From your correspondent; the Yorkshireman in the pack
After months of planning and hard work by the admin team, we all gathered at Inverness Castle under blue skies and sunshine, ready to make a start on our 9 day odyssey. Mark Beaumont, the Round-the-World cyclist, was joining us for the morning and was happily chatting and signing gilets for some of the competitors. The previous night he’d given us an inspirational talk and advice on how to tackle a multi-day ride and joined us for informal chat over dinner. After every conceivable group photo, the first group set off toward Beauly with Mark.
We managed to take the first right turn, which Mark had missed when riding the route in one go when it first opened, and we were off. After a few miles, Mark had arranged to drop back to ride a little with each consecutive group before returning for a media appointment at the Etape Caledonia. He did seem quite disappointed not to be coming with us. Group 2 made an early stop in the Bad Girls Café at Muir of Ord, where we heard tales of fantastic cakes. The roads were getting a little busy, but improved as we peeled off the main road at Muir of Ord and began a small climb (one chain derailed) and pressed on to a wee shed at Tarves. Good coffee and breakfast rolls out in the sun and we were soon joined by all of the other groups on the road. No mis-haps and all moving well. Nick did a little drone filming here (so that’s what was in his rucksack), and all we felt slightly odd being watched from above by this oversized insect.
We made our second turn of the day at Garve and on towards Achnasheen. The wind was picking up as we rolled along some pretty rough tarmac. We opted for another stop with fine Cullen Skink in fine surroundings at the Ledgowan Lodge Hotel. Here we met up with group 2 who had passed us in Tarves, and soon by everyone else. The next stage was a push into the wind before we began to descend to the rutted, single-track road towards Lochcarron. Through the last of the ancient forest and eventually toward the sea loch side for a final few miles to our halt for the night at the Lochcarron Hotel, for most of us anyway.
Taking Mark’s advice we raided the local store of all its sandwiches, mini-cheeses and milk to wash down a brew of tea and wait for everyone to roll in. Sitting in the sunshine a couple of us gingerly descended the seaweed-strewn jetty to paddle in the sea water, having ridden coast to coast in one day. Soon enough everyone rolled in, with no tales of daring do, just one puncture to report, and an appreciation of 65 miles covered and one good dry day to get us started.
