was a big reminder how dangerous the roads of the highlands can be . I dropped my speed for a while until the sun was a bit higher in the sky .
As it was so early the roads were quiet and before I knew it , I was back in Inverness . I was making ok time , still had plenty of fuel and my thirst seemed to have subsided , so I pressed on aiming for Fort Augustus at the Southwest of Loch Ness . It was here I got to experience some of Scotland ’ s best riding and views . The A82 hugs the North shore of Loch Ness and provides fast and picturesque riding , especially when doing it before the other tourist arrive .
I made it to Fort Augustus in good time at around 07:40 with my mileage at 1118 kilometres . I filled up at the 24-hour fuel station , but I waited until just gone 08:00 to grab breakfast ( banana , sandwich , and a chocolate bar ), as well as a few large bottles of water which I tucked away in my side cases .
I continued down the A82 towards Fort William and then West onto Glenfinnan on the A830 , another special road and now near to the top of my favourite roads list . By the time the odometer had clicked over to 1207 kilometres for the trip , I knew I only had another 80 kilometres to go which seemed odd as I still had 2 hours left to ride . Something seemed off as in my planning I ’ d have only 15 minutes leeway in the 24-hour challenge , was I really going to ‘ beat ’ this by more than an hour ?
As I started to get closer to the Ardnamurchan peninsula the roads got narrower and more awkward until before long I was riding on single track roads with passing places , blind corners , and hidden dips . I spent a lot of the time standing on my pegs either to navigate the roads more safely or to get a better view over the crests and greenery . It began to dawn on me that my planning timing hadn ’ t been off but the road I hadn ’ t paid too much attention to was a tricky one . In an hour since I ’ d last checked the clock , I ’ d only gone 40 kilometres . Suddenly I felt right up against it , getting more frustrated with every passing place wait and every camper van I accelerated in behind .
The road snaked up the peninsula , seeming to go back on itself at several points . A few spots open from the hedgerows and allowed me to see more of the road up ahead and make better speed . I wasn ’ t sure of the exact mileage but knew it was somewhere between 1270-1290 kilometres , so I wasn ’ t too sure just how close I was . Then , as I rode over another crest , I saw the top of a lighthouse peeking above the hills in the distance , I was nearly there .
As I pulled up the steep hill towards the lighthouse at Ardnamurchan , the most Westerly point in mainland Scotland , I felt myself starting to well up . My body was in bits . My legs were aching , my shoulder stabbing , and my hands felt like they ’ d been welded to the handlebars , but I ’ d made it . Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes since departing , I ’ d ridden 1287 kilometres exactly .
I kicked the side stand down and creaked as I got off the bike . I looked up at the lighthouse and the first thing I thought of was my two kids . This ride was for them and the charity , Tiny Lives Trust , who ’ d supported them , and my wife and I while our kids were sick after being born prematurely . They ’ d fought their way through their own endurance challenges all those years ago , now I had fought through mine for them . GS
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