Week 5
Monday 2 July to Sunday 8 July 2007 (Uig to Elgin)
Day 30 - Monday 2/7/07 - Uig to Ullapool (via Stornoway) - Estimated miles: 37
I’m taking a bit of a chance as, even in the summer months I am told that ferries to and from the Western Isles do not always go according to plan due to the weather. Nonetheless, the plan is to take the early morning ferry to Tarbert on Harris and then two to three hours of hard cycling up to Stornoway. Hopefully I will have time to say hello to one or two of my fellow volunteers in this northwesterly branch of the movement before another ferry to Ullapool where the support team should be waiting for me.
Day 31 - Tuesday 3/7/07 - Ullapool to Durness - Estimated miles: 70
It’s the A835 up to Ledmore Junction. At this point there is a genuine choice of direction. Option 1, which is to head inland and in a southeasterly direction to begin with all the way to Lairg and then up the A836, is actually 20 miles shorter. However, I’ve gone for option 2 as it just feels better for a round the country tour. (Look at a map if you don’t know what I mean.) So it’s then the A837 and the A894 all the way to Laxford Bridge. Finally, the A838 up to Durness.
Day 32 - Wednesday 4/7/07 - Durness to Thurso - Estimated miles: 70
From Durness I shall take just about the only road there is (the A838) all the way round Loch Eriboll to Tongue. Then the A836 meanders its way to Thurso, home of the Caithness branch.
Day 33 - Thursday 5/7/07 - Thurso to Lerwick, Shetland (via Orkney) - Estimated miles: 18
Today I say goodbye to the support team for the last time; so back once again to full panniers. On the road, a dink up to Scrabster and a ferry to Stromness on the mainland of Orkney. Hopefully, an hour of cycling later I should be in Kirkwall. Another ferry takes me overnight up to Lerwick on Shetland.
Day 34 - Friday 6/7/07 - Lerwick to Kirkwall - Estimated miles: 0
The people who decide the ferry times don’t like the idea of too fleeting a visit to Shetland. So I will spend the whole day on the island resting and taking some time to explore (which was one of the original ideas that went out of the window as plans developed). The evening ferry takes me back to Lerwick due to arrive at about an hour before midnight.
Day 35 - Saturday 7/7/07 - Kirkwall to Brora - Estimated miles: 75
Given the late night arrival in Lerwick I’ve decided against the earliest ferry to the mainland so it’s a relatively leisurely ride down to St. Margaret’s Hope to catch a ferry to Gills. From the ferry I am to be joined by John W. John is the Managing Director of Mercia and therefore instrumental in the policy of the three month sabbatical after 10 years service (he’s benefited from this twice). He’s also a very good cyclist; last year completing the route of l’etape du tour (traditionally the toughest stage of the year’s Tour de France). This year John will be in the etape itself and the four days he’s joining me are allegedly preparation for this (although I imagine he’ll be travelling a good deal slower accompanying me than the following week in France). Not setting off until the afternoon, we have a lot of miles to cover starting on a white road due south before picking up the A99/A9 down to Brora. Unlike John S (see week 2), John W will not be bringing a support drivers. So, whilst his accompaniment is a massive boost to the cause, I’ll still have my panniers (maybe I can sneak some of the contents into his).
Day 36 - Sunday 8/7/07 - Brora to Elgin - Estimated miles: 95
We plan to continue on the A9 (apart from a white road alternative to avoid the bulk of the dual carriageway) leading in to Inverness. After a late lunch, we’ll then probably head up the B9006/9091/9090/9101 before picking up the A96 or minor road alternative all the way into Elgin.