Decisions?

🌄 Tuesday Evening – On the Edge of the Pass

It’s Tuesday evening, and the Highlands feel settled tonight. No rain today, just a grey stillness over the hills — the kind that makes you wonder if the land is saving its energy for tomorrow. Vanilla is parked up, warm and steady, the sort of companion that makes nights like this feel easy.

The forecast ahead is split in two stories:
• Tomorrow (Wednesday): manageable. Showers at times, a bit of breeze, but nothing to stop me.
• Thursday through Saturday: a storm marching in, with heavy rain and strong winds that will make travel a very different game.

Which makes tomorrow morning the moment I’ve been waiting for: the Bealach na Bà, the legendary cattle pass. It isn’t just a road, it’s a coiled challenge. Hairpins, steep climbs, single-track lanes that twist into the clouds. In the wet it will keep me sharp, but it’s not the worst weather I could have asked for. Vanilla will do her part; I just have to do mine with the gears. Whether the view opens up or the mist swallows it, the climb itself is what matters.

After that, the path bends south. Applecross and Gairloch are already behind me, so the next stretch is about rolling with the road, seeing what the weather allows, and letting the Highlands carry me onward.

And Skye? I’ll admit, it’s still in the back of my mind. But with the storm coming, I think the island can wait for another trip. Better to save it for a time when it shows its face, not just its clouds.

For now, it’s quiet. The van hums, the kettle steams, and tomorrow the cattle pass calls.

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