Arrived in Mallaig at 9:30 after a very scenic ride beside the Silver Sand beaches - thankyou Tim for the suggestion. Suddenly it was 11:30pm and I realised I'd had a very long day. But the first ferry to Armadale on Skye left at 7:40, so some speed-sleeping was called for. No problem.
Arriving on Skye at 8:30 I decided to take a little detour to the Aird of Sleat, the end of the road 3 miles to the south. It was brutal. Hills designed for crampons. But great views back over the water to the mountains of Knoydart, glowering under dark clouds, and the distinctive outline of Eigg to the south. I also encountered a rush hour of cars, four of them hurrying to work in the big village, I guess.
An hour and six miles later, I was back where I started, joining the wide causeway that sweeps visitors along the coast to Broadford and the main attractions of Skye. The Sleat peninsula isn't really one of them, but another longer detour to Tarskavaig and Ord turned out to be an excellent choice.
A 14% warning sign to start. Up and over a big ridge revealed a panorama of the Cuillin hills, the best view I've seen, perhaps because Sleat is a bit further away across an inlet. It got better. Downhill for a start, one in five at one point. But the west side of Sleat is beautiful itself: the road wound through glades of silver birch trees and past alternately babbling and cascading burns. Beautiful sandy bays, with that view of the Cuillin as a backdrop. And more vicious uphills too, but highly recommended.
Despite the early start, I'd only covered 30 miles by the time I stopped for coffee at noon.
Hello lovely empty roads. Glad all is going to plan. Think Barbara is following your blog ! Hope you are enjoying a bit more of a restful evening .Lizxx
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