Oh Happy Days !!!!

What a good day (Thurs 17 Sept) that has been; we left Inverness and over the bridge leading out of the city there was the faintest promise of sun. At least after yesterday it was dry. The route, part of the national cycle route lead us to Dingwall and along the north side of The Cromarty Firth, of shipping forecast fame. By the time we got to our coffee stop at Alness the sun was there in the clearest of blue skies and it stayed that way for the rest of the day. Coffee and a local meat pie topped us up for the next few hours on beautiful backroads with only moderate gradients to Tain, past well run farms growing wheat and malting barley, as well as fine looking beef animals; the trees on this section were mainly beech with a few Scots Pines. A joy. 

Past the Glemorangie distillery at Tain and yes the, wind was blowing in the right direction, crossing the Dornoch Firth to Dornoch itself where we stopped for lunch. 

By accident we took a wrong turning that went by the side of Loch Fleet, just off the shore there were Harbour seals.

We then took the coast road to Helmsdale in the afternoon sun, sea to our right and mountain to our left. Helmsdale has a great little harbour. 

Tomorrow we head North by Northwest or NNW following the river and railway for the first part of our ride across to Melvich on the North Coast, then head  East along the top. We are feeling positive after my low day yesterday. The weather makes a huge difference to everything.