RETURN TO LOCH NESS
The next morning I was feeling
much better. I was on the road some time past 9 and was happy to see the
clouds breaking off so that I blessed with the first moment of Scottish
sunshine. What a glorious feeling that was! So far I had ridden along
the highway, but now I took the bicycle route that followed the road some
50 to 100 meters above, among the bushes and woods on the hillside. This
route took me towards Fort Augustus, along Loch Lochy and Loch Oich. For
most of the way it was sunny and at times the view to the lake and mountains
was absolutely stunning. So I didn't proceed on my way very quickly, because
I had to stop all the time to admire the scenery and take photographs.
In the beginning of the bicycle road from Invergarry to Fort Augustus
Close to Fort Augustus, what a view!
Fort Augustus and the surrounding channel roads were simply wonderful, this was the most enchanting part of my bicycle trip and I will always cherish the memory. I found myself repeatedly expressing gratitude for the chance of being there and having this experience. Perhaps I will have the chance to re-experience it some day. I must recommend this route to all who enjoy a walk or ride in a beautiful serene scenery (and who doesn't?).
A hilarious Nessie sculpture in Fort Augustus
Anyway, I had to go on with my journey and eventually I reached Invermoriston and the Loch Ness youth hostel at Alltsigh, just a few miles norther. The hostel is located quite at the shore of Loch Ness, pretty much at the center of the lake as it runs from SouthWest to NorthEast.
The Loch Ness Youth Hostel
I shared the room with couple of friendly guys from Belgium and that night we hiked together almost to the top of the mountain on our side of the lake (it was impossible to reach the top, because for some reason it was surrounded by a high fence). The late evening view to the lake was terrific, as was our conversation around a multitude of topics in the paranormal and conspiracy genre.
A view to Loch Ness, Friday night, 20 Aug
The next day, it was Saturday Aug 21st; I had a day to spend as I wish, since I had reserved a second night at the hostel. I decided to head towards Drumnadrochit some 10 miles up North to see the Loch Ness monster exhibitions. Unfortunately I didn't have a proper map of the bicycle routes and the signs there were quite misleading, so I ended up at a dead end high up on the mountain. I was further discouraged by the weather, which was again heading towards more moisture and grayness.
High up on the mountain, wrong way!
I had to forget my plans of reaching Drumnadrochit that day and turn back. Anyhow, I decided to try a side path that I'd passed on my way up, though I had no idea where it went. I was of course roughly aware of my whereabouts, but I didn't understand how I'd missed the correct bicycle route, since they were generally quite well marked. Perhaps somebody had knocked down a sign or two. I was becoming hungry and tired, so I was not prepared to go long way anymore.
This tractor road turned right as I was descending from the mountain and it soon made another twist right. I decided just to see what's behind the corner and then return to the hostel if nothing interesting was in sight. I'm really happy that I did go that far, because after the curve the road took me away from the woods and simultaneously the sun came out from behind the clouds.