Loch Ness ....... its a Monster!

The day dawned early as usual in these parts not that we were exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed! Breakfast was pretty good but there will be no porridge report today as there was no porridge for breakfast! Angry of Pinner this morning as a result!

We set off down the A82 which runs down the west side of Loch Ness. Now back when we were planning this trip the A82 looked a lovely road, straight down the shoreline. So I stupidly assumed we would have a flat ride with the sound of the waters lapping gently against the shore, ice cream sellers, girls wearing not very much walking along the beach etc etc. I was wrong, its a Monster!! The A82 is narrow with many blind bends, a very poor surface and lots of undulations. Add in the fact that aggregate and timber lorries, coaches, camper vans and many others treated it as a bit of a race track then you had a dangerous cocktail. We rode well as a team and survived! It wasn't that much fun though and concentration was key.

Further south Steve was adamant we turned off the A82 and take an off road path down Loch Lochie. I was not convinced and was, in my view, proved absolutely right! Yes the A82 is as above but the track we went on was not meant for road bikes. There is a clue in the name, they should be used on the road. So if any potential End to Enders are unlucky enough to find this blog then stick to the road or buy a mountain bike!

This off road trip slowed us down a lot but following lunch at Fort William it was a 35 ride, sadly into the wind, down Loch Linnhe to Connel where we are staying tonight. The A828 made up the bulk of this ride and they are building some cycle tracks alongside the road. We rode on part but once they are finished they will be great and like all good cycle tracks they are covered in lovely flat Tarmac!

The scenery throughout the day was fabulous. We saw some great sites Loch Ness, Loch Lochie, the Bridge of Oich,Ben Nevis (still some snow up there) and Glen Coe to name but a few. We were so lucky with the weather as well. Rain threatened occasionally but we were dry all day and the sun made an appearance from midday onwards. All in all it was fabulous, the only downside was we had to ride 92 miles to see it all! The sun still hasn't set yet and there should be a great sunset if I can stay awake to see it!

Now for the facts:

Stats of the day - 92 miles ridden at an average speed of 13.9 mph - despite the off road nonsense - with 4,400 feet of climbing throughout the day. A pretty long day my body is telling me!

Ale and Arse report - the Deuchars IPA takes the mantle from McEwans as the best beer so far. Going down very nicely! As for the other part of the report I was reminded of the words of great Jim Royale from the Royale Family when I was asked at the end of the day what hurt. My Arse!! Plus a few other bits it has to be said!

Nature Watch - lots of dead things are appearing in this section, it was a sheep today, and so I think I shall have to find something else to talk about!

Forecast for tomorrow - 85 miles to Largs in the rain in a nutshell, with a long climb just to make we want to cry! We have been lucky with the weather but I think that is coming to an end!