I know this sounds crazy but nature continues to astound me. One in our group felt yesterday was our best days from a scenery perspective. It was really good. The alpine environment and landscapes of the highlights is very pretty in its own way. Imagine being in behind Queenstown in the Movorva Lakes area where very little grows but heather and nothing grows on the steep areas as its desert there. The sun was shining and although not as dry as that NZ equivalent it was stunning. My photos won't do it justice as need a great camera. the views below were literally 360 degrees around us like this and again we were blessed for most of the day with incredible weather. Lots of sunshine and not cold, although day did start a little grey and windy and cool but just improved and improved. Surface was brilliant so was quite a speedy day for us rate per kilometre wise whilst riding.
From the low latitudes as we continue to go North. Today as I type this at about 5 am, is day 21 and we will reach the top of Scotland today and turn right to go along the coast to go to John O'groats to finish tomorrow. this has come as a shock. It always happens on these tours that there is a realisation that the tour will end and it strikes you. Day 21 was that day for me when I realised we were so far north. this is a cut and paste from maps of path for today to Altnahara. Now know a little about it but knew nothing yesterday. Look how close we are to the end . that small red dot in the corner is John o Groats.
The blue dot was our location after leaving Invergordenabout an hour earlier as we started day 21(Sunday ) and shows where we headed.
Below is a photo from my window at about 4:15 In Altnahrra and as I update my blog for the last two days.
I had the curtains shut last night as when I went to bed it was still heaps of daylight. Can't remember the time but the previous night was after 11 pm and still very light.
We had the longest day on Friday and it's Monday today. So In nZ will have been the shortest day.
If you remember I looked at things from a geo point of view a few days ago as regards latitude. I started doubting myself on my ride yesterday so decided to check.
There are the revised maths by a cut and paste from day 18 of what I said?
"Remember its a high latitude here so although not really high in M above ski level its the lattitude. probably like sth of Invercargill Lattitude. Need to look that up.
SO HERES THE ANALYSIS FROM A GOOGLE SEARCH
Below is fort William where we ended the day. It's virtually 57degrees North.
Below that is Invercargills lattitude and its 46 degree south.
So a difference of say 12 degrees, Each degree I think from my coastguard days is 60 Nautical mile and its 1.8 nautical miles to a 1 km so the maths are
1.8 times 60 time 12 degree so therefore
its about
1300 km south of Invercargill in NZ terms , so that way way south in the southern ocean. Gives you idea of the lattitude . OH I hope I have the maths right.
One of the worries about climate change for the Uk is that the golf stream which the water that flows up the Atlantic coast of the US that carry warm water up that coast and then down around the ocean actually keeps the Uk warm and its being disrupted and if it get seriously damaged or stoped the Gulf Stream operating then the UK will get seriously colder. This is apart from considering the atmospheric currents that flow around the earth. Like the Atmospheric rivers we got from the North in nZ in the last few years that brought us all the cyclones down from the island. All so interesting but long and short we are now closer to the pole than we are at home.
Latitude and longitude coordinates are: 56.819817, -5.105218. Fort William is a large town in Highland, Scotland.
Owing to its relatively high latitude (46° 24′), the city enjoys nearly 16 hours of daylight at the summer solstice in late December, with astronomical night lasting as little as 2.5 hours.
Postscript added Monday 24/06/24
I had been thinking about this 60 nautical mile calculation whilst cycling last few days and decided to check this morning.
see below from Google search about 1 degree of latitude done today.
In other words I was short on Km- difference in degrees is approx 12 degree times 111 km per degree = 1332 km directly south of Invercargill. I had it slightly wrong but was close.
Back to my blog after this postscript'
This is the small pub we ate in last night and beside it is the b and B we stayed in, great food and lovely team looking after us in Pub. Not a very big place .
But in the morning was cruise ship in Port, this literally me turning around from shot of the pub and taking a photo looking seaward. looks like an apartment block was put up during the night !
And slightly to the left and looking again out to see. can you see the small Oil platforms. A larger one is obscured and out of view. This is a port town and we were on the port.
Gwen giving her briefing, the day start coolish and grey despite the forecast
The board for the day. Highlights were definitely highlights. you may wonder why I did a photo each day of the board. Well it has kms for where we stop. I often looked at my photo on my phone biking along to see where we were stopping next as. point of reference. Has been good to record these as I look aback now. wished I had taken more photos of accommodation. No need for a mossy board any more as we are in the highlands and beyond mossies apparently.
Leaving town and distillerys were certainly a theme. Remember this is the home of whiskey. The wall is actually an advertisement for Highland Games. Hawkes Bay had those and used to go down for track when much much younger. They were big athletic events way back with Olympic athletes competing on the track in the senior events.
We made quick time and arrived at an early morning tea at Tain, a royal village and before the cafe opened. More cake !
Despite my best events I have run out of time again it seems so will update this perhaps tonight by adding commentary. Sorry have to get cracking ! Hope all well at hope.
24/06/24 Found myself with 15 minutes so will try and finish the commentary and have added a few photos of Hotel and around the hotel and then will be update =we are leaving today at 10 am now as a very short day. Latest we have started
Back on the road again after morning tea
Notice again the Broom, looks pretty but a lot of goose and some broom up here in Scotland
Story about the next couple of photos
Another warm memorial, look at the age of that young soldier
racing along beside an inlet
The Duke of Suntherlands wife Castle-A sad story of a succession that didn't work so well.
A Viaduct and tricky steps for us all the navigate down
Where we stopped for lunch, lovely river and visitor centre. Arn't trout a wonder of nature. Can jump 3.5 M
And then surprise surprise on the road again
We passed thru Lairg
as we started to climb and move into probably 20 Km of great wonder alpine area. Just marvellous .
Dorothy lead us this afternoon and she did a great job. Got into a great gear and Rhythm. Yet another wind farm as we started to descend into the next valley. I know I have shown photos of wind turbines but they are everywhere in in the thousands. I have added a photo since coming home that you may find interesting. For the UK most of these are in Scotland I would suggest from what I saw. Look at Europe in general. very impressive. In Scotland, wind farms were just everywhere
This one is really lovely, was sort of in a valley over a long rise.
The backdrop shows that desert type hills that I remember from Central and southern Otago
a descent into the hotel
A stag in the hotel entrance, wow
The only hotel for miles is a fishing ledge hotel and was appropriately setup and we all enjoy the place and the food.
You can't take the kiwi out of the lad, searching for rugby news from home. AllBlacks were playing a two test series against England in NZ and squad was announced for the series
That view is where we are going this morning as we work to the north Coast and Port Skerry
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