Day 13 -
Loch Ness SYHA to Carbisdale SYHA - 64 miles
LEJOG - DAY 13 Diary and Top Tips
Set off early to get most benefit from cooler temperature and traffic
free roads. There was a beautiful sunrise over Loch Ness and at 6:30am the air
was still (and midge free!). Leaving the shores of Loch Ness at Drumnadrochit,
we climbed our steepest hill at 15% (1 in 6) gradient, but thankfully only for
about a mile. The good thing about climbing is you always come down and we
enjoyed a quiet gentle descent more or less all the way into Beauly. We stopped
for a 2nd breakfast at Dingwall and then took to the hills again
after Alness to avoid A9 traffic, providing us with a spectacular mountain road
with stunning views over Dornoch Firth towards Bonar Bridge.
We arrived at Carbisdale Castle early afternoon after
a jacket potato lunch at Ardgay, near Bonar Bridge, which gave us plenty of
time to rest and chill-out. The castle is quite a building and difficult to
believe it's a youth hostel! Unfortunately it is let down however by being very
impersonal with under equipped and poor kitchen facilities which were certainly
not good enough for 170 guests trying to self-cater!
TOP TIPS!
Food - Again plenty of food stops
available today so no real problem. We stopped at a friendly café / chip shop
at Dingwall and we also stopped at Ardgay for a lunch and beer in the pub.
There is also a small convenience store at Ardgay where we purchased our tea.
If staying at the YHA, try to avoid peaktime in the kitchen as it is very
poorly equipped and you will be fighting other hostellers for cutlery, utensils
and pans! The bike shed is downstairs in a locked part of the cellar.
The Route - We all enjoyed the route today. There was one incredibly steep hill of Cornwall and Devon proportions but longer as you join the A833. However the effort is very well rewarded as the road gently descend all the way to Beauly. The second climb past Alness to Bonar Bridge, is not as steep as the first climb and a superb very enjoyable part of the day. It probably ranks in the top 5 most enjoyable parts of the whole trip.
Climbing Profile
Statistics
|
From |
To |
Day Distance (Miles) |
Running Total (Miles) |
Height climbed (Metres) |
Height descended (Metres) |
|
Loch Ness SYH |
Carbisdale SYH |
64 |
953 |
1764 |
1741 |
Detailed Route Map
Directions
The approximate route we followed for Day 13 is listed below (1:50 000).
I used the Memory Map 1:50 000 Ordnance Survey electronic maps for route planning.
Turn
L out of
Loch Ness SYH and continue along A82 until
Drumnadrochit where L on to A831. Next turn R on to A833 and follow until R on
to A831 into Beauly. Follow A862 through Muir of Ord, Conon Bridge and into
Dingwall.
At
Dingwall continue under railway bridge, the A road takes a sharp R and take the
next L up a side residential road to join
the minor road to Mountgerald Ardullie (runs parallel to A862), and into
Evanton where it joins the B817 where L. Follow B817 until it joins the B9176
where L.
Follow B9176 (also NCR1) until it joins the A836 where L into Kincardine.
At Ardgay,
take L along
minor road and follow to
Carbisdale SYHA.