The 2014 Challenge, day 3: All the way to Ardgour (3)

I made good progress on the roads, as I had expected; and I needed to work hard to restrain myself from pressing on too hard. At the junction of the A884 and the B8043, where I turned left onto the lesser of the two roads (I shall not call it "the minor road" because, truth to tell, they were both pretty minor!) there was an A-board sign advertising the Boathouse restaurant in Kingairloch, which was open. I checked my watch, and I checked the distances, and I realised that I would be at Kingairloch at about the right time to have lunch in the Boathouse Restaurant if I wished. On a big monster of a day like today, I figured that a good hearty lunch would be just what I needed to boost the troops' morale, and so that was a plan!

Before long, Loch Uisge came into view. The picture shows one of my first sightings of it, with the distinctive rounded form of Beinn na Cille in the background. I had my 10.55 - 11 rest break half way along the loch (3 hours of walking; nearly 11 km covered; starting to look OK for timing) and pressed on. I noted as I did that just to the east of the bridge over the Allt Doire na Bainnse, on the south side of the road, there is a well-surfaced little car park. It is doubtless intended for the use of those who are venturing up onto Beinn Mheadhoinn; but it would serve as an excellent overnight stop when touring in the camper van!

Beyond Loch Uisge the road was long and not particularly exciting; but the prospect of a good lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant spurred me on. I reached the woods, and there was a track off to the right running down towards the river. I suspected that following this might be a good idea; but it was not shown on my map and it might turn out to be a dead end. On days when you have 40 km to cover, following dead-end paths is a luxury you simply cannot afford. So I stayed on the road and kept plugging away.