It was misty overnight and I could see the Ardnamurchan lighthouse
beams rotating as I peered out of the tent. First thing it rained
again but thankfully stopped as I packed my tent away meaning the
tent was mostly dry. It was still very windy as I wheeled my bike
down to the Information Centre where I found a rubbish bin to get
rid of mine.
Before the rain at Ardnamurchan Point
A camper van was parked adjacent and the back door was open
with washing hanging out to dry. A woman was there and presumably
the man was inside. I was offered a coffee but with a long day ahead
I didn’t have time so thanked her and continued. She seemed to have
an American of Irish accent. The wind was blustery as I negotiated
the narrow succession of steep hills. It soon started raining so I
put my windproof jacket on and packed the yellow jacket away. I
reached Kilchoan and began the journey towards Salen (the mainland
one) It seems odd that Scotland has two villages with the same name
around 30miles apart.
GWesternmost point in the UK
I started the climb to the east and the first objective was the long
climb around the back of Ben Hiant. It is the usual narrow single
track road with plenty of passing places. The rain continued and
became worse. Over the summit I started the descent and realised my
front tyre was deflating. I was on a very windy and exposed part of
the road but managed to find some shelter from the wind behind a
bank. I was thankful it was the front wheel and not the back. The
main problem was my tool kit is in a rear pannier and I had to empty
it in the pouring rain.
Shop and shelter at Strontian
Some of my dry clothes got a bit wet. I replaced the inner tube with
a new one, replaced the wheel and continued the descent down to Loch
Sunart. The torrential rain continue for several miles then
briefly stopped and it looked as though it may brighten up. It did
briefly but started raining again. At Strontian I went in to the
local shop for something to eat and shelter from the rain.
Rainy Corran ferry
I had to stay put for a while as the rain intensity increased. I
pressed on over the climb of Glen Tarbert and descended to the coast
road to Corran and the ferry. I had to wait about 15mins for the
ferry to return then made the free crossing. I was now on the very
busy A82 but additional work had been done of the footpath to make
room for bikes so the ride wasn’t too bad.
GKentallen old Rail Watertank
At the Ballachulish bridge I crossed over then joined the cycle
track along the old railway. This made the ride very enjoyable all
the way to Kentallen where I crossed the A828 to re-join the cycle
route and up the hill. My pre-planned camp was on a hill overlooking
Kentallen Bay. It was sunny when I pitched the tent but the weather
soon deteriorated.
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Whittle Wanderer
