Day 3 – the sun does shine
Kinlochbervie hotel looks as though it needs a bit of TLC. It’s at the end of a road that goes nowhere so you have to know about it to go there. Looking it up on t’interweb it appears that it has been struck off the Companies register and resuscitated as KLB hotel but under the same Directorship. Such are the vagaries of Scottish Company Law.
Anyway the bedroom I was given had a double and single bed and a perfectly adequate bathroom with a decent shower, albeit over the bath so I had to climb into the tub. I ate in the hotel as there was no alternative. There were 8 other people in the restaurant on a Bank Holiday Monday so I guess a bit of advertising wouldn’t go amiss. The mushroom arancini were perfectly good and plentiful but not fantastic. A lamb burger with a spicy sauce was well cooked and tasty and I finished off with a treacle sponge swimming in custard. Altogether a pretty good meal which coupled with a couple of pints of Thatchers Gold sent me off to the blog feeling well satisfied.
Breakfast this morning was porridge and an FSB with much better bacon and a very good black pudding. I left at about 1030 as there was little hurry to travel the 50 miles to Lochinver, although the route chosen was very hilly.
I first had to retrace my steps for 4 miles back to the main road past the sea loch that I had followed the previous night
I was now back on the A838 a wide single carriageway road with a good surface. As yesterday lots of campervans, many of them German, and motorcycles who seem to hunt in 3s or 4s Anyway the cycling was easy with most inclines no more than 6 % though occasionally I had to blip the motor. Loads of scenery which looked better for the sunshine which was now creeping through.
As you can see the gorse is in full bloom, though the heather is not.
About half way I crossed this bridge at Kylesku. Until it was completed in 1984 you had to take a ferry or travel many miles out of your way
It’s a handsome structure designed by Ove Arup and cost £4 million against a budget of £2.75m (plus ca change), although that looks incredibly cheap in hindsight.
A mile or so later I left the main road for the B869. Looking at the profile for the day I realised that I was probably in for a lot of climbing, and so it proved. An immediate slope in excess of 15% then flattened for a bit before again dropping at 25%. I stayed at the top and watched a couple of cyclists make their way up slowly with no motor to help. They stopped and asked about my journey. She told me that they were doing the North Coast 500 and I wished them well before proceeding. The road now went up and down like a fiddler’s elbow. It would have been even more fun if there had been slightly less traffic which meant a few waits.
More breathtaking scenery looking back towards Kylesku and amazing views down to azure blue sea lochs
Strangely as the day went on the traffic reduced. I can only conclude that most of the tourists use this route in the morning because, by lunchtime the only vehicles I met were local.
Glorious little white sand beaches on the way with very few people on them
After this the road rose alarmingly to the highest pitch of the day and I had to select level 4 of the assist to get up and avoid the vehicles behind and in front of me.
The day finished in bright sunshine and yet more amazing views. Altogether it’s been a most enjoyable day. It’s not been overhot, no more than 12 degrees, and the wind that spoiled yesterday has died down.
I arrived at Lochinver, a thriving little fishing port with a tourist industry, at about 1630 and eventually, after much trying, managed to get into the Hostel where I am staying the night. It’s not great but it’s a bed and I’ll find somewhere to eat in due course.
