Ride & Stride – Day 3: Friday 9 September – KINLOCHEWE to ULLAPOOL (71 miles)
First of all a big thank-you to our hosts Caroline and Raymond at the Loch Maree Hotel last night for supporting our Ride & Stride charities – that is very much appreciated, thank you!
The runners started things off today, returning in the minibus to Kinlochewe for their 10-mile run back to our overnight stop at Talladale. The start of my day was significantly less complex, walking out of the Hotel for a couple of miles along the road to Slattadale, then taking the woodland path to the shore of Loch Maree. Following the scenic Tollie Trail my trek took me along and then above the shoreline, before a prolonged and rocky climb to the col over to Poolewe.
These 11 miles took me four hours of hard walking, always with stunning views forward and back. The final descent took me to the coast of Loch Ewe, and around the bay to where the camper-van had been left for my arrival at Inverewe
We have been blessed today with sunshine and warmth, and in my case by a tailwind that assisted my progress northwards up the incline to the col. Not so for the cyclists, who started out from Inverewe on an exquisitely picturesque but hilly section of road to Dundonnell: for them a strong wind swirled and buffeted, making the ride tricky and tiring. We met for a well-earned tea and cake before I left them to the final miles into Ullapool.
I said in an earlier post that we would all be very pleased to conclude the arduous first three days of our NC500 journey injury-free and in good shape. Well here we are now, all fine, and settling happily into the Ceilidh Place with another 71 miles of the NC500 under our collective belt. In total we have covered an aggregate 197 miles as our Ride & Stride convoy continues northwards. So, after a sneaky pint of the irresistibly-named Cairngorm Stag bitter we celebrated with a fine 3-course dinner in the warm glow of our physical achievements.
Time for bed, and the end of another very fine day!
Let’s move on quickly. My heading today is taken from the 1965 song by Scotland’s answer to Bob Dylan, the folk-rock singer-songwriter Donovan. The mood of the song captures perfectly the feel of today’s wonderful Ride & Stride activities.
Walking for Fun, Challenge and Charity! 