After a cold start and the usual muesli we met for breakfast at the Corran Ferry Inn just outside Fort William. The very subdued diners at the hotel soon came to life as four exuberant cyclists entered the breakfast room. We ordered breakfasts from the very helpful but flustered chap who was in charge, darting from one half finished job to the other, we realised we were in for a bit of a wait.
Geoff who was beside the window soon had a small camera, which had been balanced on the top window ledge, tumbling down on him. Within minutes another fellow arrived who explained that it was a web cam and the site, which had been displaying the Corran ferry making its way across the Loch Linnhe, was now showing our breakfast table.
He put it back where it was but before we had finished breakfast it had come tumbling down again. Geoff then pointed it at us all in turn making for great hilarity but soon a booming voice came thundering into the room and we thought for a minute the guy was having a serious sense of humour failure. He told us to make sure we looked like we were having a good time if we were going to keep doing that and conceded that a bit of tape may help the problem.
Back into the elements and the cold. Relentless piercing wind meant heads were down and taking it in turns to lead, changing every 10k’s, was the only thing that broke the monotony of the morning. The hole in Geoffs shorts was something to focus on as they tucked in.
We found a picnic spot beside Loch Ness for lunch next to the obligatory highland cattle that seem to frequent the fields around the tourist areas and downed the Tesco’s lunch I had picked up in Fort William. Not the usual standard of fair but it did the trick and the guys were soon off again.
Tony heard a spoke ping towards the end of the day but continued on, his wheel has many, unlike some of the others, and can manage with one down. Another spoke out and he would have been in trouble.
The guys had decided to avoid the centre of Inverness and keep heading up the road to make the last day a little shorter. I picked them and the bikes up 20 miles north of Inverness and we headed back in the car to the Inverness Travelodge arriving at 7.30pm. A quick turnaround before enjoying some tasty fare at a great little Italian place on the west of the river overlooking the castle. The boys were tired and anxious to get to bed which we managed around 9.30.
Down to the last 100 miles!!!!!
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