Cairngorms

The day started out unlike any other before since the start of my trip: sunny. That raised my mood considerably. First destination on today's itinerary was Loch Ness. Not directly situated on my route it required a little detour. The view of the lake fron Dores was spectacular though. On the return trip trip to Inverness I met two Swiss tourers from Berne and we chatted a bit, sharing Scotland touring experiences while they were dropping like two layers of warm clothes.

Under the still mostly blue sky I continued on toward the Cairngorms. Getting there from the coast required a fair bit of climbing with numerous intermediary descents. Almost like any altitude gain had to be done twice. From the Slochd summit on it went mostly downhill though which was perfect for some idle rolling at sightseeing tempo through the stunning scenery that the national park offers.

I had just stocked up on foodstuffs and was about to roll on when I spied two tourers on the sidewalk. Naturally I stopped for a chat and as it turned out they are from my hometown Dresden! What are the odds? We shared the wind for a few kilometers and then kept encountering each other repeatedly.

Note to all future Cairngorms visitors: where the EV7 splits between Aviemore and Boat of Garten, go for the alternative labeled offroad. The road is partially unpaved but poses no problem to even slim Marathon tires and the view of the peaks.

Tape Job

Finally I got around to buying bar tape. The not-in-fact-that-old Gatorskins tape was rapidly disintegrating. The owner of the Newtonmore bike repair shop unfortunately had no Cinelli tape so I went with some off-brand "Italian" stuff instead. I replaced the tape immediately after I arrived on the nearby campsite under incessant attacks from midges. Let's see how long it will last. I'm just glad I have the whole bars taped again.

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