Day 11 Lejog 2024

A glorious sunny day as we left Kinross for another 82 mi!e ride. Our guides in the morning briefing referred to the day being challenging. And so it proved with 14 category hills. We made our way to Perth with our first view of the River Tay. The scenery was stunning as we continued to Blairgowie. On the way we passed the Meikleour Beech Hedge, reputed to be the longest hedge in the UK and the highest of its kind in the world. By our lunch stop at The Lair in G!enshee. we had already completed 11 of the 14 climbs so we were feeling pretty smug. However, we had been forewarned not to underestimate the climb up to the Glenshee Ski Centre. And they were not kidding -  a monster climb of 2 miles with gradients rising from 6% to close to 15%. After staggering to the top, the views of the Cairngorms National Park were outstanding. And the reward for the climb was a fantastic descent with speeds of plus 40 mph. The sun continued to shine as we cycled alongside the beautiful River Dee before we passed the King's county home at Balmoral before arriving at our final destination at Ballater. Our accommodation was at The Auld Kirk, a converted Scottish Free Church voted the AA Bed & Breakfast of the Year in Scotland in 2024. A couple of shots of Scotch awaited us. Good for Gerry, my roommate as I don't drink spirits. I'm sure the breakfast will not let us down.