OK.......so I went....
largely because I had to get something to some-one.
Left here at 6.30 am...couldn't get away til this am...swooped up the A9..no lorries about at that time obstructing the highway...no rozzers and MOST of the cameras point the wrong way. It was a nice morning, I made better time than I thought so I filled up in snecky, not being sure Tore would be open. Good razz to Achnasheen. Fresh snow on hills. Met up with Colin..Mainescots... et al in Lochcarron. Toddled off through Kishorn and up to top, thinking I would get some photys of the entourage arriving at top. Avoided stag standing in the middle of the road, snow started about half way up, parked up at top...
waited at top for Colin..
and others..
While we were waiting for the rest a guy on a Buell came up from the village side. He told us the road was horrendous, he had dropped his bike twice, bits were hanging off and the gear lever was bent leaving him stuck in first. Discretion being the better part of valour we retreated to the cafe by the junction with the Lochcarron road...you know...the one by the sign that says 'No learners, caravans or women drivers...' I decided to head back through Lochcarron, Achnasheen, Inverness and home.
Colin thought he ought to go to Applecross to see if any-one had turned up..(they hadn't..more sense..). By the time I got to Achnasheen it was a struggle to see between the snow building up on the visor and steam inside. On to Tore and filled up, cleaning visor in and out...really snowing now...south, over the Kessock Bridge slowly past Inverness to be confronted with static traffic...just time to pull off into Tesco Insches. No issues with helmet, slippy feet or stroppy staff, used the WiFi to find an RTA had caused issues with the s/b A9, but the snow was predicted to die out later. Still snowing so whiled away an hour over tea and biccies.
Came out and no tailback...until I got round the corner...filtered for a while but the depth of the slush got worse, had a few involuntary spins and wobbles, thought fuck me this is too dodgy and pulled off the dualler....
and decided to wait for the snow to ease, and traffic to speed up to clear the snow/slush, not really knowing what it would be like as the road went up to the Slochd. It was bad enough here...
Finally a ploo passed, the traffic sped up and I ventured south very cautiously. Eventually about Aviemore it started improving, a coorse snow shower at Dalwhinnie and then a nice if cool evening run home...no snow...arriving at back of 7.
Nasty day out....
- stunning weather it was too! - so we were on our way home!
