Day 1 of the North Coast 500
Early Saturday morning I crossed the border into Scotland and finally felt I was about to embark on the adventure I had been planning for months; cycling over 500 miles around the Northern Highlands of Scotland, following the little-known North Coast 500.
Abbreviating its name to the ‘NC500’ doesn’t belittle its reputation as one of the most beautiful and toughest rides in the UK. This wasn’t ever meant to be just about the physical challenge of cycling that distance over rather undulating terrain within a week; for me it was all about the adventure, carrying our camping gear on our bikes, exploring some of the most beautiful, far flung destinations, and dealing with whatever the Highlands had to throw at us.
There would be no klaxons signalling the start of a race, no aid stations or supporters cheering us on. This was bike packing.
Day 1 finally arrives
Sunday dawned bright and clear. After a hearty breakfast, my friend Damian and I departed from Inverness - bikes packed to the gunnels - heading West in the direction of the Isle of Skye.
It was a relatively easy day with around 100km of cycling without any of the mountain passes we knew were waiting for us on day 2. The weather was kind and the views were to die for.
We arrived at our first campsite mid-afternoon and pitched our small tents close to the tranquil Lochcarron. Situated in the Wester Ross area of Highland, the loch’s village namesake has a population of just 900, but thankfully a pub which allowed us to refuel before settling into our cosy tents for the night.
So far, so good. Whilst the weather forecast was worsening by the hour, we remained optimistic for the coming days (and slightly daunted about tomorrow’s epic climb!).