Sunshine and following winds took us from Edinburgh to Perth, despite the hard slog of climbing over Hill of Cleish and up to Glenfarg. A night at home (and celebration of Markus's 21st birthday!) was followed by a hectic morning of repacking, and after a send-off from friends and well-wishers (and see tomorrow's Perthshire Advertiser!), the shortest ride of our route brought us to Blair Atholl and a very welcoming B&B.
Wednesday (day 17) brought the crossing of the Drumochter Pass - our highest point at 1500 feet, and a serious matter in bad weather, but passed safely despite a few punctures. We met a tandem en route to Land's End, on a fast 13 day schedule. Thanks to John's tip-off we bypassed the road closure near Ruthven Barracks, and had a lovely finish on the back road from Feshiebridge to Aviemore (but no osprey spotted on this occasion).
Thursday dawned wet but soon cleared up, and the climb up to Slochd Summit was accomplished. Cycle Route 7 down to Inverness took us past the Cairns of Clava, a most interesting prehistoric site which none of us had visited before. Another long day's riding ended at Netherton Farm where we were treated to a spectacular view across the Cromarty Firth, and an even more spectacular dinner prepared by Oz and Susy.
Whisper it: we are quite tired. We didn't manage to squeeze any rest days into our schedule, and it is taking its toll. But with only two days left, and the roadsigns showing 100 miles to go...we dare to hope and believe we are going to make it.
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