Homeward bound, part three

Broadford hostel is in a little  woodland clearing, a midge paradise.  Rain was forecast most of the morning but I only had ten miles to go to Kyle of Lochalsh station,  from where I was leaving for Inverness at 13.45, so I had  time to spare.  Lots of time.  So did the midges.  Clouds of them hung around the bike shelter, like naughty boys at school.  A bigger cloud was outside the  front door, so during a lull in the rain I made a dash for it.

Three hours of retail therapy followed: well, it was better than shivering on the platform, but not much.  It was still only ten degrees, which feels cold if you're not cycling.    I hadn't expected to come back to the east coast, but with the ferry uncertainty, in the end it was quicker and cheaper.

The Kyle to Inverness line is said to be 'the best in Britain, rivalling some of the Alpine routes'.  As the train wound around the bays of Loch Carron, I retraced my journey,  scarcely faster than on a bike at first.  It seemed a long time since I had crossed Bealach na Ba and then stuggled against the wind to camp at Portree.

In hindsight,  I took on too much in the first few days.  I was quite apprehensive about the challenge, and rushing to get somewhere,  rather than enjoying the journey.   That all changed with my three hour stopover at Barra airport,  when I started to adjust to the slower pace of life.

But loads of things went better than I expected.   I stayed in hostels every night but one.  All independent, except SYHA Inverness, and most booked on the day.  They were all pretty full, but had just enough space for me.  Food worked well, too. I now know you only need porridge oats and pasta to survive.  Most days you do better.  And most hostels have 'free' pasta left by other guests.

Internet was scarce, but somewhere every day I got a mobile signal or found somewhere with wi-fi.  And none of the awful bike breakdowns I dreamed of actually happened, not even a puncture.   A good trip.

As the train came down from the high moorland,  at Garve we met the main road from Ullapool. Then at Dingwall, the branch line from Golspie and the north: day 1, unwinding the trip.  Soon I'll be on the sleeper to Euston: only 600? miles to go.   Thank you for joining me on the trip.

I'll post some maps and mileages some time next week: not sooner, as I'm away this weekend.  (Cycling.)