Day 8: the road to Mallaig

The comprehensive breakfast menu at Salen House B&B is dangerous. It requires you to cross off items that you don't require.  We are slow learners, so for the second day running we ate a more than fulsome breakfast, finished off by a large slice of German apple cake.  Ideal for a hilly day's riding.

Our B&B host Ella is also a photographer, and she was excited about a forecast of seeing the Northern Lights tonight.  She told us where to look, and we will see how excited we are when it gets dark.

As a special treat, it wasn't raining today.  We set off up the hill out of Salen in cloudy but cool weather, maybe 12 degrees.  A few lumpy miles to  Acharacle where there was a cafe. We seriously thought about stopping but didn't.  After all, It was only another ten miles to our planned elevenses stop at Glenuig, so we carried on round Loch Shiel, and over a couple of serious hills, surrounded by gorgeous scenery, our legs complaining after yesterday's exertions.

Shut

After fifteen miles, our planned elevenses stop, The Inn at Glenuig, was closed, and so was the shop. "Drat", we said, or something like that.  Six more miles round Loch Ailort to another closed inn (only just preparing to re-open after lockdown).  By now we were too tired to say anything.  We joined the Road To The Isles, blasted across and through large hills to Mallaig, and still only achieving a one-star rating from us.  Maybe rising to two stars when it developed a cycle track alongside.

Along the way we stopped to photograph a scenic rail viaduct, and met a TV camerman, (who was a lady - is cameralady a word?).  She was making a film of Britain's Most Scenic Railway, and she said the train was due in fifteen minutes. Eager for 'that picture' ofthe steam train on the viaduct, we decided to wait.  Ten minutes later, she clarified that it wasn't the steam train, just a regular ScotRail service.

Worth waiting 20 minutes for?

We were delighted to leave the main road at tiny Arisaig, which was positively bristling with inns, restaurants and cafes.  The sun had come out, giving us great views across to Rum, Eigg and Skye, but there was a fierce and cold north wind, so we sat inside watching the goings-on of the harbour.

Dave's puncture came back to haunt us. After two days without problems, his tyre suddenly went flat while we were in the cafe.  The end of the valve broke off and disappeared inside the rim, impossible to extract.  A new tube was needed, and we were ready to go.

From Arisaig, there's a brilliant scenic route, the old road following the coast.It was lumpy and straight into the teeth of the icy blast of the wind, but still the best bit of the ride.  Million-dollar views - islands in front, mountains behind.  Turquoise seas and white sandy beaches - beautiful.  By now our legs were in full mutiny every time we encountered the slightest gradient.

Panorama from scenic route

Camusdarach beach, as seen in Local Hero

We rolled into Mallaig exhausted after only 42 miles, to our bunkhouse, of which we are the sole occupants, and the extremely welcoming bustling cafe on the premises.

 

Steam train leaving Mallaig

 As for the Northern Lights - zzzzzz.