Day 9 of GWC S3 Projects 2009
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| Which way?! |
Now well and truly rested, we were all keen to get back on the bikes and get some more miles under our belts. Before we hit the open road however, we decided to take in a couple of the sights of Durness that we didn't see yesterday. Firstly, we stopped at the signposts next to the Oasis Bar for a few group photos. Next, we took the time to visit and explore
Smoo Cave. If you're ever in the area then it is certainly worth the walk down into it and is quite an impressive natural feature.
Right, enough sightseeing and now back to business. We set off at a good pace out of Durness and up the headland towards Leirinbeg and Leirinmore. It was another glorious day and this time: hardly a breeze in the air! After the initial climb, we had a very pleasant run along the west shore of Loch Eriboll in the sun. We had some good banter with the kids as we coasted along; they were in fine spirits and I think they finally realised just what an incredible journey this was. Once we rounded the Loch, we began the climb up towards Eriboll and we found a nice little lay by at the side of the road by a small beach to have our lunch. We all took some time to sprawl out on the grassy shore and soak up the rays. In other news: randomly a huge bumblebee landed in Jane's cuppa and committed suicide...
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| The Team |
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| Smoo Cave |
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| Smoo Cave |
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| DANGER - Falling Rugby Ball?? |
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| Smoo Cave |
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| Smoo Cave |
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| Leaving Durness |
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| Loch Eriboll |
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| R.I.P. Mr. Bumblebee |
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| Arty |
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| Battle Scars |
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| Battle Scars |
Off again and time to get psyched for the big climb of the day: up and over The Mhoine (A' Mhoine). We had a short and gradual climb and then a nice gentle run down to Hope Bridge and passed Hope Lodge. Then it was upon us. The tarmac quickly steepened and switched back on itself and the chatter stopped. It was now every man for himself, head down and try to keep the pedals turning. I was feeling quite good so I decided to get out of the saddle and powered up it in no time at all and was soon at the top waiting at the plateau; looking south towards Ben Hope. I had a magnificent view as I waited for the others to get up the climb.
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| A' Mhoine |
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| Ben Hope... and some posers |
Next
came the 'freewheel challenge', as Lewis called it. We were set off one
at a time and we were allowed a run up and to pedal as hard as we could
until we were level with the van; parked 100 metres down the road.
After that we were to rely purely on gravity to take us down to the
causeway at the Kyle of Tongue. This was going quite well, until we were
hit in the face by a strong headwind and were forced to pedal and take
matters into our own hands. Nevertheless, it was a great run down into
Tongue and up a short sharp climb to
Tongue SYHA. It was at this point that the heavens decided to open so we quickly unpacked the van and got settled into the hostel. I was very impressed with the facilities and very much enjoyed the hot shower. After dinner, Lewis set a photo slide show
going on his laptop of the photos he had taken so far. This was a great
laugh and the kids loved it. We had also been left a note by the
Tongue/Gairloch Project that the group had written for our group - a nice touch.
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| 'Freewheel Callenge' |
Later that evening I popped outside to snap a great picture of the amazing night sky. A great end to a great day.
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| Night Sky, Tongue |
Distance for the day: 30 miles
Total Distance so far: 246 miles
Route for the day:
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