Today should be an exact reverse of the second day of my John O’Groats to Lands End (JOGLE) ride in 2016. Reading it this morning it sounds like it might be a hard ride! Spoiler alert, it was, but I’m impressed that a 10 year younger me didn’t grumble more about the climbs because it really was a day of hard climbs (especially going south, when you finish at 100m higher than you started).

As the 2016 ride, I didn’t get much breakfast. Not due to a damp lighter (I now carry three), but due to the midges. Every time I opened my mouth to take a spoonful of porridge, a load of tiny midges would fly in, arrgh. I had started the porridge off with boiling water from the kitchen and had made a cup of coffee while reading The Comunist Manifesto, by Marx & Engles (1848). This campsite has a top-class campers library! I found it very interesting, imparticular the sections regarding who they considered the Bourgeois to be in 1848 (in various countries), and if we think who the Bourgeois are now, and their intent, it seems that very little has changed – I will read further!

By the time I had packed up, the midges were everywhere. I could see why most people had camped higher up the field to try to get into some breeze. I hadn’t! I had used spray, so maybe they weren’t biting, but they were in my eyes, they were in my mouth, it was horrible, and I just needed to get away.

It was a nice downhill from the campsite and I soon escaped the pesky midges. I soon joined back onto the main road and turned north. I expected a good climb, but it wasn’t too bad, just a gently ascending road. The sun was out, and all was good in the world. I was even able to cycle in shirts sleeves for the first time this trip.

The first and pretty much only milestone on the 50 km leg to Bettyhill is the Crask Inn high up on the Moors. I did ring them on Sunday to find out if I could camp there, knowing they are closed on Mondays – and the answer was no. Maybe for the best, as it was over an hour from Lairg, and all uphill. It may have been too much yesterday.

The Crask Inn isn’t the top, and there is a bit more up and down before breaking the back of it. There had been big changes at the top, with a magnificent wind farm. On the way up it had seemed to be lower and behind trees, in fact it was in a very exposed position.

While the geography was definitely going down, it did seem that the road was going up! I expect that really helps when coming the other way. I reached the Altnaharra Hotel, which I deemed to posh last time. It said morning coffees, and light lunches, so I strode into the hotel and rang the bell. The man who answered said no coffee between 11 and 3, while they make the rooms up (presumably that knocks light lunches on the head too). He also seemed surprised by midges, so perhaps they are new owners. I retreated to a bench for an Irn-bru and a Yorkie – biscuit and rasin (very good – I’ve not had one before). These were things I had to buy in the Spar, where you were almost forced to buy 2 rather than 1 due to the price difference. A Dutch couple came out if the hotel and offered to make me a coffee in thier camper van. They had overheard the conversation, and had sneaked in before the 11am deadline.

I took the same route at 10 years ago, by taking the direct road to Bettyhill, rather than the North Sea cycle route which carries on to Tongue. As before it was lovely. Sheep and lambs everywhere, and following a huge Loch for miles, with a mirror smooth surface reflecting all the colours of the ski and hills.

Bettyhill, lives upto its name from the south as well, after passing through, what looks like major construction of a new bridge, there was a big climb to the hotel and shop again the top. There were no school kids this time, so I went in and got a sandwich and some lunch. I ate it, watching the traffic going past. This is because of another new thing since my last visit, the North Coast 500. This is a 500 mile driving route, designed, it would appear to me, to encourage large numbers of camper vans and other zany vehicles (very smokey old Toyota 4x4s seem popular) to drive 500 miles. Firstly, I object to the misquoting of The Proclaimers song, as it is “WALK” 500 miles, and in general shows a bit of a lack of imagination that a signed route is needed in the first place. I guess it might keep traffic off the quieter roads. Opinion is divided on whether it has increased tourism (people stay for less time) but im sure it had increased traffic and “rubbish” dumped where the campers stop off grid. I particularly enjoy seeing passengers on their phones rather than enjoying the scenery – the kids are probably in the back watching a movie!

The next section is what impressed me the most, about my old blog. A series of really big ups, and downs, which got were energy sapping. I didn’t need to do any walking, but I did need to stop and “enjoy the view” on plenty of occasions. The total climbing was just over 1,100 metres, which was less than my other long day, on Harris/Lewis, but I think it was steeper climbs that just kept coming.

I passed a few sights I remember. One was the Marie Curie garden of remembrance over looking Dounreay Nuclear Power Station, I suppose to remind us of the healing power of radiation. I remembered it planted with daffodils in 2016, which was much earlier in June.

Another, point I recognised (as well as every bus shelter) was a bench outside a church, where I stopped to make a sandwich. I stopped again, and this time noticed the plaque on the seat. There must be a story here!

Eventually, I reached Thurso, a pretty big bustling town, and headed to the campsite on the cliff top. The site is quite exposed, both to the sea and great views of the Orkneys (Islands off the North coast of scotland), but also to the road and town in general as it is not fenced in in any meaningful way. I quite like this. I pitched my tent, opened a beer (that I carried from yesterday) and sat in my chair. It was really nice.

Chatted to a guy who, like me, had cycled from here to Lairg (over 15 years ago on his JOGLE) and now back in a camper van. Also, two guys pitched up, returning from a week on the Orkneys by bike. They were able to provide lots of useful information, including getting to Hoy by bike.

I cycled into town and treated myself to Fish and Chips, which I brought back to the campsite. It had been a good day!

Total Dist Cycled 621 km, (386 miles) 4 Ferries, 1 Train