The decision to camp on the lawn of the Achness Hotel was not the best one. Even before the sun went down, the midges came out in swarms, so much so that Jason decided to sleep in his van rather than his tent. I pitched my tent with not an inch of skin exposed while desperately trying to keep midges from getting inside. They are tenacious little buggers so despite my heroic efforts, the following morning I was covered in itchy welts 😡

We spent way too much time in the pub and the next morning (May 31st) we decided to get away from these minuscule monsters as quickly as possible. We threw everything in the van and found a nice windy spot to stop to boil the kettle and have breakfast. Jason’s original plan was to drop me at the trailhead and then drive back home to Derbyshire; however, the great weather we were having and the wonderful scenery prompted him to change his weekend plans and stay to see me finish the ride three days later.

My plan today was to get back onto the GB Divide route where I had left off yesterday at West Merkland and ride the route to Altnaharra, stop for lunch, and then leave the GB divide to head north to Tongue.

This was going to be a big day as the first half of the day was on gravel and there was a lot of climbing. In addition, I got a late start because it was a long drive back to the trailhead from the hotel.

I got out of the van and warily eyed the clouds ahead. I headed on up the trail hoping for the best. The clouds looked ominous.

It was a steady uphill on gravel and as I got higher, the path became rougher and the clouds lower. As I reached the loch, the ground leveled out, but was still rocky. I could see that the loch and the surrounding landscape were spectacular, but I would have been able to see much more on a clear day. The cloud ceiling was low and I was in fog with misty rain and blustery conditions for much of the first few miles. It was slow going and I frequently walked to avoid an accident on the rough rocks. I doubted there would be another person on this trail for the rest of the day.

Despite the dreadful conditions, I enjoyed the ride and took some photos when there was a gap in the fog.

The path started to descend and I eventually passed through a sheep farm and onto a path through a pine forest before reaching the paved but deserted Strathmore Hope Road that goes from Alnaharra up to Ben Hope, the most northerly of the Scottish Munros (defined as a Scottish mountain over 3000ft/914.4m above sea level), and Loch Hope.

Strathmore means big valley in Gaelic. It was inhabited for approximately 2000 years until the land was cleared for sheep in the 19th century. I passed the mystical Loch Meadie and followed the paved road to Altnaharra, where I had scheduled to meet Jason for lunch.

The Alnaharra Hotel was closed for a special event but the very kind chef allowed me to use the bathroom and offered to make us coffee; however, we decided to put the kettle on in the car park where Jason had parked his van. After lunch I started heading north to our destination of Tongue on the north coast.

The A836 was relatively quiet but I could imagine it would get busy at weekends. The 16 mile ride to Tongue was windy and ruggedly beautiful. For approximately four of those miles I cycled along the edge of the beautiful Loch Loyal.

This part of the highlands is known as The Flow Country. It is a large blanket of peat that is home to a number of rare plants and birds. Interestingly it has just been designated a World Heritage Site but that was in July and after I cycled through it.

After a mostly, cold, cloudy and windy day, the wind dropped and the sun came out as I arrived in the coastal town of Tongue. I met Jason, who had secured us a spot in the lovely Kyle of Tongue campsite that has amazing views of Ben Loyal and Ben Hope. After pitching our tents and a much needed hot shower, we headed into Tongue village for dinner in a local pub.

This was an outstanding day: Amazing scenery and some challenging weather and cycling conditions, but I had arrived on the north coast of Scotland! 🚴🏽‍♀️🥳