62 miles ridden – 3200 feet climbed – temperature 19C.

Today was a fabulous day. The sun shone all day and the temperature was just right for the climbing that we did. There was only one nasty surprise – a 15% climb just round the corner from the bottom of a long descent but aside from that the climbs were generally long but gentle.

The roads we travelled today were very quiet. We cycled the two sides of Loch Eriboll and then climbed up and over the headland to then travel a quiet road along Loch Hope to our lunch stop at Altnaharra. That 21 mile road took us along the Loch Hope then through the valley floor, and up onto the moorland above and in all that distance we encountered perhaps 10 vehicles.

I cycled the whole road on my own and while it felt very desolate, between cyclists and occasional cars I knew it actually wasn’t. The only sounds were cuckoos and running water from the countless small waterfalls.

On arrival in Altnaharra one of the local residents was waiting to greet us:

From there we had another stunning 20 miles to Lairg with all but 2 miles of it on quiet, single track roads with largely considerate drivers.

We all cycled a bit more slowly today to enjoy the sunshine and take in every last piece of the stunning majesty of the scenery we were passing through. It was truly stunning and after 5 days of cold, wet riding it put smiles on everyone’s face including the midges who were feeding well on us today.

The last picture is what cycling is all about – peacefully allowing the environment to draw you in. Today was stunning.