West coast tour: Day 7

Sheildaig - Oban - Home.  The One Five Oh.  I decided on Wednesday night that I had to get home on Thursday.  Things were going on at home and I had to get back.  Easier said than done though, in Sheildaig, car in Oban 140miles away.  140miles by road via Inverness, Loch Ness and Ft William, not a route I was willing to ride - punishment of the wrong variety.  The original plan had been to cover the ground back to Oban via Skye, Mallaig, Ardnamurchan and Mull (connecting with ferries).  I made the mileage going that way at about 120-130 miles (2 x 65 mile days).  So theoretically doable in one big day.  Problem was the ferry times, as to do that route I had to get 3 different ferries and cover the ground between them them fast enough to get each in turn.  To get the last ferry from Craignure at 1900 I'd have to get the 1745 ferry from Lochaline, and to get to Lochaline in time I'd need to get the 1135 boat from Armadale, some 65miles away!  I worked this all out after a couple of pints in the hotel in Sheildaig!  Basically it meant a very early start and riding reasonably fast, but I decided it was doable.

I got up when I first woke up, and it was light.  The weather had broken, the tent was blowing about quite a bit and when I looked out there was a lot of cloud about.  I had to have breakfast, as if I skipped it I'd suffer later, so to full process of cooking porridge followed by the packing up faff was all completed and I got away just before 7am.  The first section of the ride (40 miles to Loch Alsh) is particularly brutal.  It started raining after I'd climbed the first hill andkept up for the next 2 hours.  The road to Loch Alsh is extremely hilly, the bit between Strathcarron and Auchtertyre being particularly bad.  There're bits where the road climbs away from the lochside at 14% for about a mile then drops straight back down to the loch again.  I kept pressing on and got to Kyle of Lochalsh with enough time left to make it to the ferry at Armadale, but I was starting to suffer by this stage.  The thought of food in Mallaig and the problems it would cause if I missed the boat kept me going though, and I got there at about 1115.

Once in Mallaig I got the food required to fuel me for a few more miles, but by the time I'd eaten and got underway again it was after 1pm.  Using my Garmin I was able to work out fairly easily that I wasn't going to make the 1745 boat at Lochaline.  Plan B was to head to the ferry at Corran instead, and then ride from Onich all the way down the coast.  So thats what I ended up doing.  Hills and headwind all the way up past Loch Ailort, Glenfinnan and along Loch Eil.  I keep coming to a corner thinking I must get a tail wind for the next section, but it was one of those days when the wind is always in your face!

The ferry at Corran was a relief - more food and a bit of a rest (free crossing with bikes!). By Onich I'd done 115miles, and the Garmin said it was 35 to Oban.  I stopped at the service station for more juice and food, where a guy in a camper van stopped me to comment on how well I was going.  I looked at him puzzled, and he said he'd been on the Mallaig ferry with me earlier in the day!  He was more surprised and impressed(?) when I told him how far I'd gone and still had to go!

The road from Balahulish to Connel is a bit of road I quite like, the scenery is good, and fortunately for me its quite flat.  I just pushed along as best I could.  I found I became quite fixated with the GPS, checking how far I had to go, how fast I was going, what the time was etc.  After 9+ hrs in the saddle its hard to keep concentrating I suppose.  I really dont think I could do a 12hour TT.  When I got back to the car the trip meter said 148 miles...... I rode straight past the car and cruised on for another mile.  Then turned round and rode back to the car..... 150.  Would have been a shame to got so close but not ticked that box!  Don't suppose I'll be riding that far again in a hurry.  I felt OK afterward.  I've felt worse thats for sure.  A 70mile road race can be tougher.