Day 12 - Ballater to Inverness

Aug 19

Day 12 began in Ballater and finished 75 miles (and 5,253 feet of climbing) later in Inverness. During our morning briefing, our guide Russ casually mentioned that we’d face a challenging climb at the 15-mile mark or so, neglecting to mention that we’d have to climb about a thousand feet to get to the climb. Over the last 12 days, I’ve learned about “cheeky” climbs and “lumpy” climbs. Today I learned about a new category of climb, which my pal Bob says is a “naughty” climb. It’s called the Lecht (after the ski resort that’s at the top), and it’s about 1,000 feet of climbing in 2 miles, with a maximum grade of 20% or more. Absolutely brutal. But I did it.

The Brew Stop was at the top, right beside the ski lifts, and I had just taken my first sip of tea when a summer (i.e., wintery) squall kicked in and it took all of us to hold on the the gazebo poles so the awning wouldn’t be blown away. After securing everything, we retreated into the ski chalet where I had the world’s weakest espresso and waited out the worst of the storm. Still, I headed down the mountain in a hard rain driven right into me by a strong headwind. It felt like sleet.

From Lecht to Inverness was a slog, with the wind so severe that you even had to pedal hard on a descent lest the wind bring you to a stop or send you backwards up the mountain.

Arriving in Inverness was a welcome relief, as was the delicious Thai meal I enjoyed with five of the group. The evening was capped off by live traditional Scottish music in the Hootananny, a local pub and music venue.

We traveled through dramatic Highlands landscapes, as you see in the photos.