I have taken the Pentland Firth, or Northabout route as it is called at sea, to cross the Attlantic and seen the fabled Cape Wrath from the sea side on several occasions. Being so close to the famed Northwestern-most corner of the UK it is very tempting to do a "proper" coast ride, but with a distance in excess of 50 miles in ech direction from Bettyhill, I can't cycle it within the schedule. However, as the distance from Bettyhill to JO'G is only 51 miles, its possible to drive there and back to Bettyhill and still ride to JO'G within the day. We therefore decide to make an early start and take a drive to Cape Wrath.
The night was wild with strong westerlies and persistant rain buffeting the van and the morning dawned grey, heavily overcast with squally showers as we set off to the west. The town of Tongue, and then the circuit of the shores of Lough Eriball amid swirling low cloud added to the sense of isolation. Access to the Cape itself is possible only by ferry and then minibus - neither of which were operating on this dismal morning. Hardly surprising I suppose, but it's a disappointment to have come so far but not been able to reach the lighthouse.
We returned to Bettyhill with the weather clearing and by the time we were back at the site the skies were blue but with strong winds. The good news is that they are from the west.
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