Aug 9
I am here in Scotland on the Affric Kintail Way. It’s a pretty difficult track, mostly uphill. It’s been raining on and off all day… it’s something you have to accept, when going to the Highlands on a bike. The forest here is so thick like a little fairy tale forest. I met the real beasts of Scotland: the dreaded midges.
Aug 10
About 3 days ago I came up from Drumnadrochit on the Affric Kintail way. I literarily went up to the top of every peak I saw… not really by choice. Today, I was gonna take the bus down to Drumnadrochit, but the bus driver wouldn’t let my bike on. So instead I rode, and it was very well worth it. I’ve found a cool graveyard and a church next to a loch. It is so beautiful on this road. I noticed the size of the cows here in Scotland, they are enormous. Obviously, they have plenty of nutrition. There are all kinds of little houses nestled up on the hill. The buildings here are pretty amazing… and the colors of the flowers. I made it down to Drumnadrochit today, where I found Urquhart Castle.
Aug 11
Today I am on The Great Glen Way trail. It was a big ascent upto the Great Glen way from the town of Drumnadrochit. I am heading towards Fort Augustus and then upto Fort William if that’s where the wind takes me. It’s beautiful here. On the other side of the Lochness is Boleskine House, which is Jimmy Page’s house from the Song Remains the Same movie. Where he is playing the hurdy-gurdy in his yard, and the camera walks up to him. That’s the house. All I gonna do is swim across that Loch and I would be there.
Aug 12
This is the continuing Highland journey. I am on the Great Glen Way. Day number seven? … six? … 10? I don’t even know anymore. I camped last night. And it rained all morning, just right when I was about to leave… so I waited it out. But of course, it is Scotland, it rains all the time. I am at Loch Ness … and finally found proof of the Monster’s existence.
Aug 13
I am on the South shore of Loch Ness right now, on the bike route called the Loch Ness South bicycle route. Yesterday I came in on the other side of the Loch through Fort Augustus, which was jam-packed with tourists. It was interesting because I hadn’t seen people for days. Actually, I havn’t run into one bicyclist on the Great Glen Way or the Affric Kintail way. Today hopefully, I am going to the Bolskine House. It is about six minutes away on bicycle from where I camped tonight. The most important history of the Bolskine House is that it was Jimmy Page’s house. In the movie, The Song Remains the Same, one of the coolest part is where the camera is walking through the yard upto Jimmy Page playing a hurdy-gurdy on a blanket looking out over the Loch Ness from the Boleskine House. So yea, hopefully, it will be an inspiring moment.
I just composed a piece of music inspired by the feelings of this Loch, it’s quite an intense piece. At the moment I am calling it The Loch Ness Monster, because it’s kind of monstrous. But I probably will change that, because it’s a little cliché, isn’t it?
I found an old graveyard near the Bolskine House. Unfortunately, I passed right by the driveway to the Bolskine House without realizing. There way no sign. Then I went down a very long hill and didn’t go back to try to find it.
There’s been tons of uphill riding, I guess, equal amounts, but it just seems like there is so much more uphill, because the downhill goes by so quickly and the uphill takes a long time especially with your bike packed up with all the supplies. Good exercise. 7 days, I am still alive… and hopefully getting stronger. I am now on the B-road. You wanna stay away from the A-road because they are really busy freeways.
The first few days were really difficult: I picked the most difficult trails to start with, but my body seems to be adjusting. Today I’ve been pedaling for about eight hours … again mostly uphill.
Today I went towards Aviemore from Inverness and in the process I got a bit lost in the woods… thanks to an app called komoot. It had all these little bike paths that nobody knows about… when you go on google maps, and even put in bicycle, it doesn’t take you on that… so I got way up to the mountains… then it lost GPS signal… and… I had no idea where to go… so I finally made my way back down… ended up having be on the A9, which is crazy freeway… for just a short amount of time… but then I got onto the national cycling route no 7 towards Aviemore. I still have a ways to go. And I found this campsite on the way, and this is where I am staying tonight. I was very happy to find a campsite, because I was just hitting the end of my energy level. This is a shared camp, it got showers and laundry and a place to wash up and charge my phone… and my GoPro batteries. I got my sardines in tomato sauce and oatcakes … they are delicious, they are healthy, no added sugar… just oats … that’s my road diet. I‘ll talk to you tomorrow.
to be continued …