Lairg to Inverness

Day 11 of GWC S3 Projects 2009

It was a wet day, it was a long day, but it was the last day of cycling. We packed up the tents early in the drizzle and shoved some food into us. The kid's spirits were quite low but the talk of the end was enough to motivate them again. We set off in a southerly direction along the A836, which meant we would be on the main road for a while and without much interesting scenery. It was simply a case of heads down and get on with it. Lewis and I decided to bring up the rear of the pack for the first stretch and have a bit of a chat. I was keen to get his thoughts about how he thought the trip had gone. I knew it was quite a significant moment, as it was his final trip as a Project Leader at GWC. He was very pleased with how smoothly things had gone and how good the kids had been. It was nice to hear, as we all wanted it to be a success for Lewis.

Just a bit to go!

Up the hill we go...

We were soon at Bonar Bridge, then Ardgay and it was still raining hard on us. We stopped at the roadside near Fearn Lodge for a breather. The rain had just eased, and Lewis and Pete informed us that we were about to climb up Struie and onto the B9176. We started climbing almost immediately; as we entered Struie Wood. The group was quickly stretched on the steep incline, as some where more tired than others. As was the norm on this trip, the lads were first to the viewpoint where we regrouped. The rain had now stopped but unfortunately visibility was still poor; so nae view on this occasion.

At the viewpoint - but not much of a view today

We pressed on, as we still had a fair few miles of road to cover before the finish line. The plan was to continue without any stops until we reached Dingwall. The group spread out again for the pleasant run through Strath Rory and then skirting past Alness. Here, we were treated to a great view down the Cromarty Firth on the run into Dingwall. I had heard of the randomly abondoned oil platforms in the Cromarty Firth, but it was only now that I was seeing them with my own eyes - and a sore sight it was... very strange indeed.

Abandonment in the Cromarty Firth

We took a lunch stop in Dingwall and headed for the Tescos while the kids amused themselves in the park and tried to keep out of trouble. After a good break and a bit of a re-charge, we set off down the main road out of Dingwall; towards Maryburgh. Somewhere on the road between Conon Bridge and Muir of Ord, JD drove past in the support van... with the side door wide open! A few bits of rubbish and an airborne camping mat later, we had managed to get his attention and persude him to pull over; much to the kids' amusement, of course! With that drama over, we stopped briefly in Muir of Ord. But we didn't stop for long; as the heavens decided to empty right above our heads (again). We headed off and, for the second time on our journey, joined the minor road along the north shore of the Beauly Firth towards Charleston and the Kessock Bridge.

Lunch in Dingwall

We had briefed the kids to engage in frantic bell-ringing on first sight of the bridge - and they humbly obliged with lots of frantic ringing. We stopped at the picnic spot just opposite the hotel for a few photo opportunities. By now the clouds had past and the sun was well and truly out in the sky - typical Scottish weather.

The Team

The Crew

Shattered!

All that was left of our journey was a short ride over the Kessock Bridge (into the wind!) and through the town to Inverness Hostel. The kids were in great spirits and they were all chatting about what a journey it had been and how much they had enjoyed Projects. It was great to hear and I think Lewis really appreciated hearing that kind of chat from the group. We had a quick shower and then headed out for a very well deserved pizza. Lewis gave an emotional speech that was very moving and one of the girls thanked him on behalf of us all and said some great things about the trip. It was a great way to end a fantastic journey. This brought to an end my second GWC S3 Projects. A very different type of trip and activity compared to last year - but the same values, goals, ethics and teachings were there and my time away with Lewis had taught me a great deal. I was very keen to lead a Project of my own next year and I felt ready to do this thanks to the example that had been set on this excellent trip.
The next morning we took the train back to Edinburgh in the sunshine - shattered!

Distance for the day: 50 miles
Total Distance: 334 miles
Route for the day:

View Larger Map

Inverness to Contin

Day 1 of GWC S3 Projects 2009

It was finally here! I had been training hard for the last few months and was super excited for the bike project this year!

On the train... ready!

We all met at Waverly for the 9am train to Inverness. The kids were all super excited and so were the staff. There was great chat between myself, Pete, Jane and Lewis as we got the first round of coffees in before boarding the train north. Bryce and John were driving the bikes up to Inverness to meet us there. Apparently there isn't room for 16 bikes on the train... So we had 3 hours to chill out on the train before our first cycle. It was great getting the opportunity to head over the Forth Rail Bridge; something I had always wanted to do. It was rather a dull morning in Edinburgh but as we headed over the bridge, the sun decided to make a welcome appearance. I enjoyed the scenery and read my book as the kids amused themselves with a number of travel games and a pack of cards.

As we sped further and further north, the weather got even better - much to our delight. We were soon alighting at the platform in Inverness and attaching our panniers to our machines. Bryce and John had made good time and had only just beat the train to the station. We said our goodbyes to Bryce and we knew that the next time we would see him would be back here at the finish - 10 days and some 500 odd miles away!

We were about to head off until we had our first 'incident' of the trip. One of the boys (CF) had just announced to another lad that he was a bit worried about going down hill, as his back brake didn't work!?! Lewis went from zero to nuclear in exactly half a second. Obviously this was going to be a problem! After a cooling off period and a quick trip to the bike shop down the street, we were on our way and heading over the Kessock Bridge and taking in an amazing view into the Beauly Firth. There was only a slight headwind and the sun was blazing down. We swing left just over the bridge and down to the waterfront of North Kessock to eat our packed lunches. We looked hard, but we didn't spot the Dolphins - much to our disappointment. It was a lovely cycle along the small road hugging the coast to Milton before joining the main road to Muir of Ord.

A quick toilet stop and a chance to reflect on how things were shaping up with the group. Pete had been leading the way with Jane at the back and Lewis and I somewhere in the middle. John was following in the support van but managed to get a wee cycle along the coast between Kessock and Milton - so he was very pleased with himself about that. The kids were all doing well and all of them seemed to be enjoying the easy first day. A few miles later and we had reached the campsite at Contin. It was an excellent grassy campsite down by the river. It was now time to put our efficiency to the first test. The kids unloaded the van and started to pitch their tents. To be fair, they did a great job for their first time and we all knew that it was only going to get better, as this would be our routine for the next 10 days!

It was still only late afternoon so there was plenty of time to chill out and have a brew. The kids got rid of some of their energy by amusing themselves with a game of 'mob football' in the adjacent field. I told them to take it easy, as they had their first real test tomorrow...

Contin campsite

My home for the night

Distance for the day: 18 miles

Route for the day:

View Larger Map