Dinner

Have opted to eat Chinese tonight as it is the nearest to the b&b.  Am the only person .... not sure if I should be worried or not.
Sampling Tsingtao Chinese beet tonight.

Reached Mablethorpe

Have finally found somewhere to stop for the night .... knackered. Covered approx 377 miles today.  Off to get something to eat now.

The Humber Bridge

On the road to Whitby

Redcar

The seafront at Redcar.  Somewhat behind schedule.  Getting through Sunderland was a nightmare.

On the road to Sunderland

Bit lost!

On the road to Bamburgh

Border Crossing

Leaving Scotland just before Berwick

Musselburgh

Back on track after yesterday's stop in Melrose.  Lovely seeing you and thanks for putting me up xx.

Day 11

Slow start to the day will mean a late finish tonight!

Beer of the day

Went to the Kings Arms with my Dad to partake in a little Stewart Gold

Chillin

Relaxing in the pool with the ruins of Melrose Abbey in the background 

Day 10

Now that we have gone metric, day 10 is the new day of rest.
For those interested, distance covered yesterday was 288 miles.

Burts Hotel

Went to see my brother's play "Time for the Good Looking Boy" that was being performed in the Wynd theatre Melrose last night before the play starts its run at the Edinburgh festival.
After the play, my brother, the actor and the lighting engineer had a Q&A  session with the audience. 

Then we retired to the Burt's Hotel where the picture of me, my brother and little sister was taken.

Sampled the local beer!

Melrose

Dad posing by my bike!

Leith

Have entered the Kingdom of Fife

Managed to get through Dundee despite the best efforts of some complete t*ss*r in a BMW trying to run me off the road.  View of Dundee from the other side of the river Tay.

The road to Arbroath

Helped through the traffic chaos in Aberdeen by a local in a big BMW GS.  Cheers to whoever you were!

Cruden Bay

Stopping for a cuppa

The road to Fraserburgh

Scenes from along the way

On the Coastal Trail just past MacDuff

Cawdor last night, MacDuff today .... there is a play there somewhere

Day 9 - the road to Melrose

Leaving Cullen.  The sun from last night has disappeared to be replaced with gloom.
And there appears to be a liitle 'moisture' in the air.

You looking at my bike

Beard coming along!

Dinner tonight

Tonight I am eating mostly chilli and bizarely  drinking Welsh beer .... Brains SA!  No Scottish beer to choose from!  Biggest riding day so far I think - 358 miles.  Only a couple of moments today, there three yesterday. 

Final stop - Cullen

Of Cullen skink fame!  Staying in the Bayview Hotel tonight

Lossiemouth 2

The Easy beach appears to have all the sand!

Lossiemouth

View out to sea from West Beach

John O'Groats

Been there and 'Dunnet'

Looks like it'd all downhill from here!

Dounreay

On the right road .... at the moment

Durness

The road leaving the village

Ullapool to Scourie

It's wet, windy and raining!  The traditional Scottish summer has arrived! 

Day 8

Biggest riding day of the trip in terms of mileage planned for today so will be interesting to see how that pans out .... oh, and its raining!

Summary so far

Reached Ullapool and finished riding today about quarter past six. Biggest riding day so far 355 miles on some of the most difficult roads which in many ways were reminicent of South Africa. Fantastic scenery all day.   In total, have ridden 2008 miles which is approx 277 miles more than I estimated to have ridden at this stage.

A picture of tonights b&b and the harbour at Ullapool.