Day 6, August 17, 2007

The sixth day of our tour culminated in our only two-day stop of the entire trip. The route was 280 km long and took us from Lochinver via the A837 – Inverskin – Bonar Bridge – Edderton – Tain – Inverness – Drumnadrochit to Fort Augustus and Dores.

We started from Lochinver towards Inveran on the A837, along Loch Assynt. This stretch, which runs like a coastal road, was also very winding and easy to drive. It was drizzling a bit at first, but thankfully that stopped quickly. Later, the A837 becomes a single track again, which somewhat compensated for the rainy previous day in terms of scenery. At Inveran, we then took the A836 to the A9 towards Inverness. This section of the road was also winding and surprisingly deserted.

Later on this tour, we circled Loch Ness  and if it hadn't been for the open-air concert the next day, this beautiful and winding road might have been quite quiet. As it was, there were quite a few people heading to Drumnadrochit, including the usual tourists. In any case, we were able to stop at the first parking area we came across, which was equipped with information panels offering a good deal of facts and history about Loch Ness.

Unfortunately, we didn't see Nessie. Perhaps she saw us first and dived down, or maybe she was out getting a ticket for the open-air concert the next day. At least one of the three tourist centers dedicated to Nessie is located along the Loch Ness route, but we deliberately avoided it.

After this short break, we continued towards Drumnadrochit and caught a glimpse of the concert meadow we planned to visit the next day. We briefly thought, "I hope it doesn't rain."

Just beyond Drumnadrochit, we visited Urquhart Castle, built around 1230. As we quickly discovered, the castle ruins are a very popular viewpoint overlooking Loch Ness and are connected to a rather informative tourist center. During our visit, we discovered various information panels with further interesting facts about the castle, its former inhabitants, and its rooms.

Further along the trail, beyond Fort Augustus, another beautiful single track awaited us, leading past Loch Tarff, which isn't marked on any map. This too is an idyllic spot to take a few photos. Shortly after Loch Tarff, you reach a fairly high viewpoint where, on a clear day, you have a fantastic view of Loch Knockie, Loch Mhor, and the Monadhliath Mountains.

We continued along Loch Mhor and Loch Duntelchaig to Dores, where the road curves to the right and we had to turn left to reach Pottery House, our next B&B. The house is about 50 meters from the shore of Loch Ness and is run by John and Glen. It's a superbly managed, very clean B&B and, in addition to the usual amenities, provides its guests with a PC with internet access, which we naturally used.

The rooms are large, well-furnished, and impeccably maintained. Breakfast leaves nothing to be desired and features a daily special! John and Glen are very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. We were able to store our bikes in the garage, and they even parked their car in the yard for us. This proved necessary, as you'll read on the next page.

In the evening, we walked to the only, but cozy and popular pub in town, the Dores Inn, which is less than a 5-minute walk from Pottery House. It's therefore advisable to ask your two friends to make a table reservation when booking your room. The Dores Inn offers good, tasty food, and to our delight, a friendly, biker-loving waitress works there, who kindly got us some chain lube the next day. We enjoyed pleasant company and another delicious Guinness (extra cold) before winding down for the evening.

This day, too, brought us many beautiful kilometers on roads that practically begged for motorcycles, and also offered many scenic motifs that we gladly enjoyed.