Strathconnon

Sunrise on the way to work

This week I managed to cycle to work, Inverness to Dingwall three times. I am getting faster and am starting to feel fitter. The weather has been very good for cycling, ridiculously mild for this time of year.

Today I went out with the club in the morning and we did one of the usual loops through Beauly, Kiltarlity and back through Struy. In the afternoon I went up Strathconnon to take some photos.

I got my camera from my car and some food from the shop in Contin and took the left turn for the singletrack road past Loch Achilty to cross the Meig dam and get onto the road up Strathconnon.

Loch Achilty with oak tree.

There were many oak trees and other deciduous trees up the side of Loch Achilty. At this stage it was idyllic and sunny and one had the same feeling of being in cycling paradise that you might have at the start of other beautiful glens like Glen Lyon. Further on I crossed the dam and was on the single track up the Strath, which runs West to East and must be one of the most beautiful glens to cycle up in Scotland. It has many houses dotted along it and was the subject of the 1998 Grampian TV series 'A Glen For All Seasons'. The terrain varies from woodland to a real feeling of being in the heart of the mountains higher up.  It has an information display at Milton about two thirds of the way up and even hosts a Highland games where I have played with the Strathpeffer pipe band. There are corbetts (hills over 2550ft) and plenty of wildlife. I have seen pine martin and eagles here, and black throated divers while fishing the hill lochs. The hills also host rare types of wild orchids. Today I saw red kites hovering above the woods.

One of the best aspects of cycling here is being so close to a highland river throughout its length.

Further up the Glen the wind picked up and the cycling was hard going. Still the scenery varies wonderfully and there is real feeling of remoteness. I also saw red deer near the road.

Landscape with flock of black sheep:

Here you can see one of the churches built by Thomas Telford. It is presently for sale for £90,000.

The road climbs steadily upward towards the final loch where the roads peters out but continues to Achnashellach for 8 miles as a track. As you can see there are very steep sides to the valley where the glacier carved its way. Cascades tumble over the hard rock slabs. This is also a good place for bird watching and I have even climbed ice here in a big freeze. 

Over turned fishing boat near where the road ends:

When I turned back the wind was so strong that I was going 25 mile an hour without peddling. A great way to enjoy the view.  The texture on the birches, the contrast between the bracken and the white bridge caught my eye:

Rainbows above The Cat's Back (Strathpeffer) from Strathconnon.

Just before I got back to Marybank I saw a rainbow.It seemed appropriate.  Strathconnon is the promise of great days cycling and walking to which I have to return more frequently!