Kingussie to Blair Atholl

July 10, 2025

We slept okay and left Kingussie about 10:30. I had mixed feelings about our hotel, The Crossings. It was great that it was new and the internet and tv were modern - compared to some pretty ancient tv’s we have had in some places - but the room and bathroom were really small and that made it hard for Dave and me to move around in the room together. Plus they do not keep staff on site full time and so if you needed anything you have to text or call, which can be inconvenient.

We had an early stop: the Highland Folk Museum, in Newtonmore, an 80 acre site run by a charitable organization to provide education on Highland life from the 1700s to the 1930’s. Isabel F. Grant began collecting Highland artifacts in the 1930’s fearing the history of the Highland way of life was being lost. Originally these artifacts were displayed on the Island of Iona but eventually the collection made its way to Kingussie until the 80-acre site was purchased in Newtonmore. The most prominent display was the recreation of a Highland town from the 1700s. The homes, barns, and other buildings showed Highland life to be rough, dark, cold and smoky. Tartans were used in the 1700s but the idea of tartans showing a family connection only came into vogue in 1820 when the first tartans were registered.

Recreation of an 18th century Scottish Hamlet.

This docent lectured on how plant based dyes were created - using urine. Yikes.

After the museum visit we rode for another 20 km to Dalwhinney, home of a famous whisky Dave had last night at dinner. The ride was excellent, along a bike trail on the edge of a forest that sheltered us from the wind. It was a very gradual ascent for 30 km.

We stopped for lunch at the Apiary Cafe - a typical teashop - that was hopping on a Wednesday afternoon with many dogs in attendance as well as humans. The ride after lunch was our reward for the climb of the morning; we reached the Drumlochter pass, which doesn’t look like much of a peak, but was still beautiful, and then had a 34 km gradual descent into Blair Atholl. We could see the whole valley on the descent for many kms, and almost the entire way (with the exception of one short stretch) we had a separate bike trial.

Shortly after reaching the peak, we stopped and visited with Tom, Ken and Maggie, three cyclists from Glasgow going in the other direction. They were touring for five days with very light panniers (and no electricity). I think they were experienced cycle tourers as they all looked pretty comfortable. As soon as they figured out we were from the US we had the usual political discussion - people here really don’t hold back on their opinions or discussion.

Right after we left that trio, we ran into Max, also coming in from the opposite direction. He was bike packing on his own, with a hammock and cooking gear and a very tidy kit. He had been on the road about three and a half weeks and hopes to go onto Ireland. We asked him a bunch of questions about wild camping and whether he gets lonesome being by himself. He said wild camping has been pretty easy in Scotland and he hasn’t had any trouble finding a spot or with people giving him a hard time. He said at first he was a bit nervous and tried to be very unobtrusive but now realizes it’s just not a problem in Scotland. He doesn't get lonesome because so many people, like us, talk to him on the road!

Max had suffered a broken chain back down on the pass, and Ken, whom we had just met, had a spare link which allowed him to continue.

We rode another 20 km, all downhill, and in the sun, and swung into Blair Atholl a little before 4 pm. Our b and b, the Firs, was on the outskirts of the village and it's your classic old school Scottish b and b, which means it's decent, a bit shabby and cluttered, and a bit like staying at your grandma’s house. The room is pretty small so our gear is spread all over. We are here for two nights. They will do our laundry, however - a big plus. Lindsay, the owner was nice but a bit eccentric, with a very dry sense of humor. He said he will not hold it against us that we are Americans. The tv was hilariously ancient - which was inconvenient as we were hoping to watch both Wimbledon and the TdF.

Dinner, again compliments of Melinda’s planning, was at the Loft. Blair Atholl is a small village so there were only a few options for dinner. Since we are staying two nights we plan to exhaust them pretty quickly. Dinner was very good and Dave had a Càrn Mòr whisky, aged only six years, which is very young. (Dave: The color of the Scotch was very pale and it had a sharp edge to it, probably due to its youth. Regardless, I found it interesting and completely different from the other, smoother Highland whiskies I've sampled so far and it only cost 4.20 pounds, a bargain for a wee dram of whisky in these parts.)

At first I thought I was served a vodka given this whisky's ultra light hue, but one sip quickly disabused me of that notion.

As we were preparing to leave The Crossing, we came across Christina who was on a three week gravel bike tour with a friend. This was her third tour of Scotland which we found interesting given she lives in Zurich, but she said the cycling is much better in Scotland. She is an economist for the central bank.

Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles)
Total: 2,535 km (1,574 miles)

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