Day 9 Inverness to Helmsdale (and beyond)

Change of plan

Day 8 ended with an offer that I couldn't refuse.  "We have a plan" Richard announced as we sat down for dinner..."well a proposal really and we can vote".  As three of us have a plan and one person is about to cast their vote the odds of overturning seemed unlikely.  We do run a democratic system in our team of one man one vote but sadly I am not that man.

The cunning plan was to get up early and ride away from the Travelodge to get in some of the initial climbs we had planned prior to breakfast.  This seemed like a fair enough plan especially considering nothing locally served breakfast until around 8 which would make our setting off time very late. 

We all met outside at just before 7-15 to put the plan into implementation when Bob looked at Mike and asked "Where are the keys?" just as Mike looked at Bob and asked "where are the keys?".  Hence two people both scrabbled through their luggage to see if they really were the last ones to have them last night.

" I gave them to you..."

Now there was a second part of the plan that we will get to later.

The ride away from Inverness is possibly the most picturesque part of our entire journey so far.  You ride away over the river on the suspension bridge with the football ground on your right and the harbour on the left before climbing up towards Dingwall on the A9.  

Not the best bridge

Our first drinks stop was 10 miles out and we were making good time with the climb now behind us we descended down towards sea level again and the bridge spanned across the Loch.   Just before we got onto this bridge we saw the first sign for John o Groats which was 109 miles away.  By the time we would finish the day that distance would be down to 35 miles.

At the drinks stop Richard suggested Barry was preparing for the wrong sport as his lineout bandages seem to have slipped beneath his knees (these were actually Platella supports but we could see the point).  After crossing the first bridge and turning right towards breakfast at Skiach truck stop, we saw Seals in the water just off the road.  This is going to sound daft but when you first see something moving in the water up here you do look particularly closely but there was a small family of seals playing around the rocks which was great to see.

Not nessie

We had also been making good time.  40 minutes for the 10 miles from the last stop to breakfast with Captain Potts leading the way obviously encouraged by the thought of a truck stop meal.  During breakfast healthy debate ensued about how to build a business empire and Mike performed an interesting impersonation of Richard's "starman" onto his bed that reduced the entire group to tears.   Sadly this doesnt work so well in the blog but I have to record it because in years to come when I re-read this this really was one of those moments that I want to remind myself of.

There have been a lot of those during this trip.  There are times, when tempers are probably shorter than people want them to be but mostly that is linked to times when we are hungry, tired, soaking wet or a combination of the three.  This is far outweighed though by the genuinely funny moments that we have had as we try to encourage each other to the finish line.

A good breakfast had a unifying effect

The picture above is probably my favourite one from the blog so far.  It is a shame we are not wearing our Sparks shirts (held in best for tomorrow) but this is the four of us together as a team and the brighter moments over the last few days have also had that as a common link.

Fish and chips

It was around 10 o'clock when we left breakfast and it was dawning on us that given the time we had made in the morning we could get to Helmsdale (our destination) by mid afternoon which enthused all of us.  We headed off and would get in two more 40 minute times for 10 miles which at this stage of the trip was surprising.  

Could be Wales

As we crossed the third bridge of the day (fortunately the Forth bridge was behind us ;-)) we planned for lunch in Glospie and the scenery off this bridge reminded us of a lot of the training runs we had done around North Wales.  Richard took this photo with the flag on Barry's back and the hills off in the distance which could be near Bala.

Lunch was at the Fish and chip restaurant in Glospie and during the lunch I spoke with my Grandma who was really enthusiastic about the whole trip and what an achievement it was.  Hearing the pride in her voice made me quite emotional but also very enthusiastic to get to the end and finish what we had started and looking out at the beach the end was only 75 miles away.  Adrenalin was kicking in.

As we left the town slightly weighed down by the various meals we had eaten we did come across this funnily named castle that amused us all.  It's been a long trip.

Thieves retirement home

We rode along the coast road all the way up to Helmsdale which was fine apart from the last few miles where there were suddenly some more hills.  The view behind us was amazing though with the last of the Caringorms and the hill we had started the morning climbing now far in the distance.  This was probably the first day where you could see, if not the actual place, a rough idea of where you started the ride and the distance we covered in the day was unexpected.

Stating the obvious time but 60 plus miles is a long distance but to have this view down the coast of the distance emphasised the point.  

We rode into Helmsdale and straight to the hotel we were staying at which prompted a cheer from Barry.  At last we had done a day without getting lost.  " it was one road!" the others chimed but a victory is a victory. 

Whilst we waited for Bob to return from the ice cream shop he was waiting at, Richard took the time to take some self portraits the best of which is beneath.

Get your motor running...

The cunning plan

Now stage 2 of the plan could kick in.  As we had made such good time on the 68 mile trip to Helmsdale we decided to try and get a head start on day 10.  Particularly because day 10 started with three climbs within 15 miles totalling around 1400 feet of climb which we wanted to avoid tomorrow when the weather forecast was predicting both rain and a headwind.

So after refuelling and Barry changing his own back wheel (with just a little help from Bob...to prove he still is useless in practical terms) and making sure our tyres were up to pressure we headed off for the largest of the hills which was an 800 feet climb not dissimilar to the horeshoe pass.

Barry at least tries to help fix his bike

These hills were hard.  Really hard.  Up until now the Bristol airport climb had been the hardest one but these three hills and the first two in particular were the toughest ones we had done.  

The first climb went straight from the harbour at Helmsdale and wound its way around the hill with an increase in altitude of 800 feet in just over three miles.   The road then flattened out a little and descended slightly allowing some good speeds to be attained until it descended 500 feet on a 13% incline before returning the same on the other side with an Alpine bend thrown in for good measure.  This 500 feet climb was torture on our legs and the woman in the layby laughing at us was not particularly helpful but I can see her point as we puffed and panted our ways to the top.

Our target point was a tea room at Dunbeath and the next few miles were quite pleasent as the coastal road meandered on and you could see further down the road to what we thought may be John o Groats but turns out is probably Wick.  

The end is in sight (well nearly)

One last valley at Dunbeath where you dived down into the harbour before climbing back out on the other side was finished off with a few hundred yard climb to the tea room.  We were all surprised to see the van pointing the wrong way down the road and being guided to the tea room further down the road particularly when the last two were told that Bob would see them back at the hotel before the van turned around to come and collect.

We returned to Helmsdale at pace in the van and we all surprised at just how far the 17 miles actually is when you get to replay it just after completion.  We will do this 17 miles again tomorrow to return for our start point for the 10th and final day.   36 short miles to go.