The days are running out quickly, and today was to be a shorter day which was welcomed. After yesterdays long day and the trepidation of the long hilly one to come tomorrow!

I had a very good nights sleep in the Great Glen Hostel, as the youngest of us 3 ladies I took one for the team and took a top bunk! Don’t know when I last slept on one of them. Dinner was provided and I had a delicious burger from Laggan.
Breakfast was square sausage sandwich for me – breakfast of athletes!
We set off at 9am this morning, the hostel didn’t do breakfast till 8am and we only had 61.8miles to cover and so the pressure was off. It was hot from the outset and the the miles rolled in through Invergarry, Fort Augustus and Invernoriston.

The scenery was pretty stunning and lush and we stopped and watched boats going up the locks from Fort Augustus.

We had a brief water stop just after Invermoriston and then we were heading for a coffee stop in Drumnadrochit, after taking in the views of Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. The road along the loch was not too busy until we reached the Castle then it became busy. I never managed to spot Nessie!

After 28 miles We stopped at a small coffee shop and had coffee and I had a lovely little lemon meringue pie as a treat! Then it was off for lunch. We did however have to get over the hill from Drumnadrochit on the Beauly road! It was pretty steep and in the heat of the sun – it beat me!

After the climb out of Drumnadrochit we headed away from the loch and towards Beauly and Muir of Ord where we were having lunch at 45 miles. The roads are much quieter and much more pleasant after yesterday!

After a lunch of soup and sandwiches, where no one opted for the soup in the heat of the day, we only had 17 miles left to get to Alness. We followed the road along the Cromarty Firth and then diverted onto the old Evanton road which took in our other sizeable climb today but had much less traffic.

An early day for us as we reached the hotel not long after 3pm. I have decided that I ought to not partake Of any pints of lager tonight and save all my energy for tomorrow! It’s the last big day and actually feels like the last day. If I get through tomorrow , there is only a mere 29 miles left for Saturday morning. The day tomorrow is larger as towns are more sparse and the likelihood of getting accommodation for a group is not so easy. Tomorrow night we are in Thurso and it seems like we are going to miss rain on this trip! I never would have thought that cycling the length and breadth of Britain would be done in the sun. I have not needed the majority of clothes I have brought with me, my cycling clothes get rinsed through every night and I only have to put civies on for a few hours on the evening. It could have been so much different if we had rain every day!!
I am delighted to say I get to use 2 of my favourite words from P7, as tomorrow is our penultimate day and I am really apprehensive about it!!!