Day Four - Scourie to Ullapool - Tom rides North Coast 500-ish, and then some

September 30, 2021

Day Four - Scourie to Ullapool

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for, was my USB battery still there? In answer to your questoin...yes it was! That was a relief. I think that's gained me 2-3 extra phone charges. As soon as I got up I marched over to the laundry block to check on it and lo and behold it was still there. It seemed low risk (otherwise I wouldn't have done it) but I was still a bit concerned that it might go horribly wrong.

For some reason at this point I still hadn't remembered to optimal towel trying method (strap it to the top bag above the rear panniers) so I'd left it on a wall to dry. Was releived to have remembered to pick it up before leaving. Always bring a towel. They're very useful things (I need to read more hitchikers guide!). It's easy to think when planning these trips at home that the weight you set out with is likely weight you'll be riding around with. That's rarely the case - both food and water have a habit of adding to what you're carrying - with the water I mean things like your tent still being wet. I don't know how much food bike packers carry. Is it sealed ready meals to cook on a stove? Rely on restaurants? I don't have much of an idea. One of the things I like about touring vs bikepacking (not that I've tried the latter).

Contemplated eating breakfast there and then at the campsite after I had packed the tent away but I hadn't really actually had a proper look at a beach yet, and the campsite was right next to one, so I decided now was as good a time as any. Rolled down the hill from the campsite to the beach and ate my standard two flapjack breakfast bars there...and a tunnock's teacake I think, why not?

I was quite cheerful setting off - why shouldn't I have been? The weather has been almost entirely dry so far, and at times it's also been sunny too. Pretty good going for late August in the highlands I would expect. One issue I did have was whether to keep wearing my jacket. On a descent I'm more likely to want to wear it as the wind chill can be quite detrimental, but then of course given the landscape around here, there's soon a climb around the corner at which point I get too hot. I suspect between my jacket and my summer cycling jerseys there's a happy medium, probably a gilet...something I have never owned. Shortly after setting off I encountered some turkeys in a field to the side of the road. My sister's wife, Emma, does an amusing turkey impression so I figured I would give it a try.

Yeah, I don't take myself too seriously! Shortly after that I noticed I was cycling past what looked like telecoms infrastructure.

Signal! Time to download the day's listening. I get the impression this is a microwave tower mind, I think the actual mobile tower was on a hill that was in view from where this was taken.

It was probably perfect weather for climbing, not so much for descending though. At the start of the day the hills were fairly agreeable but they quickly became more and more challenging. I actually had someone stop in their motorhome and tell me they'd seen me a few days ago, we had a quick chat and he wished me well, but warned me of some more difficult hills to come.

What goes down...probably is gonna have to go up again, at least round these parts!

It was actually the big descent that came first. It was the sort of descent where upon seeing it for the first time it's very easy to imagine what could go wrong if you let off the brakes, it was so steep. That being the case, I didn't go down it much faster than if it had been a flat road. Better safe than sorry - I'm sure my rims were toasty by the time I got to the bottom. Then came the climb on the other side. This was probably one of the most challenging climbs I had encountered on this trip so far. Switchbacks, what felt like 15-20% gradients. Conveniently at this point, my garmin had decided to have some sort of fit whereby it kept warning of of an upcoming turn, over and over again. This went quite well amusingly with the dance music I was listening to. 2021 Garmin Megamix, as I shouted in to a video I recorded as it did it. Quite whether anyone else will find the video amusing, goodness knows. I haven't posted it anywhere yet...aren't you lucky for being able to see it! (Or perhaps unlucky)

At the top of the hill there was a guy with a mountain bike set up for bikepacking, so we got chatting. Anton he was called and I quickly noticed he was testing the PedalCell dynamo, which I've been interested in since learning about it. He rated it pretty highly. He also jokingly asked if I was working for Ortlieb! Cheeky! What can I say, their bags are well made. I don't want to have to apply wax to my bag every month to keep it waterproof. Also I'd rather have a set of the same brand, so there's that too. Anyway, he was waiting for a friend he'd met on a ferry, earlier in their travels, Maria. She seemed to have a set-up a bit more similar to mine, with pannier bags. Pretty quickly she was talking about the tick she'd just found on her leg, eek. Not fun. I mentioned Alpha-gal syndrome to them (I didn't know what it was called when I mentioned it to them). It's rather bizarre, a tick can bite you and then you become allergic to red meat for years if not your whole life, just like that. Perhaps nature is fighting back to prevent climate change. Perhaps not. Anyway, Anton at least had been wild camping - I haven't done that yet. As tempting as it is, a hot shower is also tempting. I'm jealous of them both for having found each other to ride with. I suppose I haven't done myself any favours by riding this route in reverse. Five trips on my own and so far no serendipitous ride partners. One day!

