Enough of the A9, today I wanted some quieter cycling. The wind had dropped to almost nothing (see photo taken from the Dornoch Firth bridge) as I left the excellent Auchlea BnB and dropped down into the town. Dornoch is a lovely little town with a Church of Scotland cathedral (pictured yesterday), a jail museum and an internationally renowned golf course. An almost traffic free lane takes you to the bridge but once across the Firth a minor road leads down to Tain. From there I followed National Cycle Route 1 through quiet roads round the peninsula to Nigg. Expecting nothing there I was surprised to find a huge oil depot beyond which was my goal, the Nigg ferry. Dating back to William I, for whom it had strategic importance, it was used subsequently by James IV to visit a nearby shrine. My £5.50 as the only passenger would hardly pay for the fuel let alone the two crew (Pic of jetty with ferry arriving). Route 1 took a fairly circuitous route across the Black Isle to North Kessock where the A9 was the only option to cross the Moray Firth to Inverness, but a segregated cycle path was provided.
Stopping to offer help to a stranded lone cyclist with broken spokes and a misaligned wheel, I asked where he was heading. "Well I was hoping to get home to Germany" came the reply. I left him folding his bike - yes really, a high end commuter cycle it looked like - and trying to stop a vehicle going to the nearest bike shop at Dingwall.
After following both the Garmin and then Google round in circles in a busy industrial area of Inverness I followed my nose and after a sandwich by the River Ness / Caledonian Canal headed along an almost deserted east bank of Loch Ness, a very pleasant ride. Registration number of the trip so far, on a late model Range Rover no less, NE55BNB, so tourism must be doing ok.
After a stop by the water (see selfie) I left the loch and headed up a two mile climb and a ridge ride to my destination. By the loch was a procession of vintage Citroens, up on the hill the German Porsche Owners' Club came screaming by before I reached the isolated Whiteridge Hotel (pics of/from bridge alongside). As it's five miles from the nearest pub I'll be staying here - with the quiet road detours I clocked up 78 miles today. Tomorrow my route crosses the country to Fort William and Glencoe which should be a great day but the weather may not be as good as today, clear although still only about 12 degrees.
Stopping to offer help to a stranded lone cyclist with broken spokes and a misaligned wheel, I asked where he was heading. "Well I was hoping to get home to Germany" came the reply. I left him folding his bike - yes really, a high end commuter cycle it looked like - and trying to stop a vehicle going to the nearest bike shop at Dingwall.
After following both the Garmin and then Google round in circles in a busy industrial area of Inverness I followed my nose and after a sandwich by the River Ness / Caledonian Canal headed along an almost deserted east bank of Loch Ness, a very pleasant ride. Registration number of the trip so far, on a late model Range Rover no less, NE55BNB, so tourism must be doing ok.
After a stop by the water (see selfie) I left the loch and headed up a two mile climb and a ridge ride to my destination. By the loch was a procession of vintage Citroens, up on the hill the German Porsche Owners' Club came screaming by before I reached the isolated Whiteridge Hotel (pics of/from bridge alongside). As it's five miles from the nearest pub I'll be staying here - with the quiet road detours I clocked up 78 miles today. Tomorrow my route crosses the country to Fort William and Glencoe which should be a great day but the weather may not be as good as today, clear although still only about 12 degrees.
Love the hi vis jacket officer
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