LEJOG days 15 & 16

Day 15 Blair Atholl to Aviemore - 56miles 2789ft of climbing

Reading Harry Potter at breakfast!

All dressed up warm to start the day

We left the nice campsite at Blair Atholl and turned on to the road towards Inverness, passing Blair Castle in the distance. 

Blair Castle

Most of today was spent on the old A9 road. Mostly it was smooth tarmac but in places was becoming broken and potholed. But it was fine to cycle on. 

Nice things to see on the cycle routes!

Dad showed me the profile before we left and the first third of today’s ride was to be climbing as we had to get over the Pass of Drumochter, which also happens to be the highest place on the National Cycle Route in Scotland. In the event, as the valley got narrower, the wind got stronger and to help us it was right behind us. It was really helping us the hill. At one point, on a flat bit, we were accelerating without pedalling just from the wind. I didn’t envy the people cycling the other way, it was a really cold wind too!

The highest point on the Scottish cycle network

We've been lucky and only had sunny weather so far!

Once over the pass we met mum for lunch and then cycled past the Dalwhinnie Distillery where they make whisky but didn’t see many other villages or towns.

Whisky Distillery sign on the cycle path

We definitely felt we were in the middle of nowhere but the scenery was beautiful. Yet again the sun was shining and although it was cold (today was the first day dad didn’t take his coat off all day!), when the sun came out from behind the clouds it felt warmer. By the time we got to our campsite in Aviemore, there wasn’t a cloud in sight and mum was working in the camper van with the door wide open!  

Some of the beautiful scenery we saw today

We saw far fewer sheep (and lambs!) today and those that we did see were just white dots far away on the hills. We did see lots of horses though and I got to feed a couple of lovely ones near Aviemore. 

Today was a great day of cycling. It was cold and sometimes we had a headwind but I had a lot more energy than yesterday and most of the time the wind helped us!

Bush fire

Snow on the mountains in the Cairngorms National Park

Snow on the mountains in the Cairngorms National Park

The twins arrived this evening with Nanna and Grandad who had driven all day from Manchester to get here. It's much more squished in the camper van and I think mum will have lost her peaceful days!

Emily and Tom are sharing the bottom bunk! Top and tailing - I hope they don't wriggle!

I'm on the top bunk - the twins are underneath!

Day 16: Aviemore to Evanton - 52.76miles 2526ft of climbing
The twins joined us in the camper last night. Nanna and grandad were here dropping them off so I got to bed a little later then I have done. Jess the dog was also with us too!

Jess liked being in the camper van overnight

Even so we managed to leave at 9am and headed straight off towards Inverness. Once again, we followed quiet roads and the cycle path parallel to the busy A9 road. There was quite a bit of climbing early on but it was mostly fairly gentle. We saw a few lambs today but certainly not as many as further south. We did see a lot of rabbits, birds of prey, hoses and cows (still can’t get them to eat grass from my hand though!). We still haven’t seen a red squirrel 🐿 despite all the signs saying to look out for them.

The cows won't come and eat from my hand!

We did find some nice downhill bits after all the climbing and were able to coast downhill nice and fast. Not far from Inverness (but it felt like the middle of nowhere) dad got another puncture. He put in a new inner tube this time. I ate biscuits and watched! The weather was sunny but there was a wind and we very quickly got cold when we stopped so had to put on extra layers. Which we then had to take off again!

Dad repairing his second puncture of the trip so far!

Inverness really wasn’t very big (although we didn’t go right through the middle). We had to cross the Moray Firth on the busy A9 bridge on the road as the cycle lane was closed but that was fine.

Moray Firth Bridge

Nanna and Grandad meeting us for lunch

We stopped at the other side and waited for mum to appear with lunch in the camper van. Nanna and Grandad also arrived so we managed to squeeze 7 for lunch in the camper. 

Had another Cadbury's cream egg today. Chocolate is definitely keeping me going!

We’d ridden 35miles before lunch so only had another 15 or so to go but they all seemed to be uphilll! Some of the hills out of Dingwall really were quiet steep but at last we got to the top and it was a gentle downhill all the way to Evanton where we are staying.

Nanna and Grandad are staying up the road in a pub so we went there for tea. It makes a nice change not to be eating pasta for tea. So I had pizza instead!