Day 4 - Fort Augustus to Fort William

We were supposed to have a rest day today but as we were unable to book tomorrow nights accommodation and there's nowhere else close by, we're having to rejig the timetable. So we've travelled the 30 odd miles down the Great Glen to Fort William (however, in geological terms we've gone 10 miles backwards!! - look up about the Great glen Fault if you don't understand wat I'm on about). The rain has been omnipresent and the low cloud has obscured any view of Britains highest peak, Ben Nevis. The first two-thirds of the journey was on the fairly busy A82 and I'd just like to go on record as saying "I hope your engine blows up" to the drivers of a silver Porsche Cayenne and a silver Megane with a boot - two feet off my handlebar is NOT enough clearance. Other than those two twerps, all the other drivers have been most considerate to the drowned rat crawling along into the headwind. A possible reason for being unable to book tomorrow night intended B&B is that a round of the Mountain Biking World Cup is being held here this weekend, so Jan has done very well getting us into a very nice B&B. Mind you, I reckon the landlady may have had second thoughts when I turned up on her doorstep. To make my ride easier, I'd ridden the last 10 miles on the canal towpath alongside the Caledonian Canal - good move in that there were no gradients to deal with, bad move in that it was a loose sandy/stony surface and the bike and me became absolutely covered in sandy dirt! Still after Janice emptied a bucket of water over me I looked vaguely human again. I then spent the next half hour washing the bike down and lubing it up. Still, if I hadn't gone down the towpath I wouldn't have seen the heart-warming sight of ten Scotsmen striding through the rain in their kilts! They were nearing the end of their charity walk along the Great Glen raising money for children suffering from Leuk emia. I must apologise for the spelling error that crept into yesterdays blog - Janice was not going to "run me down" but instead was going to "rub me down". Anyway, as predicted, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. My legs were aching last night but they've been fine today. We might go and see a Led Zeppelin tribute band tonight as they're playing the local civic centre - dunno whether we can get tickets though. Also, I fancy some Italian food, so we may try hunting some down. Todays stats:
Accumulated mileage: 213 miles
Todays mileage: 34 miles
Todays average speed: 11.8 mph
Todays max speed: 31.4 mph

Cheers my dears, Bob & Jan