Assuming that James is facing an expensive 20 mile taxi ride into
Inverness, the hostel owner, Donald, tells us that the local bus
company have a very liberal attitude to stranded cyclists and that a
bus is due shortly. Sadly, the driver, though personally very
sympathetic, says "I'll be shot." However, he does at least try
phoning for permission and we hear him arguing the case, but without
success. It's clear he doesn't feel good about driving off. Donald is
astonished, but then tells us that the company has just been bought by
Stagecoach and it's generally less pleasant than it used to be. Hmmmm.
However, he steps into the breach himself and immediately offers to
take James to Inverness, refusing to take any petrol money for his
considerable trouble.
James has yet another experience of a great independent bike shop,
this time Bikes of Inverness who drop everything to help him for next
to nothing.
We all meet up again in the charming town of Beauly, where a customer
in the deli/cafe makes the latest in a string of small donations, now
amounting to nearly £30 from chance encounters along the way, mostly
in Scotland.
The afternoon ride is long and into a headwind, over the rolling
countryside near the Comarty and Moray firths, before finally arriving
at the SYHA flagship youth hostel, the allegedly haunted Carbisdale
Castle, as bonkers a place as we've stayed at (a title for which it
has no little competition.) It seems to be mostly haunted by bemused
European walkers, utterly lost in its warren of Hogwartian corridors..
If you ever need a stopover with character, consider this place first..
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