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It was noticeably cold as I saddled up this morning and headed north out off Inverness past the football stadium and over the bridge. I followed the A9 and the A835 to Dingwall where I stopped for a bacon roll; the tradition is two days old now and I worried it would be unlucky to break it! I particularly appreciated the cup of tea that went some way to thawing me out.
From Dingwall I headed north again on the inland route to Bonar Bridge. The road is good but it includes a long drag of a climb, the advantage of which is a tremendous viewpoint with a vista over Sutherland including the peak of Ben More Assynt about 30 miles to the north west. My next stop was Bonar Bridge where I had two lunches in a little cafe. I got speaking with another cyclist who was on his last day of a 5 day tour of the West Highlands. I could tell he was in a different league as his route to Inverness was 25 miles further than mine simply because that way was more scenic.
It is apparent that the touring industry is booming in the far north of Scotland. I think it is probably as a result of the marketing of the very popular North Coast 500 route, but whatever the reason everywhere there are people in motor homes, on motor bikes, in classic cars or on cycles touring around this remote and beautiful part of the country. Getting passed by Ferraris and DB7s also serves to keep things interesting!
I arrived at the Crask Inn in the late afternoon. The hotel is marketed as Scotland’s most isolated and certainly there isn’t much around here that would cause me to dispute that claim. The welcome is extremely friendly though and they have a well stocked bar and serve a hearty dinner. Needless to say I’m happy!
Tomorrow – John O’Groats.
