Category: Uncategorized

24 June

5 miles on bike, 6 miles walking, 4 miles on Ferry- all sightseeing!

We woke up in the tent on the fantastic beach at Rathwick- We had no mobile signal but Martin was able to get onto the radio to find out the referendum result. We feel this result is going to be a catastrophe for our wonderful people and beautiful country and we have been preoccupied and subdued thinking about it all day. It will certainly change all our futures (and more importantly that of our children and grandchildren). It makes our current project feel somewhat insignificant compared to what awaits the UK as we head over a precipice into unknown waters ahead. The Scots we have talked to today have no doubt that Scottish independence is inevitable- even those that opposed it previously. Tourists from abroad find it hard to understand why this has happened.

Early morning mist over Hoy

We had to get back up the rough track from the bothy to the road- the gate involved heaving bikes over it without luggage but we were soon on our way walking to the Old Man- past an interesting museum in the old crofts about the local history- Rathwick had a school for both boys and girls as early as 1718 , quite an achievement in such a poor community.

The old school

We walked over the headland on a well made track courtesy of the RSPB and arrived at the Old Man- unusually even more spectacular than we had been led to believe. Martin had always had an ambition to climb the iconic classic route up the pillar but having seen it up close the sandstone does not look attractive to climb anyway, also joints mean that pretty much our climbing days are behind us and we will stick to cycling.

Inside the old school

Turf roofed dwelling

Old Man of Hoy

The Old Man sticks up over the skyline as you approach

lovely colours of plants and sea

Sandstone cliffs

The walk back was followed by a brief cycle over the island,

Ferns

we had time to call in and visit local author John Aberdein who we had met yesterday and had kindly invited us to call in for a cup of tea. We were worried about leaving soon enough to catch the ferry but he assured us that we would see it approaching as his house has a stunning view over the Hoy Sound. We had a fascinating wide reaching chat but alas had to cycle off  to catch the boat, such an interesting encounter- among many other things John was the the first person to kayak around the North coast of Scotland way back in 1970s and was very understanding of the issues of a long trip , ours however is much less adventurous than his.

We are back on mainland Orkney tonight with a signal, still trying to come to turns with yesterdays outcome, we fear that many of the consequences cannot be predicted .

Stromness

June 22d 2016

25 miles
486 metres
Cumulative total 1153 miles

The campsite was just next to the terminal of the little pedestrian ferry from John O’Groats to Burwick at the South tip of South Ronaldsey so it was not too hard to be in the queue at 9am for the sailing, clutching a hot cup of coffee . John O’Groats is a tiny settlement, remote, perched on the edge of Britain and it was a lovely morning, sunny and the water calm.

Waiting for the ferry

Trusty bikes strapped to the rails

John O’Groats from the boat

Lighthouse on Stroma

In the campsite, our neighbours were two lads, one of them celebrating a stag event of trying to photograph sunrise at John O’ Groats, and sunset at Lands End, we vaguely heard them depart at 4 am, wonder if they will make it with the Glastonbury queues …

The crossing was 40minutes , really lovely, lots of seabirds and we wished Chris was here to identify them for us. We spent the rest of the day meandering up the 24 miles to Kirkwall enjoying being in this magical place. Gentle scenery, low green hills, soft colours and always the sea.

Rain on its way

Cycling through it gave a feeling of great calmness. It feels rather depopulated with quite a few empty crofthouses and although we passed a thriving school and active churches, there were also a boarded up school and the Church of Scotland has the lovely Old St Mary’s Church at Burwick up for sale. Lots of cows.

Old St Mary’s Church

In the graveyard of Old St Mary’s church

The Orkneys enclose Scapa Flow, a large natural harbour which was still as a lake and very sheltered and which of course has in the past been the opposite of calm having been used as a naval base since the Vikings, but most recently for the British fleet during the two world wars.

The German fleet surrendered at the end of WW1 and was told to go to the sheltered moorings in Scapa Flow,  when they arrived they had secretly arranged to scuttle all of the battleships which sank without trace in front of the watching British.  They are popular dive sites as the crews escaped,  other wrecks where crew died are war graves and diving is banned

After a German sub penetrated throught the Eastern entrances in WW2, they were blocked off, intially by sinking old ships, Blockships , and then in WW2 by buiding causeways (Churchill’s barriers) There were several information boards about all this and parts of various wrecks stick out f the sea, they are now good habitats for widlife and keep human divers amused.

