It was one of those lovely early mornings you sometimes get in the UK. The sunlight was streaming through the windows, the birds were singing and a gentle breeze wafted through the trees. As I took this all in my semi awake state I noted the odd element out .. H standing on the porch peeing from height to save himself a 10 step walk to our external bathroom !
At great danger of getting swept away by the early morning hordes of Midges we said a quick goodbye to our fabulous b&b hosts Mary and Dave who'd looked after us so royally over our the past 2 days. Dave (Goulder) is an amazing character, a former train fireman, certified dry wall expert, rock climber, classical guitar playing songwriter, builder, motorcycle aficionado and a good beer and whiskey drinker.
With H feeling refreshed our 18km largely downhill ride to Bonar Bridge was a peach. Here we headed for one of the UKs most unique bike stores, the local post office !
While we took tea at the nearby cafe the bike shop / post office owner worked alternatively on serving PO customers and working on Kev's bike which had been suffering some recent gear slippages.
About 5 cups of tea later Kev returned to find his bike repaired with his hanger and gear cables being the established culprits. Thankfully for Kev the quick check also revealed that he'd worn through his rear tyre after only 1300 kms on tour - obviously way too many full Scottish breakfasts !
Leaving Bonar Bridge we climbed steeply inland over Struie hill before descending through isolated areas of forestry commission replants.
While I stopped to check the map at one point H came flying past with an obvious smile on his face after all our recent climbing efforts - the smile lasted until I caught up with him a couple of kms down the road to explain to him that he'd just cycled past our accommodation.
Luckily though we had a couple of hours to kill so we continued cycling into busy Alness where we stocked up on microwaveable dinners before climbing back 5+kms to find our b&b
After the last 2 nights our b&b this time was a spacious delight. Friendly hosts, lovely setting eat all you want muffins and fruit a definite winner for both Kev and self.
With London experiencing 27c for Wimbledon there's some chance the sun is at last coming our way !
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Friday, July 5, 2019
Taking it Easy in the Box !
After 8 days on the go it was time to enjoy some recovery time in in our little railway cubby house.
With Kev's fully extended double bed (complete with painful wooden supports prodding his back) taking up 90% of the rooms available space and my bed taking up a further 9% it made storage of clothes and personal items almost impossible - despite this it was pretty cool sleeping inside a railway signal box !
On a day of almost non stop drizzle we set about relaxing and exploring locally taking one of the nearby forest trails to the towns one and only pub.
On the way back we explored the ruins of the towns estate with its massive stone border wall, burnt out gatekeepers cottage and pheasant pens for the gentry to engage in local shoots.
According to our host Dave the last shoot some years back resulted in a couple of wood ducks and 3 of one of the locals chickens being shot but none of the released pheasants ! The sight of gentry walking around the towns roads with shotguns apparently did not go down well with locals.
Our only other days highlight was to bike back down to the pub once again for dinner where H and I mixed it with a number of tweed jacketed Hotel guests taking advantage of the Hotels fishing licence for the nearby salmon stocked river. H and I were certainly was not out of place with H in his crusty brown pullover and self looking I'd just emerged from 6 months in the wilderness !
Back at our signal box we hoped for a better nights sleep and for our still wet washing now hanging on a railway pulley system above our heads to dry by the morning !
Sent from my iPad
With Kev's fully extended double bed (complete with painful wooden supports prodding his back) taking up 90% of the rooms available space and my bed taking up a further 9% it made storage of clothes and personal items almost impossible - despite this it was pretty cool sleeping inside a railway signal box !
On a day of almost non stop drizzle we set about relaxing and exploring locally taking one of the nearby forest trails to the towns one and only pub.
On the way back we explored the ruins of the towns estate with its massive stone border wall, burnt out gatekeepers cottage and pheasant pens for the gentry to engage in local shoots.
According to our host Dave the last shoot some years back resulted in a couple of wood ducks and 3 of one of the locals chickens being shot but none of the released pheasants ! The sight of gentry walking around the towns roads with shotguns apparently did not go down well with locals.
Our only other days highlight was to bike back down to the pub once again for dinner where H and I mixed it with a number of tweed jacketed Hotel guests taking advantage of the Hotels fishing licence for the nearby salmon stocked river. H and I were certainly was not out of place with H in his crusty brown pullover and self looking I'd just emerged from 6 months in the wilderness !
