Distance - 83 miles
Total distance - 202 miles
Average speed - 11.9 mph
Time - 7 hrs
Another good day on the bike. Generally the terrain was easier going than yesterday. However, I'm still shattered.
After another 7am alarm call we managed to stock up on a full English breakfast, before leaving the B&B around 8.45am. We made good time straight away, managing 14 miles in the first hour.
Then a few hours later and about 10 miles short of Inverness we took our first wrong turning of the trip, in an attempt to avoid the dual carriageway. It cost us a few extra miles but was quite a laugh. Then we navigated into Inverness and ate lunch outside the rail station where we transferred trains a couple of days ago. Initially I thought this would be a nice mileatone, but it ended up feeling like I hadn't really made it anywhere!
Anyway, after lunch we made towards the Great Glen and our destination for the day, along the A82. It was a fairly busy road at times, but nothing too bad. We cycled beside Loch Ness for 30 miles, but unfortunately didn't see the monster. Of course I'm sure he was there somewhere. Maybe the bus loads of tourists may have had more luck.
After reaching Fort Augustus, we decided to head for another 7 miles towards Invergarry. It was at this point that I found the going really tiring and my knees started to give me some difficulties. However, with the encouragement of witnessing a swing bridge in motion (encouragement can come from the smallest of things) we soon made it to Invergarry. We then found the campsite which Gareth had booked for us earlier today. What we hadn't been told was that it was the other side of the village up a massive hill. After a slog of 15 minutes we made it and checked in with a lovely chap (Duncan?) who charged us £12 for pitching our tent and then gave us £10 towards Macmillan. A hugely generous donation from someone we had only just met. After cycling back into the village with just our bikes - unloaded, which was an absolute luxury - we had a quick pint and a meal at the local before trudging back towards the campsite.
The sunset was beginning to look pretty spectacular, but then you have to consider whether you'd rather watch a spectacular sunset or have your face destroyed by midges. So here I finish the blog in the refuge of the tent. The campsite owner also provided a very good shower so it isn't too smelly. But it is a tired tent. So we should sleep and wonder what tomorrow shall bring. Probably more biking.
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