Having crossed the Moray Firth onto the Muir of Ord I had immediately left the city behind me and of course all the shops and food outlets etc. So after about half an hour of cycling I left the A9 to make a detour to the small town of Dingwall where I found a Tesco supermarket. The cafe was just about to close and most of the food was gone. However the friendly lady at the counter, on hearing that I had cycled from Fort William, gave me everything that they had left for the price of one meal. So I had a bit of curry mixed up with some pasta bake and it all went down a treat with a hot mug of tea. Thanking the lady again I then took the opportunity to use the loo before going to stock up on some supplies, fruit juice, water, fruit and nut mix, chocolate and a pasta salad. Outside I refilled my water bottles and loaded my supplies into my trailer and handlebar box.
Fortunately, my bike nav found a north bound road connecting Dingwall with the A9 and so I had no need to double back on myself. It was a gorgeous evening so I thought that I would just kept cycling until it got dark.
By now it was after 9:30 and I was thinking about whether to find a place to camp for the night. However, I pushed on along the A9 a bit further passing through some small villages. Often at a village there would be a road sign and by now they had John O'Groats on them. They also had the mileage and it was of course coming down. It was now just a cycle away!