Back at our signal box we hoped for a better nights sleep and for our still wet washing now hanging on a railway pulley system above our heads to dry by the morning !
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| Our not so spacious accommodation |
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| The Box ! |
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| Our friendly Host Dave |
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, July 4, 2019
En route to Rosehall - 65 kms / 900 metres climbing
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| Some seriously steep hills |
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| We stock up with supplies for the day ! |
The “Fark” Bird Arrives !
Yep it was the seasonal return of that well known migratory avian the "fark" bird - it's sounds echoing throughout the glens and valleys strangely enough not far behind me and co-incidentally every time another hill came into sight !
If this was a Collingwood football game Joffa (read Henley) would have had the jacket out after only 8kms of this mornings ride signalling that the game was well and truly over !
We were well equipped for the day by a full English Breakfast made by our friendly b&b owner and backed up by a couple of made up curry chicken rolls (danger) from the store in town as our maps showed bugger all else on route other than some serious hills !
After already doing some long grinding hills we hit a real beauty. On the downhill side it was steep enough to cause my disc brakes to start smoking and on the uphill side (at least 30%) it was enough to cause both of us to start smoking as we pushed our heavily lade bikes up the hill one metre at a time !
With Kev indicating that his use by date was well past, we emerged on to the main A road (dual lanes at last) to head south and you guessed it straight into more hills.
Finally over most of our 900 metres climbing for the day we hit some level road just in time for the mornings showery conditions to turn into rain. With Kev's energy levels running low he settled for a waterlogged sandwich while I continued on to find a coffee shop / pub where we could sit down take a cuppa and dry out !
It was 20+ kms before I found something, a Pub out in the middle of this isolated landscape. When Kev finally arrived (I'd already finished one pot of tea) I recounted the story to him of a motorist I'd met who'd indicated being on the Drumbeg road loop that we did yesterday and had to turn back because a caravan had ended up in a ditch blocking the only road for everyone !
The "Fark" bird made a strange indoor appearance at the pub when Kev was served a just warm 1/2 froth Latte !
Slightly refreshed we donned our wet gear and took a magical 20km downhill ride through a beautiful isolated Glen that lead us right to Rosehall and our unique accommodation for the evening a railway signal box which with beds in place gave us about 2 inches of walking movement.
All that remained was for us to head back a couple of kms to the only eaterie in town to the local pub to relive over a beer (yes even H had one) some of the days dramas !
Sent from my iPad
If this was a Collingwood football game Joffa (read Henley) would have had the jacket out after only 8kms of this mornings ride signalling that the game was well and truly over !
We were well equipped for the day by a full English Breakfast made by our friendly b&b owner and backed up by a couple of made up curry chicken rolls (danger) from the store in town as our maps showed bugger all else on route other than some serious hills !
After already doing some long grinding hills we hit a real beauty. On the downhill side it was steep enough to cause my disc brakes to start smoking and on the uphill side (at least 30%) it was enough to cause both of us to start smoking as we pushed our heavily lade bikes up the hill one metre at a time !
With Kev indicating that his use by date was well past, we emerged on to the main A road (dual lanes at last) to head south and you guessed it straight into more hills.
Finally over most of our 900 metres climbing for the day we hit some level road just in time for the mornings showery conditions to turn into rain. With Kev's energy levels running low he settled for a waterlogged sandwich while I continued on to find a coffee shop / pub where we could sit down take a cuppa and dry out !
It was 20+ kms before I found something, a Pub out in the middle of this isolated landscape. When Kev finally arrived (I'd already finished one pot of tea) I recounted the story to him of a motorist I'd met who'd indicated being on the Drumbeg road loop that we did yesterday and had to turn back because a caravan had ended up in a ditch blocking the only road for everyone !
The "Fark" bird made a strange indoor appearance at the pub when Kev was served a just warm 1/2 froth Latte !
Slightly refreshed we donned our wet gear and took a magical 20km downhill ride through a beautiful isolated Glen that lead us right to Rosehall and our unique accommodation for the evening a railway signal box which with beds in place gave us about 2 inches of walking movement.
All that remained was for us to head back a couple of kms to the only eaterie in town to the local pub to relive over a beer (yes even H had one) some of the days dramas !
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Since day 1 of our trip Litchfield has been nagging me to write a blog entry but because he does such a good daily job with his postings it doesn't leave much for me to ramble about .
