Cheers, Kilchrenan Inn

Arran - Fort William Day 3
Cairnbaan - Connel

Cycled: today 83.5km, total 197.6km
Climbed: today 1,167m, 2,607m

Highlight: eat and drink stops were all excellent and conveniently spaced, for both sustenance and moral. So a shout out for the Dalavich tea room (lunch), Kilchrennan Inn (a pint), The Robin's Nest Taynuilt (tea & cake) & Oyster Inn, Connel (supper).

Lowlight: toss up between some tough 'undulations' along the 18 miles we cycled along Loch Awe and the discovery at the end of this stretch that John's pannier frame was missing two screws and had one strut sheared off. Fortunately the water bottle holder had the same size screws, so we were able to use these stabilise it enough to make it to today's journey end, complete with panniers.

What else? Surprisingly Loch Awe, the shoreline of which formed around a third of today's ride, is the longest loch in Scotland at 25 miles. It is however remarkable skinny, with a maximum width of 0.6 miles, which is perhaps why it is less well known than other lochs such as Lomond or Ness.

Photo: a couple of thirsty cyclists celebrating the end of an arduous ride along Loch Awe, with a large number of steep inclines to provide a tough mental and physical test. Phew!