Day Ten: Grantown on Spey to Bonar Bridge
After the trials and tribulations of the previous day, today was a breeze – and the first day of our ride with no rain.
And what a way to set off. The Dunallan Guesthouse in Grantown on Spey did us proud – one of the few places we’d be happy to recommend you to go and stay. Run by lovely people who also happen to be able to throw together a mega breakfast. All the boys tucked into smoked salmon and scrambled egg and for once Tom didn’t get a look-in on the leftovers!
And then we were off – across stunning moorland, heading north pursued, as ever, by the Fun Bus crew. They’d had trials of their own to deal with. Ollie had been determined to blog up the last two days, so found a computer shop in Grantown called the PC Shack – quite literally a 16×10 timber shed run by a big fat chap who did little more than talk computer games strategy for the best part of an hour.
Anyway, having crossed over the very pretty Dulsie Bridge and passed near Cawdor Castle (home of Macbeth) we did lunch at Culloden Battlefield not far from Inverness. Basically another open moorland with a few signposts and clusters of stone dotted around. But the Scots won for once, so it’s clearly something they need to celebrate – isn’t that right James?
We all settled down to a (pricey) plate of venison stovies – a stodgy potatoes and meat mix. Sasha and Luke tucked in with enthusiasm and all was going well right up to the point Sasha threw up all across the table… She and Luke still hovered down a double chocolate muffin without letting Uncle Tom have a look-in, though.
Then, with tummies heavy with stovies, it was time to get back into the swing of urban life – tackling Inverness and the busy A9. To get some mileage done we sat on the dual carriageway – which Tom hated and didn’t mind who heard it. The cycle paths were useless, too – full of glass, old road signs and generally unusable and we so very nearly got taken out by a lorry pulling a static caravan.
We zipped across the Firths of Moray and Cromarty, and then turned inland on B-roads, heading straight for Bonar Bridge. Into the last 20 miles and the scenery got better and better – stunning views down over Dornoch Firth that had James leaping with excitement and then the last few miles into Bonar.
Bonar Bridge itself looked OK, but our hotel wasn’t the last word in luxury. In fact to point no finer point on it, it was a dive. Lights not working, springs poking through mattresses, headboards pulling away – you name it, we suffered from it. Recommended by the German Biker’s Federation, don’t you know!
However, despite that we had a real sense of relief of getting to Bonar. We’d covered 74 relatively easy miles in good weather and lined ourselves up a relaxed last two days in the saddle.
Highlights:
NO RAIN!!
Low points:
Culloden pretty dull
The A9 dual carriageway
Getting to the Bonar Bridge Hotel…
Stage Stats:
Today’s mileage: 74.57
Total mileage: 899.49
Average speed: 13.9
Puncture tally: Georgie 4, Tom 2, James 0