Our charity cycle of 2010 was to raise money for the charity charity Group B Strep. Our efforts raised in excess of £5000 and we would like to say thanks to everyone who sponsored us.
Our Route (see photo)
- 16 June Fort William to Oban – 38 miles
- 17 June Ferry to Castlebay then cycle to Loch Maddy – 55 miles
- 18 June Loch Maddy to Stornoway – 67 miles (ouch!)
- 19 June Ullapool to Inverness – 59 miles
- 20 June Inverness to Fort William – 65 miles
As you can see from our route we saw quite a lot of the Western Isles where you couldn’t have a met a more generous bunch of people if you tried.
Day 1 Fort William to Oban
As with all good plans, the secret to success is in the execution. Our plan to leave Fort William by 4pm at the latest fell at the first hurdle, as we left there at 6.30pm right in the middle of rush hour. This meant that the road between Fort William and the Ballachulish Bridge was an absolute nightmare, really busy with lots of heavy good lorries. From the bridge to Oban is a really pleasant, sometimes bumpy flat cycle, (there is a cycle path next the road with a really smooth surface). Just as well the nights are long as we arrived in Oban around 10.30, not an ideal time to have your dinner.
Day 2 Oban to Loch Maddy
The ferry to Castlebay takes about 7 hours which meant we had to get up at 7.30am to catch it. The main stand-outs of the cycle were; the very steep hill out of Castlebay; the fact that we were cycling into a strong north westerly wind and that there is nowhere to stop and eat until you get to Loch Maddy. One of the lads ran out of water and stopped off a house and asked if he could fill up his water bottle. The lady, invited us all in, filled us up with sandwiches, cakes and tea and donated £20 to the charity – Hebridean hospitality at its best. We arrived in Lochmaddy around 9.30pm just in time to eat the best cold burger I’ve ever had. We then spent the night on the floor of the local outdoor centre – living the dream!
Day 3 Loch Maddy to Stornoway.
The day started really well at the Tigh Dearg Hotel, Lochmaddy, where they offered us a free breakfast which was greatly appreciated. (We all donated what we would have spent on the breakfast to the charity). Although we didn’t actually stay there we do recommend staying as the staff are really friendly.
The strong north westerly wind we experienced the day before had changed into a north westerly gale! This meant that the 67 miles to Stornoway was going to be even harder, not withstanding the two hard climbs just before and after Tarbet. However, the stunning scenery made the journey seem a lot quicker.
Day 4 Ullapool to Inverness
The ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool is one of the best ferry journeys I’ve had. The reason is that we went round the ship collecting money for the charity and the generosity shown, along with the chat, was incredible – we collect over £300!
From Ullapool to Inverness is one the best cycles I’ve ever done. You only have about 40 minutes of hard climbing before enjoying nearly 35 miles of downhill and with that north westerly wind behind us made the climb that wee bit easier and the down hill cycle that wee bit faster!
Day 5 Inverness to Fort William
Half way along the shore of Loch Ness there is a very steep hill up to Foyers which is not the end of the climb, just the start. We stopped off at Fort Augustus and had a couple of isotonic beers and some food and spent the rest of the day cycling to Fort William, stopping off at Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge War Memorial. This stop put all of our aches and pains into context and I don’t know if it was my hay fever being contagious or the tiredness but I’m sure that there wasn’t a dry eye amongst us all.
In the shadow of Ben Nevis we arrived at our final destination with over 300 miles done and memories which will remain with us for ever more. Job done!
