A calm and overcast night. The weather report on the radio sounded a bit better and I may get away without any rain. Being in a very wooded area I must have packed at least a kilo of wet leaves in with my tent. I was in my way by 07:15am heading SW above the shore of Loch Ness. The road continued the same as that previously, mostly with thick woods both sides and no views. There were some breaks at lay-byes and one was opposite Urquhart Castle on the far shore so I stopped for a look. It was even possible to walk down to the waters edge and watch a small fishing boat on the Loch. There was no sign of Nessie.

Camp in the trees by General Wade's Well

Loch Ness

Boleskin Burial Ground

On the right was a burial ground called Boleskin Burial Ground. It looked interesting so I stopped to take a closer look. The original Church was no longer there but the really interesting thing is Boleskin House on the opposite side of the road. In the past it was the home of Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947). He was also know as 666 The Great Beast and was an influential English occultist, mystic, ceremonial magician, traveller and alleged spy. I came across his name because of his unsuccessful 1905 attempt to climb Kangchenjunga, the 3rd highest mountain in the world.

A later resident of the house was Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Crowley was one of Page’s influences. The road continued with many ups and downs and I wasn’t able to maintain any speed. A sign said there was a shop ahead at Foyers. A steep climb took me there but the shop was closed. I was still on the B852 but eventually I reached the junction with the B862 which is the major road. I turned right to head for Fort Augustus where I’d planned to spend a bit of time looking round. The road didn’t seem much better than the one I’d been on except that there were fewer trees and better views. A long climb took me to a high point where I would have stopped if it hadn’t been very overcast and dull. After a long steep descent I rounded a bend to see the surprisingly picturesque Loch Taff.

Aleister Crowley in 1911

Loch Ness

Bridge of Oich

I stopped briefly to take in the view then followed another long descent towards Fort Augustus. Before the bottom I got a good view back along Loch Ness so stopped to photograph it. A large group of cyclists were coming up on mountain bikes and the looked like they had a support vehicle following them. They appeared to an organised cycling holiday group. As I was taking a picture of Loch Ness one of them obviously asked it I had seen Nessie. I said yes, lying unconvincingly. I was soon in Fort Augustus and surprised and disappointed how small it was. There was no obvious town centre or large buildings of note. I checked out the swing bridge and lock on the Caledonian Canal. I bought some chocolate from a small shop and sat down to eat it and watch the small boats going through the lock.

The road was now much easier and I pressed on to the Bridge of Oich where I stopped to look at the old suspension bridge. Further on I found a small shop where I bought some more provisions and checked out a strange memorial on the opposite side of the road. It was dated 1812 as is the Well of the Seven Heads depicting the severed heads of some murderers. Further along I came to Invergarry where I’d passed through on my earlier journey. I’d also hoped it was a small town as I had with Fort Augustus. It turned out to be a petrol station near the road junction. Disappointed I continued along the A82. I was now reversing my outward journey along Loch Lochy. About half way along was a large lay-bye and a van selling food. I stopped for a bacon bun and cup of tea.

Well of the Seven Heads

Commando memorial Spean Bridge

The bacon was delicious and was soon finished but the tea was in a large polystyrene cup and hadn’t cooled down at all from it’s initial boiling point. One of my drinks bottles was empty so I poured the scalding tea into it and continued. The tea was soon at a drinkable temperature so was soon drunk. It didn’t take long to reach the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge. I stopped again as I had on the journey out. This time I made time to look at the additional memorial area adjacent. This is to remember those who have died in more recent conflicts. I sat on the wall to reflect. I’d parked my bike there and another bike had also been left. I’d seen the cyclist as I walked to the memorial area and as he was now collecting his bike we began to chat. He’d also come from the Inverness area and was heading for Fort William. He only had a small rucksack and staying in pre-booked accommodation.

He was going to head for Fort William along the main A82 but I told him of the better route via the B8004. He took my advice and headed off that way. I finished a bar of chocolate and set off that way myself. It was a nice ride along the opposite side of the River Lochy. The huge profile of Ben Nevis appeared ahead and got larger the closed I approached to Fort William. It wasn’t long before I caught the cyclist I’d been chatting to as he was going very slowly. My plan was to camp somewhere on the outskirts of Fort William but before I knew it I was riding between houses of nice gardens and no rough ground for a tent. I was now in Banavie at the point where the Caledonian Canal drops to the sea. Somewhere to pitch a tent was a problem. A large flight of locks headed back up to Loch Lochy. I asked a worker where I could get some water and he directed me to the top of the locks and toilets where there was a tap. I followed his advice and filled my water bag then headed along the canal side to a fairly secluded area where I pitched my tent. It was out of the way and I hoped I wouldn’t get moved on. Across the canal I had a spectacular view of Ben Nevis and in one high corrie could see large areas of snow.