Old blockships still visible

More sunken ships

Italian prisoners of war were brought to help construct the barriers and they built a Catholic chapel, out of Nissan huts and materials they salvaged from the blockships. The British camp commander was sympathetic and the prisoners included artists and sculptors one of whom Domenico Chiocchetti returned in 1960 at the invitation of the Orcadians to help restore it. It is a moving place, especially when you realise the ingenuity they had to use, the chandeliers are made from bully beef cans , the windows painted glass and the frescos copied from a small religious picture Domenicco carried with him . The Italian Chapel is now well maintained and a tourist attraction, a bit incongruous seeing big coaches and flocks of tourists in this quite humble little building.

Inside the Italian Chapel

Painted wall of Italian Chapel (it is all flat)

Looking back over South Ronaldsey

Calm sea

It was lovely weather in the morning, we stopped for a coffee which turned into two when a hard shower arrived, we had watched it blow in over Hoy. It cleared for a bit but then rained hard just as we started to put the tent up, we were not as organisd as usual and managed to end up wet. Fortunately for us, this is the best equipped campsite we have ever stayed in with self catering kitchens, bathrooms and a laudry room, all run by Orkney council. We are now warm and dry, ensconed in the lounge with other campers taking refuge from the elements.

We intend to be tourists for a few days. The ferries to Shetland go from here 3 times a week so we will catch the one leaving at midnight (!) Saturday night, in the meantime we are going to visit the archeological sites and go to Hoy. We will be in Hoy tomorrow night and I am sure we will have no signal, we will blog when connected but will not add our miles to the cumulative Scilly to Shetland total. This feels particularly important as one particularly generous supporter HW has been donating for every 100 miles that we compete- clearly she knows a thing or two about motivation but we cant expect donations whilst we have a little sideways jaunt sightseeing- we have never been to Orkney before and so many people have told us about the amazing Neolithic sights and birds it would be a shame to just pass on by.

Thank you again to everyone who has been supporting us , it really helps keep the pedals turning when going uphill or into the wind and rain. People have contributed an amazing £1192 for Ashgate and £2292 for MSF. We are really chuffed by everyones support for such important causes when the last few weeks have brought out some of the uglier side of British politics and media, heartening indeed.

21 June

51 miles

Climbing 834m

Total Distance 1128 miles

We arrived at JoG late this evening but it was well worth it to feel that the first part of the trip is behind us now just the islands to come which we are really looking forward to.

We had quite a late start this morning after an itchy night caused by the usual midges, it was overcast all morning but in fact we stayed dry. Our neighbour on the campsite was a surfer , when we woke this morning there was a big surf and he was already down in the bay- a lonely figure searching for the elusive perfect wave

It is the solstice. This was the campsite at 10pm

Our other neighbour made a donation and was full of encouragement. We had been warned about the ups and downs along the coast- in fact it wasn’t too bad they aren’t  too steep. The scenery was good, dramatic skies and the hills rising out of the flat coastline.

We gritted out teeth and the 5 hills slowly passed. We stopped for a late coffee  at a traditional scottish bar complete with a multitude of single malts, resident drinkers but a very warm welcome and a fine piece of chocolate cake for Martin, Gayle watched enviously as she ate her disapointingly small piece of blackberry pie. We met some friendly cycle tourers from Manchester doing the NC500- a circuit of Northern Scotland being promoted for cyclists but also motorbikes and cars- they had had some trouble with unthinking motorists on the single track roads.

We set off refreshed and sustained (well Martin was) and pushed on past the Dounreay nuclear power station, now being decomissioned and still a large employer locally. Nearby there is a large windfarm and posters about consultation on how to spend the community money paid by windfarms in Scotland. There are also posters opposing further windfarms, and yet only two miles from the nuclear power station with not the best safety record.

These fellows clearly felt they owned the road, walking sedately down it causing traffic jams in both directions

Views over the Orkneys

Coastal views

The offending windfarm

We pressed on Thurso and had a late lunch ,

Lunch on Thurso sea front

We then stopped at a bike shop called- The Bike Shop, to get some supplies. The owner Sam was extremely helpful, Gayle mentioned the difficulty she had been having with gear changes for a few days , he couldn’t have been more helpful, coming out on his bike to follow her whilst she changed gear, leaving Martin to watch the shop. He ended up getting her bike on the stand and tracing the problem to a hidden split in the cable housing- and fixed it without charge- what a great guy, nothing was too much trouble.

