Cycle: 49.60km//3hr35min//13.78km/hr
Tuesday October 1
Our metal shed proved excellent for blocking the wind, but the noise associated with the wind could not be stopped. Solution? Pull out our mini speakers and play music as loud as possible to overpower the wind. Inside our heads, it was rather quiet as we mentally preparing for the ride to come, calculating just how long we would have to fight the wind to get to Thurso, where we'd booked train tickets for the next morning.
Four hours later.... The ride was slightly easier than expected, although still with gusty wind, sun, clouds and hills. About every 5km we would descend (pedaling against the wind) into a valley where a small town would be nestled only to have to climb out the other side. The towns were small, lots of picturesque crofts, seemingly in the middle of nowhere but somehow compelling you to want to be living there, the simplicity, the remoteness.
At the only campsite in Thurso we were greeted by a man telling us tell us that we were "a day late", to which Jenn replied "We wouldn't stay here anyways seeing as there is no wind shelter". Snappy!! They had closed the day before for the season. Things are wrapping up in Scotland. Time to move south! Tourist information provided us with a cafe and wi-fi. At a small launderette we found a lovely woman who was genuinely entertained by our travelling ambitions, and offered to move our things from washer to dryer, so long as we didn't have any "exotics" requiring special care. Do sun sleeves count? Ha!
To cap off the day, we visiting a community/public washroom for a shameless sponge bath. As dusk fell we headed for the cliffs around Thurso, and pitched the tent along the edge of the ocean.
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| This is the road to our metal shed campsite. |
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| To raise spirits, we tried to toast our bread. It was a bit of a failure. |
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| Our greatest achievement, or our lowest low? |
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| Inserting the earplugs next to the corrosive sign. Preparing for the battle with the wind. |
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| An odd perspective ? |
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| Yes, we know. |
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| Our campsite in Thurso, along the cliffs and ocean. Ever present wind. |
