Distance today 58 miles, 2120ft; total 298.6 miles, 13462ft
| Elapsed Time | Moving Time | Distance | Average Speed | Max Speed | Elevation Gain | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
08:10:09
hours
|
04:49:43
hours
|
58.02
mi.
|
12.01
mph
|
35.12
mph
|
2,119.75
ft.
|
1,858
kcal
|
The forecast for today was for it to be very wet, and so it proved to be! But let’s start with breakfast.
Our hosts Helen and Gregor provided an excellent breakfast with home-made muesli, fresh baked bread, banana cake and great coffee (Gregor is a coffee aficionado, and proud of his coffee machine!).
We headed off into light rain, along the A82 towards Spean Bridge, sharing it with some tourist traffic that, at times, got close to us. As we cycled along the shores of Loch Lochy, the rain got heavier as the climbs got longer.
We visited the Commando Memorial just before Spean Bridge and then turned towards the Caledonian Canal with a lovely fast descent. At the canal, the swing bridge was closed to let through a large pleasure ship. We climbed a short hill and then joined a lovely minor road above the canal, which was also being used by the Rat Racers (from yesterday), who were mostly mud spattered on their mountain bikes.
As we neared Fort William, the rain intensity increased. In need of sustenance, we popped into a pub, but were redirected to JJ’s cafe further along the road, where we got coffe and cakes, and watched the rain get even heavier!
After the break we followed Loch Eil towards Malaig, before turning at the end of the Loch towards Ardgour, experiencing the more of the wet stuff. Along the way, we met a Swiss couple who were cycling north, with the guy very very heavily laden (50kgs, apparently), but the girl had no luggage!
We ended the days ride, very wet and bedraggled, at the Ardgour Inn, where we had drinks, soup and sandwiches before catching the ferry to Corran and our bunkhouse for the night. Our hosts Helena and Alan generously donated £10 to our charities.
Our meal tonight turned into a wet adventure as we tried to find the pub in -guess what – heavy rain. We did eventually find the pub, up a muddy track, and had a decent meal.
