Saturday required us to get to Fort William by lunchtime.  We planned to use the scenic rail route that crosses Rannoch Moor, but the train can't take more than two bikes.  We had therefore arranged for a van to meet us at Upper Tyndrum station and take Jon, Neil and the bikes to Fort William by road.  We had rain to contend with again, but once we were on the train the skies began to brighten up.

After lunch in Fort William we rode the few miles to Glen Nevis hostel, moved into our dormitories and then set about climbing Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain.  It was two hours before we hit the cloud level and decided to head back for supper.

Sunday's ride took us along the Road to the Isles as far as Garramore hostel.  It started raining just after we left Fort William and didn't stop until ten minutes before we reached the hostel!  Glenfinnan monument, which should have been a pleasant lunch stop, could only offer a snack bar and billions of biting midges.  The lochs and mountains didn't look their best in the rain!

The silver sand beaches near the hostel made up for the miserable weather to a certain extent: magnificent unspoiled stretches of coast with glorious sand dunes kept us amused for an hour.

When we returned to the hostel for supper we discovered that the warden still enjoyed bossing children around: she refused point blank to give change for any notes, even though there was an enormous glass jar filled with donations on the reception desk.  Consequently, many of the youngsters couldn't buy chocolate, wash their clothes or make telephone calls.  The second problem was that the drying room heater was broken, so our clothes remained wet through the night.

On Monday morning ... it was raining again.  We had to catch the 1045 ferry from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye, so we had to get wet.  The cafeteria on the boat was somewhat crowded, but at least it was warm.  When we disembarked half an hour later the rain had stopped, and the ride around the island was a much happier affair than it might have been.  A stiffening headwind made the final leg to Sconser somewhat difficult, but we managed to arrive a few minutes before the departure of the last ferry to the Isle of Raasay.

The hostel on Raasay is just a few miles' climb from the ferry terminal.  The views across the Sound to Skye were spectacular, and the cosy common room in the hostel helped make this one of the best hostels on the tour.

Wednesday was altogether easier, taking us around the new coastal road from Applecross to Shieldaig, and then on to Torridon.  We passed some deserted houses along the way that made us realise just how harsh the climate can be in these parts.  Matthew Pryer had a problem with his Shimano freehub in that it freewheeled in both directions: he went on ahead with Paul and managed to get to the hostel just before us.

Saturday's ride from Ullapool to Lochinver was marked by occasional drizzle and dull skies, but the scenery was remote and beautiful.  Achmelvich hostel is situated beside quiet silver-sand beaches, and the evening was definitely the best of the whole tour - you'll just have to see the video to understand.

On Sunday we rode from the west coast to the east coast, ably assisted by a tailwind.  We arrived at Carbisdale so early that there was time for some to take rides on motorised buggies - £6 for fifteen minutes around a dirt track!

Michael expected a headwind for Monday's ride (there had been one on every previous tour) so we left very early to be sure of catching the only train from Inverness.  In the event the air was calm and the ride was relatively easy.  We arrived in time to buy pizzas and do some souvenir shopping, and then set about the task of loading bikes into the guard's van.  This was a tricky operation: the train is only supposed to take ten bikes, but the station manager had promised that he would try to fit all the bikes onto the train.  Fortunately we got them all on.

Edinburgh was alive with the Edinburgh Festival, but we were only interested in getting to the hostel.  Being an inner city hostel there were electronic security gates and closed circuit television cameras at the entrance.  And this was the only hostel where our milk and bread had not been reserved!