The sun and clouds were having a merry game of tug of war, the wind committed to be in our face as we loaded our bikes in the cool 55°.  We knew we would have a climb as we left this morning, but a seven mile uphill without having warmed up the legs, was just not funny.  After our seven mile leg assault the road changed to climbs and drops, allowing a rest after each climb.  We had a ferry to catch, so what the topography did to make our ride today easier, the deadline erased; it was a two hour wait if we missed it. Crossed the very tall bridge,over the Inner Sound,that leads to the Atlantic Ocean  The drop off the brigde landed us on the Isle of Skye, where the scenery continued to impress. With deadline in mind, we pedaled hard into the wind up and down the hills, past fields, lochs and little villages.

The clouds were threatening, bands of rain would pass, touching us only with a sprinkle.  A couple little climbs at the end to make it interesting, but we finally reached the ferry stopwith an hour to spare, perfect time for lunch.  The lunch was good and the rest refreshing, as we enjoyed watching the rain in the distance.The ferry ride gave us just enough time to realize how tall the hills on this side of the water were,the ones we would have to climb.  All forgotten, as we reached the town nestled in the cove where the boat landed. We had four miles of blissfully flat road in beautiful sunshine without wind; it was as if we had been taken to a different land rather than just a 20 minute ferry ride; a land complete with a coal powered train.  The mid-day rest had helped and we would need it as the hills became longer, but equally matched with fly-downs.  We missed photographing several of the most incredible sights, that invariably appear on the downhill, just as the speed is picking up.  Another shower caught us before we made it to our hotel.There is nothing around for miles, but our hotel had a restaurant and a place to plan the next day’s course.We dined to live bagpipe music that the entire community showed up to listen to.  A little nightcap, then bed.

The area we have biked in the last three days is just spectacular; if you are looking for a great place to hike, bike, sightsee, relax – this is your spot!