Day 12 - Kinklochbervie (80 kms) - "The Gods smile favorably at last " !

After yesterday's tough "gig" i awoke to find a registered letter (remember them) sitting on my bed signed by Monika indicating that a divorce was likely to be on the cards if such a day was repeated - what really worried me though was that it was co signed by the lower half of my own body (dont ask how) - i made a mental note to placate Monika while convening an "all body parts" meeting to sort out their relevant rievances !

Daring to peak out of our 2nd storey window I noted that while the sun was out revealing a beautiful set of 1,000 meter peaks with smatterings of snow, the wind also appeared to be on the go although how strong and in what direction we wouldn't know until we got on the bikes.

A home cooked breakfast, some bike maintenance and we were on our way across the causeway in Tongue on a steepish but gradual 5 km climb. The wind while noticeable was thankfully no where near as strong as yesterday (yes we were going forward!) so the cycling was almost enjoyable as we passed through the nearby high plateau before descending for an undulating 15 km circuit around beautiful Loch Eribol.

The beauty of cycle touring is that you're often engaged in conversation about where you've come from or where you're going to usually with some descriptor about the weather you're experiencing. What I've learnt is how many people that have stayed in Melbourne as well as how many that recognise the brand of runners that I'm wearing the old favorites KT 26 ers well suited to cycling !

The cycling on the car side of Loch Eriboll was sensational with gentle gradients and the wind at our backs. It didn't take long before we reached the wild looking outpost of Durness with its magical looking white sand beaches. With the sun still out we raided a nearby store and had lunch almost in the form of a picnic overlooking this beautiful area.

With talks of changing weather we were quickly back on the bikes heading now inland towards distant mountains. The single track road required some good judgrement as to who would get to the passing bays first - being stuck midway with a loaded truck or camper van coming head on was not advisable.

The route contained one significant 3 km climb with the surroundings almost as wild as it gets and definitely too cold for kilts ! Monika took it easy on this section with her knee beginning to play up.

Once reaching the summit we had an amazing series of single track downhill all the way to the turn off to Kinklochbervie.

From here it was a testing 3 km ride to our accommodation a converted school house overlooking Loch Inchgard where we collectively breathed a sigh of relief after yesterdays effort.