KEV'S TAKE
You'd have thought with the passage of time since our first trip to Scotland in 2011 that those nasty , ornery , pesky , hills , mountains , undulations or whatever you care to call them would have eroded in size .What with global warming , Donald Trump stuffing the World , famine in East Africa and the price of bananas , makes sense to me that they should have .
In fact the opposite is the case ,they have become steeper and more frequent and these old legs of mine are going up and down in the one spot , but hopefully will get me through another 9 days of cycling before they throw in the towel .
As a cycle tourist you would be hard pressed to find a more ruggedly beautiful , isolated and at times climatically challenging , well most times come to think of it , than the Scottish Highlands and Outer Hebrides . Constantly pummeled by strong winds , driving rain and Summer temperatures in the low teens means this area is not for the average city slicker looking for a low key holiday .
If the wind happens to drop below 200kph then those pesky little critters called midges emerge in their gozillions ready to terrorise all exposed bits of skin . How can a tiny bug less than a mm long be such an annoying pest , even Litchfield comes up short when compared to them .
When packing for this trip I included a tube of sunscreen , in hindsight a smidge on the optimistic side as we've only had 2 days where we've sighted Old Sol .
The Cricket World Cup has been a constant source of amusement for us . Ours daily ritual after arriving at our accommodation is to surf through about 200 channels to see if the Aussies are playing , we've only fluked it once .
For anyone who likes to get up when the sun rises at 3.30am and go to bed at 11.30pm when it's just dark , this is the place to be . So different to an Aussie Summer .
I've resisted the daily temptation to go with a full English breakfast partly due to that delicious Pommie delicacy , black pudding ( for the uninitiated it's congealed blood with some other goodies ) Scrambled eggs appeal a touch more .
The trip continues and hopefully I'll survive Litchy's 9th attempt ( this is our. 9th overseas trip ) to eliminate me , he's come mighty close in past trips so bring it on .
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
En route Drumbeg - 55 kms / 900 metres climbing
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| Rugged Coastline |
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| Leaving the Hostel |
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| One of hundreds of Glacial Lochs |
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| Finally at Drumberg |
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| Aerial view with Stac Polly in the distance |
Where’s the Tesco Van when you need it !
Of all the things that have epitomised the remoteness of Nth West Scotland the home delivery Tesco van that brings supermarket goods to locals homes from up to 2 hours away is one of the more visible elements.
For H the Tesco Van has also at times provided added motivation late in the day as he often visualises the van stopped around the corner with a tray load of salad and beetroot sandwiches for sale just for him !
We left our unique Archiniver Hostel after having breakfast with Hostel volunteer Gordon a Kiwi who not only kindly shared his breakfast supplies with us but also stories of his many adventures in this part of the world
Predictably by the time of our departure it was raining again as we negotiated the Bridge of Death with our bikes and the 300 metre Amazon jungle like trek from our Hostel just to get back on to the main road.
With the rain stopped we cycled back 7 kms to the the turn off to Lochinver with the distinct Stac Polly a massive volcanic like rock prominent in the background.
The journey onwards to Lochinver was 20 kms of classic Highlands road. Just about wide enough for 2 bicycles side by side, twisting through peat laden fields and past glacial left over Lochs before finally emerging on a wild and rugged coastline.
Despite the roads width we did see a couple of motor homes and a car towing caravan stupidly and selfishly taking the same route.
After some soup en route we passed through Lochinver for the most serious climb of the day a 7 km ass busting gradient that in the headwind and returned rain had us both gasping for mercy.
The scenery got even wilder and more remote as we continued along rocky plateaus with Lochs dominating the landscape.
Finally we arrived in the sun to the wild looking township of Drumbeg just in time to hit the local shop which was timely given the fact that the towns one pub only serves meals to in house residents !
With accommodation found and a meal of 2 rolls each for dinner it was time to sit back and watch some sport on TV knowing that there is one more bloody big hill in the way of our upcoming rest day at the Rosehall Signal box !
Sent from my iPad
For H the Tesco Van has also at times provided added motivation late in the day as he often visualises the van stopped around the corner with a tray load of salad and beetroot sandwiches for sale just for him !
