Trip to Scotland - Sept 2009 Day 4 - Tongue to Blairgowrie

It's 7am and outside it's looking overcast and gloomy. However, the forecast suggests cloud and no rain. I hope that they are right because the rain would certainly dampen my progress.

My route south is to Inverness. Depending upon time and weather, I shall branch off to see the Loch Ness monster (!) and from there head into the Cairngorms dropping down past Balmoral castle and then south to my destination of Blairgowrie; the end of my Scottish Highland trip :-(

Right, must get up ready for my kippers for breakfast !
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After a fine breakfast of kippers; I left the excellent B&B (Rhian House) in Tongue and headed south on the A836 though Sutherland; an isolated place with sheep grazing on either side of the road. Unlike the other mornings on this trip, a fine rain was falling constantly, but not enough to warrant my waterproofs. Provided I kept moving my wind shield would keep the rain off me; and it did. I soon returned to the single track road which, so you southerners (!) can appreciate it, is about as wide as a narrow’ish country lane. The key difference being that one has great visibility and so cruising at around 50 was comfortable. What I found amusing though was that on coming cars would insist (very politely, and doubtless correctly) upon pulling into the nearest passing bay to allow me through. However, on the few occasions that neither the car nor I yielded, I proved that there was easily enough room for the two of us. On one occasion a car pulled over and I would swear that you could have driven a coach through; more than enough for the two of us. Ah well.

The A836 runs south for around 40 miles and then, across Bonar Bridge, beyond which one peals off again onto a smaller B road heading south west for Inverness. I had decided that I would take a look at Loch Ness so I set a destination south west of Inverness to allow me to drive beside the western shores. Well I had a romantic pictures of how Loch Ness would be, but in point of fact, it was like all other lochs, and the road was in a state of repair with numerous road works holding up one's tour.

The rain had now stopped and I headed through Inverness bound for the Cairngorms. However, by about midday, the rain had started again and this time I donned my waterproof gear. What is a shame is that the ride ahead was known to be (and was) very challenging technically rising and falling with multiple bends; some of which could catch out the unwary. Because the weather dampened everything, I rode steadily and carefully passing Balmoral castle and noticing that the police have prohibited stopping for a certain stretch. The road rises once again and this time up to a ski centre coming down from which was quite taxing offering a steep and undulating road of variable surface with tight bends to make things interesting. In the dry - tricky; in the wet - just get through it. I did. What was amusing however, was the rather quaint signs showing bends ahead above which was an outline of someone on a motorcycle dating from the 1950s. Quite what this was trying to say is anyone’s guess; however let us assume that it meant “be carful”.

Finally into Blairgowrie and my final Scottish B&B. I have already covered 1400 miles and noticed that yesterday I do not cover 324 miles as suggested; it was 348! Today, around 240 but these were hard miles. It’ll make my trip down to Leamington Spa tomorrow seem “a walk in the park”!