A day that ended with Dad realising he'd booked our Hostel for 26th June rather than July, started with him checking into Fort William hospital A+E to get his head checked after the crash. Enough said. He escaped with a clean bill of health but the medical team failed to find anything in there. It was Sarah's birthday, so our ride got off to a boozy start as we were treated to Buck's Fizz for our morning's hydration. After the birthday girl had opened her cards (thanks to all the senders) and Scottish themed prezzies, the riders set off.
The morning was a quiet ramble over a B road winding through pine forests, past fields of Highland cows, all the while in the shadow of the cloud-topped Ben Nevis. For sections the road hugged the Caledonian Canal with its crystal clear icy water, passing Neptune's Staircase, and finally leading us to our lunch stop: the Eagle - an old working barge converted into a floating pub. We weathered the storm that had been building as we tucked into jacket potatoes and local ale, then emerged into sunshine(ish) to pound out the final 19 miles with Loch Oich and Loch Ness as a backdrop.
Our plans to stay at Loch Ness Youth Hostel were brought to a halt by the aforementioned date mix-up, so with the support team safely installed in the hostel car park, the boys were forced to go in search of alternative accommodation. We eventually found it in the form of an old caravan, perched high in the garden behind a local B&B. There was no room at the inn, but the kind owner has let us hole up in their caravan and will be cooking up a breakfast for us in the morning. We even have Loch Ness views! And as a LeBlog exclusive we can bring you actual footage of the monster...
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