Day 2, 53 miles from John o'Groats to Betty Hill

September 2, 2006. After breakfast at the Seaview Hotel and photos at the John o'Groats touching post, we got underway at 9:30 in a cool southwest wind and light rain. Down to the shore at the Castle of Mey and then inland through Westfield and Shebster - some of the best farmland in Caithness county - to Melvich and the Halladale Inn for a lunch that included Cumberland sausage egg. The ride from Melvich to Bettyhill was a series of stream valleys and 400 foot headlands that made good use of our lowest gears. There was enough heavy rain that we had to hang up our gear to dry when we arrived but the sun soon came back out and the evening was splendid. From the Betty Hill Hotel Lounge we could watch half a dozen surfers try to catch the modest waves as the tide came in to the sandy beech 300 feet below.