Applecross

My first few days riding took a bit of getting used to. The heavy bike forced some low gears for what was an embarrassingly slow first day. But the weather was great, even somewhat warm for shorts and a teeshirt the first two days. I rode through Gairloch, and other remote coastal villages that may have gotten only gotten their first road less then 20 years ago. Some are still only accessible by boat. These quaint villages dot the coastline, where surprisingly large grassy mountains form a green backdrop against the sky. It was really nice riding. I saw at least a dozen other riders, most of them touring as I was, and made friends with some along the way. The roads are mountainous, and tend to roll down to a village, and back up around another loch, which has been interesting, and a bit exhausting, to see the sea rise and fall as I ride along.

It has been a difficult start. My first day ended when a 22mph headwind developed and I ducked into a roadside hotel that was frankly not very good. The next day went well, but was very long. You know you're in deep when drivers start giving you enthusiastic thumbs up. Exhaustion and isolation become worrying together, and though I was never alone or in any real danger, I started wishing for the end. Cresting a hill, and hoping to see your destination, only to see the another huge valley to cross with the road winding up the other side. There were some 'oh crap' moments.

I took a rest day before tackling Applecross mountain, which goes up and down about 2000 feet in 11 miles. The single lane road was simple to navigate, but varying levels of wind, swirling rain, and temperature drop made it a high exposure day. One person described the weather as simply “Scottish.” There were parts of the road where I had to stop and catch my breath every 100 yards or so. Poor visibility near the top got the lights out, and also limited views and pictures which was unfortunate. The decent had to be handled with care, but I can say I did Applecross mt, which is widely known bicycling achievement.

Most everywhere I've been has been out of cell reception. Businesses can sometimes offer slow or restricted satellite based wifi connections. This, along with today's rain, made it difficult to get information on the road, make phone calls and get lodging. Paper documents were difficult to use in the rain. Shielding maps from the rain with your body, you experience a new kind of frustration when water drips off the front of your helmet. Navigation has been easy enough as there simply aren't that many roads, and the GPS has been tucked away. Still, it was tough to find lodging today, and I'll try to do more planning going forward.

I have yet to pull out my camping equipment. I've been trying to treat myself good with plenty of good food, rest, take time to stretch, and generally taking care of myself for what have been trying first few days on the bike. So far, the hostels have provided better service for what I need, at a much lower cost then 'relaxing' hotels. I think I am mostly accustom to the climate, but it will take me another few days to get back into regular riding mode. Tomorrow I am visiting the famous Eilean Donan castle, then off to the isle of Skye where I have reservations, and a new rear bike tire on reserve for me. Hopefully I can get back in the swing of things!