Day 9: Royal Wedding Day 29th April 2011: Drumnadrochit, Highlands to Lybster, Caithness. 103 miles today. 870 miles in total to date.

Departed 8.10am. Finished 8.02pm.  Yep, 12 hours!

Todays route – Drumnadrochit, on A833 greeted by a 1 in 15 hill immediately after breakfast up over Meall Gorm which suffered the moorland fire, Lovat Bridge, out of the Highlands into places you only hear about on the shipping forcast, Ross & Cromarty on the A862 to Beauly, Muir of Ord, Dingwall, NCN route 1 through Alnes to lunch at Tain, A9 over Dornock Firth Bridge in Sutherland, Golspie, Brora, into Caithness at Helmsdale, Dunbeath, Lybster.         

A day of grinding. Our direction of travel today was north east.  The wind blew all day from the north east.  As hard a days cycling as we have experienced.  It took us an hour longer than usual to cycle 100 miles despite the fact we are stronger now.  At its peak he wind was blowing us off the road especially on exposed parts which made up a large proportion as we are travelling along a coastal cliff top road.  We witnessed fellow cyclists retire early and hope for better tomorrow and others head inland on alternative routes sheltered from the wind but which will take a day longer.

But we needed to keep going.  We started at Lands End at 9.50am last Thursday 21^st April.  Our plan is to complete the final 32 miles to John O’Groats before 9.50am tomorrow Saturday 30^th April, so completing LEJOG within 9 days.