Ascent: 3,602 feet
Average speed: 13.74 mph
Pain ratings -
Adam 3 (flying along....until lunch)
Alan 6 (batteries low)
Neil 5 (powered by cake)
Soundtracks of the day-
Adam: theme from The Big Country, Jerome Moross (apparently)
Alan: 500 miles, The Proclaimers
Neil: The Long and Winding Road, The Beatles
Like every other day, reveille was at 6.30 am this morning, but this was not just another day, this was our last full day's cycling before John O'Groats tomorrow. It felt like there was a sense of expectation in the air, but it might just have been the reek coming off our Lycra garments, hanging to dry from every available hook and hanger like so many battle honours for our cycling regiment.
And just like soldiers before battle we soaked up our briefing about the day ahead. We were promised 'Stotting' rain, which regular readers will recall is rain so hard that it bounces back up from the ground, but we had a battle plan, which was to cycle as fast as possible and cover as much ground as we could before the Stotting began. Privates Lawson-May and Smyth reported for duty immediately after breakfast but their commanding officer, Major "Dawdling" Shutkever was nowhere to be seen. He eventually appeared from the officers mess with a cheery wave and announced that he needed lubrication before setting off.
Eventually all was readied and Lawson-May shot off at high speed like a sharp-toothed stoat up a Scotsman's kilt. Adopting a triathlon crouch he powered along the Scottish roads, now reduced to a single track (for an A road !) and with a surface the consistency of ancient porridge. Meanwhile the Major and his batman proceeded like a couple of matrons taking their Raleigh Shoppers down to the Post Office, chit-chatting away about god knows what.
Triumphantly (or pathetically ? -ed) Lawson-May powered his way to the front of the field and skidded into the car park of the Crask Inn ahead of time - not a drop of rain on him. Incredibly, less than a minute later the Major's party arrived and the landlady produced ample quantities of tea, coffee and what she announced as Apple & Walnut cake, "but we hed nae walnuts." Despite the absence of walnuts, two large slices of cake each were gulped down in short-order.
Now our route took us on a stunning journey around Loch Naver, and with no Stotting yet to spoil the ride or the views. At lunch Mat asked us to eat up all the food as this would be our last lunch on the trail. Neil, doing his bit, had three slices of Victoria sponge cake and a Penguin biscuit. To his credit he felt a little sick.
After lunch the gentle path of the morning gave way to undulating hills. The Discover Adventure crew divide hills into "Cheeky" and "Rude", but this landscape was Downright Mouthy and steam began to rise from our clothes with the exertion, whilst the weather turned Dreich, or drizzly in English, a sure pre-curser to Stotting, We passed the old nuclear power station at Dounraey and with only 12 miles or so to go our hopes of getting to the hotel dry(ish) began to rise. Soon enough Thurso came in sight, as ugly as Chernobyl but not as warm. We tumbled into our hotel and out of the Scottish weather, it seemed as if we had got away Stot free.
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