I’ve been on another bike ride. This time it was through the Scottish Highlands and Islands. We went across to Arran, then Mull and up to Skye before heading up to Durness in the far North West of Scotland.
I had 3 Watsons Wanderers to keep me company – Ian Slater, Ian Mason and Garnett – so it was fun even though the forecast for the week was not good.
It’s 500 miles over 7 days with about a mile of climbing most days and early starts to catch the ferries. One day it is a 6.50 ferry – that was the hardest part of the trip for me 😖.
Day 1 of the trip: we had a morning briefing to go over the itinerary and the weather forecast. Unfortunately it was correct and we got soaked twice in the afternoon with squally showers. It was a day of variable wind direction with headwinds, crosswinds and the occasional tailwind 😀. As the sign at Gretna says – Welcome to Scotland.
We set off about 9.00 and rolled in to Thornhill just before 5.00, although we did have lunch and two tea/cake stops. Not a bad first day even with the rain as we did see sunshine for most of the afternoon.
Day 2 of the Ride. Thornhill to Brodick , Isle of Arran. 67 miles & 3271 ft climb.
A good day’s cycling with mainly sunshine and a crosswind, albeit with the obligatory couple of showers to remind us that we were in Scotland. I met a 14 yr old retired sheepdog , Ali, with her owner, saw a Golden Eagle perched on a lump of coal ( memorial to a mining disaster on that site), the Barony A frame ( another coal mining monument) and saw a splendid castle in sunshine.
The day was shortened however by having 4 punctures between Ian and myself. Fortunately our friendly Peak Tours mechanic, Martin, was quickly on hand to help with repairs. My gears were also starting to slip which, together with the punctures delay meant that I had to finish cycling at the afternoon brew stop to catch the 4.40 ferry to Arran.
Days 3 & 4 : The early starts of these two days have played havoc with my sleep and Day 5 is even earlier! We started cycling at 7.30 on Day 3 in order to get a 9.30 ferry, on Day 4 it was meet at 7.00 for breakfast on the 7.30 ferry to Mull and our Day 5 route notes say to meet at 6.50 at the cafe next to the ferry!
Day 3 – Brodick to Oban : 74 miles and 4063 ft; it was a great day of cycling with only a smattering of rain as we passed by Brodick Castle and over a steep hill on our way to the ferry at Lochranza. The scenery was beautiful and we saw lots of water – fortunately not coming down on us. We arrived in Oban about 4 pm after our early start which gave us time to see this lovely port and take some photos.
I went up to a viewing point on local advice – beautiful views – but they forgot to mention that it required carrying my bike up 200 steps first! Still it was worth it.
Day 4 – Oban to Mallaig:- 75 miles and 5206 ft. It was a pretty damp day. We set off in Oban on the early ferry for a brief visit to Mull – 5.5 miles of cycling- before returning to the mainland for a big climb up to the hills overlooking Loch Sunart. The rain started during our climb and the brew stop at the peak was more than welcome as it gave me the chance to put on warmer clothes and waterproofs. The descent to the Loch was far nicer as the rain passed leaving dark moody skies. Lunch was an excellent affair – the best so far – a large portion of cottage pie & peas as I was the last to have lunch and hoovered up what was left. Graham (my Peak Tours companion/mechanic for the day) and I then polished off the homemade scones – about 8 of them I think. However the rain had returned over lunch and stayed with us all the way to Mallaig – ensuring that I was completely soaked when I rolled in about 5pm.
Day 5 – Mallaig to Kinlochewe : – 76 miles & 5492 ft climbing.
This was another early start, meeting at the cafe at Mallaig ferry port at 6.50 AM for breakfast. After a 40 min ferry ride to Skye, we disembarked and rode across the island to the road bridge at Kyleakin. There were brief glimpses of sunshine which stayed with us until lunchtime.The views from the bridge were quite stunning with boats large & small steaming underneath.
On reaching the mainland at the Kyle of Lochalsh, we headed North and passed through the hamlet of Duirinish. We were soon climbing and were rewarded with views of Loch Carron. Our lunch was in the valley at Strathcarron; it was excellent with soup, smoked salmon sandwiches and homemade cakes 🍵🥪🍰😋. However this was to be the end of enjoyment for the day.
The remaining route was largely West – into 15 mph headwinds. In addition the rain started not long after lunch, which meant riding in full waterproofs. To make matters worse, I had a puncture, my second of the week. Graham helped me change the inner tube and discovered that my wheel had several microfractures by the spokes. Now the punctures made sense! Fortunately I was able to finish the ride that day and Graham swopped over my wheel for a spare in the evening.
