Race to the Monster

Woke up and went downstairs for a nourishing if not slightly random breakfast then stepped outside to see what the weather had to offer. And we were pleasantly surprised. Low winds and fairly clear skies.

We decided to get moving before the weather changed its' mind, and we set off on a wonderful 25 mile cruise down to sea level, stopping on the way to admire Shin Falls which, to be frank, were rubbish. We had the obligatory photo shoot with 2 Highland Cattle, spent a mile being chased by 2 playful dogs, not to mention the lottery of a bridge being open which would save us about 10 miles. It was.

But then the climbing started. A short sharp climb took us into the hills, then the wind started. A headwind, possibly stronger than yesterday's, was to blow against us for the next 40 miles - all the way to Loch Ness.

Fortunately the rain held off but the climbing didn't. Andy W was most pleased to be "first" up the hill, only for me to reach hill and delightfully explain that we were only half way....

Eventually we both reached the summit and hit a whopping 40 mph on the way down.

I've started noticing that speed is Andy W's friend. Not only does he fly down hills, but when he rides slowly he tends to crash into things. Big, obvious things. Yesterday it was a bridge. Today it was a set of roadworks.

We stopped to pick up some food to cook at the fantastically positioned Loch Ness Hostel, and arrived about 5 o'clock. 1 mile shorter than yesterday but 2 hours longer.

Our journey takes us South West all day tomorrow. If the wind doesn't die down it could be very hard going.