Day 11: Bonar Bridge to
John O’Groats. Barring bad weather or just simply a
strong wind from the north-east, my final day of riding was bound to be another
wonderful journey in itself. Sadly, it would be my last in the United Kingdom, for the
time being anyway!
Our accommodation at Bonar Bridge |
The
only noticeable uphills of the day came at the very beginning, when I left
Bonar Bridge along the A949, and 50 kilometres later with a series of steep, short
ascents and descents near Berriedale. Nothing more than an interesting change
of gradient, they did little to prevent me from enjoying the views of Dornoch
Firth at first, and later, the North Sea.
As
I progressed further north, the high peaks and rutted ridges that characterise
the Scottish Highlands, gradually disappeared.
In their place were the more open expanses, crafted by the relentless winds
that pound the north-eastern headland.
The
arrival at Wick marks the final short chapter of the journey from Land’s End to
John O’Groats. Nevertheless, apart from the satisfaction of finishing what is a
wonderful ride, the final 27 kilometres is likely to be a struggle into a strong headwind or at best, a lingering
crosswind. Fortunate enough to only have to endure the latter, my final 90
minutes of riding (along the A99), was through a rather austere landscape.
Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t another soul in sight, not even a car.
Rolling into the village of John O’Groats was not quite the euphoric experience of reaching the summit of a fabled climb-such as the likes of France’s Mont Ventoux or Spain’s Alto del Angliru-but it was memorable just the same.
If I have any regrets, it’s that I haven’t yet done it for a second time.
Books by Mark Krieger: High Spain Drifter, on Amazon
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments”.
Elizabeth West
nice post
ReplyDeleteNice of you to say Mercer. Thanks for your interest in my cycling/travel blog(s). Regards, Mark
ReplyDelete