- Day's Distance: 69.73 Miles
- Total Distance: 828.53 Miles
- Time: 5 Hrs 43 Mins
- Average Speed: 12.1 Miles/Hr
- Max Speed: 28.5 Miles/Hr
- Punctures: 0
After a pasta breakfast, which did nothing to inspire me, I set off continuing the descent into Glencoe. A place set up for skiers, mountaineers and general tourism. I crossed the bridge and rounded the peninsula to take me to Fort William. As I climbed the hill, the gears on the bike kept slipping. Once the road levelled out I was able to see that the overnight rain had given the chain a stiff link. 5 minutes with the link extractor tool had me up and running smoothly once again.
At Spean Bridge I stopped for lunch at a Little Chef. After passing hundreds and trying to avoid them, I was reduced to eating there as my only viable option.
7 miles from Fort Augustus the road crossed the Caledonian Canal and a sign pointed down the side of it saying 'Cycle path to Fort Augustus' which I thought I would try. A decision I soon regretted. The path was very rough dirt and gravel and full of potholes. Parts of it were boulders piled on top of each other, The path was much more suited for a mountain bike going on a short trail than a long distance touring bike fully loaded complete with weary rider. Then I came across the first of two gates. These were an absolute nightmare to negotiate with one hand trying to baslance the bike while the other tried to lift and open the gate. Then once the bike was through, the gate was too far away to reach while hanging on to the bike. The bike had to be backed up so I could reach the gate and then inched forward as I manipulated the gate shut.
This would not have been so big a problem if there had been two people or I was on an unloaded bike which I could just drop to the floor. It is very difficult to just lay down a fully loaded bike and even harder to pick up again and there was nothing in the vicinity that the bike could be rested against. I fumed and cursed my way through both gates and concentrated hard on picking a clean route through the potholes and gravel, expecting a puncture at any moment. Fortnately I made it safely, despite encountering several cars using the cycle route as access to their houses or the lock-keepers cottage.
I finally rode up to the camp-site at Drumnadrochit via a very steep access road and, would you believe, another gate. The place is a horse riding center with a field that they have set aside for tents. The field is at a serious angle, tonight it will feel like I'm perched on the side of Everest. No shop and no pub or restaurant so its a cup of soup and more of my loaf of bread - plus a dramatic depletion of my chocolate store!
Day 13 Map (approximate route)
Google maps won't show the routing via the Caledonian Canal cycle path, so I've left it on the nearest road
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