Perth – John O’Groats, 5 - 10th June

From Perth, we gradually made our way north to John O'Groats, the most North Western point of Scotland. We passed through the Grampian mountains and the Scottish ski resorts up at Lecht Pass. Not quite the same as skiing in Europe, but there is mountains, lifts and snow so I guess that’s all you need to ski!
After passing through the mountain districts, we had a well needed rest day in Grantown-on-Spey, a lovely little village made famous by salmon fishing! A day trip to Aviemore to get some technical support on the bike front made it a leisurely day without panniers.
En-route from Granton-on-Spey to Inverness, we stopped at Cawdor Castle. This place was absolutely beautiful. Mick was spotted chatting to the “Countess of Cawdor” – think he was trying to get us an invite to stay for dinner, but nothing came of that! So, after a stroll around the castle (can’t believe people actually live in these incredible places), the immaculately kept gardens, and the rainforest trails out the back, it was back to the bike. Not before spotting some highland cattle in the castle paddocks. These are gorgous cows with scruffy long brown hair – very cute! From John O'Groats we followed the coast across the top of Scotland. The scenery seemed to become more amazing every day, and by the time we started to come down the West Coast, it was spectacular the whole way. The top nth western corner is stunning...rugged coastline, beautiful pristine beaches, lochs, stone ruins and mountains everywhere.