Day 8:Last push

Miles: 87
Time: 5hr 40m

A recurring theme of this trip has been starting late. By the time we've eaten breakfast and packed up camp it's generally been 10am. On Wednesday we had the added problem of trying to wash and dry laundry.

By the time I left Invernahaon camp site it was closer to 11am. I wouldn't be at the next camp site until at least seven hours later.

The first 20 miles from Invernahaon were fast - around 19.5mph which felt great. The A9 was busy though and long stretches of roadworks meant several stops at temporary traffic lights.

Miles 20-30 were much slower as the road rose up through the Cairngorms and the weather deteriorated. It was drizzling with rain and the wind was coming straight off the snow-capped hills.

Miles 30-40 were terribly slow and terribly uninspiring, I was riding on a fast dual carriageway through Inverness and over the bay of the Moray Firth. A few cars beeped their horns at me - I guess they thought I shouldn't be on this road as well.

I stopped at a layby to read a map and met a fellow LEJOG-ger - a retired man taking 28-days to complete his journey. We spoke about the route ahead and he seemed to think there were two large road bridges over the Firth coming before my planned lunch stop.

I carried on and passed the first bridge fairly quickly. Five miles later I still hadn't passed the second and I realised I'd missed the lunchtime rendevous point with Helen. We then played cat and mouse until we finally met in a layby overlooking Munlochy Firth.

The eventual lunch spot was very scenic and far away from busy roads and angry drivers. I ate a load of food from our supplies - a cold tuna pasta dish, a hot pasta dish, danish pastry, Licorice Allsorts and a can of Coke - and felt incredibly sluggish when I got back on the bike.

The remaining 40 miles to Dornoch crossed Cromarty Firth and Dornoch Firth on a mix of easterly-heading A roads and quieter B roads. It was a lot quieter than the morning but I had to keep checking the map to navigate which was frustrating.

In retrospect I wish I'd chosen more pleasant lanes and back roads for the morning - even though it would have meant more climbing.

The hardest part of the ride, in a physical sense, was through the Cairngorms. Mentally it was the final 20 miles as the finish was literally in sight, on the opposite shore as I crossed the Black Isle.

The side-winds on the final miles as I crossed the Firths were huge and it was quite an effort to keep the bike going in a straight line.

The finish was great though - a long straight through shore-side country lanes with a tailwind. I arrived at our campsite in the Dornoch sand dunes and it wasn't long before I was starting on a three course meal at a nearby restaurant: Cullen Skink to start, Chicken & Brie in whisky sauce, followed by sherry trifle and a coffee to finish with.

It wasn't a particularly exciting day - in fact the morning was horrible and I'd not recommend that route to anyone - but I was spurred on by the thought of finishing tomorrow.

The bike is just about holding out, but there is a constant quiet squeak. It should be fine for the final leg tomorrow...which looks anything but easy.

Most tempting moment to stop: Passing the Glenmorangie distillery.