Day 32 - Alness to Altnaharra
Quck facts:
Weather forecast: Sunny becoming cloudy this evening; H20 L8 C; Wind 3 kph; POP 2%
Sunset 20:15
Departure: The Commercial Hotel Alness
Destination: Altnaharra Hotel, Altnaharra, Lairg, IV27 4UF
Planned distance: 50.1 mi / 80.6 km
Planned ascent: 2.106 ft
Planned descent: 1,857 ft
Route: photo from Ride With GPS. For actual metrics pls see Ralph’s Strava report https://www.cycling4charity.org.uk
Good morning / good day.
As I mentioned yesterday, I start my day with photos of the view out my window to “bookmark”’where one day ends and the next starts”. I am in far northern Scotland and I am greeted with a forecast of 20C and this morning’s sunshine over the brick walls and slate roofs of Alness businesses and up into the hills. It couldn’t be better!
After breakfast my first bit of business was to have my tired iPhone 7 given a “spa treatment” so it would hold a charge more than an annoyingly short part of a day.
I had been told in Inverness that there was a brand new Phone Store on the main street and Google confirmed that it was open at 9:00. Perfect!
Except!
The Phone Store, 42 High Street, Alness wasn’t actually open for business yet. Google couldn’t be wrong! When I called the number on Google Maps, Kal, the newest entrepreneur on High Street said he could meet me at the front of the store in ten minutes. This was Thursday Sept 1st. His grand store opening was actually Monday Sept 5th! Fortunately for me he had considerable stock in place and Alicia, his hometown assistant, was unpacking electronics as Kal made my iPhone happy again with discounted parts and labour that he insisted was a gift to a visitor to his country. Kal’s kindness, his expertise and his enthusiasm for his work and the customer, will take him far. Thank you Kal.
It was late morning when we headed out to beautiful agricultural land growing cash crops and grazing sheep. These were the fertile lands the tenant farmers were violently forced to leave during the infamous Clearances that took place in the 19th century.
Alness- Ardross. On top of our first big hill of the day.
The photo below is of the
Tain - Edderton region with the Dornoch Firth in the far distance stretching out to the
North Sea. According to the information posters, Edderton comes from the word Eadar-Dun meaning between the hills or dunes. Very appropriate for this area so high above the firth. This is where we first started reading about the history of these people. The Picts, the Vikings, the Scots and others merged to form the clans. They cleared the land and worked as farmers.
Sometime in the 1800’s large farms - I believe for sheep farming- were being created by pushing these tenant off the fertile land to higher, poorer properties where they built small crofts to live in as rhey made attempts at Crofting This was the Highland Clearances . We saw many ruins of these sad settlements as we cycled north. There is a particularly infamous settlement called Bettyhill that we would be cycling to tomorrow. As if their situation wasn’t already dire, in 1846 the Highland Potato Famine put 200,000 people at risk of starvation.
I think I might be repeating myself, but I love Scotland even more for its consideration and encouragement of tourists. Towns often have public toilets in highly visible places near the village green or bus stop, definitely making the whole town much more user friendly for the cyclists and walkers. I didn’t take any pictures of any, but I should have. Thank you Scotland.
Loch Shin beckoning to paddlers.
The mountain range in the distance far to the west of Loch Shin are the Ben More Assynt,
We are on the east side of the Loch cycling through central Sutherland. The highest mountain, isloated on the moor is Ben Klibreck. So… what is a Ben? Ralph has helped us out here when he compiled the POIs by having a link that explains “ben” is derived from the Gaelic word beinn which means mountain.
I think this is a photo of Ben Kilbreck.
It was an incredibly clear day when were at the top of Struie Hill … and Ben Kibreck was supposed to be straight ahead.
Although far between, sometimes there were « honesty boxes » where eggs and fruits, vegetables or preserves are for sale. This interesting one was on the roadside - near Lairg. I didn’t look in but I expect the weathered sign says “Free Range Eggs” or something similar and everyone just knows they are there - and the amount of change to leave per dozen.
River Tirry and the moor beyond with its low sided packhorse bridge.
Late afternoon ride into Altnaharra.
The “A” Road 836 into Altnaharra is closed for half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon. This puzzled me because I have never heard of a road taking coffee breaks before - and you must appreciate that this was a ONE lane track and almost nobody passed us for miles.
Note the weathered sign in the distance implies that there have been recent road work. I am not so sure.
Then around a corner a beautifully paved stretch in the afternoon sun.
The coffee break situation all became revealed when we passed by the Creag Riabhach Wind Farm and asked about it at the hotel later.
The wind farm has made an arrangement to close the road twice a day to transport the long blades of the wind turbines. So, despite strong unionism in Scotland, the roads do not actually get coffee breaks!
The sign in the distance is marking a « passing place” which are very frequent enlargements of the road to allow two vehicles - including one bike and one car - to get by each other.
We are now high up in the hills with the turbines but if you go back up to the ride profile, we now have a lovely downhill end to the day as we coast to the valley of Loch Naver, Altnaharra and the Altnaharra Hotel. Our home for the night.
A welcome and very comfortable refuge at the end of a day of cycling. I am sure the travelers on horseback and in carriages centuries ago felt the same way. Altnaharra hotel is literally the only choice in a VERY long way. It is a good choice. Ralph booked it first then booked all the accommodation for the rest of the trip based on us being here September 1st.
Morag our hostess is a very warm and welcoming woman. Our bikes were locked in the old stone barn behind this old coach house as the horses would have been centuries ago, and we were led to our cozy rooms.
I had booked my table for supper as is my habit when our hotel has a restaurant with a good reputation.
Morag convinced Ralph that a meal at the Altnaharra would be a good choice and he joined me. He wasn’t to be disappointed. Morag was right. Henry the chef outdid himself.
I had scallops as my starter and lamb roast with perfectly cooked mix of root vegetables…. with a delicate crunch where appropriate! A meal to remember complete with dessert!
Henry the chef.
This hotel is a very special place. We met a table of fly fishermen who come here regularly. They pooled their funds and donated to Haven House on the spot. If I lived anywhere close - I would come back and stay here too.
Oh…. be sure to bring your bug jacket and head net. The midges as they call them here…are world class and apparently they can’t get enough to eat because they are ravenously hungry! Beware.
Safe travels
Lorraine