After an early rise on Tuesday to say cheerio to Ricarda, going to work on the 0710 train to Edinburgh, and breakfast with Simon & Esther, we left Dundee en route for Ullswater. The weather was forecast to continue sunny and warm in Scotland so we took the ‘Road to the Isles’, as Dad used to sing, stopping at a lay-by at Kinloch-Rannoch. After a 25-mile round trip on the bikes along flat, quiet roads we finished off with a dip in the still, peaty, chilly waters of the Loch right in front of the van. Lovely evening on the beach warmed by a campfire chatting with van neighbours.
Left our overnight layby at the end if the Loch at 1030 and retraced yesterday’s ride along the Loch in the van, continuing up to the Rannoch Station for brunch. We’d passed through here when travelling back to Oban from Mallaig and wanted to see how ‘accessible’ it was by road – it’s 18 miles from Kinloch-Rannoch on mostly single-track, winding road alongside the Loch. It’s well worth the visit with a tearoom (sadly, closed on Tuesdays) and information centre in what was the waiting room. Steve rode his bike back down the long descent and Bev drove the van to join him in an idyllic lay-by we’d hoped to spend the night at. After sketching & painting on the beach and a lovely supper, the midges descended at 2030 and we retreated to last night’s lay-by at the head of the Loch, hoping for a breeze.
Tomorrow will be an early start driving south from Loch Rannoch to join the Gaffers at Ullswater Yacht Club for the North West OGA Rally, starting on Saturday 23 August.