As there was no breakfast to be had at the hotel we set off at 8.45 heading for Shin Falls where we had been told at the bar last night that we could get breakfast. It absolutely poured down before leaving, but had stopped by the time we left. Lovely little road there (cycle route 1). We arrived at the Shin Falls visitor centre and there were signs of life but the doors were shut. I asked a man working outside what time they opened and he said, '9ish, sometimes not till 10'! It was a few minutes past 9 at this point and he volunteered to go in and ask. He came back out and said it would be soon. We decided to have a look at the falls while we waited. A tamed down version of Swallow Falls, I suppose. Cafe still not open so we sat outside looking hungry. Eventually got let in and had breakfast. This place is owned by Al Fayad and in the shop section is a statue of him in a kilt! There are several Harrods items in there for sale (60% off - is that because he no longer owns Harrods?). Go on to Lairg and see a Post Bus go past. I've heard of these but not seen one 'til now. After Lairg the A836 road narrows down to a single lane - it's an A road and we've been on cycle lanes wider than this! However this is a fantastic road across miles and miles of barren country. There is just nothing out here. After about 10 miles of cycling with the odd car or lumber wagon going past (in one of the numerous passing places) we get to the Crask Inn. This is a must-visit pub. Besides being the only place for miles, it is great for a chat with whoever is passing through and does a cracking bowl of soup with a huge plateful of sandwiches. There was one other cyclist there - a Frenchman who lives in Holland and was doing the Nordse cycle route. I wasn't aware that it was in UK too (Shetland-Harwich). He has been travelling since mid-April round Europe. As we leave the pub it is raining again. Cycle on to Altnaharra and are soaked by the time we get there.
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