North Coast 500 cycle

North Coast 500 (summer 2017)

• 500 mile cycle around northern Scotland!

The journey began with an 8 hour train journey from Hull to Inverness. The bike ride started here, taking the route up across to the coast then up the west side along the top of the Scottish Highlands to John O'groats and back down the east coast finishing in Inverness again.

The ride was extremely hard and the hills were never ending. My legs became numb by day 3 meaning that any pain and discomfort from the saddle became bareable.

The weather was crazy. I have never experienced weather change like it. My body couldn’t cope – I came out in huge rashes due to the sweat evaporating too fast due to the harsh winds and freezing cold air brushing against my skin. This weather made camping a true struggle – especially when we were cycling a coastal route.

One of the many gorgeous beaches
along the coastal road

One day which will never leave my memory was cycling in a valley between two great mountains, no housing or habituation in sight. We were being blown across the road. It was disastrous. I was watching my partner cycle on an angle fighting against the wind, going around corners proved great difficulty as you were trying to fight the wind but also balance a bike with extra weight from your luggage straddled across the back of it. I fell off my bike and we decided it was too dangerous to carry on. We resulted in hiding behind a huge huge rock and snuggling up together in order to keep warm. We then waited and waited for a car to pass. We waited for around 4 hours – a few cars drove passed but none were interested in helping 2 lost cyclists. Then one man, driving an old postman’s van decided to stop and take us back to the nearest hostel. We left our bikes in the long wilderness and headed back along the track we had fought so hard to travel down. All of the hostels we passed were full. After travelling around 10 miles back, we noticed a lady had a caravan in her garden and asked if we were able to stay in that for the night – she accepted.

This was the plan for the ride
Day 1 - Travel

Night 1- Inverness- HOSTEL

Day 2 – 101 km

Night 2 – Locharron

Day 3 – 95km

Night 3 – kinlochewe (campsite)

Day 4 – 80km

Night4 – dundonnell

Day 5 –100km

Night 5 – Lochinver HOSTEL

Day 6- 97km

Night 6 – Durness

Day 7 – 85km

Night 7 – Strathy HOSTEL

Day 8- 96km

Night 8 – wick

Day 9 – 86km

Night 9 – Golspie NICE HOTEL

Day 10 – 86km

Night 10 -Inverness (hostel)

Day 11 – Travel