Squish Squish Squish (July 10th)

My decision to wild camp last night turned out to be a good one. A very good one. There were no issues with my location and no issues with the weather. Well, there was still the issue of everything being very wet – especially my shoes. I’m not going to lie, the “squish squish squish” is really unpleasant … and yet I’m starting to get used to it.

After my usual morning routine of packing up my gear, the next goal of the day was a visit to Eilean Donan Castle. It turns out it was featured in the movie The Highlander which, at the risk of making you feel old, is now 30 years old. Yes, 30. As for the castle, it’s no wonder they used this one for the movie – as castles go, this one looks pretty cool. Okay, yes … I say that about pretty much every castle. But it doesn’t make it any less true.

It pretty much rained the entire time I was at the site of the castle and so I decided to move on. And where would I be moving on to? Well, my next goal of the day was Fort Augustus at the south end of Loch Ness. About 80 km away. I had a couple of options for my route and I ended up taking the road slightly less travelled – although still a main thoroughfare. As I pedalled along said main thoroughfare, I frequently questioned my decision as it meant it would mean backtracking when I eventually leave Fort Augustus to head up to Inverness. Oh well, maybe an alternate route to Inverness will present itself later.

Due to the popularity of the area, it’s my understanding that wild camping isn’t permitted on the west side of Loch Ness. And certainly not in Fort Augustus itself. As such, my home for the night was Cumberlands Campground. It seems to be a pretty large campground with AMPLE room for tents.

Despite there being minimal rain in the final hour of my ride, my shoes were still very much soaked when I arrived at the campground. I was reminded of this fact with each and every step I took for the rest of the day. Did I mention the “squish squish squish”? On the upside, as I began the process of setting up camp the sun actually came out and the late afternoon ended up being very nice.

With the town of Fort Augustus being a mere five minute walk from the campsite I opted to leave my bike and I wandered into town. Note: It’s a very small town. But it’s somewhat built up with many shops and restaurants along the canal – The Caledonia Canal. And while I really wanted to get some fish and chips, I opted to get some groceries and do the cooking myself while the weather was cooperating.

My grand plan – such that it is – will likely see me spending an extra day here. Hopefully I can get some of these updates posted, check out the canal locks in action, and of course, keep my eyes open for a Nessie sighting. We’ll see how that plan works out tomorrow.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 90.02 km
Ride time: 4:31:08
Average speed: 19.92 km/h
Maximum speed: 49.73 km/h