Hello from a weary traveller in the far, far north of Scotland. So far north in fact that the area is called Farr. Actually, I've no idea if that's why it's called Farr, and in fact the area seems to have various different names depending on which boundaries and which period of history you're going by - Farr, Strathnaver, Sutherland. One thing is not under dispute, and that is that the village I'm in is called Bettyhill ... although it seems that Bettyhill was an early 19th Century replacement village for the village of Farr, which was practically deserted by the Clearances (see here for more info on the Clearances). The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland had 15,000 people cleared from their estate, but then the duchess, Elizabeth, had another village built and named it after herself - Bettyhill. Odd, and rather narcissistic if you ask me.
Anyway, in Bettyhill is the Strathnaver Museum, housed in the old church at Clachan, listed by Historic Scotland for it's architectural importance. The museum was first established in 1976 by a group of locals who realised that they needed to preserve the history of the area for themselves and for future generations. Many locals donated items to the museum, but additionally found items have been added to the collection including a Bronze Age burial beaker, discovered in 1981 by council roadcrew. The museum recounts the history of The Clearances, and depicts life in the north Highlands from prehistory to more modern times.
It was quite a ride to get here - 80km of vast Highland scenery with lots of strenuous uphill cycling. I did a total of 45km on increased resistance with 10km at level 13, and 15km at level 12; the other 20km were split between levels 10 and 8.
There was quite a buzz in Pop-Up Gym on Friday, which spurred me on, as did a few more sponsorships that came through as I was pedalling. It really does make a huge difference, and helps me to know that others see my efforts as worthwhile, so please do keep the sponsorships coming if you can, as I still have one more ride and one more blog post to go. Given that the ride was lengthy and arduous, I was pleased to complete it in two hours and thirty six minutes...
When I was planning my trip I thought that I'd be more than ready not to be camping and I'd booked myself into the Bettyhill Hotel...
...but it was such a beautiful day when I arrived, and the scenery is so beautiful that it seemed a shame not to immerse myself in it, and I'm really rather comfortable with my four poster camp bed, butler's sink bar, dining table, and range cooker. As I'd made the hotel booking and they were expecting me to stay with them, I paid for the room so that they didn't lose out, but pitched my tent back by the museum. After all, the museum was meant to be my stopping point. The hotel staff were ever so kind and said that I would be welcome to use their facilities if I wanted to, but for now I'm loving being in my tent...
Yes, I'm quite comfortable in my tent, and I still haven't tired of the Tudor theme in the bed area and dining area. It's amazing what you can do with the inside of a tent these days if you put a little thought into it.
I decided not to pitch camp within the walls of the old church yard because I wanted to make the most of the expansive vista. It really is stunning and enormous...
It feels like it goes on forever, and whilst its beauty almost takes your breath away, the vastness of it also kind of fills your lungs.
It would be fair to assume that a little place like Bettyhill wouldn't have much in it, but then it does have a museum, which is perhaps not what one immediately thinks of as an essential for Highland village life. I guess it is essential for keeping the past alive, and although much of the history of the area was very bleak, it was vital for shaping the area into what it is today. The Clearances did nothing if not make the Scots a hardy, resilient people, which certainly is essential in these remote parts, especially in winter.
When I went for my first wander after pitching the tent, I followed some of the Strathnaver Trail, which begins at the Strathnaver Museum and guides visitors to 29 archaeological sites in the area. It includes various monuments, Iron Age brochs (drystone hollow walled structures), the remains of a Neolithic horned chamber cairn, Pictish carved stones, Bronze Age cairns and hut circles, and the remains of abandoned communities from the Clearances...
One of the Pictish carved stones on the trail is the Farr Stone, which stands in the grounds of the Strathnaver Museum...
