Friday, June 23, 2017
Drumnadrochit to Lairg, Scotland
61 miles, 3,186 feet of climbing
You know you're on a tough guy bike trip when your route begins with a category 3 climb right out of the box, right after breakfast. I'm proud to say I was able to make it up the climb, even though my stomach and my legs were having a competition to see which one could hurt me the most. I recovered pretty well, and the rest of the ride flowed smoothly. We encountered two other, more gentle climbs later in our route, which led to some spectacular views. I got caught under a rain cloud just before I crested the top of the final climb. It rained fairly steadily for about 10 minutes, and then the sun came out, dried everything up (including me), and it was like it hadn't rained at all.
Art & I stopped at a cafe/general store in a small town called Ardgay for a bite of lunch. For the final 12 miles of our route, we rode with a stiff crosswind that slowed down our pace considerably. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant ride, mostly on a cycle path. Lairg is situated adjacent to Loch Shin, and we rode lochside right into town.
We had a delightful and fun group dinner at the Lairg Highland Hotel. It was a wonderful way to end an amazing and challenging day on the bike.
 |
| Elevation profile of today's ride (note snarky climb at start) |
 |
| Heading up the climb |
 |
| Clouds come and go - you just never know which ones are going to burst into tears |
 |
| View of the firth (bay) from the top of the last climb |
 |
| My BFF rolling into Lairg - Loch Shin at left |
 |
| Duck house on Loch Shin |
 |
| Lairg |
 |
| Apple crumble cake with custard for dessert! |
No comments:
Post a Comment