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Day 22
Saturday 15th May 2004
Lairg
to Bettyhill
Today’s
ride to Bettyhill was quite long. The
B&B last night had a detailed map of the area and the contours showed that
it would be a steady climb for the first 14 miles to Crask and for a little way
past, then I would follow the river Strath Naver downhill to Bettyhill passing
Loch Naver on the way. This downhill
section was about 30 miles long.
I got
off to a slightly delayed start. I
had to visit the hole in the wall and buy my lunch and the landlady was quite
chatty which delayed my departure. She
was telling me about other cyclists who had stayed and she also had the
information that the record for a cyclist from End to End now stood at less than
48 hours. Not my sort of cycling.
She was expecting a couple to stay next week who were doing 2 weeks of
End to End every year and hoped to finish it in 4 years – that’s more my
style.
So
the ride started at 9.15 – about 45 minutes later than normal – firstly
following Loch Shin and then turning north and following the river Strath Terry.
I soon reached the moorland – it was pretty barren and also rather
boring. The road was single tr
ack
with passing places and the motorists were being very patient waiting at the
passing places to let me through when in actual practice they could have passed
me at any point with care. The climb
wasn’t too strenuous – only about 150m in 20km – a mere 1 in 100.
It took 1½ hours to get to the top and I was rewarded with the sight of
an osprey near the summit. The
clouds had been getting blacker and blacker and I could see rain falling to the
west of me. Over the top and the
picture changed dramatically. I was
now travelling towards the north east and the westerly wind was now more in my
favour, so I soon found myself travelling downhill at speeds of 25 to 30mph.
On the horizon the sky was much brighter and I was leaving the rain
behind.
I
sailed along for 5 miles reaching the village
of
Altnaharra
with its hotel on the shores of the Loch Naver.
Going in for tea I ended up with shortbread as well which was not
requested. The pot of tea held 5
cups which I just about finished off but I think the price of £1.90 reflected
the inclusion of the shortbread.
The
next 6 miles or so followed the shore
of
Loch Naver, so the cycling was fl
at and wind assisted.
Near the end of the Loch
I found a sheltered spot and sat down at the waters edge to eat my lunch.
It was then downhill again as I followed the Strath Naver as it left the
loch on its journey to the coast. Every
now and again I passed information boards about the Strath Naver Trail.
In the early 1800’s several villages in the area were cleared of their
inhabitants to make way for more intensive sheep farming.
Needless to say the perpetrator of this scheme was not too well liked and
he was eventually brought to court for all the pillaging and ransacking which
had taken place.
Down
and down I went – dropping 250m over a distance of about 30 miles.
It was only the last 4 miles which were difficult.
The wind suddenly changed direction and started blowing in from the north
off the sea. I needed to use low
gears for the first time in the day. I
eventually got to the B&B at Bettyhill at
3pm
and deposited my bags before
going for a ride along the coast.
The sea was a beautiful blue.
When
I had asked about somewhere to eat, the landlady had recommended the café at
the bottom of the hill which served fish and chip suppers on Fridays and
Saturdays. I am not really a fish
and chip fan so I decided to do some preliminary investigation by having a cup
of tea there. It wasn’t your
normal fish and chip saloon, so I asked if I could reserve a table for later.
The proprietor said he already had several reservations so could I return
at
5pm
as he was going to be very busy later. I
did that.
When
I returned I was seated at a table next to a couple from Lincoln. In the conversation that followed
while we were waiting for our meals to be served, I find that they previously
lived in Rutland. They came to
Scotland
very regularly – normally twice a year – and they were staying at Dunnet
Head about 40 miles away. They had
made the trip to Bettyhill specifically for the fish and chips and they came
last night as well! It must be good.
And it was – the fish was fresh and locally caught and I can’t
remember tasting any better. I
finished the meal with a large slice of Apple pie and ice cream – also
delicious – and the price of this together with some slices of bread and
butter came to an amazing £6.05. The
best meal since leaving
Land’s End
– with the exception of those at Bristol, Hinckley
and Macclesfield!
I
have cycled 49.6 miles today at an average of 10.5mph.
This now brings my total mileage to 1080.2
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ack
with passing places and the motorists were being very patient waiting at the
passing places to let me through when in actual practice they could have passed
me at any point with care. The climb
wasn’t too strenuous – only about 150m in 20km – a mere 1 in 100.
It took 1½ hours to get to the top and I was rewarded with the sight of
an osprey near the summit. The
clouds had been getting blacker and blacker and I could see rain falling to the
west of me. Over the top and the
picture changed dramatically. I was
now travelling towards the north east and the westerly wind was now more in my
favour, so I soon found myself travelling downhill at speeds of 25 to 30mph.
On the horizon the sky was much brighter and I was leaving the rain
behind.
