Day 20: June 6
Lairg to Bettyhill
72 km / 650 m
Yet more fantastic mountain scenery, open moorlands and awesome views as we head toward the north coast. This afternoon's ride follows a wonderful salmon and trout fishing river so keep an eye out for ospreys! Finishing the day's relatively short ride into Bettyhill gives us an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come and rest ahead of tomorrow's ride.
The forecast for today was very similar to yesterday's weather. So - same clothes and layering system. And - I'm guessing my luck can't hold out for two consecutive days. We woke up to a pretty clear sky and windy again. Sure enough, by the time we had the bikes out and were ready to go, it was raining. So most of us crowded into a bus shelter to listen to Peter's morning blah-blah. We had our first experience with Scottish midges as we were standing around, but not an issue once we were moving. Off we went into the rain. Phones were tucked away in waterproof bags. But - after a few miles of the wet stuff the sun came out for a while. The first few miles were within sight of Loch Shin.
I'll assume this is the River Tirrey.
As we left Lairg the road quickly deteriorated from a decent two-lane road to a pretty rough single lane road with lots of "passing places". I was surprised by just how many vehicles were on the road, including large trucks and lots of RVs.
I spent a lot of time today just savouring the views and the experience of being here - stark, expansive, remote - and appreciating our trip to date. I loved the terrain, but was a bit surprised that so much of what appeared to be "barren" was actually clear cut - as evidenced by the stumps and debris in the fields.
We didn't see much in the way of man-made structures today. A few lonely outposts, farm houses & buildings, etc. At about 13 miles we came to a cafe housed in a building that also serves as a church. Just tea & coffee on offer there, so I had to find sustenance in the back of the van.
And by that point we were just about at the top of our morning's climb. It was pretty effortless - low grade and wind was ok.
Looks like the wind is pretty reliable through here, near the top of the climb.
I believe this is the first sighting of Loch Naver.
A look back...........
.......... and to the right side.
A little further on............
There were a lot of cyclists on the road today going the other way. Just starting JOGLE, I assume. I stopped to talk to a couple from near Manchester. The load they were each carrying made me feel like an imposter. They were on Day 3 of a trip around the world that will take a year or longer.
At this point we were enjoying a downhill with the wind, and they were not enjoying the opposite of that!
Here are some pictures in and around Altnaharra, where several rivers flow into Loch Naver.
We made a right-hand turn following the signs to Bettyhill and lost much of the traffic; nice..... Great views of Loch Naver for a while.
We then came to several sites along the Strathnaver Trail that had to do with "the clearances". The Highland Clearances happened in the early 1800s when a significant number of long-standing tenants were evicted so that the land could be used for sheep grazing.
Oh no........... here comes the rain again............. It came down pretty hard for a while, but I was on a downhill with the tailwind, so easy-going to the afternoon van stop at Syre. I stopped at a few more info boards, but I didn't linger or take pictures. By Syre the rain had passed, so yet another wardrobe change. It is time-consuming and frustrating to be constantly changing layers, but I've managed to keep pretty dry and comfortable by taking the time to do that. Only about 12 miles to go at this point.
I still haven't seen a Scottish Highland Cow (Coo), but I thought these guys were kinda cute. Geoff appears to be one of the few who has photographic evidence of having seen a Coo.
The last five or six miles started to get a bit lumpy (after a long, long gentle downhill stretch) and we picked up a headwind again. Off the ocean, I suppose.
We also picked up another language, apparently.
And - our first views of the ocean...........
Despite a few cloud bursts during the day, I managed to arrive warm and dry. Another big dump shortly after checking in, but as I write this the skies seem to be clearing. Dare we hope for a good weather day tomorrow??
Bettyhill:
Population: 500
Bettyhill is a crofting community of resettled tenant farmers kicked off their land during the Clearances. The spectacular panorama of a sweeping, sandy beach backed by velvety green hills with rocky outcrops makes a sharp contrast to that tragic history.
Hotel: Bettyhill Hotel www.bettyhillhotel.com
The Bettyhill Hotel began life as an old coaching inn and has now grown into a superb family-run hotel offering 16 individually furnished rooms. Serene surroundings is what persuaded the family to purchase the Bettyhill Hotel in 2011. Originally bought in a run-down state, a lot of investment and energy has gone into developing the hotel into what it is today. Every year sees additional improvements and we pride ourselves on providing a pleasant work environment for our employees.
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Ride Stats:
The Route:
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