Golspie to Beauly

Monday 28th March 2011

51.50 Miles 4hr 35mins 11.25mph Average Speed 120.91 Total Miles

We woke to a sunny but frosty morning. Another cooked breakfast and on the road by 9am. The weather forecast said rain at 2pm but we could not leave too early as the roads would still have been slippery from the frost. We decided to try and crack on to cover as many miles as possible before the heavens opened. We did 16 miles before stopping in Tain. We had managed to climb over a 120metre hill which was not too bad. We found a coop with a coffee shop inside. We also did a bit of shopping where Sam got lockets and lucazade, Dad got multivitamins and aspirin and I got deep heat, I think those purchases tell a story!

We had been following the main A99 then A9 all the way until this point where the route we are following in our guide book took us on some smaller lanes which went through forest, little old villages and along the coast. This made the ride more interesting and a little easier. Mind you the wind has been smacking us in the face the whole day, but it could have been worse as 2pm came and went and it did not rain!

We stopped in Evanton having done 36miles in a tiny pub for a pot of tea and munched on our coop sarnies. The fire was roaring and we were so comfortable it was hard to leave. With only 15 miles to go as an incentive we set off. However, after chatting with two old guys in the village we decided to divert from the route and made our own way on back roads continuing through tiny villages to Beauly. This turned out to be a good move as the distance ended up the same and there were no hills where there were in the tour book.

We located the B&B and unloaded the bikes at 4.30pm. As it was a bit earlier we had time to relax for a bit before walking into town for dinner. Dad was well impressed with the pots of biscuits in our room. All these B&B's with fluffy towels and comfy beds are luxury! Eating out each night is also a treat. Perhaps this trip is a holiday after all?