The Bike Shop, Thurso

After a bit of delay we knew we would be late getting to John o’Groats but decided to press on, in fact the last 20 miles were flatter on good roads so we made good time. In Caithness by now, flat land, big skies, sheep and sea.



All day the scenery was fantastic- views back to the mountains and then out to the Orkneys as we got nearer.

After a quick supper we were rewarded with the site of a whale out in the sound- as well as seals.

These walls are everywhere, huge slabs of stone

The campsite is busy- mainly with rows of campervans, we hope that the ferry tomorrow will have space for us and the bikes- it is a small foot ferry but takes people to Orkney for a coach tour around the island so is popular.

We have one approach to camping….

Some people have another

20 June

45 miles
Climbing 512m
Total so far 1077 miles

We thought today would be a great ride and it exceeded our expectations- a very quiet road through some great scenery- mountains moors, lochs and big skies and the afternoon was mainly downhill and flat with the wind behind us- what’s not to like?

We had a proper breakfast at the Highland Hotel in Lairg where we retreated last night – even feeling hungry could only manage the “Half a full Scottish Breakfast” , then set off on one of the quietest A roads in the UK- single track with passing places and only a handful of cars each hour , but not too steep and with a nice surface which makes all the difference on a bike.

Sutherland hills

Our plan was to stop at the only point of sustenance in about 25 miles- the Crask Inn which we had heard much about before we arrived. When we arrived at the hamlet of Crask you can’t miss it- there are two buildings: the Inn and a bothy they run beside it. It must be the loneliest inn in Britain- nothing for miles around and very little passing traffic, no mains services ( a generator when it gets dark and peat fire for heating).

Crask Inn

View from the Crask

We had a very warm welcome and great coffee- whilst we were there they had a fair stream of customers- a high percentage of people travelling the road seem to stop and many of them know the owners well. The couple who own it …….. run the Inn, a bunkhouse/ bothy next door, farm the surrounding land with sheep and cattle and also look after a mountain bothy in the nearby hills- very resilient. In addition they have a church service in the back room once a month as it is so far for local farmers to travel to established churches. Unfortunately they are looking to sell the Inn for health reasons- quite a challenge for someone to take on.

Deer and cattle grazing together

We met someone starting their end to end , on his second day from John o’Groats – he warned us about the gradients tomorrow once we reach the North coast.

Peaty water

We had a choice of routes- either continue on the “main”road or take a smaller road off along Loch Never to Bettyhill. Both looks really nice but at the Inn they said that the smaller road was particularly nice- and had less climbing- quite a bonus. We followed the long loch and had lunch sat beside it- beautiful scenery and lots of flowers: orchids, thyme, some early heather, thistles just starting, foxgloves coming into their own and many others. For once the wind was behind us and the flat sections felt very easy going.

Loch Never

Interesting information boards about the local history, the old clans and the effect of the clearances. Many Victorians praised the local landlords for the ‘improvement’ of their lands which in fact was achieved by the brutal eviction of whole communities of crofters to make way for sheep. When the Countess of Sutherland wished to raise men for the Forces during the evictions,many refused saying ‘if they value sheep more than men, then let sheep defend them!

Eventually we reached the coast and were immediately made aware of it as the steep ups and downs kicked in for the last couple of miles

Beach at Bettyhill

We are on a small campsite at Bettyhill looking out over a bay with a beautiful beach .

Cooking supper in the rain

No internet connection again tonight so we will post this when we get signal tomorrow.

18th and 19th  June

53 miles

Climbing 729m

Cumulative 1032 miles

It wasn’t raining on Sat morning! Not only that, by lunch time the sun was out and in the afternoon our arms and legs came out for the first time in several days. Gayle usually has a minimalist approach to dressing for wet weather, shorts and sandals on the principle that it keeps her clothes dry however, the cold wind and wet of the past few days have called for leggings, gloves, waterproof hats, the lot. The only problem is that as the weather is nicer for us , it is also warmer for the midges and they have been in evidence all day, strong incentive to keep pedalling.

Ian made us porridge for breakfast and it would have been easy to sit and chat all morning but we mounted the steeds and got on our way. It has been really nice being able to catch up with  Dianne and meet Ian and they made us so welcome in their lovely home and garden

Ian and Dianne in the parsonage garden

We set off along the Cromarty Firth, amazed to see patches of snow still in the top corries of some of the hills. In the other direction, oil rigs which had been floated into the firth for maintenance.

