Total mileage: 57
Terrain: Tough cycling in the Scottish highlands

After a hearty breakfast, we started on what would turn out to be a day of mixed weather and glorious scenery.  The initial part of the trip took us along the A835 to through Garbat and then along the west coast of Loch Glascarnoch.  At this stage, the weather closed in and the rain began to fall… again!  The temperature started to drop, making riding conditions uncomfortable to say the least.

The saving grace of the morning was the incredible scenery however.  From lochs to forests, the road had very little traffic and was festooned with glorious landscape.  As fortune would have it, the sun began to shine as we made it to the coastal loch of Broom.  Although we had to climb for a few miles, we were blessed with gorgeous views of Ullapool and the coastline.

Lunch was a hearty helping of burger and chips for me, food of champions.  Mary and Pete had some fish, wich would more than likely have been the healthier option.  Just to make up for it, we all had ice cream for desert.

After scoffing this all down, we went shopping to stock up for the days ahead as there were unlkikely to be any major supermarkets until we arrived in Thurso, and that was a long way off still.

The sun continued to shine as we started the long and arduious climb north west out of Ullapool.  However, the landscape just became more and more impressive.  Turquoise sea lapped again white sandy beeches as we cycled through Ardmair and headed back inland.  From this point on, the highlands rose majestically to progressively loftier peaks.  The clouds grew denser the further we cycled away from the coast.  The evening light would have been ideallic had it not been for the persistent attacks from the countless midges that were everywhere.

Heading north again on teh A837, we passed Loch Awe and onwards towards Loch Assynt.  Just shy of the loch lay Inchnadamph and our hostel for the evening.  The place was pretty amazing, with internet connection, large kitchen and dinning hall and a great laundry.  We were all soaked from a downpour during the final miles of the day’s ride.  However, with full panniers of supplies, we did not want for a good meal as Pete whipped us up a great meal.

I would definitely recommend anyone heading up to the north west coast of Scotland to stay at the Inchnadamph YHA if they are after a place to stay.  The only requirement seemed to be that for men, they all sport half decent facial fuzz.

Total mileage: 78
Terrain: Undulating landscape with heavy rain and heavy holiday traffic

After a very relaxing evening in the warmth of the hotel and a decent restaurant, the following day was again wet and windy.  We loaded up our bikes that we had stashed in the security of the landlady’s back garden and went on our merry way.

The exit to Oban was an uphill campaign for the first few miles, much like the morning we left Launceston.  However, the weather was far less friendly as the rain once again began to fall.  Although we had put the unfortunate escapades of the previous day behind us, the roads were thick with holiday traffic, most of which was impatient and pushy.  Our route took us up along the coast and then inland to Fort William.  Considering we had had the luxury of quite roads since heading away from Dumfries with the exception of around Ayr, this was an unwelcome return of congestion.

Fort William was abuzz with holiday makers and outdoor types.  We settled down for a spot of brunch after our early start.  The food was great and began to warm us up once again.  We even had the chance to send a couple of texts as there was some reception for a change.

Before we headed out of town, Pete decided it was high time that he invested in a new waterproof jacket.  This proved to be a very shrewd idea as moments after he emerged from the outdoor shop, the skies opened and we were soaked in the ensuing deluge.

The ever useful handbook that Mary carried around with her suggested that we should head down to the canal and follow it 15 miles upstream.  The midges were out in force so we did not hang around, which was a shame as the views along the canal were very pleasant.  Fortunately for us, the weather was more behaved for the remainder of our ride that afternoon.

We rejoined the tarmac in time to see a few bikers being nicked by the local police – probably having too much fun for their liking…  We carried on along the small B roads, through some spectacular countryside and back onto the main road to Inverness, which fortunately, was not too busy.

The quiet roads were smooth and bordered by a very beautiful loch.  We were able to open the taps a little and get some decent miles under the wheels.   I had thought a B&B would be a good idea for the evening as we had to wash and dry all of our clothes but were unable to find any vacant rooms.  We did find a lovely campsite.  The only drawback was the swarm of midges that bit the hell out of us as we tried to eat supper.  So, our only escape was to get into our respective tents, zip them closed, spend about 20 minutes catching all the midges in the tend and then finally be able to relax and read a little.

