Outer Hebrides and North Coast 500. Looking for advice.

[Andre Jute]

Enjoy Inverness and thanks for sharing your journey.

+1. Enjoying your trip vicariously, Ron.

I used to like the Albert Hotel in Nairn.* "I'll have a smokie," I said to the waiter at breakfast because the menu refused to come into focus, and that's a safe order in Scotland. He brought me a fish that hung over a large plate at both ends. "And cancel my order for everything else." I ate the entire fish and my hangover mysteriously abated.

*Past tense, because it is probably thirty years since I was there last, and hotels do change hands or even generations.

[PH]

Sorry your earlier report was lost, if you didn't catch my reply I was mostly commiserating on the midges.  Sounds like you've had a great trip.
Glad the Crask Inn is still offering the same level of service and friendliness as the previous occupiers.  We called in for a pint and ended up camping on the lawn and enjoying dinner and breakfast there.

[RonS]

 As some of you know, my parting gift form Scotland was a case of Covid, my first, hence the delay in this trip report. It was a mild case, fortunately, but it delayed the completion of the chores that awaited my return. I’m all better, and caught up, so let’s get to it.

I had great luck with the weather, considering Scotland’s reputation. With the exception of my last full day of riding, I had only two 2hr drenchings, and 2 days on the Hebrides where it would shower for 10 minutes and then dry out. Daytime temperatures were mostly in the low teens, and 5 days approached 20. I did find out my 2 degree sleeping bag is hopelessly overrated, as anything below 10, which was almost every night, I was cold. I guess a new bag will be my next big expense. The wind wizards were not as kind to me, as I only had the wind at my back maybe 4 days out of 22.

 I arrived at my hotel in Inverness at 2230hr on Monday Sept 3 and had a great sleep, having been awake for 30 odd hours. The Travelodge Inverness Fairways was kind enough to hold my bike box until my return. Tuesday morning I built up the bike, headed to the local ASDA for a SIM card  (£15 for 50gb. One of the few things less expensive in the UK than Canada) and a full Scottish at their cafe (I only had them twice. That’s a lotta meat!), I was off.

 Part one of the trip was to head to Oban, where I would meet my daughter and her partner, take the ferry to Castlebay, and ride the Outer Hebrides. For this I merely had to follow the signs for NC78, The Caledonia Way. Except for a 5 mile detour on the A82 due to forestry work, and another detour up a gravel forestry track because of work on a hydroelectric generating station, I barely had to pull out the map. It’s a beautiful ride. I’d like to complete the route to Campbeltown one day. Here are a few pics from the ride.

1 We’re off! Singletrack road through the farmland near Inverness

2  High above Loch Ness before the big descent into Fort Augustus

3  The Caledonian Canal path

4  A lovely morning near Oban

Next instalment; The Outer Hebrides

[Andre Jute]

Thanks for sharing, Ron. There's an eery, otherworldly quality to your photo taken near Oban. Superb! Looking forward to the next section of your tour.

[Paralog]

I was on the Outer Hebrides this summer from Vancouver island and one thing i used was a prepurchased railcard. I bought the 2 month one that allowed 15 days of travel and it did stop any ticketing hassles. If you are using the trains, it can be a bit of a nightmare especially on the mainline ones as the can be limited space for bikes. The glasgow- oban train was about the best as it has a coach set up for bikes. They want you to pre book and get a ticket for your bike which is really a pain. I was told the train from Aberdeen to York had no space and they would not issue a ticket. I just jumped on and i was the only bike on the train for most of the journey.
If you are in Inverness it is worth visiting the Culloden battle field site its a short ride from town. I rode from Ullapool to Garve, excellent ride but with a big long hill.

[RonS]

I rode from Ullapool to Garve, excellent ride but with a big long hill.

Yes, that hill is the real deal. Did you catch a train at Garve? I wanted to, but the Scotrail app thwarted my efforts to book a spot for the bike.

There's an eery, otherworldly quality to your photo taken near Oban. 

Thanks, Andre. The ambient light seems to have fooled the white balance on the phone, but I liked the results.


