Cycling to John O’Groats: Blair Atholl to Daviot East

Cycling UK, heading for John O’Groats, my latest bicycle touring update from Scotland, on Saturday, the 13th September 2014. Blair Atholl to Daviot East. 71 miles. I didn’t want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. I was just so comfortable! And I was toying with the idea of having a late start! One, so I could stay in bed longer, and two, so I could dry my tent out a bit. It’s not been dry since my first night under canvas on the 9th, when I found that pub garden to camp. The mornings are damp, and I’m up and gone before the sun rises, and usually, by the time I stop, the sun’s gone again!

But in the end, I decided to get up. After all, I’ve barely seen the sun in the past two days. It’s just been misty! Although today the mist did clear early, and I’ve had sunshine all day!

I was aiming to get to Inverness today, but when I saw a sign for a campsite just a few miles before Inverness, I thought I’d see if I could camp there. My luck was in; there was loads of room. And I’d managed to stop while the sun was still out so I could dry my tent out! It didn’t last long, though, and the mist soon came down. But at least I managed to half-dry things out!

It’s felt like I’ve been riding uphill for most of the day, and it’s been a bit of a hard slog. However, I’ve picked up a nice cycle path, which I’ve been on and off all day. It’s the old A9 road, which runs parallel with the new busy A9. Although I did hop on the new A9 in places. Usually, when the old A9 went on a detour through a town or village.

It’s been an enjoyable day.

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my route to John O’Groats
• Tour page: Ride overview

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