Snow patches in the high corries above the gentle East Coast fields

Bee in foxglove

This guy made a very menacing growl at us. We were glad not to be on his side of the fence

Coffee at Evanton in a friendly cafe and over the peninsula on quiet lanes to the small town of Tain which has elegant buildings and a lovely community garden where we sat and soaked up the sun over lunch.

Tain community garden

The possible routes for people doing the End to End are coming together and there have been several parties today: two Australian girls in Dingwall, four very efficient machines powered past us at high speed in Evanton, and we chatted also to Kate, an intrepid lady from near Bakewell who has been walking North from Lands End since the 4th of April.

Then down to the bridge over the Dornoch Firth and the A9 over the next peninsula to loch Fleet.

Looking over the Dornoch Firth

Heron on the mud flats above the bridge on the Dornoch Firth

Bridge over the Dornoch Firth

The A9 is quieter here but we were glad to get off it and cycle up the Fleet valley to Rogart where we are staying with Hugh and Pat.

Loch Fleet

We got to know Hugh 27 years ago cross country skiing together in Norway and he invited us to visit then…. He has been really inspirational to us because of all the adventurous and creative things he has done since then. It is lovely to visit and to sit and renew acquaintance in their beautiful home, sitting in the sunlounge looking into Pat’s exquisite garden

Rogart valley

Sunday morning was bright and nice. Hugh and Pat gave us a lovely breakfast and we sat and chatted and enjoyed seeing around the lovely garden which they have created over the years from nothing.

Hugh and Pat

We set off up the beautiful quiet valley towards Lairg but Martin became overcome by another migraine….  We sat and gave it time to settle but he clearly wasn’t going to be well enough to carry on further today so we are ensconced in Lairg and he is feeling better after a good sleep. We have had no Internet access until tonight and hence have been a bit incommunicado,  this may still be an issue tomorrow I guess but we will just do our best

The broom is just riotous

Valley up to Lairg

We are planning to go North to the coast at Tongue tomorrow… we are looking forward to the day as the scenery will be lovely and it will be good to be on the coast.

People continue to be very generous to both MSF and Ashgate Hospice and this is a great motivator for us.

17 June
52 miles
809 metres climbing
Cumulative 979 miles

Last night we spent at the Scottish YHA hostel in Aviemore- a modern large hostel full of people doing outdoor things in the Cairngorms (or looking at the low cloud and wishing they could do things), the drying room suggested plenty of people were out whatever the weather.

We set off in good time and again were going to be following the line of the main A9 trunk road- up here there are not really many alternatives due to the mountains in the way. In fact the start was brilliant- a custom made cycle track through the forestry quite a long way from the main road , quiet and fast through heather and bilberry heathland.

Heather heathland

Should have had lovely views of the Cairngorms but the cloud was firmly down. We weaved our way through the golf course and then on to Carrbridge on a smaller road parallel to the A9- all very picturesque if only we could see the hills- mainly they were smothered in cloud. In Carrbridge we admired the ancient packhorse bridge, used until 1829 when it was damaged in a ‘muckle spate’ it looks quite precarious to cross now and we were happy to look at it from a distance.

Carrbridge packhorse bridge

Climbing through the mist

We spent most of the day cycling in dreich- for those that don’t know this great Scots word refers the sort of fine drizzle that you can’t see but gets you just as wet as if it was properly pouring. Whilst we do have it in Derbyshire it is an essential ingredient of any holiday in the Scottish hills.We pedalled patiently uphill to reach the rather bleak summit of Slochd where the road and railway cross a rather damp pass.

Going down the other side was cold but quick and we promised ourselves a coffee at the advertised “ country store “ at Tomatin- sounded hopeful. In fact Tomatin has a handful of houses and the country store is a tiny village shop- but it did have a coffee machine although nowhere to sit. we sat outside on a bench drinking hot chocolate and eating our sandwich in the dreich – it was good to get moving again.

Lunch outside Tomatin village store .
The Aero hot chocolate out of the machine really hit the spot

Scotland is still lovely though even in the wet, the soft colours, the mosses and pines and then occasionally a glimpse of the hills

Climbing through the forest

A quiet lochan

A Scots pine coming into flower

The moss was very happy, swollen with moisture

We liked this fellow

A couple more hills and we were in Inverness.

View over Inverness

We succumbed to the delight of coffee in KFC as the only place nearby and then had to navigate through an industrial estate to get to the bridge over the Beauly Firth and onto the Black Isle.

