Overcast skies and swirling wind in the valley our B & B was nestled in, as we instantly began our climb from the rivers bottom.  Protected by a tunnel of trees, the sound of the stream we followed entwined with the rustling of the wind in the trees.  Two miles later when we emerged, we were happy to know the wind was at our back.  The temperature was struggling to stay at 60°, but we were plenty warm with our continuous climbing high along the ridge.Even without the sun, the scenery was amazing, clouds hugged the tallest ridges of the hills barren of trees.   It took us two hours to climb 15 miles and that is with a wind assist; cannot imagine how unfun the opposite direction would be.  As we reached our 1400 foot pass, we could see sun in the distance.  We flew down the next six miles in 20 minutes and dropped into a coffee shop to warm up: note the snow patches. In the time in took for a hot cappuccino, the sun was out and the wind had kicked up.  The gusts that hit us, challenged our upright mobility.  But the path and road we traveled had only the occasional car or biker, giving us plenty of opportunity to enjoy the scenery.  On one such path, we met Rod, Matt, Mitch and Mike from Indiana.  They had just arrived from the states today for a golf holiday.  Unfortunatley for them, they had a flat tire, so they were happy to chat while they awaited a repair. At 1:30 and 35 miles completed, we took our turn to lead us to our stop for the night.  We “thought” we had less than six miles to travel and with our last 20 being flat or downhill we thought it would be a piece of cake.  Instantly we started climbing away from the river,but the climbing was not without it’s rewards.And as beautiful and peaceful as it was, it continued well past six miles, some climbs very aggressive.  Though we enjoyed the vistas, we were high in the middle of nowhere and ready to stop.  After 53 miles and over five hours in the saddle, we finally reached our town and hotel.  With no lunch, we were drained.  Nothing that some beer, wine, dinner and dessert can not fix.Tomorrow night, Inverness….if all goes well!