Day 6 - Carrbridge to John o'Groats

The final push!  It was cold as I set off at 5am, registering 6c on my computer, so I put my Gill waterproof on over my usual three other layers.  The raincoat would stay on until well into the afternoon.  It was cloudy and there was a very nasty 25mph headwind slowing me down.  The adverse conditions made themselves felt all too well as I rose up the Slochd summit and then down and over the exposed bridges north of Inverness on the A9. 

This helped me make my decision about the final day route.  When planning the trip I had mapped out 2 routes - the first going due north on smaller roads through the heart of the highlands, reaching the north coast at Tongue and heading east to Thurso, a total of 170 miles.  The second was the more direct, but hillier, A9 through Wick.  With the wind, cold and cloud I decided on the quickest way, and so on reaching Alness I stayed on the A9 and headed up the coast.

It was hard going and I was averaging around 12mph.  The landscape was wonderful but I was in no mood to appreciate it.  Near Dornoch I stopped into a transport cafe and had my first cup of "regular" (i.e. caffinated) tea I'd drunk in over 6 years.  As I left I bumped into two guys (Laurence and Mark) from Edinburgh Uni on a tandem who were also going north on a LEJoG.  They were on day 9, having had problems getting down to Land's End on the first day which messed up their hopes for a 7 or 8 day trip.

We set off together for a few miles, and the company helped me pick up my speed.  I dropped back to take photos and was on my own as I reached the hills around Helmsdale, which were steep but luckily not too long.  The sun came out and I met up with the tandem again, and we made good time in reaching Wick.  Here I stopped to confirm a cycle reservation which I had made for next day's return train journey from Thurso to Montrose, but the station was closed and I spent an extremely frustrating hour on my mobile phone trying to get in touch with Scotrail, only to be kept on hold.

With nothing resolved, I started off on the last 20 or so miles to John o'Groats.  The wind was still up, but the sun and scenery made this a wonderful last stretch, and soon I had reached my destination.  I checked into the Seaview Hotel, then headed down to the harbour for the obligatory photo.

Later in the evening I was joined by Laurence and Mark in the Seaview resturaunt, and we spent a few hours comparing notes and experiences from the trip.  By 11pm (the latest I'd been up all week) I was extremely tired and trailed off to bed.

STATS
Depart:        5am

Arrive:         7pm

Distance:     144 miles

Ride time:   11.27

Av. speed:   12.7 mph

Temp:          6 - 16c

Wind:          18 - 30 mph NE (headwind)

TOTAL DISTANCE:  875