Sutherland hills from the Black Isle

Sutherland hills

We made it to Dingwall with tired legs but received a really warm welcome from Ian and Dianne who have revived us with tea and supper, a tour of their beautiful garden and good conversation. Dianne used to work with Gayle quite a few years ago and they moved to Scotland where they have completed the Munros- a mammoth task.

Distance 61 miles

Climbing 891m

Cumulative 927 miles

We knew today would be long with quite a good climb up Drumochter pass, the forecast was for rain most of the day so we thought it would be pretty tough- in fact it was one of the nicest days so far- just one big climb at a reasonable gradient rather than lots of shorter steep ones, and a fantastic off road Sustrans route for much of it on the old road.

We left our fun hostel in Pitlochry after an early breakfast , topped up with food for lunch at the Coop as we knew there would be no more shops until Newtonmore and set off along the B road- nice and quiet as nearly all of the traffic thunders along the A9. The route took us through Blair Atholl- full of coffee  shops and Highland souvenir emporiums but none of the coffee shops were open at 9.30 in the morning. Eventually we reached the Atholl Arms- a grand looking establishment but the nice lady on reception assured us that they could provide coffee, however the austere butler like figure that appeared looked at us very disapprovingly in our (admitedly damp) high fashion high viz cycling gear and seemed reluctant to provide us with the goods- when asked if they ran to a tea cake the answer was a curt “certainly not” , oh well we have been blessed with great kindness and support on this trip, I suppose that we were lowering the tone of the establishment.

Lowering the tone at the Atholl Arms

The Tilt river, full after the rain

We set off again and soon the Sustrans 7 route left the road and took us on a magical path through the woods- the remains of an older road . with generally a good surface and quite a steady gradient. Most of the way up the pass was traffic free. Our friend Rick had assured us that we would enjoy the ride and that we would hardly notice the proximity of the main A9 , a dual carriageway for much of the way but Rick was right anad with the trees and the slightly different routes we were hardly aware of it.

lovely woods

Lichen

We didnt use this bridge

Cycle path

Sustrans art

There were a series of signs on the cycle way warning of how serious the weather could be on the pass- we didn’t need any reminders as we had crossed Drumocheter a few times in winter in our younger days including one time when the snow gates were closed to stop people going over the summit and we spent the night sleeping on the floor of a pub (not what you think) along with about fifty other stranded motorists. The owners of the pub took it all in their stride as it was a regular occurence

As we got higher the rain got heavier but the main problem was the wind- a strong northerly driving the rain into our faces and making it hard work- harder work in fact than the slope. The empty old road remained perfect cycling though and we only joined the A9 right at the summit of the pass- a dramatic gash through the moutains  shared by the main road to Inverness, the railway line , the power lines- and our little cycle track.

We looked eagerly at all the vans stopped in a layby and thought that perhaps one might be a tea van as we were getting cold by now- unfortunately not. We set off down the other side of the pass but there was no respite as we were having to pedal hard downhill to mke progress against the wind.

Orchids

Battling the wind

After a few miles we reached Dalwhinnie and a cafe at last- the cup of tea became lunch as we huddled out of the rain, and then we heard the dreadful news from Birstall about the murder of Jo Cox MP.

Although Britain is a country with a low rate of violent crime compared to many others it is sobering that someone working hard to improve the lives of others should die in this way, we just hope that the spotlight will fall on those that preach messages of hate and intolerance that make this more likely to happen.

Rather sobered we set off on the last twenty miles- mainly flat with a few undulations along the Spey valley, along a quiet and very lovely road past the JacobiteRuthven Barracks on a striking natural glacial hump in the Insh marshes and the site of castles since 1200.

Ruthven Barracks

Mountains in cloud

The road then wound through the lovely woods and clearings of Glen Feshie and Rothiemurchus and on to Aviemore

we had originally planned to camp but when we saw the forecast we booked a place at the Youth Hostel and were glad to have a dry night after a long day.

15th June
0 miles
0 metres climbing

Almost 0 steps

We have enjoyed a rest day. It has poured with rain and we were starting to develop tired legs syndrome aftter 12 days pedalling on the trot. As we booked in last night, the receptionist, seeing that we looked like outdoors people was keen to press litererature on the local walks on us, however we had to disappoint him as this did not really fit in with our plans for today which has involved sleeping, washing and reading the paper… very restorative.

