Tour O’ Scotland 2018

17/05/2019

Day 6

87.5 miles, 4,567ft of climbing.

Total: 516miles, 29,603ft of climbing.

It’s amazing the difference the weather can make. Much easier day today!

Beautiful scenery, especially on the Black Isle.

I highly recommend the NC500 route. Cycling it definitely ensures you appreciate everything from how steep the hills are, how many cuckoos there are in the highlands, the quick views you miss in a car, the smell from some of the old sports cars on the route, the number and width of the cattle grids (wider on the west coast!), to being able to stop where cars can’t.

It’s been an absolutely amazing experience and couldn’t have wished for better weather.

Thank you Yvonne for the food stop recommendations, they were perfect and it was lovely to see you today too!

George, thanks for keeping us company on those last 10 or so miles and keeping us right as we came into Inverness!

Thank you Stuart Irvine and Hev Irvine for your company on the road, David Cruickshank for being our support driver and finding the best places to eat, Mikey Booth for all your encouragement and looking after everything at home and everyone who has sponsored me - over £350 going to Kayleigh's Wee Stars.

Mark Beaumont thanks for the cycling route, well timed to enable us to make some changes and avoid the A9! Think we might have got better weather than you though! 🌞

Cycling round Scotland has been a blast!

Louise Cruickshank

16/05/2019

Day 5

82.2miles (120.8 of equivalent miles due to the wind effect), 4,324ft of climbing

Well, it wouldn’t be a multi day cycling trip in Scotland if we didn’t get a headwind. Welcome back Mr Headwind, I can confirm I have NOT missed you! So much for an easier day today, I had to pedal downhill just to keep moving! My average speed was lower after I came down the biggest hill than it was before the descent! The day after a tough day was not the day I wanted to welcome to back Mr Headwind. 🙈

Thankfully the wild fires had died down and the road was open again so we managed to complete our planned route. However, this did include cycling alongside said affected area.

The last 30 miles to Dornoch were mainly on the A9 but were some of the most scenic and enjoyable (no Headwind!) parts of the day.

Awesome feed at Luigi Dornoch tonight. You must visit this place!

Stuart Irvine, Hev Irvine, David Cruickshank, Louise Cruickshank

15/05/2019

Day 4

Wow! What a day! 102.9 miles, 8,944ft of climbing.

13 hours after leaving Lochinver we made it to Bettyhill. We’ve climbed many a hill with one that must have averaged 15 or 16% with a good section of it being 25% - my front wheel was coming off the road and I had visions of flipping backwards - I can confirm that if I wasn’t clipped into my pedals I would have stopped, got off and pushed, I just could work out how to unclip without falling over!

Temperatures were up above 20 degrees by 9am and there wasn’t much of a breeze to keep us cool!

Early in the day we decided that we wouldn’t make Bettyhill in time for last orders for tea and so decided to eat 15 miles earlier at Tongue. However by the time we reached Tongue, the power was off due to wildfires and so after fuelling up on some food from the car we continued on to Bettyhill where our hotel room pity on us and make meals up for us. Result!

Awesome tough day on the bike. Looks like a detour tomorrow due to road closures for wild fires but we can cope with that. 🙂

Stuart Irvine,Louise Cruickshank, David Cruickshank, Hev Irvine

14/05/2019

Day 3

92 miles, 6,737ft climbing.

Another day in the bag. Half way in terms of number of days, about 10 miles short of half way for distance.

Hottest day it’s been yet! Average 17 degrees with it getting into the mid 20s. Good practice for tomorrow.

Another fab day of scenery.

David Cruickshank, Stuart Irvine, Hev Irvine, Louise Cruickshank, Kayleigh's Wee Stars

13/05/2019

Day 2

6.30am alarm, 8am start, 74.2miles, 6,476ft of climbing.

Even more amazing scenery than yesterday! Even warmer than yesterday - cyclist sun tan is back!

Absolutely love the highlands. We are so lucky to live here.

Cycling along today, I was realising I’m back in the Tour zone. Although my knees are feeling it more than last year, the leg muscle memory seems to have kicked in today and the mentality to keep fighting and pushing up these hills is just as strong as it was in September.

Shout out and well done to Hev Irvine, who before yesterday, had not cycled longer than 45 miles in one cycle before!

With the right mentality, you can achieve anything!

Stuart Irvine, David Cruickshank, Louise Cruickshank

13/05/2019

Day 2

First 8 miles and 2,050ft of climbing done for today. Bealach Na Ba accomplished! Gradients up to 16%.

Some photos from today and some from last night when we drove up so we could enjoy the views!

Hev Irvine, Stuart Irvine, David Cruickshank, Louise Cruickshank

12/05/2019

Day 1 complete!

77.5miles, 3,123 ft of climbing.

Awesome weather 🌞 Stunning scenery

Legs feeling the effect of lack of miles but that is expected.

Hev Irvine, Stuart Irvine, David Cruickshank, Louise Cruickshank Kayleigh's Wee Stars

12/05/2019

We are on our way and have made it to our first stop at The Museum Coffee Shop in Strathpeffer. Couldn’t ask for better weather. 😁

Hev Irvine, Stuart Irvine, Louise Cruickshank, David Cruickshank, Kayleigh's Wee Stars

11/05/2019

It’s been a while since anything cycling related has been posted on here but the next cycle challenge is away to commence. Tomorrow Stuart Irvine, Hev Irvine and myself (Louise Cruickshank) are leaving Inverness to cycle the NC500 cycle route. We plan to take 6 days to complete this and hope the forecast is correct for the coming week. Dad (David Cruickshank) is our support driver for this adventure.

We will keep you posted on our progress as much as we can.

09/05/2019

Happy 9th birthday Kayleigh. This is one amazing charity and legacy being left in Kayleigh’s memory. 💞

15/12/2018

💞

Without the support of our community fundraisers CLAN would not be able to provide the support and wellbeing services that are so vital to our clients. So from head shaves to raffles, collections to sponsored walks we would like to say a huge thank you to all our Community Fundraisers!

09/12/2018

Lovely morning yesterday to pass the cheques over to CLAN Cancer Support and Kayleigh's Wee Stars at the start/finish line of the Tour. What a difference the funds will make to each charity. Thank you again from all of us for your support.

Aspire Performance Coaching, Morrison Motors Turriff, C&E Moir & Son Ltd, Baxters UK, Pedal Power Cycle Centre Inverurie