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.

Day 2 - Lots of planes (28000km lol)

We had a two hour stopover in Doha where duty free Alcohol is Cheap! Anne-Marie's blonde locks and low neckline drew a lot of attention. I am personally recommending all the white wines in the Heathrow terminal 5. Arrived in Glasgow with all baggage, enormous success was had. The bike boxes took a beating but the bikes survived unscathed. Built our bikes and rode them all of 10 meters to the Holiday Inn. Anne-Marie is having a lot of trouble with the Scottish accents, nod and smile, nod and smile. Where as I talk too fast and the poor Scottish folks have no idea what I'm on about.

Qatar airways goodies bag.

Cycle box a little worse for wear after 28000km.

All built and ready to sleep, struggling with a 10:30pm sunset.

Day 1 - Ready, Set, Fly...

Ready and packed we are on our way to John O Groats, Scotland. (via Doha, London, Glasgow, Inverness and Wick). Travelling with Qatar Airways (a five star airline, at the least that's what they tell you over and over while your waiting to speak to someone on the phone about taking bikes, 60kg between the two of us, as many pieces as we want, bikes included, our total 54kg. We are a little tired. I worked at the hospital and Roo spent the day boxing bikes, hungover.. (thanks Anthony and Rob).

At the airport with our paniers and bike boxes. Those reflectors are working. No make-up for Anne-Marie (ran out of time),

Qatar Airlines - all class