A wet Pitlochry

We are staying at the Pitlochry Backpacking Hotel, a relaxed place with a wacky decor and a group of really nice young people from all over the world working here as volunteers in return for board and lodging and all enjoying the Scottish Highlands and each other’s company. They are a foody lot and have spent this rainy day cooking a remarkable series of dishes which they have then shared. There are other visitors: German cyclists, French walkers, many like us enjoying a rest day

Resting up at the hostel

Every self respecting Highland hotel needs a few stuffed fish…

Even if they are all papet

14 June

47 miles

Climbing 807m

Cumulative 866 miles

We had originally planned a rest day today but the forecast was reasonable before heavy rainj tomorrow so we decided to press on to Pitlochry and have a rest day there before a very long day over the Cairngorms to Aviemore.

In the morning it was bright sunlight at 5.30 am , noticeably longer days now that we are getting further north. Our neighbours doing Lands End to John o’Groats were up and away early leaving a neat pile of tent and luggage for their support party to collect and convey to the next campsite. We were a bit slower but were on the road for 9am and set off on the first leg to Perth-  a couple of steepish hills but fairly short and then downhill through cold driving rain- we stopped to don extra fleeces , getting the temperature right when cycling can be hard- you can overheat going uphill but feel really cold on the downhill sections.

It was a clear night and the moon compensated for a night time trip to the facilities

Wet climbing up from Kinross

Barley and hills

Damp lamb

Down to Perth

We arrived in Perth , a small city with quite grand but dour buildings made from dark granite  , it obviously has had serious problems with flooding as there are impressive flood defences with substantial steel gates that someone must rush around and close when the river rises.

Flood gates in Perth

We stopped for coffee in a cafe in the recently refurbished park, the coffee soon extended to bacon sandwiches, scones and hot chocolate as the rain fell outside. the cafe is in the South Inch,  a really nice green space in the heart of the city.

Elegant Perth houses along the golf course

After a break we set off on Sustrans along the River Tay, through more green spaces that lead on to the municipal golf course- golf here is a much more egalitarian sport than in England.

We passed the Perth Bridge , an important crossing built in 1771 by the architect of the Eddison lighthouse , there had been a previous medieval bridge that washed away 150 years before . after the loss of the only river crossing the only way to cross was by a risky boat trip across the fast flowing river, at one time there were upto thirty boatmen but many drowned and are buried in the town cemetry. The new bridge was built after a long campaign , it was clearly strong as it withstood floods and an episode when ice upstream was washed down and jammed above the bridge blocking the river.

A Sea Eagle sculpture, Perth Bridge behind

The Perth Bridge

Lovely red sandstone of Perth bridge

We faced a dilemma of a choice of routes , the Sustrans route was a bit longer , the alternative from Royston Wood’s book seemed to be more logical so we opted for that- all was fine for several miles of good off road tracks and quiet roads but then it deposited us on the A9, busy with lorries hurtling past with a lot of spray in the heavy rain. We only had to cycle half a mile or so along the road but it was unpleasant and scary. We eventually escaped onto a quiet lane and the rest of the route was fine.

We needed to stop for lunch but fancied sitting somewhere other than on a saddle , ideally out of the rain. We passed public houses but no public benches and several bus stops but none with  benches or shelter, under trees with nowhere to sit and seats with no cover. We kept going getting wetter but eventually  were saved by the bus stop at a tiny hamlet called ‘Byres of Murthly Road End’ – we sat down for our butties in the shelter- and the rain stopped.

Bus shelter for lunch

We climbed over some more hills and descended to Dunkeld, crossed the River Tay again and then the route disapeared through an unlikely looking arch up the private drive of a grand hotel- Sustrans takes you to some unlikely places.

The route passed the remains of Dunkeld Cathedral , partly ruined. It was started in the twelvth century  as part of a monastery.

Dunkeld cathedral

The grounds of the hotel had an impressive arboretum , we wound through huge Seqoia ( Giant Redwood Trees) that must have been planted in Victorian times. The route continued up along the Tay on untarmaced tracks and then we were back on small roads, more up and down until we reached Pitlochry.

A Sustrans art wizard

Beeches by the river

Copper beeches and green fields

Forest clearingJ

Along the way we passed over the Logierait bridge- the only community owned bridge we have ever seen, it was falling into disrepair and the landowner closed it in 1991 but locals still needed to use it to cross the Tay despite the risks as it reduces journeys between villages by 7 miles. Eventually the local community got together to rescue it, raising a staggering 450 000 pounds and now run it – there are notices disowning any responsibility!

Logierait bridge