Contin to Kinlochewe

Day 2 of GWC S3 Projects 2009

The Team Kit

Today would be our first real test on our cycling tour of the highlands. Our destination today was 32 miles away: Kinlochewe. We would be cycling on the main road today but it's not exactly the busiest road in the world!

It was another fine day and there was hardly any wind - great for cycling. It had been a rather chilly night in the tents and when I woke there was a heavy frost on the ground. The kids were super efficient at getting up and putting the porridge and brews on. We soon had the tents down and the van packed up and were on the road by 9am. Only a few minutes down the road and we stopped to take in the sights of Rogie Falls. We led the kids down the forestry tracks to the suspension bridge to take in the view of the falls. It was well worth the short stop and I'd recommend it to anyone who is passing through the area.

Rogie Falls

Onward now, and we turned left onto the A832 just after Garve. There was a bit of a climb up to the up along the shores of Lochluichart, before a sweeping downhill section through Grudie. A few of the kids had their chains come loose on the first climb - most probably due to making the schoolboy error of changing gear with the chain under pressure. Nothing serious though and all was soon well. The road surface was of very high quality and I was informed that it was a relatively new road and that the previous incarnation was described as quite horrendous by both Lewis and Pete. We had great views of the hills as we pounded along the approach to Achnasheen in a good rhythm.
John got on his bike and joined us for the run into Achnasheen and Pete took up the driving seat of the van, as he was suffering a bit with his hip. We paused for lunch at the train station and tried to find some shelter from the relentless heat. It was clear that some of the kids were suffering in the sun so Jane whipped out the suncream again.
Heading off, we had a nice downhill run next to Loch a' Chroisg before a long climb up to the top of Glen Docherty. We all took a breather at the top of the climb and for a bit of a briefing about what was to come next.

Me and Lewis having a natter at the road-side

JD Setting off

Great Setting

We were faced with a rather steep run down into Kinlochewe and we were a little concerned that some of the kids wouldn't treat it with the safety and respect that it deserved! So we set them off one at a time in a staggered start in the hope that they would be sensible!
We needn't have worried though, and we all made it to Kinlochewe Bunkhouse in plenty of time for tea. I have to say that I hadn't slept in a three-tiered bunk bed before, but it was perfectly comfortable... apart from JD snoring!

One of many views

Parked up for the night

Distance for the day: 32 miles

Total Distance so far: 50 miles
Route for the day:

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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:

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