LEJOG day 14 - Dalwhinnie to Inverness

105 km  Elev gain: 930 m  (65 miles / 3051 ft)
1 °C (real feel -4 °C)

After the relative warmth of yesterday, the temperature has dropped dramatically and I wake up to heavy, persistent snow fall. I watch the online weather radar and hold out for a break that never materialises. I don't want to stay put, as I fear I'll be stuck for days, so I eventually head out at 10am.

I get all my layers on, congratulating myself on bringing waterproof over trousers, but while my feet and body are warm, I know my hands will suffer. I've brought two pairs of gloves, plus some inner liners on this trip, but they're not up to the job today. I regret not bringing my deep winter gloves with me, but who knew about this cold snap two weeks ago?

Grin and bear it

I'm covered in ice after only 5 miles. It's intermittent snow and sleet which seeps through my gloves. After an hour I call in at a Co-op, taking my time choosing yet another double meal deal, one of which is devoured soon after when I take shelter in a forest for 20 minutes.

Gimme shelter

Moving off again I put in a good hour to get to Aviemore, just shy of today's half way point. I walk into The Coffee Pot cafe dripping water all over the floor. The lovely staff take care of me, throwing an extra log in the wood burner and turning a chair into a drying rack. My rain jacket has kept me dry, but I wring the water from my gloves in the bathroom and stuff them with tissue. I order soup and a panini and spend more than an hour here recuperating.

The snow is just stopping when I put my warm but still damp gloves back on and resume the journey through the Cairngorms. It's late afternoon and I should stay on the road at Carrbridge to make progress, but I blindly follow my pre-planned GPS route into the forest. It's incredibly beautiful, but hard going in the deep snow which covers the pitted track. Too steep and slippery to ride in places, I have to push my heavy bike uphill, which is exhausting. On the flat I bounce along, shattering the ice glazed puddles when I can't avoid them, eventually emerging back at the A9 near Slochd Summit.

From here it's downhill to the outskirts of Inverness. I swing by an Asda to buy dinner, then make quite a meal out of finding my hostel. 

1000 miles in the bag, but most definitely a type 2 fun day. 

Running total: 1643 km  Elev gain: 16,200 m  (1021 miles / 53,150 ft).  85 hrs 30 mins