It was probably the brightest and sunniest morning so far, which made it very easy to get up and get underway. I was on the road just after seven.

I wasn't far from Inverness, although the cycle route went around the houses a bit to avoid the main road.

I rolled into Inverness looking for something to eat. Lots of places, but they were all really busy - it was that time of day though. I settled for convenience in the end, which meant McDonald's. Not my favourite establishment, but it did the trick.

After that, I followed the path out to the big bridge. It was incredibly windy up there, but the views were great.

I followed the NCN1 for a fair way, which was pleasant enough.

It did a massive loop around the coast, so I decided to take a short cut. With predictable results. Yup, there was a massive hill to get over!

It wasn't too bad and the views up the top were worth it.

It was starting to get pretty windy and cold at this point. Still warm in the sun, but the northernness was becoming apparent!

I stopped for some food at some little town I've forgotten the name of and pressed on.

I'd found a good campsite just north of Lairg and there was a Spa in Lairg I absolutely had to stop at for major supplies as there'll be nothing for quite a long way tomorrow morning.

I just had to get there which was proving difficult at times! Although the wind was technically more or less in my favour, the gusty, swirling nature of it meant it was hard work. Then I had an absolute classic bit of NCN madness. There was a lovely old bridge to cross, only you had to go down two flights of stairs to get to it! It was a struggle to say the least, but I got it done in the end.

I called the campsite to make sure it was OK - which it was. Then went to the Spa and bought so much food I could hardly fit it in my panniers!

Then I rode the last few miles to the campsite.

Pitching my tent in the strong wind was interesting. I've made sure I did a super neat job. Don't want to get blown away in the night!

John O'Groats is 99 miles away. I need to get to Wick for a train back, so we're looking at two more days realistically.

If I get pretty close to JOG tomorrow, I could potentially do the rest and get a train down to Edinburgh on Wednesday.

I could have done with this campsite being a bit further on, but as I've finished early today, it gives me a chance to plan trains and stuff.

I've not been to this part of Scotland before, but it's exactly as I expected: Exposed, windy, bleak and freezing!