Ballachulish
When serving an Irish coffee, do so in appropriate styleWritten by Steve
After an excellent evening spent sampling the cask strength malts in the George, we retired to our beds looking forward to venturing into the Highlands.
Morning came too soon and we knew from the moment we sat down for our full Scottish that it was going to be a psychologically demanding day. The view out of the window was hindered by the "light" shower that looked set for the day.
Waiting for a short break in the precipitation, we donned our wet-weather gear before setting out.
The first challenge hit us five minutes after leaving the B&B, an 8.5 mile climb up Glen Array. This in itself would have been tough enough, but Mother Nature decided to throw in a headwind and torrential rain for good measure.
The sky turned black, the road became a river and we turned the air blue. It was going to be a David and Goliath battle, and we certainly were not the latter.
With the climb conquered, we descended into Loch Awe (8.5 mile climb, 2 mile decent, how is that fair?), the rain continued and Scotland threw everything, including what felt like a full kitchen sink, at us.
We fought on, heads down, with no chance to appreciate the scenery, wet on the outside from the rain, soaked on the inside from sweat. It was not pleasant!
Tour buses of blue rinses were passing, and I was sure the guides were pointing us out and announcing over the tannoy what muppets we were.
Then, out of the blue, a glimmer of hope, a sign in the distance: "bar and snacks 2 miles". We soldiered on, arriving at the entrance in a dishevelled state.
Would they let us in? Heck, yes. No one was going to stand in the way of us and that bar! We entered to find... you’ve guessed it, another Antipodean (the owner of the establishment).
Muttering "food, drink, warmth", we promptly removed our clothing (as much as considered decent outside of an establishment containing poles), and dumped it on every available radiator.
Two soups, and an Irish coffee later (appropriately served in huge Bob the Builder mugs) and we were ready to head off.
10 more hard miles of rain and wind, then the weather broke, and suddenly we could appreciate the scenery.
And what scenery. Majestic snow-capped mountains rising almost vertically from the Lochs. All the bad weather was forgotten.
We're in the Highlands, and the Scots continue to live up to their hospitable reputation.
"And who won the battle?" I ask myself, as I sit here in the B&B, eyes watering from Deep Heat fumes, the room looking like it's been turned over, a hairdryer fixed with elastic bands to an upturned stool (to dry our shoes) and both of us consuming Pot Noodles! I'll let you decide.
Castle Stalker at Loch Linnhe
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
InverarayInvermoriston
Statistics
- Miles today:
61 - Average cycling speed:
11.8mph - Total miles: 783
