Saturday, June 19, 2010

Day 18 - Drumnadrochit to Tain

A long, steep climb to start the day.



Note that Rosie has reprieved the dayglo volunteer's tabard. Aside from boosting our roadside visibility, this makes drivers – perhaps subconsciously thinking 'traffic warden' or other authority figure – give us a wide berth more generally.

The scenery changes quickly in Scotland. When we left Drumnadrochit an hour ago, there was nowt but dense pine forest and lush lochside greenery. Now, collapsing in a sweaty heap at the top of the hill, we looked around and saw... moorland:

Later, following a sign for 'Tea, Ice Cream, Toilets', we rolled up at an enormous cafe/gift shop with WiFi – and it's thanks to that happy discovery that you're reading this now. 3 hours later and a stone heavier, we rode into the evening for the last 20 miles...



Flat cycling for the rest of the day, taking in the towns of Alness, where the air smells of Weetabix, and Invergordon, where the town museum is fronted by huge murals depicting mad scenes of maritime drama (think Moby Dick, TinTin, Captain Pugwash).




Finally, a shortcut to Tain took us into uncharted but lovely territory – the ultra-quiet, forested Scottish B-road:


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