Dover Durness Day 8: Kinross to Newtonmoor

 
Distance today        90 miles in 6hrs 50mins
Height Climbed      4577 feet burning 2354 Kcal

Distance so Far       687 Miles  in  51hrs 32mins
Height Climbed      27,869 Feet Burning 19,107 Kcal

We watched the weather forecast this morning. Sunny until lunch time then heavy showers, moderate north westerly. Just the right weather for a mountain pass then? Yes, I know it has a trunk road and a railway over it, but they both get closed due to weather, they even have snow gates. It is very open over the top.

I started on the same B road out of Kinross, but soon turned off onto a walking and cycle friendly road. There was no traffic, no cars, cyclists or walkers. There was the odd settlement, there were cars parked, but no one to be seen. Quite remarkable.

The route comes close to the A9, and uses back roads and roads that were once clearly the main road, now bypassed. Sometimes I could

see it, sometimes hear it, as I could the railway.

There was a section which stated it was "Road Closed". Please NO! The alternative is the A9. I am going to have to give it a try. The closer is not far. I get close to it, ready to carry the bike through, but there is a pedestrian way. Not advertised at either end of this 5 mile section of road. Not good enough.

At the end of the road as I came into Dunkeld I met a car on a blind bend. The road was narrow and he slowed and pulled over. The next car, a white fiesta with a blue bonnet was hugging the inside of the bend, my side, and moving quickly. I headed for the hedge, swearing loudly, and he/she corrected for the other side of the road, and they missed me. I stopped and looked back. They stopped. I gestured to come and have a chat. They drove on.

Through Dunkeld and onto Pitlochry and Blair Atholl. Climbing a little all the time. The valley was wide but protecting me from the wind along with the trees. Finally the back road alternative was over and it was onto tracks, many of which were at first abandoned sections of the A9, ox bow lakes of road. I climbed out of the trees and into a blocking headwind. Don't panic and twiddle the pedals.

Then there is a sign warning me of how exposed the path is ahead. How high it is, and if it rains that I will take the full force of it.

I can see where I am going to go as I can see the lorries on the A9 on the side of the vally. The river is getting smaller, I can see a man

on the other side. He is tiny, dwarfed by the mountains behind him. I turn to the north, the wind is now on my side, making headway a little easier. I am tired of going up now.

Finally I am at the top. There are signs on the cycleway, the road and the railway. All proclaim a different height, as indeed they are, but the cycle way seems to have lost a few metres in the climb from the first sign.

The route down is glorious. Brand new tarmac and a wind that appears to have turned to behind me. I’m off, I love to go fast on descents and the surface is great. I nearly overshoot a left turn coming off one of the many wooden bridges, leaning and swearing I stay on the tarmac, noticing the skid marks of others who have clearly gone into this corner too fast. 

 

It is a lovely run down into Newtonmore. Tired but happy. I have driven over this road many times and watched the course of this cycle way, finally I have been able to ride it.