?BYE JAKE

As most people probably know it was England vs USA last night, and true to form the pub was rammed. The tele that everyone was fixated on is positioned, oddly, above the door. This made for a strange atmosphere to Mike and Joey as they walked into the bar to be greeted by eagerly staring eyes. Where they welcome in such a place? Is this a local only pub? Did they have to be initiated into the indigenous population before they could sink a pint of the Millcroft's finest? No. Not really, but the poor buggers who had just cycled from Lochalsh that day and who were oblivious to the World Cup even started were shunted to the corner.

Each donned a straggly beard and rough hair, shaped by the inside of their helmets. They sat contently with their Ale blissfully uncaring for the match. Afterwards they leant over the bar and asked me if there were places nearby to rough-camp.

"Aye, just go up the road, past a sign that says Lonemore. Keep going until the fence on your left stops"

The area I directed them to is in the direction of my house and people have camped there before and no-one has moved them on. Lo and behold, when I get home there's a tent pitched across the road from my house.

I ran into the house, grabbed a few plastic cups and a bottle of wine and headed down to their tent. Luckily, they recognised me from the bar and didn't mistake me for an angry landowner. And we stood and chatted about their trip. They were cycling up to Shetland via the west coast. What freedom. We then talked about uni, they went to Edinburgh and I told them facts about the local area; the names of the mountains they had cycled past, the lochs, the fauna and the villages that are scattered across the area. In the end though, the midges got to us and we finished the wine so I headed to bed and so did they.

I didn't get chance to speak to them in the morning but I came back to see this message left on my step. It reminded me why I love travel and the people you can meet along the way. it put a smile on my face : )