The Great Glen

We are staying in a possibly once very impressive hotel (in :Dingwal, 15 miles north of Inverness) which like the roads,of Scotland have seen better days. The Internet connection is "challenging" and photos cannot be added to this.
But mentioning the road surfaces of Scotland - they must have been designed by someone who thinks that rubbing coarse wool against your bare buttocks is suitably comfortable clothing . In my opinion both are in need of some redesigning.
Anyway - we headed off at 0800 from the Clan MacDuff hotel in Fort William with low , very low hanging clouds but above  them a. Glorious blue sky - and we saw it because the clouds did disperse with the rather late but even more welcome rays of the sun. The morning temperature was only 4*.
We followed a lovely single track bumpy road on  the western  side of the Glen and from there all the glorious autumnal colours soon became visible. Ranging from purple, to all shades of red, earthy to lighter shades of brown, with blue bits interspersed. I am of cause talking about the colours of our backsides which in spite of having been submerged in Chamois cream, Arnica,and Ibugel were playing up and had they not been modestly covered in Lycra would very likely have made it worth the trip for the hundreds of Chinese tourists lurking everywhere cameras in hand.
But the non-Lycra covered nature was certainly also a spectacle worth enjoying (photos taken can not be attached due to the slow connection),.
We followed  the road past castle Urquehart on Loch Ness - the water as still as a mirror with boats barely making any headway due to the absence of wind.
We journeyed to Inverness where we purchased our train tickets from Wick this coming Friday. Yes, they can take our bikes but in general there is room for 2, max 4 bikes per train! And as there is one perhaps two trains per day from Wick that might cause a problem during high season.
We then headed northwards over the Bridge to Ross Shire and followed cycle tracks to Dingwall - probably the grimest place we have visited so far ( a shop window advertised men's shirts size 2XL - 6XL.
The evening meal was taken in a Chinese establishment called Ding - it was followed by a to me i drinkable pint of McEwans 80 shilling in the hotel bar. Paul managed to finish his so he gets the day's medal for bravery in the face of beverage not fit for human consumption.
Tomorrow we will try to convince our backsides that a further ride 80 miles along a bumpy road will do them good. That will bring us to Bettyhill, leaving a 60 mile ride on Thursday to "finish the job".
All your mails and comments are gratefully received received and enjoyed by the entire band of brothers and their steeds.