Day 14: Arrochar to Fort William (Surfing USA)

Alan - Absolutely fantastic. There are some days (two so far in my opinion) that you just have to get through on the end to end tour and then there are others that make the whole trip worthwhile and today was one of those with bells on.

We started the day retracing our steps for a couple of miles to rejoin the A82 back on the Loch for another 10 miles. This part of the A82 was quieter and close to the Loch side which made the ride a lot more interesting. Just as we were approaching the end I spotted a sign that I thought was worth a photo (see photo) so asked Matt to stop. He thought I was stopping beecause we had just passed Ardlui station, apparently he has a friend who has made a model of this station...... I'm starting to get worried. We had planned to meet Elayne in Ardlui itself, but seemed to miss it and before we knew it we were climbing into the Highlands.

The first downpour hit as we swept down towards Bridge of Orchy and we got drenched. This though provided an ideal excuse to have lunch in the pub and accompany it with a local brew. Half an hour later the rain eased, we changed ino dry socks and rain gear and set off. After another ascent we approached the border with the highlands and in the background could see what we were in for. The scene was spectacular. The sky was black and briefly illuminated by fork lightning. Counting the time to thunder, in true school kid fashion, revealed that it was coming closer and coming closer fast. So we set off. Fortunately when the storm hit we were crossing Ranoch Moor which is pretty flat. The scenery here, combined with the storm was awesome. Cycling became a bit more like surfing and at stages the only thing you could see was the white line at the edge of the road to let you know you were still on the road. We were drenched within minutes and from that point on it was head down, pedal hard, try not to worry about the traffic, look up every now and then to take in the location and keep going..... weeeeeeee

Today was something else. I was expecting today's ride to be good. I expect that crossing this section is great in any weather, but the storm added something and not just adrenalin, although with low visibility, no brakes and traffic did add a fair amount of that. If you don't fancy doing End to End, get a bike and come up and cycle from Ardlui to Glencoe. If you're lucky, you'll have a storm and driving rain, if not you're not so lucky and the sun is shining, you'll still have a great ride. Even driving this section is good.

Finally (before today's comedy moment) there are now three sounds I like whilst cycling. The first is the click of a cleat locking into a pedal (even better when you are leaving traffic lights in heavy traffic). The second is the clunk as you change up after cresting a hill. The last one is the sound of pipes in the hills as you cycle along the side of a Loch. Yes it really did happen.

Comedy Moment 7: Split shorts. Mine. If you know what a cyclist wears under his shorts (the same, or so I have been told, as what a Scotsman wears under his kilt), you'll understand whhy some people might consider this funny. Personally, I just can't see anything funny in what was a very traumatic experience. Anyone laughing at this point needs to add some more sponsorship and penance.

Matt - What a day, Sunshine in the morning, thunderstorms in the afternoon and pleasant sunshine in the evening (well nearly). They say in Scotland if you don't like the weather wait half an hour.

Rannoch Moor yesterday was a sight to behold with the water running off the hills and swelling the rivers. I will have to come back and go across in sunshine.

Fort William is interesting in that the main road runs right along the lochside. Very strange.

Re comedy moment 7 above. I was cyclying behind Alan at the time. Not pleasant.

A big thank you to John and Barbara for the sponsership and the indecipherable comment! Glad you got the French www to work.

Elayne: B&B from night before last wins 'most lovely room' award of the trip. Looked like something out the glossy magazines thoughtfully provided in the room. Met Reg after his trip to Lusaka - he was only there for a day and a half but still managed to fit in a safari and fulfill the dreamm of a lifetime. Had breakfast in a lovely room overlooking the loch. Wished we could have stayed longer and will be back. Thanks Reg for the donation!

Last night's B&B, Guisachan House much more traditional. Rooms a bit small, but friendly welcome and wet gear taking off for drying in the boiler room - much appreciated, as it's raining again this morning. Did not enjoy being woken at 1.30 this morning by loud Australian neighbours (no, not Kylie and Jason) crashing around next door.