Strathpeffer ride

Ben Wyvis on the way to work

Bridge of thighs Strathpuffer route

Ben Wyvis from the top of the Puffer

Sgurr Mor from the top of the Puffer

Loch Kinellan

View back down the track over to Fodderty

Dingwall from the heights of Keppoch with moon.

Beautiful sunny day today in the Highlands. Took some photos on the way to work, then managed a mountain bike ride in the afternoon. I went round the Strathpuffer course once, stopping to chat to an elderly couple on the top of the course and admire the view, the man informing me that his grandfather and great uncle were both dux of the school where I teach. When he asked me if their  names, both Cameronians, were displayed on the dux board, and that his grandfather was born in 1906 I had to regretfully inform him that I was sure a new board had been started. Its a damn fine school anyway, he said, a damn fine school. When I asked him where he lived he referred to the big white house prominent beyond the loch, which he was obviously very proud of. When I cycled past it I did indeed see that it was a fairly stately pile and I must find out more about it . Had I unwittingly been conversing with the local aristocracy?

After this  I cycled back to Contin and set off towards Garve on the track which runs pretty close to the river Blackwater, finding it open and sunny with good views. I didn't go all the way to Garve but took the sign posted route to the right at Loch Garve which is marked Heights of Fodderty, though it actually comes out at the Heights of Keppoch. This involved a longish but fairly gentle ascent of about 400m across a fairly bleak stretch of country but eventually giving good views into the back of Ben Wyvis. There were some farly massive forestry vehicles coming past and a guy with a lorry and a flat tire near the top who I stopped to chat to. Once the sun dropped it was bitterly cold on the descent and surprisingly snowy as there was no snow on the way up. Eventually I rejoined the bonny wee  'Heights' road and returned to Contin.