The Picts could be thought of as a tribe or clan during the late Iron Age to early Medieval period. Pictish stones are thought mostly to date from the 6th to 9th centuries, during which the Picts were becoming 'Christianised'. Early Pictish stones likely predate the spread of Christianity and their purpose is uncertain, but the Farr stone, like many later Pictish stones, is known to mark the grave of 'an important local, religious, or political personage.' I am under the impression that all Pictish stones are carved to one degree or another, with much commonality in the symbols and animals depicted. It's thought that some of the icons might represent names, clans, kinship, lineage etc, and pairs of symbols could represent matrilineal marriage alliances. I'm afraid I don't know about the symbols and animals engraved on the Farr Stone, but it's very beautiful and ancient, and a treasure to have seen and camped beside.
I haven't had the energy to do a huge amount of extreme sporting activity, but seeing as I was so close to the beach, and I'd noticed that the swell was getting up, I thought I'd grab my surf board and see if I could remember what I'd learnt way back down in Cornwall and Devon. I made my way down to the beach...
My first port of call was a tad too rocky, but a little further along it was nice and sandy, and I wasn't fearful that I'd be smashed against the rocks if I came off the board...
I was a little tentative when I started off and stayed at the far end of the beach where the swell wasn't quite so big, but I soon remembered what I was meant to be doing...
...Once I'd got the hang of it again I dragged the board back along the beach where the waves were bigger, and it was just as the swell was really getting up, making the challenge even greater, but I didn't do too badly...
Not bad, huh? I think I've improved since I was in Cornwall and Devon. I reckon it must be all the other extreme sports I've been doing, plus I've increased my general fitness, of course, with all the cycling. I have to admit, that I surprised even myself with how spectacular my final jump was...
I hadn't even expected it to be my final jump, but...
...It was so high, and had such amazing thrust, that I left my board behind and landed on the cliffs above! Well hey, it saved me a trek up the hill lugging the board behind me! I decided to head to the cafe I'd seen in Bettyhill and see if I couldn't get myself a hot cuppa because the sea was ab.so.lute.ly freeeeeeezing.
Bettyhill is surprisingly well served with amenities for such a small and northerly Highland village. As well as the museum it has a Free Church...
...a convenience store...
...the hotel, of course...
...a tourist information centre...
...even a swimming pool!...
...and a lovely little cafe...
...where I warmed myself up with soup...
A good old lentil and carrot soup with soft wholemeal bread to dunk in it. It was delicious, but I needed another little something to fill the hole from the exercise. I figured that I'd continue reliving the early days of my trip with a scone...
Okay, so the cream wasn't the delicious clotted cream of Devon or Cornwall, but it was still good, and there was no dictating what order to put the cream and jam (but if you're wondering, I did jam then cream, as I think any sensible person would).
Suddenly hit by a wall of exhaustion, I practically crawled back to the tent, but as the sun set and the dark began to draw in I realised that I would have to stay up because the most spectacular thing was happening. The sky was lighting up with the most amazing pink, purple, and green streaks - God was giving me my very own performance of the aurora borealis...
I have always wanted to see this phenomenon, and tonight was my night. Moments like this are what have made my ride so special, and what a treat for my penultimate ride of the journey. Of course, the real purpose of the journey is not to feed my soul on events like this, but to raise vital funds for the charity Pop-Up Gym. It's not too late to sponsor me if you haven't already and would like to, and I would be ever so grateful if you did. You can do so at my Just Giving page with just a few clicks of your mouse, and you can be assured that every penny will be put to great use and hugely appreciated by myself and all at Pop-Up Gym.
So, only one more ride to go until I reach John O'Groats, and while I've loved the ride, I'll be happy for it to finish too because I'm quite exhausted. Still, I must keep up the momentum until after tomorrow's final ride and after I've written the blog post that goes with it. How about a few pennies of donation to spur me on? And on that note it's time to roll out the haggis-fur duvet on the four poster camp bed and tuck myself in for the night. Take care, thanks for your sponsorship so far, and I'll see you in John O'Groats!
**All photos are from Google Images, except those of the MotoMed and my tent.
One to go and you are doing g it as I type! Woohoo!!! 💗💗💗
ReplyDelete