 miles to go and it was about 4 in the afternoon – not a good place to be. It was quite bright to start with but as we started to climb, and the landscape became bleaker and bleaker, ominous clouds started to gather and perhaps an hour later it started to rain again, much as it had in the morning with the large drops whipped into our face by the strengthening wind. We continued to climb for mile after mile and then the sky turned black and it started to pour. The rain was battering into us and off us, and the wind just got wilder. At times we were in our lowest gear just to keep going. Not nice.

Then, as we reached the top of this 20 mile climb, the wind seemed to change direction (or we did) and, helped by the start of the descent to Lairg, our speed increased considerably. It was getting dark when we arrived eventually at Lairg, we were cold, tired and hungry, so we just headed straight to the nearest hotel and rapidly ordered then ate a very good meal. The tomato and herb soup was just sooo good! We headed out into the dark and cycled the remaining mile or so to our B&B, which we eventually found, it's still very windy and raining every so often, but we are now full of dinner, clean and dry, and nice and cosy. Good night!

Let's start at the top...

Thurso Bay from Pentland Lodge

Day 1:

Wick to Thurso (+ train Edinburgh to Wick)

Planned cycling mileage: 37.75 miles

Actual mileage: round about 38

Cycling time: approx 2hrs 40mins

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1512909.html

Accommodation: Pentland Lodge, Thurso - http://www.pentlandlodgehouse.co.uk/

A few little lessons learnt from today –

• less than 10 minutes connection time between long distance trains is very efficient, but not over reliable and can lead to stressful moments
• check your cycle computer's batteries work before leaving home
• if taking a camera you want to upload photos to a blog from, it's a good idea to pack the proper cable

Vital packing - dry bags, decent panniers and a good waterproof!

These little things aside (resulting in approximate times/distances and only a couple of evening photos taken with my phone), we've had a good first day. A rather long one admittedly (hence the short post tonight – sorry), but all has worked out very well.

Getting up at 5 o'clock is decidedly unpleasant if you've been up till midnight packing and were tired from a busy & active weekend and Monday anyway. However, it's more than worth the effort when you're off on holiday. Especially when pedalling through Edinburgh at 6 in the morning when the city is starting to wake up and you get beautiful pre sunrise skies to catch your attention.

Safely on the 6:32am train, it felt like mere minutes before we were back on the platform at Stirling to await (all of 9 minutes) our connection to Inverness. Greeted with a friendly shout from across the tracks, we were only slightly surprised to spy Euan's friend Keith (who had fed us lunch on Sunday after the Stirling 10K) waiting for his commuter train into Edinburgh.

Another enjoyable and scenic journey up to Inverness, marred only by a 15 minute wait for the late southbound service to pass at Dunkeld. As we had a theoretical connection time of a mere 9 minutes at Inverness, this induced a touch of stress, although we were reassured by the guard that we should (and did) make the bulk of the time back up further north.

Duly transferred instantly onto our final train (not even sat down when it pulled away from the station) in gorgeous sunshine to begin the long, slow, relaxed journey up to Wick. Neither of us had been on that line before, so it was all a big adventure. We passed through plenty of big scenery and very varied views. Train stopped in loads of places, but was an excellent service. The strangest part was the train reversing to go into Thurso (where we're currently staying), then going back out the 'right' way to complete the final 30 minute leg to Wick.

On alighting at Wick and finally (at 3:15) pedalling off, I instantly discovered that the battery on my cycle computer sensor was flat, so no speeds or official times from us today. Annoying, but we'll rectify it in the morning.

Super speedy pedal in the sunshine on lovely, quiet roads saw us cover the 17 miles to John O'Groats in just under an hour. Neither of us had realised how close to the north coast the Orkney Islands are. They looked incredibly dramatic in a mixture of bright sunlight and occasional very heavy clouds and tempestuous seas crashing off the scary cliffs.

John O'Groats was nicer than we were expecting and we were able to congratulate a CTC group who had just finished their 1050 mile cycle up from Lands End. No time to hang around though, so we took some photos and headed back off again.

Unfortunately, we had a head wind pretty much all the remaining 20 miles to Thurso. It was less bleak and more attractive than we'd expected and the sun was mostly out though. So despite feeling fairly tired we arrived at our B&B just after ten past six. Bikes safely installed in comfy shed, tea drunk and welcome showers had, and we were just about ready to wander down into town to eat.

Found 'Le Bistro' just off the High Street and had tasty and relaxing meal in pleasant surroundings. A little stroll back via the seafront and that's us with our Horlicks, ready for a well deserved and much needed early night.

End to middle - here we go again!

Having successfully reached Land's End in August, we felt rather fraudulent to 'only' have cycled the 833 miles from Edinburgh. So... before the moment passed and the enthusiasm wore off, we decided that we ought to finish the job and complete the final section between John O'Groats and Edinburgh.
This involves a long train journey from Edinburgh to Wick before starting the cycle up to John O'Groats and on to our planned nights in Thurso, Lairg, Inverness, Kingussie and Abernyte. Train & accomodation all booked, about to print off the maps & directions, just the final bike maintenance and packing to do and off we go again!
Follow our progress here (WiFi permitting) over the six days. Do you think we'll manage the whole cycle without getting rained on as we did before? Will we pack enough warm clothes? And (most importantly) where will we find suitable cake stops in the sparsely populated wilds of the far North of Scotland? Keep reading to find out...