Day 9 - Inverness to Fort William (105km)

After going to bed at 2am after the festival we had a sleep in a little before cycling South along Loch Ness, just a little hungover. As we were passing by the festival we popped in to the lost and found (no luck) and took some photos of the festival with our phones. Unbeknownst to us there was an organised cycle of about 700 cyclists that (mostly) passed us throughout the day. They too were making the journey from top to bottom but with support cars and no luggage to carry and those new fangled crazy racing bikes made of that dangerous "carbon fiber" stuff. They are doing 105 miles a day average which is quite a feat. The cycling was beautiful, following the length of Loch Ness and then Loch Lochy with a couple of nice 9% climbs. We detoured off the main road and followed a canal path which was very picturesque (and flat). Arriving in Fort William we discovered that although it's quaint to have every house have it's own name instead of a number, when it comes to locating you B&B on a 3km street after cycling 105km house numbers are a really good idea.

Half a view of Loch Ness after the sun came out.

Scotland is so pretty when the sun shines.

At the commando memorial.

Day 8 - Festival 1 - ROCKNESS!!!! (on the Loch Ness)

Transport from Inverness to the festival was by double decker buss, we got on to cries of Oggi Oggi Oggi Oi Oi Oi. Most impressive setting for a music festival ever, the view over the main stage stretched the length of Loch Ness. It was so lush and green and a lovely sunny day. It seemed like everyone from around the region came, 4 year olds to 70 year olds, most camping and attending the whole 3 days. It really was a weekend away with lots of stalls and even comedy. There was so much choice for food and drinks (the bar set up was impressive) and we never had to queue for a toilet. We enjoyed champagne and strawberries early on and shots of Rhubarb liqueur, we were very impressed by the whole set-up. The strange thing was most of the music was electronic music and we liked how the families and older generation enjoyed it. Steve Aoki was awesome, he really got the crowd amped. He spent more time standing on the decks geeing up the crowd and throwing things into the audience (4 cream pies, an inflatable raft and inflatable air matress, and spraying the crowd with 4 bottles of Moet) than DJ'ing, but he was a highlight. Fat boy slim put on an awesome show and  there was Skream and Benga and Example ended the night with an epic set.

Unfortunately there isn't any photos as Reuben enjoyed himself a little too much and lost the camera his sunglasses and all his self respect in the chaos.

Just there for 1 day, Saturday. Favourites....

A few pictures captured from outside the event the next day.

It was an overcast morning instead of glorious evening

They really do it no justice at all :-(

Day 7 - Rest day in Inverness (2km)

Bike repairs and bum recovery before Rockness tomorrow.

Day 6 - Bonar Bridge to Inverness (90km)

We had a fantastic meal at Crannag Bistro last night where we had the whole place to ourselves. The head waiter was a wealth of local knowledge and gave us tips on what to do the next day. On his advice we climbed Cadha Mor hill for a clear view from Carbisdale Castle to the sea. It was a tough challenge after drinking so much of his wine and whiskey the night before.
We then had an excellent personal tour of the Bal Blair Distillary and a tasting at Glenmorangie before catching the Nigg ferry for a final roll into Inverness against rush hour traffic.
Finding accommodation in Inverness was tough and we ended up sharing a single bed in a dodgy backpackers.

Leaving Bonar Bridge by Bonar Bridge.

The View from atop Cadha Mor hill

Whiskey at Glenmorangie.

Day 5 - Betty Hill to Bonar Bridge (95km)

Departing the Betty Hill Hotel after a delicious bowl of porridge we set off to follow the scenic route to Bonar Bridge, within 3km we took a hasty left-hander and unbeknownst to us headed off into the Sottish highland wilds. "Turn back, turn back" Reuben cried but his pleading fell on deaf ears as Anne-Marie insisted on forging on. The gently rolling country road gave way to a lumpy dirt track, cattle gates and mounds of cow shit would not deter us.  Sheep bounded ahead of us and many sand traps threatened to up end our weighty steads (Anne-Marie did take a face plant on hitting a particularly deep patch of soft sand but skillfully she managed to miss the minefield of sheep poo). After 7 miles of bush bashing we rejoined the glorious sealed road and continued on our happy way.

We stopped for lunch at the Crask Inn a unique pub lost in the middle of the Scottish Highland moors. Mr Peabody served us the only thing on the menu, Pea and Ham soup and fresh home made bread with a good pot of tea. Of the 50 or so cyclists we passed going in the other direction today we met the eldest over our lunch, averaging 85 years old this group of three stalwarts have nearly finished their 1200km trek from lands end.

The ride ended with a peaceful downhill past the Falls of Shin and pretty Carbisdale Castle into Bonar Bridge.

The GoPro captures one of the gates on the sheep track

And Anne-Marie bumping along on a smoother section.

The highlands are drier here than up in the moorlands

Grumpy at the Falls of Shin, we didn't see any salmon jumping today.

Day 4 - Ride begins John O groats to Betty Hill (80km)

Our first serious ride. We are realising that riding with three months of gear is a lot slower than normal. 52 'miles' took 9 hours o.O  We did have to take up an offer for tea and biscuits at a local town hall. We visited Castle Mey, and stopped for lots of rests, photos, sightseeing and a beer at the pub in the middle of the day. Mild sunburn and 5 decent hills provided a solid first day. Tons of friendly cyclists and very considerate motorists so far.

The official start point for the John'O Groats to Lands end challenge.

Castle Mey

Anne-Marie appreciating some pretty Scottish stonework

Making lunch of a two pound sammy from Tesco among the daisies.

One of the easier hills.

Day 3 - Train to John O Groats (to the start 30km)

Having issues with the GPS so our 10km ride to the Glasgow train station in 2 hours left us 17 minutes to spare. The roads in Glasgow are appalling need some shocks. One train trip, two people, 14 tickets, these Scotts are crazy. Though we are fond of a train with a booze trolley, Metro trains in Melbourne could learn a thing or two. The train ride was long but beautiful, it seemed to cover half of the Highlands. After 'alighting' the train in Wick we rode the 17 'miles' to John'O Groats, the far North-Eastern point of the mainland. Anne-Marie is still having issues with the accent, she spent half an hour trying to work out what a bunch of heavy metal fans where saying before Reuben pointed out they were speaking Dutch.

Anne-Marie enjoying a cheap and generous coffee beside our reserved bike parking on the Inverness to Wick train.

SNOW!

8 Hours of Scotrail is enough. Almost time to ride at last.