Some beautiful views only marred by the miserable weather and heavy traffic.

Total mileage: 67
Terrain: Undulating landscape with extreme weather and floading

After enjoying a relaxed evening in Lochanza YHA, we turned in for bed, only to find that our dorm (male dorm that Pete and I were in) had a very smelly guy in it, along with a couple of loud snorers.  Suffice it to say, neither of us were in the mood for a night of that, so we crept into the girl’s dorm, where Mary was, and ended up grabbing a decent night’s sleep there instead.

As it turned out, this was a useful move as Day 13 was a tough day.  We caught the ferry at 9am from the tiny ferry port over to Claonaig on the mainland.  As we pulled out of the harbour, we could see the dark clouds looming over Arran.  By the time we were close to Claonaig, the rain began to fall and the temperature to drop.

The smelly guy from our dorm the previous night was onboard, and still stank.  Clearly, although it rained all the time, Scots hate showers…  We all huddled into the confined space of a bus shelter to clad ourselves in Gortex.  Due to the smell, we left in haste.

The B8801 road northwards felt incredibly remote and isolated.  We passed very few cars or houses.  It felt much more like we were pioneers that at any previous point.  The chill form the rain began to have a negative effect on our moods.

We joined a slightly more major road, the A83 at Kennacraig and turned north east.  We stopped at West Talbot for some warm food, which made a huge difference.  The town is centred on a lovely little port.  Had the weather not been so bad, it might have been as pleasant as any of the villages we had passed in Cornwall and Devon weeks before.

Heading out of the village due north, we cycled parallel to a large sea loch.  Although the weather was still foul, the addition of this beautiful scenery did wonders for our mood and we began to pick up the pace.  Our luck was soon to chance though as the weather proved to be more of an obstacle than we had anticipated.

Just outside of Ballenoch, on the B841, the roads were under a foot of water.  Cars gingerly drove through the floods in single file to avoid causing a potentially damaging wake that might flood another person’s car as the water was above most car’s door lines.  We had no option but to cycle through.  I was especially happy that I had opted for waterproof luggage on my bike.  However, our footwear did not fare as well.  We had to crunch the 400m flood in a low gear and spin fast to avoid coming off whilst cycling against the body of water.  To be honest, we were all in stitches as it seemed so absolutely absurd.  We were already soaked, so this was not such a nightmare.  Many of the car drives smiled and beeped as we cycled past.

Further along the road, the locals had erected a barrier as the road ahead had been completely flooded under a few meters of water and was now impassable.  We were forced to either double back or take a very minor B road.  Although this added a few more miles to the journey, the alternative of turning back was not something any of us wanted to do.  We were rewarded with one of the best bits of cycling on the entire trip.  The roads were small but perfect for cycling.  The rain eased up a little and the sky became dramatic without being overbearing.  The terrain was very hilly but the sense of achievement counter balanced any negatives.

Back on the main road and the riding got easier although the hills continued to rise and fall consistently.  The only issue we encountered for the rest of the day was an idiot driving dangerously.  I was at the back of the group when he over took me on a blind corner.  The car coming the other way forced him to pull in and he narrowly missed hitting May and Pete.  He continued to demonstrate what a complete and utter prick he was by stamping on his brakes in the middle of the road when Mary waved her fist at him for being such a wreckless river.  What ensued was a farce as he blocked the traffic and got out of his car to shout obscenities at us.

In the entire cycle ride, this was on the only incident we had, which I should take solace in.  However, he was such an arse hole, it took the wind out of our sales.  We decided to call it a day in Oban and reward ourselves with a nice B&B, mainly because none of us had any dry clothes left.

Although the incident still makes me a little angry, the day was quite an adventure with some stunning scenery.  All in all, had the weather been better and without the idiot drover, it would have been one of my favourite days of the trip.