A Scottish summer day – full of variety!

Today we drove down the A9 from Newtonmore to Pitlochry. Here are a series of photos taken over a short distance, on an iFone around Dalwhinnie showing how quickly the weather in the Highlands can change. 

 Mist on the hills 

 Looking through the windscreen!

 Now past Dalwhinnie – signs of clearing up 

 Dramatic sky and landscape

 Heading to the Drumochter Pass

(above and below)

A glorious Highland morning!

We caught the Caledonian Sleeper from Euston last night leaving London's bustle behind and waking up to a peerless Highland morning:   

Heading up to the Drumochter Pass 

Nearing Drumochter...  

Near Dalnaspidal Lodge with Loch Garry in distance

Trees @ top of Drumochter Pass 

 

River Truim 

 

Loch Ericht, Dalwhinnie

Newtonmore

CRM's bike ride to support Teenage Cancer Trust: Day Four – Newtonmore to Dunkeld

Paths close to the Drumochter Pass 

The Dalwhinnie Distillery

23rd August 2013 #crm4esme

Day Four is a 55-mile stage from Newtonmore to Dunkeld. Although CRM crosses the highest point of her ride at the Drumochter Pass (1508 ft or 460 metres above sea level there is less climbing than on Days One and Three as Newtonmore is already at 895 feet. It's a long gentle ascent up to Drumochter past the isolated village of Dalwhinnie and its distillery.

Once over Drumochter there is a long descent down to Blair Atholl, Pitlochry and on to Dunkeld. Much of the ride will be on a dedicated cycle path.         

Carole (CRM) is riding to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of her niece, Esme Morris Macintyre, who died on 7th July 2013 aged 18 after a very courageous and inspirational nearly seven-year battle against the disease. You can donate here. More details here. 

Follow Carole's progress on twitter with #crm4esme

Update: Total raised by Carole has now reached £1939 (£2375 with Gift Aid).

Many thanks for your support. 

Cycling the Gaick Pass

North of the Gaick Lodge close to a barrier

Today I enjoyed the longest cycle ride for a number of years riding the Gaick Pass through remote parts of the Scottish Highlands. I set off from Newtonmore just before 10.30am and returned to the village about 15.40. I headed north to Glen Tromie and then travelled the whole length – some of it metalled, a lot a passable farm track with several small rivers to ford. Eventually well to the south of Gaick Lodge the farm track comes to an end leaving just a narrow footpath perched up a little above a loch. At the end of the loch you pick up another farm track that eventually leads to the A9 at the turn off to Trinafour, From there I picked up the Route 7 Sustrans track that heads through the Highlands taking me up the Drumochter Pass onto Dalwhinnie and to Newtonmore. 

 

I wasn't able to be in London last weekend for the 100-mile cycle so this ride will just have to make up for it.    

 A little further on: the Loch heading towards Gaick Lodge

 The track to the south of the Gaick Lodge

 The track to the south of the Gaick Lodge (vehicle in view)

The loch where it is down just to a narrow footpath, I preferred to walk it 

but doubtless some fearless bikers would ride it (above and below)

Hills in the background are beyond the A9