We did though see a rainbow as the rain started to stop.
Day 6: Kinlochewe to Ullapool :- 75 miles and 5390 ft. climbing
The weather forecast was not promising – and it proved to be very accurate. After yesterday’s struggles with a broken wheel and cycling in full waterproofs, I took up the offer to help Andy set up the brew stop and so didn’t ride the first 20 miles in the rain & strong winds. It was just as well as it was a 2 man job to erect a shelter as the ‘gazebo/tent’ had been destroyed in the gusts the day before. We positioned the van to take most of the wind and erected a make-do shelter with 2 tarpaulins, a bike stand, several large boulders and 8 strong bungees. It was very well received by the riders.
After the last rider had left, I set out for the lunch stop which was 28 miles away. The rain had stopped by now but there were still strong winds which made descents quite scary at times. Slow down!! I passed by Inverewe gardens but unfortunately had no time to visit. I’d had the most wonderful holiday 10 years ago with my brother Ian and our wives visiting the gardens of Scotland and this place had special memories for me.
I climbed up and went through Tournaig before stopping at the views over Loch Ewe and the isle of Ewe. I was looking down at the assembly point for the Arctic convoys to Archangel and Murmansk in the second world war. There was a small museum explaining about the Arctic convoys a bit further on, with a beautiful bench outside.
It was still very windy but the skies were brighter and the views were stunning with the heather in the foreground and mountains in the distance on the far side of Loch Ewe. By now Graham had caught me up so we travelled together to lunch. It was quite a sparse affair today, soup & a sandwich – even a cup of tea was extra. However we had been forewarned and so I tucked into my backpack which had some Eccles cakes and Soreen from the brew stop. There was a monster climb after lunch (1100 ft) so maybe it was just as well that it wasn’t a big lunch.
I travelled with Graham again so had my own photographer which was handy. When we reached the top, our struggle was not quite over as we were now heading South and had 3 miles of headwinds to contend with. A quick stop to explore an abandoned building and we were off to the brew stop. Andy had set up at a wonderful viewpoint and we could see all the way down the valley to Ullapool. The roads here were in very good condition and I averaged 20 mph for the final 15 miles with a strong Northerly wind pushing me along. I was also dry for the first time in a few days whern I arrived at the B & B.
It was the best accomodation so far, tastefully decorated with solid hardwood tables and beds and an excellent breakfast the following morning. I can strongly recommend Eilean Donan guest house if you ever visit Ullapool.
I went out for a curry that night with 6 others and the ‘Essence of India’ was also very good.
Day 7 : Ullapool to Durness , NW Scotland. 68 miles and 5016 ft. climb
It was a cool but dry start to the day and the winds had died down. We had a steady climb out of Ullapool, followed by several more medium (300 ft) climbs before another monster (945 ft) just before our morning’s brew stop. As there was little wind, there was no need for tarpaulins etc and our food & drink were neatly laid out on camping tables. I didn’t take as many photos of the scenery today as the skies were grey and the mountains were quite rounded. We were cycling up the main A road but with hardly any traffic. We passed a few other cyclists with panniers – I’m really impressed that they can get up these hills carrying such a weight.
Lunch was at the Rock cafe which is a Geocafe and exhibition centre. They were really friendly and we had cake as well as soup and sandwiches today plus the tea was not extra. I think it is run by volunteers.
On leaving the cafe we went over the impressive Kylesku bridge. Previous tours have seen dolphins swimming here – no such luck for us. We were now on our last half day with one final brew stop before Durness. I met up with all my Watsons Wanderers friends, Garnett, Ian Slater & Ian Mason on the first leg. I cycled with Garnett until I spied Highland cattle – too good an opportunity to miss. I carried on after taking some photos and stopped half way up the next steep hill. I caught my breath and waited for Ian Slater to join me. He was grateful of a short breather half way up as well. We carried on together to the brew stop and met Garnett again and Ian Mason. An opportunity for another photo.
Garnett then sped off with another couple of fast cyclists, whilst the other 3 of us agreed to cyle in to Durness together. Gustavo, a Spanish rider, joined us and the 4 of us made our way to the end with Graham following a few hundred yards behind in case we had any ‘mechanicals’. We arrived at the finish in Durness and made our way to the beach for the customary celebratory drinks and pictures.
The next day we were up early for the coach journey back to Inverness. Folk then either went to the airport or train station for their final leg of the journey. The weather had completely changed by now and there were bright blue skies and 20c temperatures. Oh well, there is always next year.
Watson’s Wanderers 