 The outer Hebrides may have been my favourite part of the trip, not least because I was joined on that stretch by my daughter and her partner. The scenery was spectacular and varied. I didn't make it “tip to tip” because the wind was just too strong in our faces and we didn't cover as much ground as was planned.

 We spent six full days and two partial days on the islands. Accommodations were in commercial campgrounds, with one Gatliff trust hostel. In Stornoway we took advantage of a cabin at the local campground because the weather had turned quite windy and cold with showers. All the campgrounds had excellent facilities, with kitchens that we could use, and friendly hosts. When we arrived at the campsite, which was 8 miles out of town, on Saturday afternoon, the owner said “I’m just headed to the shops. Would you like to come along? Everything will be shut tomorrow.” Such a kind offer. Fortunately, we knew about Sunday on the Hebrides, and had stopped at the grocery on the way.

Please enjoy some pics from the ride.

1 Arriving at Castlebay from Oban

2 Loganair flight 451 at Barra airport. The only one in the world with scheduled flights that uses the beach for a runway. There were more tourists photographing the flight than passengers on the plane!

3 Riding across North Uist

4 Climbing the giant hill out of Tarbert

[PH]

Excellent photos and reports Ron, makes me want to go back!  I've ridden the Fort Augustus road in both directions, it's a lot more fun going down!

[John Saxby]

Esp liked the photo of the hill out of Tarbet, Ron. Brilliant colours & depth of sky and sea. Isles of the Blest indeed.

Cheers, John

[in4]

As I did The Hebridean Way from north to south I rode that Clisham hill toward Tarbert. It was a beast! I was banjaxed pulling in to the servo at Tarbert. I bought a pie there and asked if there was a campsite near by. The lady answered no but, pointing across the road, you can camp on our croft. Thus it came to pass Ian had the best, exclusive campsite with stunning views. A couple staying at a cottage nearby gave me cake as well. Happy days!

[John Saxby]

As the kids would say, Ian, "Wowzers!!"

[in4]

As the kids would say, Ian, "Wowzers!!"

I believe ‘sick’ and ‘dope’ are also in the kids vernacular these days. Brat, both as a verb and noun too. My grasp of Middle English whithers by the day in the face of such an assault!
Forsooth! The kettle clicketh oft and I must wend my way to a bowl of sops. 😉

[RonS]

   I've ridden the Fort Augustus road in both directions, it's a lot more fun going down! 

When I was screaming down that hill, one of my thoughts ( besides wheeeeee!) was that I wouldn't want to ride up it!

Esp liked the photo of the hill out of Tarbet, Ron.

That was another brutal hill. Strava said it was the third biggest continuous climb I'd ever done. The Aussie who ran the coffee wagon in Tarbert was a cyclist. He told me to remember to look back and not just grind up the hill. Good advice.

As I did The Hebridean Way from north to south I rode that Clisham hill toward Tarbert. It was a beast! I was banjaxed pulling in to the servo at Tarbert. I bought a pie there and asked if there was a campsite near by. The lady answered no but, pointing across the road, you can camp on our croft. Thus it came to pass Ian had the best, exclusive campsite with stunning views. A couple staying at a cottage nearby gave me cake as well. Happy days!

If that Clisham hill is the one I'm thinking of (leaving Loch Shipoirt) that would have been a beast indeed to climb. It was so windy when we descended it we had to creep down for fear of being blown off the road. That was a lovely campsite you lucked upon!

 After my daughter and her partner took the bus from Ullapool to head home I took a day off (and bought a toque and warmer socks!) then headed south to join the North Coast 500, circling back to Ullapool four days later. I did not ride over the famous Bealach na Ba, having previously decided it was beyond my fitness level. When I arrived in Shieldag for a coffee, I met four young, fit road cyclists who had come over. They told me I hadn't missed anything as it was torrential rain, cold, and zero visibility at the top. I also had my one and only encounter with the infamous Scottish midges at the campground in Torridon. Luckily, I had a head net with me, but the beasties did manage to chew a ring around my legs, just below my knees in the tiny space between my knickers and knee socks. Next time I will be more generous with the Smidge! From Ullapool, I headed north towards the tip of Scotland. I took a day off at at Achmelvich Beach, mainly because my inflatable pillow had sprung a leak in the night and I woke up with such a horrible sore neck I couldn't ride. At least my day off was at a campsite with nice facilities and a beautiful beach. And it was sunny. And when I returned home, my pillow was replaced under warranty.