We left our unique Archiniver Hostel after having breakfast with Hostel volunteer Gordon a Kiwi who not only kindly shared his breakfast supplies with us but also stories of his many adventures in this part of the world
Predictably by the time of our departure it was raining again as we negotiated the Bridge of Death with our bikes and the 300 metre Amazon jungle like trek from our Hostel just to get back on to the main road.
With the rain stopped we cycled back 7 kms to the the turn off to Lochinver with the distinct Stac Polly a massive volcanic like rock prominent in the background.
The journey onwards to Lochinver was 20 kms of classic Highlands road. Just about wide enough for 2 bicycles side by side, twisting through peat laden fields and past glacial left over Lochs before finally emerging on a wild and rugged coastline.
Despite the roads width we did see a couple of motor homes and a car towing caravan stupidly and selfishly taking the same route.
After some soup en route we passed through Lochinver for the most serious climb of the day a 7 km ass busting gradient that in the headwind and returned rain had us both gasping for mercy.
The scenery got even wilder and more remote as we continued along rocky plateaus with Lochs dominating the landscape.
Finally we arrived in the sun to the wild looking township of Drumbeg just in time to hit the local shop which was timely given the fact that the towns one pub only serves meals to in house residents !
With accommodation found and a meal of 2 rolls each for dinner it was time to sit back and watch some sport on TV knowing that there is one more bloody big hill in the way of our upcoming rest day at the Rosehall Signal box !
Sent from my iPad
The Real K H !
There's a combo of mental and physical fatigue associated with cycle touring. Tired bodies, wet clothes, eating on the run, dealing with traffic, sleeping in different beds every night, being exposed to all sorts of weather all combine to sap your energy no matter how strong you are.
All things considering H is doing a fabulous job even though at times he's threatened to take advantage of the Tesco home delivery service to get a lift to the next destination.
H has also been offered the chance to put up his own blog post nearly every night on tour but has been too busy fluffing around, doing the crossword, or watching videos of one Donald "Shit for brains"(according to H) Trump.
In his absentia I can report that H despite his regular grumbling, his hate of the cold weather, his loathing of hills and his dislike of anything over 20kms is as reported doing exceptionally well
Remember this is a man with failing eyesight (as he keeps cycling past me without seeing me every time I stop for him), average hearing - as evidenced by one Outer Hebridean example when Pommie Kev and I were discussing the next days distance of 80kms H turned round and in a loud voice within earshot of the b&b owner said "Bloody hell she's 80", a circulatory system that works only when it's above 30c and of course his wrist which gives him ongoing grief every time he hits a pothole.
Despite his various ailments Kev has succeeded on a testing tour that would have a person 1/2 his age struggling. Well done H !
Sent from my iPad
All things considering H is doing a fabulous job even though at times he's threatened to take advantage of the Tesco home delivery service to get a lift to the next destination.
H has also been offered the chance to put up his own blog post nearly every night on tour but has been too busy fluffing around, doing the crossword, or watching videos of one Donald "Shit for brains"(according to H) Trump.
In his absentia I can report that H despite his regular grumbling, his hate of the cold weather, his loathing of hills and his dislike of anything over 20kms is as reported doing exceptionally well
Remember this is a man with failing eyesight (as he keeps cycling past me without seeing me every time I stop for him), average hearing - as evidenced by one Outer Hebridean example when Pommie Kev and I were discussing the next days distance of 80kms H turned round and in a loud voice within earshot of the b&b owner said "Bloody hell she's 80", a circulatory system that works only when it's above 30c and of course his wrist which gives him ongoing grief every time he hits a pothole.
Despite his various ailments Kev has succeeded on a testing tour that would have a person 1/2 his age struggling. Well done H !
Sent from my iPad
En route Archiniver - 54 kms / 650 metres climbing
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| Our hostel in the distance |
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| H starts adding on the layers ! |
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| Our Pod style Hostel accommodation |
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| Just outside Ullapool |
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| Turn off to the Summer Isles |
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| Pub in Archiniver |
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| Narrow bridge to the Hostel |
Monday, July 1, 2019
The Bridge of Death !
After yesterday's rain "shellacking" we both nervously woke in our pungent smelling room (wet socks and jocks over a heater will do that for you) to survey the outside weather.
"Not bad" said I, as it didn't appear to be raining yet. "Not good" said H, "there's a seagull out there who just looks like he hit a brick wall after reversing direction" suggesting the wind outside was just under Hurricane strength.
