Somehow, I managed to wake up around 5:30 this morning and saw the most amazing sunrise! Quickly went back to sleep, and I’m sorry to report, there is no photographic evidence of this sunrise. It did however set the mood for the day with a certain bounce in my pedal! For some reason, I thought today was going to be a nice laid back 74 miles to Calbisdale Castle. The reason I’m here is that the town of Lairg had no bed and breakfasts, so the lady at the tourist office in Fort Augustus suddenly remembered there is a youth hostel near Bonar Bridge which used to be a castle! This place is incredible! Thanks to Captain Harold Keith Salvesen M.A., F.R.S.E for gigging this to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association!
So anyway, I though it was going to be a laid back one, and as much as I like having a moan about them, I do really love hills! So after Drumnadrochit, I bumped into a group of cyclists doing John O’Groats to Lands End, and they made sure to warn me of the hill I was about to climb, a 13 degree incline for 3/4 mile! I thought this was going to be a great challenge and took it on with positive vibes! Out of nowhere, about 1/2 mile in, I just couldn’t go anymore. It was a monster hill, so I had to walk a few yards. Disheartened, the voice of Michael Caine/Alfred in Batman Begins sparked into my mind, “Why do we fall Master Bruce? So we can get back up again!” I did just that and made it up! Later, whilst cycling through these strange far northern landscapes, the most impressive downhill presented itself upon me and said “do it Tabrez!”. Straight into gear 27, I went flying down this smoooooooooth tarmac road and achieved a top speed (for the whole trip so far) of 40.6mph. Nice!
Oh yeah, there was also another spell of supreme rain today.
