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A very calm night but a nightmare of
midges in the morning. Everything was covered in them; the tent, all
the gear and me. I was glad to get packed up and on my way to an
insect free ride. It was a bright morning with good views and some
sun on the distant mountains. It was a delight to ride down the A87
towards Bun Loyne. Before there I was riding above Loch Loyne and
when I got to its eastern end realised that it was a reservoir for a
hydro scheme. At the bottom of the descent I turned left and
continued on the A87 which immediately started to climb to another
dam, this time creating Loch Cluanie. The level was probably about
10m down. |
The cairnmakers have been here |
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Glen Shiel below the battle site |
The road was good,
fast, wide and thankfully with not much traffic. When I’d left the
Loch behind I was riding through a narrowing Glen Shiel. The best
mountain views were to the left and it was interesting picking out
some of the paths heading up the mountain sides. I stopped briefly
in a lay-bye to look att he line of the old road going over the
River Shiel. A ‘battle’ signpost pointed generally to the area of
the Battle of Glenshiel in 1719. |
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The Battle
of Glen Shiel. 10 June 1719, between British government
troops and an alliance of Jacobites and Spaniards, resulting
in a victory for the government forces. It was the last
close engagement of British and foreign troops on mainland
Great Britain. |
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Eilean Donan castle |
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When I reached Shiel Bridge I rode
round the corner to see the wonderful panorama of Loch Duich which
is a sea Loch. There was also the wonderful smell of the sea. The
road follows the Loch side for a while then over a causeway to cut
out the detour through Morvich. I continued on the A87 and although
I knew the Eilean Donan castle was ahead it came as a surprise when
it appeared in front of me. Some sunshine had started to break
through so when I reached the entrance to the car park I couldn’t
help but cycle in, especially as a boy in highland dress was playing
the bagpipes. There were lots of tourists about but they were just
enjoying the views the same as me. It was an enjoyable break but I
had to press on. |
Ross & Cromarty |
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Strathcarron Railway Station |
A few miles further
along the A87 I turned right on to the A890 and immediately started
to climb. The sun came out again and it got rather warm so I changed
to a short sleeved top and shorts. When I got to the top of the pass
the long descent was surprisingly cold. I came to the view of Loch
Caron ahead. A long way below I could see the railway to the Kyle of
Lochalsh but it would be several miles before the road descended
down to it. It was a nice ride along the Loch side on a mix of
single track road with passing places and normal road. I crossed the
level crossing at Strathcarron then on to Lochcarron. Riding in to
the village was strange as a busy golf course spans both sides of
the road. |
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There was a nice Spar shop in the
village so I called in to buy a small bar of chocolate and a can of
cider for my tea. An elderly gentleman tried to sell me a raffle
ticket for some future event. I explained I was only passing
through. The road ahead was the A896 and that was yet again another
climb. However, it was a very good road and not too difficult to get
over. For a short while I rode along the shore of Loch Kishorn then
came to the left turn to Applecross. |
Up Bealach na Ba towards Applecross |
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Approaching the top of the pass |
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It’s been many years since I was last
on this road and never on a bike. I remember the very step climb up
and wondered how things would be on a fully loaded touring bike. The
first part climbed gently above the loch and even as I headed up
towards the main climb in the valley the single track road gradient
wasn’t too bad. I was lulled into a false sense of security for
about half the ascent until I came to a natural rock self in the
valley. The road gradient suddenly steepened and up ahead I could
see a series of steep switch backs that are more suited to the Alps.
When my speed had dropped to 4mph I decided that walking was the
best option. Pushing the bike up is much less tiring and I only lost
about 1 or 2miles per hour. Approaching the top the gradient eased
and I was able to continue riding. The work was worth it as the
summit car park looked Over the Sea to Skye. A water supply was soon
found and a good pitch for the tent with a good view of the Isle of
Skye. |
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View from the tent. Storm clouds
heading in from the Isle of Skye |
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Whittle Wanderer