Cycling day 31: Westhill, Inverness to Tain

I cycled through Inverness today, then out onto the Black Isle via the Kessock Bridge. By this point I’d finished following National Cycle Route 7 and was following just National Cycle Route 1, which I’ll now be following all of the way to John O’Groats.

On the way out of Alness I met a group of cyclists doing their own Land’s End to John O’Groats trip. There were originally 16 of them, but they’re now down to 12. I chatted with them whilst cycling along for a bit, then kept pace with them for quite a while before they stopped at a convenience shop. I stopped also and we chatted some more about my journey, their journey, maps, etc. They then set off again, but I didn’t try to keep apace with them this time, because I wouldn’t be able to for much longer — they’re travelling with minimal on-bike luggage because they’ve got a support vehicle, whereas I’m carrying everything myself.

Tain has proven to be a nice town and I arrived with a bit of time to spare. So, after checking in at my accomodation I went out to get some more food and drink provisions to carry on the bike. The reasoning being that tomorrow’s journey will be through a very sparsely populated area, so I’ll not be able to get anything on the road.