We dressed appropriately and left our b&b with the kids pool still up on the front lawn indicating that warm days weren't that long ago. We dressed like we were about to spend time on an Artic fishing trawler which we thought kind of matched the prevailing weather! While we attracted some weird looks at Tesco stocking up on food it was nothing like the looks we gave a Scottish cyclist who'd just got off the ferry from the Outer Hebrides wearing only shorts and a T/Shirt ! "Bloody hell aren't you cold" we both said to which he replied " I come from these parts so the weather to me is quite warm" ! It wasn't until an 80 years old dear stopped to talk to us to say the same thing that we realised that an 11c day (that feels like 7c) with a strong gusting wind is quite normal for the middle of summer !
Making our way out of Ullapool I promised H some flat road but after 5 consecutive hills and a series of dangerous crosswind descents I begun to think I'd imagined the so called flat section from 2 previous trips through here on my bike.
My memory though didn't fail me and a 100 metres of flat road finally appeared just as we got hit by freezing rain. This was not good timing with H trying to eat his waterlogged sandwich !
At the Ironic Summer Isles turn off sign we journied on to a single track road that wound itself around a series of stunning Lochs with wild brooding Mtns hidden alternatively by mist, cloud and rain.
Now pushing into a headwind we cycled slowly on to Archiniver which gave the impression we were cycling off the edge of the earth.
At the towns Hotel (the only hotel) we stopped for Soup and a few gallons of afternoon tea before cycling off to find our supposed unique Hostel accommodation.
On the edge of town we finally found the Hostel sign and the Hostels wheelbarrow - apparently to assist you in wheeling your luggage 300 metres down a rocky path to the hostel.
We did similar with our bikes where hazards included jamming your panniers against rocks and falling off the narrow bridge and getting swept out to sea (a small issue no doubt)
Greeted by a friendly NZ hostel volunteer we were shown to our unique pod style accommodation which had enough room for 1 single and 1 double bed and not much else.
All that remains is for us to repeat our heroic trek back to make our pub appointment for this evenings meal !
Sent from my iPad
"Not bad" said I, as it didn't appear to be raining yet. "Not good" said H, "there's a seagull out there who just looks like he hit a brick wall after reversing direction" suggesting the wind outside was just under Hurricane strength.
We dressed appropriately and left our b&b with the kids pool still up on the front lawn indicating that warm days weren't that long ago. We dressed like we were about to spend time on an Artic fishing trawler which we thought kind of matched the prevailing weather! While we attracted some weird looks at Tesco stocking up on food it was nothing like the looks we gave a Scottish cyclist who'd just got off the ferry from the Outer Hebrides wearing only shorts and a T/Shirt ! "Bloody hell aren't you cold" we both said to which he replied " I come from these parts so the weather to me is quite warm" ! It wasn't until an 80 years old dear stopped to talk to us to say the same thing that we realised that an 11c day (that feels like 7c) with a strong gusting wind is quite normal for the middle of summer !
Making our way out of Ullapool I promised H some flat road but after 5 consecutive hills and a series of dangerous crosswind descents I begun to think I'd imagined the so called flat section from 2 previous trips through here on my bike.
My memory though didn't fail me and a 100 metres of flat road finally appeared just as we got hit by freezing rain. This was not good timing with H trying to eat his waterlogged sandwich !
At the Ironic Summer Isles turn off sign we journied on to a single track road that wound itself around a series of stunning Lochs with wild brooding Mtns hidden alternatively by mist, cloud and rain.
Now pushing into a headwind we cycled slowly on to Archiniver which gave the impression we were cycling off the edge of the earth.
At the towns Hotel (the only hotel) we stopped for Soup and a few gallons of afternoon tea before cycling off to find our supposed unique Hostel accommodation.
On the edge of town we finally found the Hostel sign and the Hostels wheelbarrow - apparently to assist you in wheeling your luggage 300 metres down a rocky path to the hostel.
We did similar with our bikes where hazards included jamming your panniers against rocks and falling off the narrow bridge and getting swept out to sea (a small issue no doubt)
Greeted by a friendly NZ hostel volunteer we were shown to our unique pod style accommodation which had enough room for 1 single and 1 double bed and not much else.
All that remains is for us to repeat our heroic trek back to make our pub appointment for this evenings meal !
Sent from my iPad
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