Hi Folks, welcome to the next edition of the blog! We had a welcome respite after yesterday's trauma (bit over dramatic but I have to try and sell it!) as we made the short 40 mile ride south (and mainly all down hill!) from Tongue to Lairg!

Breakfast I must say was not a highlight of today. Quick Porridge and a rather dry muffin for me and yoghurt for Max and an uninspiring brew. Still, we both had managed a reasonable nights kip and were rareing to go again...until we looked outside to see the grey skies looming. Still, we gathered our things, set up the bikes and headed off, safe in the knowledge no matter what the weather & terrain had instore for us, we only had 40 miles to endure...piece of cake...right!?

After an initial steep hill climb, which did allow us some brilliant shots of the nearby mountains (the pic I have used is actually from Bulgaria but apart from the snow-dusting, pairs as a good comparison!). We meandered along the river virtually all the way into Lairg, and though we hit some testing climbs, for the majority we headed down hill into very slight headwinds...lovely! It was hard to keep our eyes peeled to the road at times as we tried to take in the breathtaking scenery that surrounded us! Still, we managed it and with no mechanical problems to speak of, made it to Lairg before 3pm! In fact, we made it in such good time, the B&B we had arranged to stay at was vacated as we were not expected until 4, so we made best use of the time and headed to a nearby hotel to grab a well deserved pint at the bar.

The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent planning the route for the next day to Loch Ness, a return trip to the hotel for steak & ale pies, a couple of pints and watching Man United thrash Spurs! This is more like it we're thinking!!

Still, we are under no illusions that the next 13 days will be as easy as today. What will be instore for us tomorrow? We have absolutely no idea...but two uneventful days seem too good to be true!?