The view behind me at the top of the climb

I was planning on buying my lunch at the 30 mile mark at Clachtoll and eating it there, however I went past a shop at about 20 miles and instead bought lunch there. A sandwich with highlands cheddar, two samosas, salt and vinegar crisps and a yoghurt. Also bought two oranges and an apple...despite still having two of the apples from the six I set off with on day one. Genius! Passing Clachtoll it was pretty clear that the shop I was going to visit was smaller and must have had less choice than where I went, so I didn't regret my decision (despite having to carry more weight for longer). Good on them though for opening the shop - it must be pretty recent as on Google Street View it's just a run down shack rather than a shop.

The view from the shop as I bought my lunch

Looking at my elevation chart I decided which climb I'd eat my lunch after. It was a fairly steep ascent with a switchback or two if I remember correctly, but it wasn't quite as bad as I had feared. I was tempted to eat my lunch at the very top of this hill but I was glad that I didn't, as there was a spectacular viewpoint on other side just a few moments after I started descending. That's where I ate my lunch of course. I claimed my bench and sat there chomping away, looking at what looked like twin peaks in the distance.

Gave him some encouragment, he didn't stop to say hello though!

I saw another cyclist coming the other way riding up the hill I could see, so I cheered him on. I'd assumed he might have stopped to have a chat once he'd got to where I was, but he kept going. Places to go I guess. A motorcyclist turned up eventually and we got chatting. He was called William he said he used to go on holidays with his wife but she now has arthritis so that means she can't join him on the motorbike, which is a shame. She still lets him go on NC500 trips though, which he says he's been on several, in each direction. He documents his trips and then fills in the details for her when he gets back.

Once I'd eaten my lunch, off I went again. More taxing hills, and what I thought was supposed to be a 50 mile ride ended up being 60. This seems to be a frustrating running theme! The views were pleasant enough, this time it was mainly forests and woodlands, which made a pleasant change.

Had to take a photo of the TVR being from Blackpool - don't think they appreciated it though!

After the woods and forests I climbed out of there and had some more expansive vistas to cycle through, with lochs and hills all around. The road I was on at this point was a country lane pretty much (albeit busy with tourist traffic). Once I got on the main road to Ullapool I felt a bit more exposed on the road. On one descent I decided to pull over to take a photo. At this point a truck driver stopped too and we had a quick chat. He mentioned there'd been an accident up ahead. Uhoh. I eventually came across said accident, it was a bit depressing to see the ambulance and police car there, hopefully the rider makes a swift recovery. Even so, to have what was presumably a holiday ruined like that...I feel for them. The crash had appeared to happen on a climb, so I could not help but wonder what had happened. If a car and a cyclist are involved in a collision on a straight road that is also a climb, what are the chances that it's the cyclist's fault? It seems unlikely. The reminder of my own vulnerability was not appreciated - I think soon after this I switched my rear light on.

Closing in on Ullapool I had one last climb to conquer. I could tell I was running on empty however, so I must have gone through about 8 or so squares of mint chocolates. Whether it was my body reacting to the extra energy I'd put in it, or just the brief break I took to eat the food, I got up the hill more easily than I felt I could have before I stopped, so something must have worked.

Soon after I got to the top of this hill, Ullapool was in sight, which was a relief.

I made a beeline for the campsite in Ullapool and set up camp, then had my shower. Dull details admittedly. I was trying to work out how I could go to a pub to write some more of this journal after I'd eaten some fish and chips, but in the end decided given the cirumstances I didn't really want to visit a pub, especially in somewhere the size of Ullapool. Grabbed my fish and chips, and briefly considered eating it dockside but once I realised the supplied cutlery was crap, cycled back to the campsite. The fish and chips were actually delicious, it's just a shame that I'd let it cool down somewhat. My camp chair and table aided the experience too (even if setting them up prolonged the cooling down period).

Look at me and my artsy Fish and Chips photo

Had a chat with my camp neighbours, someone to the right of me with a Cannondale hybrid bike asked how my dinner was, and had a few conversations with the camper to my left, who turned out to be called Phil. Also ended up chasing away guls from someone's tent. One of them even attacked their trangia! Ended up writing the journal in the tent, but even then I still got too cold annoyingly. On the way to brush my teeth I realised the sky was actually clear, and dark, so I thought I'd be able to see the stars like never before. Actually it wasn't that impressive. Strange. No northern lights, that's for sure.

Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 273 miles (439 km)

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