Getting on my Wick

So, it's a race to get there before either my bike or my body falls apart. So far this morning I've had a puncture, and my seat's falling off, but I'm in Wick with only 17 miles to go.

Day 11 (22/05/07)
Carrbridge to Helmsdale
Day miles 98
Total miles 904
To go 55

I didn't quite manage 80 miles from Inverness, but Helmsdale was the last decent sized town on the road before Wick 38 miles further on, and immediately after Helmsdale are a couple of very steep gradients which are better tackled in the morning than in the evening.

The road up from Inverness wasn't so scary. There was a cycle route (NCN1) for the first few miles, but then that diverted up north, and there was quite heavy traffic until past Tain, but after that a mostly flat road, following wind, and not much traffic. Fine weather too, the sea was very flat. The only slightly stressful bits were where the road occasionally veered west, into the wind, and across Cromarty Firth and another of the inlets, where there's a very strong crosswind.

Helmsdale is a small fishing village, with a couple of hotels (one full, one expensive) and some B&Bs. I checked into a B&B - they only had a family room (double bed, single bed, sofa) for £30, but as that was cheaper than the cheap hotel anyway, I took it.

My elbow definitely needs attention. I reckon I have ligament damage. There's no pain in usual use, but I can't put pressure on it or it pops out - not an actual dislocation I think, just a moving of the ligament. I'll go to St Mary's on Friday. I hope I don't need surgery. Never had an invasive procedure (no sniggering)

I left myself 55 miles to JO'G today, with 17 miles back to Wick afterwards. Now in Wick, so I'll be back in a few hours.