Each B&B or hotel we stay in has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of all of them, as far as I'm concerned, is that I'm not camping. Youth hostels, yes; although Reg didn't book hostels this time because he wanted to book everything on Booking.com. This was (a) to have a consecutive record of all the bookings, so that it would be easy to refer to this "log" each day, and (b) if anything goes wrong so that we can't continue our journey, we can cancel at 24 hours notice, without having to pay.
The pub in Evanton fronts onto the main road through the town. Traffic isn't a problem, but there's a bus stop outside. In front of the bathroom there's a large picture window which looks straight out onto the road. The passengers of the double decker buses which stop outside are at eye level with this window - which doesn't have frosted glass or nets. The bedroom also has a picture window; luckily we are already up and dressed when without warning, the window cleaner's face appears at the glass.
The bed has a plastic sheet on it, directly underneath a fitted sheet which doesn't fit properly; it isn't long before you're sleeping on the plastic sheet. The plus side of the pub is that the food is really good, and they get a gold star for doing our washing.
We're off again. We call into the Co-op a couple of doors down for our sandwiches. The woman serving in the Co-op is really friendly - she spoke to us yesterday about our trip and wishes us all the best for our journey.
"Thank you, It's really nice to be served by someone cheerful," I say.
Reg says there should be a coffee stop in Invergordon, about 8 or 9 miles away, but as sometimes happens, our route doesn't actually take us into the town. The wind is behind us all the way today and it's amazing the difference it makes to our speed. Also, although there are hills, they aren't long or difficult.
We're coming up to a little town called Tain. The cycle route seems to take us around the town yet again, but we've cycled 16 miles and I'm ready for my cappuccino. We decide to go off route and go down a walkway which points to the town centre. Before we get there we come across what looks like a castle. It's called the Mansfield Castle Hotel and it serves coffee! We're able to park our bikes outside the lounge window where we can see them, sink into a sofa and enjoy a cappuccino and green tea. It's not just the coffee/tea that gives us a boost - it's the chance to relax for half an hour which recharges our batteries. The hotel receptionist chats to us about the EU referendum result, and how it might affect her family here, as they are Bulgarian.
It starts to rain while we have coffee; it's good to be able to put our waterproofs on in the dry, instead of having to struggle with them under a tree.
We're cycling on thee A9 now, with a large expanse of estuary some distance away on our right. There a bridge in the distance, the Dornock Firth Bridge, which crosses the estuary.
"We'll be going across that bridge in a minute," says Reg.
On our way to the bridge we see a road sign giving distances to various places. One of the places is
"John O'Groats 85 miles". We take a photo. Well, maybe we're not "nearly there now" but not too far away!
The Dornock Firth Bridge is not as windy as the Kessock Bridge, which we crossed a couple of days ago. We cycle on with the wind behind us, wanting to get a good mileage under our belt before we stop for our picnic lunch. We don't pass through any towns at all until towards the end of today's journey, but we come across a petrol filling station with a restaurant attached. Reg suggests we have our cooked meal now, and our picnic tonight in our room, so this is what we do. Again, we can park our bikes where we can see them. It's stopped raining! A woman is walking past Reg just as he says,
"I'll take my trousers off when we get inside." The woman looks around; well, she doesn't know he means his waterproofs!
We continue on the A9 with a huge estuary/firth on our right - it's called Loch Fleet. This is a really stunning ride. We see a sign which says watch out for otters, but unfortunately we don't see any. I'm really enjoying the ride today because it's not difficult cycling - having the wind behind us makes a huge difference. I see a statue on a hill to the left and Reg says,
"That's the Duke of Sutherland." The 1st Duke of Sutherland was a significant figure in the Scottish Highlands for his involvement in the "Highland Clearances." , when thousands of crofters were forcibly removed from the land to allow a greater number of sheep to graze. Apparently, the Highland clearances, which destroyed so many people's lives, was the Duke's wife's idea. Of course.
We stop in the small town of Golspie, about 6 miles from Brora, where we'll be staying tonight, as I spot a sign for toilets. Reg gets talking to another man about our trip. I think how glad I am that I've just used the loo, as a coach draws up and the passengers all head for the toilets.
We're now in Sutherland, in the northern Highlands. Our hotel for tonight is the Royal Marine Hotel, in Brora. It's posh, as it was the only one Reg could get in the area; it's been a hotel since 1913. It has a putting green, beauty salon, swimming pool and jaccuzzi, non of which we have the time, energy, or swimming costume to use. Trousers (not shorts) must be worn in the dining room.
Our room is huge, and is a period piece - this hotel is steeped in history. Through one window you can see the sea.
No plastic sheet on this bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment