Day 12 Lejog 2024

The breakfast didn't disappoint. There were even home made scones. The proprietor, an avid Glasgow Celtic supporter, was in good spirits. He had made a 250 mile round trip to see Celtic win 5-1 in a Champions League game. It was another beautiful sunny day as we embarked on the toughest day of the trip. 73 miles with an elevation gain of 5200 feet with the majority of climbs before lunch. As we cycled up to the Lecht ski resort the gradient was an eye watering 20%, the steepest climb we had encountered. There were rounds of applause as our weary cyclists completed the climb up to our first brew stop. After an exhilarating descent, there was another steep ascent before a welcome lunch at the Nethy Bridge hotel. The cycling in the afternoon was a real delight - cycle lanes and quiet country roads, passing over Carr Bridge and stunning scenery. We made our way to Inverness, our destination for the night. Our accommodation at The Coo's Guest House was somewhat different to places we have stayed at on the trip. There was no one to greet us and it was a bit like taking part in an Escape Room exercise to access your rooms. You even had to send a Whats App to confirm your choices for breakfast. Reading the reviews it was clear that this was not to everybody's taste, much to the chagrin of the absent landlady who vehemently defends any negative feedback. I will be interested to see the reaction if I suggest a rename to the Boos guest house!! The reality is we have been spoilt on this trip and this is an exception to what has otherwise been some exceptional accommodation.

 

 

Our Route to John O' Groats

The current world record for cycling between Lands End and John O' Groats on a conventional bike is 43 hours 25 minutes!!  We are aiming to complete in 14 days, an average of just over 70 miles each day. It's common to do the cycle from Lands End to take advantage of the South westerly winds, although of course this is not guaranteed. The vast majority of people follow the route we have taken to the West of the Pennines as this is shorter and less hilly. There are two common alternatives to Inverness either via Glasgow or Edinburgh. The advantage of the route we have taken via Edinburgh is to avoid a very busy A82 road. Peak Tours have made every effort to avoid cycling on busy roads which has been a real highlight of the tour.