Trip from Beauly to Drumnadrochit

The reason for the trip was to meet up with a cousin and her husband for the first time in their brand new home. The house was so new that there were unoccupied houses without numbers nearby and there were no street names to be seen. Locals living very close and a couple doing a police door-to-door search did not know its whereabouts and one chap seemed to know but directed me to completely the wrong area.

When my relatives were found they were in good form and pleased with the location of their new home, looking out on a hill and with much surrounding greenery. They are in the arty side of the clan and my cousin showed me her impressive studio for painting, sewing and making jewellery. Their grandchildren include budding musicians so we look forward to performances from them in the future.

Coffee from a second visit to The Corner on the Square in Beauly was as good as that during Lap 3. A reasonably-priced mushroom omelette with a substantial salad and chips from The Priory Hotel was delicious. The stake in the business owned by the staff seems to be effective.

The ruins of the priory in Beauly were well worth a visit and attracted a stream of tourists. Plaques describe features of interest.

The river bank and nature reserve forming part of the campsite made for a relaxing walk. Wild raspberries were delicious and blackberries were ripening and tasty.

The road surface of the A833 was good and the volume of traffic was not great enough to make any drivers pass cyclists too closely, so this is a route to be repeated. Approaching the junction with the A831 close to Drumnadrochit, a sign advised drivers to keep in low gear for three quarters of a mile because the slope included sections at 15%. This was fine for descending by bike but it did leave me doubting whether I could climb it on my return. To give myself the best chance, I rested at the junction and ate the heavier food in my panniers. This gives energy, allows a little weight loss by discarding inedible parts of fruit and by sweating and breathing, and allows time for psyching up for the imminent effort. My heart rate nearly reached maximum up the steepest sections and the satisfaction on making it to the top was huge.

The stats for the day, including looking for the new house, a diversion through the Belladrum estate, a visit to the centre of Beauly to eat and drink and a walk, were a distance of 31 miles with 2300 feet of ascent and 1080 active calories.