Down the Middle – Page 5 – Travelling reflections

2DTM Bonar Bridge to Inverness

More expensive doesn’t equate to better. We’d booked the Glen Mhor Hotel in 2019 for a 2020 cycling trip as a treat at the end. Trip didn’t happen of course: the Glen Mhor was the only venue not to refund. So we’re using the booking tonight, and paying an extra £40 to do so. Service mediocre, room okish – the one seat riles me. Last night the Dunroamin was a bit frayed at the edges and basic. Service excellent, really friendly and welcoming. I stay there again.

It was interesting chatting with the land lady in Bonar Bridge. Just outside is a huge building: Carbisdale Castle For a long while it was a youth hostel. What you don’t get from the internet is it was good for the town: rented out for weddings the oldies didn’t fancy bunk beds so stayed in town. I liked it only has a clock face on three sides of the tower. The Duchess of Sutherland it was built for didn’t want a clock face towards the Sutherland estate as she didn’t want to give them the time of day.

Today we followed NCN1 south to Inverness. The three forths were our companions: Dornoch, Cromarty, Beauly. The rolling hills were well manicured with crops and grazing cattle. The fluffy clouds set them off nicely.

Cat’s eyes. When did we start to remove them. On the 2 miles we shared with the A9 traffic they felt a good barrier between us on the edge and the cars, though it wasn’t too busy. A lot quieter though was the old declassified road which tumbled down to a B and C with the opening of the new. Ideal for us to potter along.

No meandering on the Kessock Bridge. Barely time to get our breathe back from climbing back up to access it, the fiery cross wind gave a grippy cycle ride.

All too soon in Inverness and the delightful Glen Mhor. I half expect them to charge us to get the bikes out from their laundry room storage. Though, to be fair, we were allowed to take them to our room, on the second floor up a windy staircase. We declined.

Excellent paella in nearby Tortilla restaurant, and sitting in the sunshine in the street. It’s a life!

Down the Middle, Scotland, UK

1DTM Bettyhill to Bonar Bridge

DTM

The breakfast power cut reminded us of previous stays in Bettyhill. It also the into sharp relief the new pressures of cashless. We’d paid the night before: without power the owner didn’t have access to who had eaten what, nor the means to charge them.

Today is straightforward navigating. Follow the river Naver south, through Strathnaver then swap to the River Shin. In between there ate vast sways of the Flow Country: carbon sinks, covering the Altnaharra estate.

The A road through Bettyhill is a bumpy mess. The B road through Strathnaver is smooth: we get into the swing of passing places and most drivers are patient. Adrenaline levels run a little high: as we turned onto this road a sign said “Road Closed”. This turned out to be 20 miles further on. Luckily the workers let cyclists through: explains why the postman wasn’t happy with his 40mile detour. It also means the road is exceptionally quiet. I hope they’ve finished by the time I return cycling up this road in September!

The Crask Inn is in the middle of nowhere. It’s owned by the Church of Scotland: the congregation must be outnumbered by sheep. We’d passed hill side workings on pristine land: wind turbines. This turns out to be a scheme which will benefit the local community to tune if £9million/yr

You can do it!

The Falls of Shin are an amazing demonstration of the power of nature. Salmon one way, water the other. I came here in 1963 as a 5year old: somewhere there’s a photo my Dad took of salmon leaping. Hope he’d be pleased with my effort today.

The wider A road, no longer single track, is a reintroduction to reality.

Down the Middle, Scotland

0DTM Wick to Bettyhill

Setting off

A good start. Grey and dry, windy and on our backs for most of the day. The 52 miles took in a great variety of scenery, most of it peat bog.

What I always find fascinating here is the flagstone fencing. Flagstone were quarried here and shipped across the UK.

The first time we were on these roads they were being resurfaced (EU funded off course). Evidently that hasn’t happened again in the intervening 21 years. There’s little evidence of the fibre optic cable they were laying in 2015: good connectivity to help the communities.

Facilities

The North Coast 500 is evident through the numerous signs. Though thankfully not today’s traffic. What it means is that even on a Highland Sunday there are coffee stops open. Bins abound That fibre cable and Covid19 means cashless too is the norm: not too long ago the hotels only accepted cash or cheques, avoiding credit card fees.

Michael tells me the Duncan side of the family originated from the Bettyhill area. That probably explains the good availability of public toilets. Bettyhill is quite a dispersed wee village. The hotel has come on a wee bit since we first stayed here. The windows close. Looks like done people haven’t moved from tbe bar in 21 years. Excellent jukebox: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils is on. Just a shame our room is above it…….

Down the Middle, Scotland

Getting closer

Good to go

We drove parallel to our later route down, though in the other direction. Thankfully our cycling route is on the NCN network, not the main A9. The road works (dualling for some reason) gave us plenty of time to absorb the landscape as tbe peaks start to build.

Aviemore was bustling, with a dusting of snow still visible. Tain was a history lesson. Whilst William was setting his mark on English 1066 history, Malcolm111 was granting Tain a Royal Charter. Are the Turkish hairdressers a legacy from the crusades?

Tain

Arriving in Wick, we’re staying near Telford’s 1807 bridge. Just off the world’s shortest (at 6’9″) street. Ebenezer street. This is South of the z River, a town designed to commission by Telford. It was built as a herring town, becoming Europe’s largest and then decline.

A wander around educates. Lowry painted two recognisable pieces here. The first daylight air raid of WW2 bombed a street. There’s an active civil society running alongside the active sub cultures hanging out the pubs. The Newtown is a bit dilapidated: presumably no new work on the wealth creating scale of herring ever arrived.

Bikes unpacked, van dropped off. Fed. Watered. Waterproofs out. Good to go.

Cycling, Down the Middle, England, Scotland, Wales

The journey north

….is by van with the bikes enjoying a free ride in the back. We’re getting our surfeit of main A roads and Motorways. These will hopefully be offset by the quieter roads we’ve (we think!) we’ve plotted on the pedal south.