Here are some photos from that section of the trip. 

1 Overlooking Loch Torridon. The bike looks freshly washed because the sun had come out after 2 hours of torrential rain.

2 Between Torridon and Laide, the scenery was amazingly similar to the Rocky Mountain foothills of southern Alberta

3 and 4 Lochs between Ullapool and Lochinver

FYI, taking the bikes on the  bus from Ullapool was easy. Scottish City Link provided a stretchy bag to cover the bike and the driver had saved half of the luggage bay for my daughter and her partner to put the bikes and panniers. As almost all the passengers are coming off the ferry from Stornoway, the bus also waits when the ferry is late, as ours was.

[John Saxby]

The Scottish Tourism Board should give you a hefty honorarium for those photos, Ron!

(My sceptical ancestors are muttering "Cooked! Redone in the lab!" -- ignore the doubters. )

Cheers, mate.
 

[B cereus]

Thanks for the report and the photos Ron, Scotland's hard to beat when the sun is shining.

If that Clisham hill is the one I'm thinking of (leaving Loch Shipoirt) that would have been a beast indeed to climb. It was so windy when we descended it we had to creep down for fear of being blown off the road. That was a lovely campsite you lucked upon!

Presumably that would be where the road descends towards Scaladale. By coincidence it’s  also where I was blown off the road. Three of us had spent the previous day sheltering from the weather at Reinigidal but by the following  morning we judged that the wind had eased enough for us to continue. Once we reached the main road and turned north we were enjoying a massive tail wind and were sailing along at 40 kilometres an hour. We began the  descent towards Scaladale and, at the point where the road swings round a long hairpin bend, we caught a massive downdraught as it funnelled down  Glen Scaladale. We were all three of us blown across the road and and ended up on to the opposite verge. Luckily there were no oncoming vehicles.

[RonS]

"Cooked! Redone in the lab!"

I'm no photographer, John, but " I can fix it in post!"

We were all three of us blown across the road and and ended up on to the opposite verge. Luckily there were no oncoming vehicles.

I can definitely relate to that. In a post that disappeared due to a forum technical glitch, I described how when nearing Achnasheen, my destination for the day, the wind unceremoniously blew me right off the road. Twice.  With no shelter from the wind, no room at the bunkhouse, and not wishing to have my tent destroyed, I stayed at the Ledgowan  Lodge for the bargain price of £190. I later learned that the manager had indeed given me a deal, as the booking.com price was £310. Dinner (extra) and breakfast (included) were wonderful, though.



 My last week was spent with an eye to the weather forecast. The overnights were becoming too cold for my inadequate, sleeping bag and much rain was forecast to be on the way. As a result, when I reached Tongue, I pointed the bike south and started heading back for Inverness. The campsite at Tongue was the last time I camped. I spent the next night at the Crask Inn  (previously described and highly recommended), the following night in Tain at a B&B and then reached Inverness where I stayed at the Black Isle hostel. I spent a day playing tourist in Inverness and rode out to the Culloden battlefield on my way back to the hotel that had stored my bike box for me. Then it was up at 0430 for the long journey home. I have to say I’m not a fan of Heathrow Terminal 5.

 And that's it! I had a great time. Any negative experiences were mostly do to my lack of fitness. The Highlands are……hilly! I only had one day where it rained from start to end, and that was my last day riding from Tain to Inverness. That’s probably pretty lucky for Scotland. There were no mechanical problems (naturally) with Nozomi the Raven.

Here are some photos to close things out. I may do a post later of pics that didn”t make it into round one, but I like, or have a good story to go with them.

1  Alt Cranaidh waterfall. It’s a 15 min hike over mud and rocks to get here, so there aren’t many tourists.

2  I thought this was a loch, but it’s just an unnamed ( on GoogleMaps) river flowing into Loch Laxford

3  Coastline near Durness

4 Lucky rainbow on my last morning. If you look carefully you can see the rocks in the river bottom. The River Ness is 100m across but only 1m deep as it flows through Inverness towards Beauly Firth.