Day 38 - Wednesday Durness to Lairg
Quick facts:
Weather forecast: Rain in the morning then clearing in the afternoon. H 18 L 13 wind E 23 kph. Humidity 94% at 6 am
Sunset 20:02
Departure: Homeknowe AirBnB Durness
Destination: Carnbren BnB, Station Road, Lairg, IV27 4AY
Planned distance: 56.3 miles 90.6 km
Planned ascent: 1,945 feet 593 m
Planned descent: n/a
Route: photo from Ride With GPS
Good morning/ Good day
We headed off on the A838 at 9:15 with grey skies but no rain. We went around a little corner still in Durness and met 10 motorcycles and riders also getting ready to leave town. Ralph is a pro when it comes to meeting people and spreading word about our route and mission. This group definitely got his attention.
Northern Scotland gave us lovely views in the mists. Stone walls down to a loch on our way out of town. We were heading west again as we did yesterday by bus, but this time we knew there would be no turning off for Cape Wrath.
Our road companions - sheep.
Sheep being gathered at the barn. I wonder if they are off to an adventure on the moors or is this is the end of their free time and roamings.
We followed the River Dionard and crossed the lowsided arched stoneRiver Dionard Bridge on the A838. There is also an historic wooden foot bridge close by.
As you can see, even though this is “the” major highway in NE Scotland, it is pretty quiet on a September morning.
Somewhere along the way it started to rain hard.. and yes… this is what I wear for torrential downpours!
I figure at least the cars can see me and I am certainly warm and dry if not fashionable.
This is a rare shot of rain during this ‘ round Britain trip.
We were at the Rob Donn Trail with Loch Inchard in the background. Rob Donn Mackay (1714-1778), as the roadside plaque explains, was a Gaelic oral poet who described life in Mackay Country before the Clearances.
At Rhiconich, at the bottom of Loch Inchard, remarkably there was a police station, public toilets and a functioning telephone booth representing more Scottish infrastructure than we had seen in one place for awhile.
Our route took us along A838 until the junction where A834 branched off west to continue the NC500. We continued SE on A838 across LaxfordBridge over River Laxford through the hamlets of Laxford and Achfary and beside Loch Stack and Loch More before settling in to cycle the length of Loch Shin to Larig. This is the North West Sutherland National Scenic Area with lots of hikes and climbs for the outdoor enthusiasts.
As soon as we crossed Laxford Bridge the road was less used, the mountains had much steeper walls and the wind wasn’t noticeable anymore.
This large mountain might be Ben Stack, a popular hike in the area.
My lunch stop was beside an idyllic lake. Without the wind and rain, the mozzies had opened the hunting season for human blood. I donned my bug hat and ate hurriedly! It is possible that it was beside Loch Stack.
The rain had come down very hard for awhile resulting in hundreds of small waterfalls off the hillsides along the road. I am sure the waterfall at Falls of Shin was flowing fast. There were busloads of people stopped to visit the site….
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_of_Shin
I didn’t want to leave my bike and bags at the top of the path so I pedaled on and enjoyed stopping along the roadside to watch the waterfall extravaganza on the hillsides.
Salmon farming in Loch Shin. Apparently ever few years they move the nets so the bottom of the loch doesn’t get too filled with fish manure.
I am sure this was a dry bed or a little stream this morning.
The river at Rosehall. It is actually higher than the road at this point and often floods the A838 in the winter making it impassable to cars.
There were dark clouds following me into Lairg. We had been in Lairg a week earlier on our way up to Altnaharra and recognized some of the landmarks going by - well actually Ralph was aware of more than me. I think it helps that he planned the route and knew far more than I did about what may be coming up next. Lairg is a busy centre in this neck of the woods.
We got to our BnB before it rained again, got the bikes locked away and settled in our rooms. I regretted only learning that morning when I checked the website that with advanced notice we could have ordered a supper meal. My loss.
Our hostess at the Carnbren BnB was a lovely retired school teacher - Christine Powell. She literally had traveled the world and had momentos throughout her home. As Ralph feared, I could have stayed for days talking about all the places she had been and where I would like to go.
Her home and the rooms she offered were charming.
As I have mentioned several times. I never know what our accommodation will be but it always turns out fine for me. Today Chris’ hospitality made it a treat.
Safe travels everyone.
Lorraine