“We don’t get much call for sunscreen around here”, said the man in the Foyers Store when Tony asked for some lip balm containing sunscreen. Plenty of midge spray though.
Tried taking a photo of the panorama of Loch Ness, but some weird creature in the foreground photo bombed the picture, which totally spoiled it so had to delete it.
Day 5: Total miles-177. We have now come off Cycle Route 1 and have joined Route 78.
The B&B where we are staying has a Wee Whisky Bar that boasts 100 different kinds of whisky. Just had a taster of Mackinchie. It was in row #3 at £5.50. The 4th and last row didn’t have prices! We currently look out over the middle of Loch Ness. It’s raining…we’re warm and dry. Life is good.
We are settling in to a routine now and having new scenery every day makes the miles melt away. The bikes are behaving themselves and apart from losing a shoe cleat screw, we have not had any problems. We are still able to ‘get in the saddle’ every morning. The old knees are a bit tender but they were before so we’re not counting that. The wind has continued to follow us which has made the difference between a very pleasant ride and a nightmare.
Stopping, stretching and eating/ drinking every hour, whether we are hungry or not seems to be the best plan. We went too long today and suddenly you realize that the tank is near empty.
We passed through Inverness again today. An old boy asked “Where are ye from if ya don’t mind me askin’?” He was 87 and was delighted that we were from Canada. He fought alongside Canadians in Korea and said ‘they took great care’of him. It would have been so nice to chat longer but (once again) we were freezing and had to get going.
Our B&B experience has been very good. We met more campers today. The weather has not been their friend. We are still respectfully declining the black pudding and haggis for breakfast!
It’s the first time we’d seen this flag. The unicorn has been a symbol in Scottish history for over 1000 years. On the UK and Scottish coats of arms it has a chain around its neck. Scotland see the chain as a form of subjugation. Find out more on the Unchain the Unicorn web page.
I am so enjoying your blog, you two! The kids and I marvel at your ever adventuresome spirit and fortitude! I feel like I would have played the part of the dour Scottish old gal who was admonishing you regarding the storms…but you just keep going, with smiles on your faces. Maybe you should publish your adventure upon your return for others who may be brave to do this trip also. I love the witty and upbeat style of your writing…..e.g. Margaret having a “spiritual” experience!
Keep up the informative posts for those of us who prefer to experience this adventure vicariously!