Wednesday 25 June 2014

Day 10 Oban to Drumnadrochit

Woke up and looked out of the window to determine the weather, well what else can you do when you are on a budget staying in a youth hostel?

It was chucxkinf it down. Set the expectation for the day really.

So we set off after the usual morning rummaging and packing, which included stripping our own beds and clearing our own plates and separating waste, cutlery and crockery. But it wasn't all bad.

So we set off. 2.9 miles in, first problem. Another broken spoke. We could resolve this as it was "on the right side". Tom our handy mechanic was on hand to help. Whilst performing repair we encountered another set of end2enders. They looked far less bedraggled and stressed than we did. Got chatting and today was day 11. We were made up as today was our day 10. Finally someone doing it slower than us. Nice bunch we wished them well.

So for the first 35 miles there was rain, and low clouds, but TT he views were still spectacular. The lochs we passed were like dark glass, the mountains were moodily set in their cloudy shroud.

We made excellent progress to fort William, although the last 10 miles was a little hairy. Fort William itself was milking the tourist thing real well, with many a gaping visitor to be seen. Having refueled we followed the great glen way. Starting at neptune's staircase and following the Caledonian canal presented yet more fabulous views. The surface was a tad bumpy, but passable. The road veered off and tarmac replaced canal path, once again more splendid views and fantastic houses on the shoreline. With the sun in full pelt, all was well.

Until a niggling problem in the gears was encountered. These bikes have taken quite a pounding, this time gear cable was the fault, with a replacement installed. However thus was hampered by the outer casting which had perishes. Alas we hadn't carried one of these. A fix was attempts, yet the time taken was excessive.

This resulted in going from 8 gears to 4, then over the course of the last 14 miles down to 1.5. Some tlc required there tomorrow.

So we arrived well, and late, shattered and hungry. Some repairs required tomorrow before we set off.

Day 10 stats

Day 10 miles 95
Total mileage 805
Random acts of kindness 1
Hills pushed up 1
Mechanical challenges 2

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