The night before the heavens had opened as we were cosied up in our pod, it rained all night and was still going around 7.30 in the morning. However when we got up at half 8 we were glad to find it had stopped. We had booked breakfast for 9.10, and it was brought to us in the pod. we had a good meal and well fortified we called our taxi for 10.30 and got ready to go.
While eating we had been looking at the next part of the route, and discovered that it was pretty much uphill for the first 4 miles, before flattening out and then descending into Inverness. While this didn't sound too great after the day before, we didn't have much choice but to carry on.
Taking the taxi back to where we had left the bikes we picked them up and started on our way - luckily we had left them pretty much on the route. The first part of this was along the A82, a very busy road with lots of fast traffic. Thankfully for this part there was a pavement! We came to the turnoff and our hearts sank. It was another narrow dirt track heading up a short steep ascent. it levelled out and then turned down again, and Mum took one look at it and said that enough was enough. She wasn't up for 4 miles of this terrain, and we didn't know if or when it would change to something more manageable. While I would have carried on if she hadn't decided against it, to be honest I was just as glad not be spending a good few miles pushing the bike up a hill. On the other hand we really didn't fancy the road either.
The turnoff up the hill had been at a place called Temple Pier, literally as it said a pier for private and hire boats so we headed back there to see if there was any possibility of getting a boat ride across the Loch to the easier going on the other side! This was really wishful thinking, but we gave it a go speaking to a couple of different people at the pier. Unfortunately we had no luck. The best suggestion we got was to head back into Drumnadrochit and decide on what to do from there. We got back on the bikes and cycled the mile and a half or so back into the tourist information centre in the village. Making enquiries there we were told that there was no way to get the bikes to Inverness other than cycling the Great Glen Way, or the A82. The cycling part of our trip was over.
The only other way to Inverness was by bus. Unofficially the local bus company D&E coaches might let us take the bikes on, they ran less frequently than the stagecoach/citylink ones, but city link/stagecoach definitely wouldn't take the bikes. Since D&E was also half the price of citylink we decided to wait and and see if our luck was in. The bus was at 13.49, so we had a couple of hours to spend having a look round the village.
We decided to go into the Loch Ness Experience Centre, which has tracked the history and investigations into the mystery of Nessie! We found it well laid out and quite interesting, it took the form of several audio visual presentations set in a rocky underground cave system. Moving from room to room each video lasted a few minutes before you moved in to the next one, with equipment from the different investigations which have taken place on display, along with recordings of some of the 1000 or so sightings that have been reported. Although it probably wouldn't keep the attention of children under 8-10 we really enjoyed it.
After this we took a look in the gift shops and just generally wandered for a bit before jumping on the bus, it was fairly busy and we couldnt take the bikes on, so left them locked up securely nearby. Drumnadrochit is a really pretty little place, and there was a piper playing on the green for much of the time we were there. While this was nice for an hour or so, as Mum commented you wouldn't necessarily want to live or work in one of the houses or shops nearby!
In Inverness we had arranged to meet a couple of my friends who live not too far away, and my Mums husband Eddy who had got a lift down from Helmsdale with my cousin that morning. We spent the afternoon socialising before getting the train back to Dingwall and going for a celebratory dinner.
While we hadn't quite completed the Great Glen way, we had done a good portion of the hardest part of it, and gained great views along the way. After dinner we spent the evening finishing off the Raspberry Gin still in my pannier, and doing the Press and Journal crossword - something of a ritual for Mum and Eddy, normally done while making dinner!
Next morning we took the car back to Drumnadrochit and picked up the bikes before going back to Inverness for me to catch my train home.
Despite everything Mum has assured me that she has not been put off cycling, and we have already discussed doing the NCN 76 section between Fort Augustus and Inverness at some point next year. As for me, it will be back on the bike on Tuesday as I need to pick up the cat from my friends straight from work tomorrow, and she is definitely not in favour of travelling by bike!
Until next time, keep cycling!
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